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Mac    1/3/2024

In the 4th quarter of 2023, several things were done to the 7050 purchased in summer 2021.

Dell Optiplex 7050 micro, with an Intel i5-7500 CPU 3.5GHz, HD630 GPU, is a Mac Mini sized computer running MacOS Monterey. Updating to Sonoma slowed everything down, so it was rebuilt from scratch onto another SSD. It has 5 USB3.1 ports, USB-C port (no Alt DP video mode), Intel AX200 802.11ax, BT 5.2 Fenvi PCIe 802.11ac wifi, Bluetooth 4.0, DisplayPort at 4k60p and HDMI at 4k30p. Added a DP port, from eBay at $13, to drive yet another 4k@60 monitor. Memory is 32GB DDR4 3200MHz but runs at a system-capped 2400MHz with a 256GB Sabrent SB2130 NVMe m.2 SSD for macOS 16GB DDR 2400MHz and 256GB Hynix NVMe m.2 and a Samsung 2.5” SATA has Windows 11 Home alongside Ubuntu 22.04LTS. It’s amazing buying a couple year old computer for $160+tax.

It’s been 14 years since my last new Apple laptop, so got a MacBook Air in Starlight with 256GB storage, 8GB RAM running on the M2 chipset. This thing is fast!

While getting some DVD/CD sleeves at Micro Center in November 2009, someone left a webpage on a MacBook showing a $200 rebate. With the Rewards Club, a 5% coupon entitles a single item purchase starting the next Monday. I picked up a MacBook 5 days later for $950 (after $50 off). Now it’s got 8GB of DDR3 in it. Soon after, I starting building machines with MacOS. Equipment as follows:

Macbook originally had Snow Leopard 10.6 - updated now to El Capitan 10.11. A Mac Pro was built in July 2011 with a 2nd generation i7 CPU on a Gigabyte motherboard with Snow Leopard and updated through the OS’s to now Catalina 10.15.7. It is still powerful enough for video editing. Now ewaste.

After seeing how others had success installing MacOS onto my now seldom used Dell e7450 laptop, I decided to make a dual boot machine. It now runs Monterey 12.7 and Ubuntu 22.04LTS Catalina 10.15.7 and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. Webcam, SD reader, most everything works except the trackpad is missing some gestures. The old Macbook was now ewaste.

Details are on the Windows page.

various notes on ancient components:
Corsair 2GB x 2 DDR2 800MHz (would have liked DDR3 MB though) +
  OCZ - 1GB x 2 DDR2 PC6400 (6GB total)
Firewire PCIe, Dynex DX-PC12PF (6 pin s400, 2 x 9 pin s800)
PCI wireless G Belkin F5D7000 v2000 (not installed)
Apple USB keyboard with number pad
Apple Magic TrackPad (consumes lots of batteries)
InWin full tower, spare
No Microsoft Office stuff, except for OneNote

Bluetooth:
jWin JB-TH101: Cambridge Silicon Radio, FW: 5276
rounded Chinese dongle: Cambridge Silicon Radio FW: 3164 (wakes from sleep)
square Chinese dongle: Cambridge Silicon Radio FW: 3164 (does not wake from sleep)
Kensington 33348: Broadcom, FW 39 (8192) used on Windows machine

 Apple still does not know how to manufacturer mice or its associated software. The Magic Mouse can only do physical clicks and it’s loud! It’s low profile thus hard to hold. You move it, not like the new MultiTouch of the MacBooks where you navigate like a touchpad or use multi finger gestures. Free software like Better Touch Tool allows finger taps to work on Magic Mouse - software that Apple should have developed but I get random clicks. Perhaps this is sensitive to ESD? But only one other has reported this problem. The Magic TrackPad has solved these problems, so the Magic Mouse has been given away to another Mac user. Bluetooth mice / trackpads consume a lot of more battery than wireless USB keyboards.