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New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

ichilton.co.uk

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Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#151

Post by drivingmenuts »

wensing wrote: post #108
gouranga wrote: post #84

Sorry but you have got to be a fucking idiot to buy one to be honest if that is the case. Apple are making an attempt to turn generic computers into disposable appliances with moves like these. I would never accept a compromise like that with a computer that I owned. My rationale is as follows: If I pay £1800 for one of those machines, I expect to be able to repair common problems easily. That's a lot of money sittin…

I've had 5 Apple laptops since 2001 and have never had to replace anything. Average time of ownership has only been 2 years, though. Because of the resale value, I've found it's pretty effective to sell the 2-year old and put it towards a new one.

In the part of my job where I'm an IT Manager, I can tell you I've had one user go thru three motherboards. In a year. Without spilling anything on them or otherwise mistreating the computer.

I'm, like, a slobbery fanboi and I can tell you, occasionally, Apple makes one that's rotten.

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#152

Post by Jimmie »

eli wrote: post #130
polshaw wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's worth noting an 8GB DDR3 module of laptop RAM is $50. A pretty healthy 300% mark up.

Well, that's not fair. They aren't charging you for an extra 8GB module, they are replacing your 8GB module with a 16GB module. What's the price difference between a single 8GB stick and a single 16GB stick?

The specs page says the MBP has 2 ram slots, so it's the difference between 2x4gb and 2x8gb which is about 50 bucks here : http://www.msy.com.au/Parts/PARTS.pdf

edit: But looking at the hardware pics it looks like it is single module but more than that, it looks like the RAM chips are soldered directly to the motherboard. Not a RAM module soldered to the board but the actual chips which means the cost to apple would be even less since you just double the ICs.

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#153

Post by gouranga »

ioquatix wrote: post #137
gouranga wrote: post #84

Sorry but you have got to be a fucking idiot to buy one to be honest if that is the case. Apple are making an attempt to turn generic computers into disposable appliances with moves like these. I would never accept a compromise like that with a computer that I owned. My rationale is as follows: If I pay £1800 for one of those machines, I expect to be able to repair common problems easily. That's a lot of money sittin…

No one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to buy this computer. For some people (some being the vast majority of MBP users) this design actually makes a lot of sense.

Yeah penis waving hipsters in Starbucks writing their next novel whilst contributing to the bad credit problem that seems to have screwed up the economy...

Not any worthy portion of society then.

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#154

Post by JackC »

briguyd wrote: post #139
jwr wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need for profanity. Why the strong emotions? To make a laptop this small and thin with this much stuff inside, you have to get rid of certain elements. Before calling people names I'd suggest you check if it is at all possible to fit two (you'd want TWO, right?) SODIMM slots in the space available. Same goes for the battery — when I saw the first pictures of the internals, I said "well, they finally got rid of the…

And what am I supposed to do if I don't want to spend $2200 on a computer that only lasts me two years? My laptops usually last me 3-4 years, at least, after a hard drive and RAM upgrade, as well as a new battery.

And what am I supposed to do if I don't want to spend $2200 on a computer that only lasts me two years?

Well, it depends. If someone says "hey, did you check out the new MacBook?" say "yeah, I didn't really like the weight vs. upgradability trade-off" and move on. If someone says "you are required to buy this computer with your own money even if you prefer another one," laugh in their face and move on. If someone says, "wow, this computer is perfect for my needs," say "that's awesome" and move on.

Incidentally, this formula actually works any time any product is offered for sale and you don't want to buy it.

(Personally, I try not to stress about how much computers cost. In two years I'll probably put in north of 4000 hours on the thing. If there's a meaningfully better option, I'll take it even if it's more expensive. Not that I have a ton of spare cash, or that $2200 is a reasonable figure for most people yet, but this is one area where I think it's a false economy to focus on the cost.)

