Now Working! - AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition

 October of last year (2021), I posted about issues with AMD's video card and gaming software management console.

I tried various tutorials to get it to work and went as far as uninstalling all video drivers from the system using several different driver removal software packages.  None of it worked.

I've been manually checking for driver updates since I couldn't get the console software to work on my system.  I'd check maybe every two months.  I refused to follow most recommendations of reinstalling the OS just to get this to work and I cursed AMD every time I had to do this manually.  It's not difficult to do, but this is 2022...I shouldn't have to be doing this manually.  I'd also check to see if I could get that console software to run after every update...it never worked (it wouldn't give an error but would flatout not work).

So, today, I checked and saw that there was a recent driver.  I downloaded it manually and installed it.  I checked to see if the console software would work - and it did!  I didn't change a thing with this system, so it wasn't something that I'd forgotten or didn't know how to do.

This tells me that it's a driver-, console- or installer-related issue.

I have noticed that my Nvidia GTX 1060 6 GB video card was still stronger than this AMD RX 6600 and between that and this console issue, was very close to getting rid of the RX 6600 and going back to the 1060 (it's in my storage closet).

Now I get to look at the console and see how well it compares to Nvidia's.

Newly-Installed Software on MBA M1

After watching a few videos on recommendations of free Mac software, I decided to download and install the following:

• Seashore - image/photo editor
• COT, or CotEditor - text editor that has sone coding capability (more advanced than TextEdit)
• CloudClip Manager - clipboard managing app
• AlDente Free - battery management app

I also saw the recommendation to install/use VLC, which was the very first software I installed on the MBA.

I will also be installing Audacity, as soon as they compile the software for Apple silicon, although I also have the option to use the Intel version, which would be translated by Rosetta.  Also, of all the software I installed, Audacity was the only one that I couldn't find at the App Store.  I got it at Mac | Audacity ® (audacityteam.org).

I may also install LibreOffice, which I use on my gaming PC (not sure how large the install for Macs).  For now, I'll rely upon Google's office suite of tools.

Of the bulleted software above, I'm running AlDente Free in the background and have the charge limit set to 80%.  When I installed it, my battery was at 100%, so I discharged it with AlDente to 80%.  I'll evaluate this software for maybe 6 months and if I like the results, I'll purchase the Pro version of AlDente.  And, up above, I lied. I said that Audacity was the only software I got from outside of the App Store, but AlDente was another I had to directly download from the author's GitHub.

Amazon Prime Sale - Sandisk 2TB Extreme Pro V2

This week I got a notice from Western Digital that they were having a two-day sale on Sandisk Extreme Pro v2 portable SSDs.  I almost bought it but checked Amazon and saw it on sale there as well.  

I ended up buying the 2TB version from Amazon, since I still had $70 to use from a birthday gift card.  With the gift card and the 50% off (from the list price), I paid $198 for a 2TB Pro V2 Sandisk portable SSD.

Now, I realize that both my Mac Mini (M1) and MBA (M1) will bottle-neck this SSD drive since their USB bandwidth is 10 Gb/s (USB 3.1 Gen 2), but at some point, I may get a new system that has the latest USB (3.2 Gen 2x2).  Think of it as future-proofing.

It would be nice for Sandisk to build these based on the Thunderbolt (v3) specs, though, especially since Apple has been using this spec for quite a while.

Macbook Pro 13" M2 & Potential NAND Issue

 I'm noticing some videos of the recently released Macbook Pro 13" M2 throttling SSD reads and writes.

I've also seen some posts on MacRumors.com describing the issue.

It appears that Apple may have only included one NAND for the 256 GB version of the MBP 13" M2, while the M1 variant of the same notebook has two NANDs.  Apple apparently was cutting costs with the M2 MBP13, to the point that the M1 MBP13 certainly outperforms it as far as SSD reads/writes are concerned.

This might not only affect MBP 13" M2s, but also MBA M2s.  We'll soon see if the community discovers that the MBA M2 is also affected by this issue.

See this MacRumors post for more information.