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#155

Post by mhurron »

briguyd wrote: post #139
jwr wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need for profanity. Why the strong emotions? To make a laptop this small and thin with this much stuff inside, you have to get rid of certain elements. Before calling people names I'd suggest you check if it is at all possible to fit two (you'd want TWO, right?) SODIMM slots in the space available. Same goes for the battery — when I saw the first pictures of the internals, I said "well, they finally got rid of the…

And what am I supposed to do if I don't want to spend $2200 on a computer that only lasts me two years? My laptops usually last me 3-4 years, at least, after a hard drive and RAM upgrade, as well as a new battery.

Pick a different one? Was it really that hard, do you need your hand held for every decision that you need to make?

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#156

Post by DeepDuh »

gouranga wrote: post #105
biafra wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The battery is easily replaceable. If you know how to use a screwdriver. Is that too much to ask?

Err, it's glued in which is considerably worse: http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-Displ... Actually, looking through the entire teardown, I think the battery being glued in is worse than anything as levering it out is likely to cause the Li-Ion cells to blow up. Also consider how hard it is recycling that machine! Their summary: 1. Proprietary pentalobe screws prevent you from gaining access to a…

One thing I don't understand: Apple offers battery replacements for more or less reasonable prices, right? How in hell are they going to replace this battery? Do they have some special fluid that can quickly dissolve that glue?

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#157

Post by dpetters »

gouranga wrote: post #153
ioquatix wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one is holding a gun to your head forcing you to buy this computer. For some people (some being the vast majority of MBP users) this design actually makes a lot of sense.

Yeah penis waving hipsters in Starbucks writing their next novel whilst contributing to the bad credit problem that seems to have screwed up the economy... Not any worthy portion of society then.

Modern tech products are used by so many people that you really can't give all users the same label. There are some brilliant people using Macs to get their jobs done and same goes with Dells, Lenovos, Windows, IE, Ubuntu, etc..

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#158

Post by mattacular »

briguyd wrote: post #139
jwr wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need for profanity. Why the strong emotions? To make a laptop this small and thin with this much stuff inside, you have to get rid of certain elements. Before calling people names I'd suggest you check if it is at all possible to fit two (you'd want TWO, right?) SODIMM slots in the space available. Same goes for the battery — when I saw the first pictures of the internals, I said "well, they finally got rid of the…

And what am I supposed to do if I don't want to spend $2200 on a computer that only lasts me two years? My laptops usually last me 3-4 years, at least, after a hard drive and RAM upgrade, as well as a new battery.

Buy a different laptop?

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#159

Post by gouranga »

jwr wrote: post #131
gouranga wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No - that's how hard it is for YOU to initiate the recycling of the machine. The actual recycling bit is considerably harder.

Just so that I know — how exactly do you (I mean yourself) recycle Li-Ion battery cells? I'm curious, because I never tried to do that at home. I always returned the whole appliance for recycling.

I don't. I do know what is involved though. You dig a big hole and put them in it. Then over 25 years or so the lithium seeps out into the water table...

Re: New Apple Macbook Pro RAM is soldered to the motherboard | Ian Chilton

#160

Post by DanBC »

briguyd wrote: post #139
jwr wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No need for profanity. Why the strong emotions? To make a laptop this small and thin with this much stuff inside, you have to get rid of certain elements. Before calling people names I'd suggest you check if it is at all possible to fit two (you'd want TWO, right?) SODIMM slots in the space available. Same goes for the battery — when I saw the first pictures of the internals, I said "well, they finally got rid of the…

And what am I supposed to do if I don't want to spend $2200 on a computer that only lasts me two years? My laptops usually last me 3-4 years, at least, after a hard drive and RAM upgrade, as well as a new battery.

> And what am I supposed to do if I don't want to spend $2200 on a computer that only lasts me two years?

There are other computers on the market. They're available from a range of manufacturers. Many people recommend a few of the Lenovo range.

There might be legal issues if you want to run OS X.

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