Other posts:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/m2-fanless-heat-issue.2349274/

Purchased Applecare+ for the Macbook Air

 After seeing a month+ of many folks sharing that they've damaged their Macbooks' screens (either by dropping or neglecting to remember that the notebook is fragile), I decided to purchase Applecare+.

The thing about insurance is that you might not need to use it.  I wanted to have it in case I ever need it.

I think I use my Mac Mini more than I do my MBA, but every time I handle the Macbook, there's this nagging feeling that I'm going to drop it.  Maybe it's that slick feeling case.  Or maybe it's the fact that it feels ultra-light and thin..  The top case is very thin, in fact, to the point that it doesn't take much to damage the screen (evidenced by the high amount of posters at the MacRumors forums and sub-Reddits, sharing the damage they caused).

One thing that I noticed is that when purchasing Applecare+, the owner is given the option of subscribing annually ($99/year) or paying a lump sum of $199 for three years of coverage.  I'm not sure which would've been best for me, but opted for the 3-year plan since I'll have the MBA a while (longer than 3 years, more than likely).  

It just makes sense, to me, to buy the coverage (mainly for the accidental) and not worry so much about display damage.  Note that I'm only interested in entertaining my use case...I've no need to explore any scenarios outside of my own usage patterns.

And, no, I didn't purchase Applecare+ for my Mac Mini M1.  It's not mobile and I have less worry of dropping it than my MBA.

Macbook Air M1 - Passive Cooling and Waterproofing Discussion

I saw a forum post where someone was wanting a waterproof Macbook Air.

I'm not sure why someone would want this.  The poster stated that it was for the sake of innovation, like adding needless features alone is considered to be innovative.

I explained that I've never spilled any liquids on any of the notebooks I've owned.  Sure, I'm speaking for myself, but self-restraint would prevent folks from accidentally spilling liquid on their notebooks.  I'd explained how I made sure I wasn't drinking over or even near my notebooks...that simple rule stopped me from ever having to worry about liquid damage repairs.  What of notebooks (in bags or backpacks) getting wet if caught in the rain?  Always check the weather before you leave an establishment, or don't take your notebook with you when/if you know it's raining.  If you need to go and you know it's going to rain, bring an umbrella or put your notebook inside a ziplock or plastic bag...it doesn't have to be airtight unless you're going underwater with it.

Some then made a quip of it being super simple to implement since the MBA was already sealed.

Wait.  What?

He thought that since the MBA had no fan, that the case was sealed (ie, no air gaps)

I told him that there is no way that the case is 100% sealed, even while the system is fanless.  I couldn't back this up, as there are no pictures or articles stating that there are no ports/ducts in the case, but I followed my gut.

I looked under my MBA M1 2020 and saw that there's a long rectangular cut underneath the display (when the display is lifted up).  At first I thought that this was where the ports were - I thought it was one elongated port, but I was wrong.  I felt along the port when opening and closing the lid, but couldn't find anything that suggested a true duct.

I powered down the notebook (not hibernated/sleeping).  I then closed the notebook and flipped it upside down.  I took a straightened plastic-covered paper clip and poked along the elongated duct.  I found that there are indeed two ducts within that elongated cut.  I thought they were hinges because they're covered by soft rubber pieces, but they flex away when prodded.

I also found this article: How The MacBook Air Cools Itself 2022 - The Mini Blog

That article clarifies some things.  

While it doesn't mention the two ducts, it does depict them.  The article explains that there are passive cooling mechanics designed into the system.  One passive cooler is the aluminum bottom plate.  It dissipates heat.  The system also has copper heat pipes, which are depicted within the article.  The article also explains that the CPU portion of the SoC (System on Chip) has what's called a cold plate over it, which helps dissipate heat.  

The below picture is an edit of what was depicted in the article.  The red circles indicate where the two cooling ducts are.  The copper heat pipes are circled in yellow.

What does this have to do with waterproofing a MBA?  Everything.  The MBA does not have fans and heat sinks on the hot bits to mitigate heat, as does the Macbook Pro and other non-Mac notebooks.  The MBA relies upon passive cooling.  A sealed case will cause issues with a system that uses passive cooling as the aluminum bottom alone won't wick the heat way.  What heat that is not dissipated by the aluminum bottom will not be able to leave the system, which is why the current MBA has the heat pipes and "exhaust" ports (the heat pipes absorb the heat and the pipes are pointed toward the ducts as another dissipation method).

The MBA, as it currently stands, is nowhere near being waterproof-capable, as you'd have to redesign the whole passive cooling system to account for the fact that the system needs to be air-tight to prevent liquid damage.

I explained to the forum poster that the ports are in place and that I've verified that they are ducts (showed him the pictures in the article and explained to him that I checked the ducts and they are indeed ducts).  He hasn't said a word in reply.

Now, with all that being said, his question was in regards to the new MBA (2022 M2).  Since the new MBA isn't yet released to the public, all I had to rely upon is the outgoing MBA (2020 M1).  

Note that I saw the bottom of the new 2022 M2 (internet picture) and saw that it has the same telltale elongated cutout on the bottom of the case, so I'm betting that the new MBA has the same exact ducting, since that system also uses passive cooling.

Macbook Air M1 & Multiple External Displays

 I saw several folks on Reddit complaining that the new M2 Macbook Air only supports one external monitor.  Technical specifications state that one 6K display is supported but I saw several posts over the past 30 days stating folks have been using multiple external displays with the M1 Mac Minis, which uses the exact same SoC as the M1 Macbook Air.

I decided to check with my Mac Mini M1to see what it would handle and if it could see more than one external monitor.

My Mac Mini is currently connected to an iMac 27" Late 2009 using a Thunderbolt-to-miniDisplayPort cable.  I switch between it and the iMac using Target Display Mode, which I posted about a few weeks ago.  My gaming PC uses a Samsung 34" UltraWQHD screen.  I disconnected it from my gaming PC and connected the display to the Mac Mini using and HDMI-to-HDMI cable, connecting it to the Mini's HDMI port.  The result is that the Mini is able to use both screens without issue, with both rendering in  1440p.

I then attempted to use the same two displays with my MBA M1.  Since the MBA M1 only has the two TB ports on the left side of the system, I had to use my Anker hub, which has an HDMI port.  I found that the MBA M1 can only use one of the two 1440p displays at a time, not both at the same time.  I did not alter the resolution.  NOTE - since the MBA only allows the usage of one external display, using a hub isn't necessary; you can use the aforementioned Thunderbolt-to-miniDisplayPort cable, which will give you the option of 1440p with the 27" iMac.

I think that two 4k monitors is a too much for the bandwidth of the MBA M1 and I've seen articles mentioning that two 4K displays was too much.  I need to test to determine if it'll detect both displays if one is not 4K or if I have to lower the resolution on both for them to be detected.

There are solutions that will allow the usage of multiple displays with the MBA M1, but you've to install DisplayLink.  I haven't tried that yet.

To be honest, the 34" as an external (or second) display is extremely large...it's like having two screens when in 1440p.  That's actually quite enough space for me, but I'll make it a project of trying to get the two 1440p displays to work with the MBA M1.

Upcoming M2-powered Macbook Air & "Refreshed" M2-powered 13" Macbook Pro

 So, I saw the specs of the new and upcoming M2 Macbook Air.

The technical specifications for the M2 Macbook Air are here.

The technical specifications for the M2 Macbook 13" Pro are here.

Immediately noticeable is the fact that the M2 MBP is using the same chassis as the previous M1 Air, while also using the M2 chipset.  They almost certainly just shoehorned the M2 into the existing M1 Air chassis, as the case layout and specs are extremely similar.

Basically, the M2 MBA gets a proper refresh while the M2 MBP does not.

The major differences are:

The MBA has a 13.6" display while the MBP's display is 13.3".  Both systems' displays are LED-backlit with IPS technology.  Both had the same nit capacity.

The M2 MBA base machine will have the 8-core CPU with 4 performance and 4 efficiency cores, and 8-core GPU.  The M2 MBP base will have the 8-core CPU with 4/4 performance/efficiency cores and a 10-core GPU.

The M2 MBA option would be the 8-core 4/4 core with 10-core GPU.  There's no other option for the M2 MBP.

So, the base M2 MBP starts with the better hardware, and the M2 MBA can be optioned to use the base MBP chipset.

Battery comparison:  The MBA battery is rated for 18 hours of Apple TV playback, 15 hours of wireless web, has a 52.6-watt-hour LiPo battery and includes a 30W power adapter.  The MBP battery is rated for 20 hours of Apple TV music playback, 17 hours of wireless web viewing, and has a 58.2-watt-hour LiPo battery.

Both have the exact same RAM capacity and offerings.

Both have the exact same SSD capacity and offerings.

That doesn't seem all that bad, but as you further compare, you'll see that the M2 MBA now has a 1080P front-facing camera while the M2 MPB has the same 720P camera as the outgoing M1 MBA and M1 13" MBP.

The MBA now has a Mag-Safe charging port with two Thunderbolt 3 ports.  The MBP has the same layout as the exiting M1 MBP 13" - two Thunderbolt 3 ports.  Note that the MBP will lose a TB port when using a charger, since it doesn't have a dedicated charing port.  The TB and USB bandwidth capabilities are the same for both systems.

The MBA uses a non-Touch Bar keyboard.  The MBP uses the Touch Bar keyboard, otherwise both keyboards are the same, as well as the touch pads.

The MBA uses a new four-speaker sound system. Both use the same three-mic array and 3.5mm headphone jack.

Both the MBA and MBP M2s officially support only one external 6K display.  I'm not sure what's unofficially supported.  I've heard that the M1 MBAs and MBPs can support two 4K displays.

Price-wise, the M2-powered MBA base model will now cost $1199, while the upgraded M2 MBA will cost $1499.  The M2 MBP base machine will cost $1299, while the upgraded model will cost $1499.

All of the above hints that the M2 MBP may be performing a swan song and may be exiting the market.  While it's not really overshadowed by the M2 MBA, (they share the same chip and the chips are exactly the same), they do not share the same shell.  The comparison is not really fair since the M2 MBA got a real refresh and the M2 MBP did not - the M2 MBP got a new chipset but is using the same chassis as the outgoing M1 MBP 13".

It's almost as if Apple had a surplus of M2 SoCs that they wanted to utilize for the sake of usage...they had spare M2s and spare 13" MBP chassis and used both surpluses to make "new" systems.

It's odd behavior, to be sure.

We'll see if I'm correct in my assessment.

Compared to the outgoing M1 MBA, the incoming M2 MBA is apparently 20% more powerful/efficient.

Are Macbooks Durable?

 Some guy on one of the Mac subreddit groups wanted to secure his Macbook in his car with a tether to deter theft.

I left a comment saying that his main concern should be the heat inside a car.

The storage spec for current Macbooks:

Storage temperature: −13° to 113° F (−25° to 45° C)

The next argument was that a trunk would suffice.  I argued against that, as a truck would be just as hot (it is not a sealed compartment and the heat from the cabin would, in almost all cars with trunks, radiate into the trunk.  The next argument was that the trunk didn't have windows.  A car can get hot even if the windows were covered, as the car is basically a metal enclosure sitting under direct sunlight.  The storage spec for the current MBAs is 113 F.  That temp can easily be attained in a car's trunk.

The next argument was that MBAs are durable.  

THEY ARE MOST CERTAINLY NOT.  A simple Reddit search shows the following - reddit.com: search results - macbook cracked screen - and most of those hits are very recent.  Many of the posts include pictures of the damage too, so yeah, that statement was quickly debunked.

Folks, don't believe everything you see on the internet.

Macbook Air M1 - Anker 7-Port Dock/Hub On The Way

I ordered an Anker 7-port dock/hub from Amazon today, as I've several external hard drives that I plan to use with my Macbook Air M1.  

This dock will allow me to connect drives to the MBA using USB-A connections.

I've also been closely monitoring how my MBA uses memory, just to understand how it performs.  I've yet to see the memory pressure rise to the point where the graph is yellow, but it does use swap (very little, actually - maybe 100 MB, infrequently).  I'm close to not worrying about it any longer.  I'm pretty sure the system will let me know (by throttling down components) if memory usage gets bad.  Life is too short to be constantly worrying on if your Mac MI is swapping...if it is, so be it - I highly doubt swapping is going to cut my drive's life in half.

New M1 user? Get the correct version of Chrome!

 Just so you know:

If you just got a new M1 Mac, make sure you’re using the right version of Google Chrome.

If you're wondering if you've the correct one, you can check the following:

• Open Chrome browser after it has installed, Go to the three vertical dots and click them.
• Select Help.
• Select About Chrome.  
• You should see "arm64", which is the M1 version.  See below recording.

Ubuntu Desktop 22.04 and Dell XPS 8930

2-3 years ago, I bought my daughter a Dell XPS 8930.  It was nothing special but was a good base in case she needed to expand the system a bit.

Not long after purchase, the motherboard went bad.  I had on-site support for it but never got around to getting it repaired until maybe a month before support expired.  A contractor showed up and replaced the mainboard. 

My daughter only used it a few months then decided to build her own.  The XPS was sitting in a corner, barely used.

I've a cheap system I bought from TigerDirect that is running Ubuntu.  It is currently running Ubuntu Desktop 18.04.  I'd installed Owncloud on it, but the install got jacked up.  it's all out of sync now, package-wise.  I'd attempted to update Owncloud and it choked.  I've not been able to get it running again and it has crucial data on it (it has two drives and the Owncloud data is on the 2nd non-system drive).

I decide to run Ubuntu Desktop 22.04 on the XPS.  I'd initially installed LTS 22.04 but at this time that version has issues with systems that have Nvidia cards and I didn't want a headless system (I already have several of those), so I opted for Desktop.  The Desktop install was seamless.

Desktop 22.04 already has a cloud-based system included in the default install - Nextcloud.  I'm still playing with it but I'll more than likely use that since it's within the Ubuntu repository (Owncloud wasn't when I last checked).

Some things I don't like about these latest Ubuntu versions (noticed this will LTS as well):

• vim wasn't installed by default.  vi is installed by default.  I think this is a licensing thing (I don't believe vim is POSIX).  As well, if vi is already installed, I guess vim wouldn't need to be.  If anyone needs vim, they can use apt to install it post-install.
• ifconfig was not installed by default.  IMO, ifconfig should be essential to a default install.  You might need to troubleshoot a network issue immediately after installing the distro and if you don't have a network connection, you're screwed.  ifconfig is included in the net-tools package.  That package shouldn't be excluded from the base install.

Everything else seems to be good with this distro version, but I'm sure I'll find something amiss as I use the system.

Macbook Air M1 and RAM/Swap research

 Last night, after 3-4 days of the MBA running (mostly hibernating but I did use it maybe 10 hours or so), I took at look at the kernel_task process and it was at around 16TB of writing. (!!)

I didn't have a ton of apps open but did have 15 tabs in an open Firefox browser.  I'm thinking that was the culprit...many days of running without killing the process, when Firefox is notorious for memory leaks.

I shut it down then decided to remove the whole program since it was migrated from my old iMac.  It was almost certainly running an Intel version, which meant that it was being translated by Rosetta2 before being used by the M1's ARM chipset.  

I installed the Mac version but decided to also look into Microsoft Edge, which has some memory leak protections built-in (it hibernates inactive tabs, I believe).  I initially looked for it at the App Store but it wasn't there.  It was the same for FF for Mac - had to go to the FF page and download it, so I went to Microsoft's page, found the Mac M1 version, downloaded and installed it.

The plan is to start using Edge in place of FF so that I can take advantage of it's anti-leak properties, but still have FF on-hand in case I need it.  Yeah, I can use Safari, as well, but I've grown used to FF and Safari doesn't have the anti-leak protection.

I also ensured that the other software I migrated from the iMac (GarageBand, iMovie, Pages, Keynote, Numbers, etc) was using versions native to Apple silicon.  They are all running versions designed for the M1 chipset.

I then restarted the MBA so that the kernel_task writes could be watched after my changes.

So far, my kernel_task writes are low (437 MB) and I'm not swapping (I'm at 2 GB of unused RAM currently).

As well, I've researched the RAM and swap issue.  Even if I start swapping, even if it was heavy swapping, the life of my SSD should last well over 10 years.

I've also thought of creating extra swap files/partitions to a 2nd SSD I have, and redirecting the swapping to those locations (if possible for the latter).  I can always replace the 2nd SSD since it's not embedded into the MBA.  This may be an option later on, but I'll not worry about it now.

Had to Rearrange My Desk

 I've rearranged my desk so that I can use the Macs at one end of the (long) desk.  

This resulted in moving my 27" iMac, placing it next to my Mac Mini.  The enables me to use the iMac as a monitor for my Mini, using Target Display Mode (TDM).  I had to buy a USB-C to mini-Displayport cable and use the one of the Thunderbolt slots to connect to the iMac.

Even though I can use TDM, there's the issue of having two sets of keyboard and mice between both systems.  I don't think there's a worthwhile way around that issue.

I'm also using a bluetooth mouse and keyboard with the Mini.  The mouse is a Corsair Harpoon that has a bluetooth mode.  I'd been using that mouse with my work laptop until I found that it had BT functionality, then I repurposed it for use with my Mini.  The keyboard is a Seenda ISJ-ZXKB01.  It has mapped controls for MacOS.  It works well, but tends to take a few seconds to reconnect when it is hibernating (I've to tap a button and wait maybe a second or two for it to awaken before I can use it).

Since I took the iMac from my work setup, I am mow using my Dell 27" monitor as my second screen for work.  I'd previously been using it as a second monitor for use when I'm streaming gameplay, but since that system has a 34" UW display, I really didn't have an excuse to use an additional monitor.  It did make things a bit more simple, as I could use OBS on that screen while the main screen was outputting gameplay.  I may buy another 27" screen from Dell if I want to go back to that setup, but I'd have to rearrange the desk or get a wallmount for it (or the iMac).  We'll see.

The Macbook Air (MBA) is doing well.  I've been using it to do light things such as blog posts, research, and note-taking (using OneNote).  I'd heard folks with M1 Macs using the MS Edge browser because it's less resource-intensive than Firefox and Chrome.  I've been using Firefox as my main browser, but I've to watch it closely because it tends to consume lots of memory.  I might try Edge soon.

Macbook Air (2020) M1 Base On the Way!

 I'd been torn on whether to get a mobile Mac, especially so shortly after I'd bought the M1 Mini (a few weeks ago).

I want to spend time on the Mac but also be near family.  The Mini is in the basement, which is where my office desk is.  I'd tried remoting into the Mini from the den while logged into my Dell G7, but there's some lag that takes away from the experience.  So, I decided to buy another Mac.

I mentioned I was torn on whether to make another Mac purchase.  Well, I was doubly torn with this purchase, as I couldn't decide on the Air or the Pro.  The Pro is a bit more expensive, but the specs between the two are almost identical.  I think the Air has 7 GPU cores while the Pro has 8 (note that there's an 8 GPU core option for the M1 MBA).  Also, the Air is fan-less while the Pro has a fan.  The Air doesn't have the touch bar but the Pro does.

I decided on the Air Base model because of price.  The Air was $150 less and has the same exact specs as the Macbook Pro 13" (2020 M1).  This Air is Space Gray in color.  That's a rather trivial difference but I'm trying to cut costs.  As well, there was $60 sales tax on this purchase!  If I could've found a Pro that was open box, it would've been as cheap as a new Air, but they had no open boxed Pros.  They also didn't have any certified used ones in this area.

I'm excited.  The only thing I'm missing now is the Apple Watch.  That one can wait until next year.

UPDATE:  I picked it up from Best Buy maybe an hour ago.  It is sweet. I think I should've bought this before I bought the Mini, but that's OK because they're both low-end Mac systems and I'm not under a financial burden.  I can use both.  The Air is pulling the new update (12.4) that was released last night.  The Mini is pulling the same update.  I'll have more to report over the next week or so.

UPDATE 2:  Three weeks later, Apple notified the public of two new incoming models - the Macbook Air M2 model and the Macbook Pro M2 model (which is basically the M2 SoC within the M1 shell - shitty "refresh", in my opinion)

I Have Another iPhone; Airpod Pro Earbuds; Mac Mini M1

iPhone 13 Pro Max 256 GB 

Back in March (2022), I decided to let go of my LG smartphone.  I've been using LGs since the V20 (used the V30 and had been using the V60 (which I still have) up until March).

When LG decided to get out of the smartphone business, I began my look for a different phone.  None of the other brands held my interest.  Yes, other companies make phones that have similar specifications, but most do not have expandable memory (micro SD) or physical audio ports (or even DAC).  LG's V60 was innovative, in that you could also use dual screens (docks with screens) with them.

I did not want a Chinese phone (no OnePlus or similar).  I did not want Samsung (used their phones awhile back...was NOT impressed and had several issues with two phones where I had to return both of them and one of the replacements experienced the same issue 1.5 years after the exchange).

Several things about iPhones that will never go away: Their resale value.  They also have a very good ecosystem.  The software and security is good.  They've long support.  If I have an issue with a phone, I can visit the local Apple Store.  Their peripherals work great (even when using them with non-Apple products).

I decided on, and bought, an iPhone 13 Pro Max 256 in Alpine Green.  The phone looks great and feels great in the hand.  It has an elegant look to it.

Right off the bat, I hated the fact that logins are tied to Apple IDs and iCloud.  I also hate the fact that I can't change the UI. (With Android, we use launchers to change the look of everything.)  The phone has no fingerprint reader. (Face ID works great, though!)  It came with no ear phones, nor did it come with a power adapter, which is mandatory for usage of the Fast Charging feature.  It's all glass but comes with no phone case (WTF).  Luckily, I ordered a case when I ordered the phone.  I also ordered a 32W power adapter.

It is now May and I've used the phone a few months.  I've grown accustomed to it.  There's less of an issue with me fighting with iCloud now. (I found that a large part of my issues stemmed from the fact that I somehow have two Apple IDs.)  

I've begun using the phone to listen to music.  Most of my music collection consists of raw MP3s, but it is a royal bitch to use raw MP3s with iPhones.  I had to import the raw files into iTunes on a PC so that I could import/link/sync them to the iPhone.  Some of my music was tied to one of the two Apple IDs, and for a while I had issues where I couldn't access the content I paid for ten years ago. (Yes, I got that sorted.)

Apple Airpod Pro Earbuds

I even bought a set of Airpod Pros.  I tried a pair of my daughter's corded Airpods but they would never stay in my ears.  Even Airpods slipped out, as they are similar to the corded variant.  The Pros have rubber pieces that help keep the pods in the ear canal, and they stay put better than regular AirPods, but they're still not all that secure when in my ear.  I foresee these falling out of my ear at inopportune moments.  They've great sound, with noise cancellation and sound pass-through and text-to-voice features.  The rechargeable case is great (although slick).

Mac Mini M1 (2020) Base - Space Gray

I'd been using my 27" iMac lately to access the music and files on it when using the new iPhone, but it is OLD (late 2009 model).  So, I bought a Mac Mini M1 to replace it - that was the best decision I've made in quite a while, as this Mini is very powerful.  I bought the 8GB RAM & 256GB SSD version.  I didn't want to spend a ton of money on another Mac, so I focused on the lower end (after doing research, the lower end will be fine for non-professional things and even some professional tasks).  As well, I bought a dock that gives me several more ports (for less than $100) - it fits under the Mini and has the same profile.  The dock also had a port for an SSD card, so I mounted a 500GB SSD to it, so the system now has a 500GB data drive.  The dock is a Quiizlab USB-C Hub.

I'd been using the iMac as a dedicated monitor for work, but I think I'll use it with the Mini instead.  I'm currently using a Dell SE2719H 27" monitor with the Mini but love the 1440p screen of the iMac.

What's also cool is that I'm remotely administrating the iMac from the Mini using the Screen Sharing tool.  This is somewhat new to me, as the iMac was previously the only other working Mac in the house.  Note that I've two old (2005ish) Macbooks that aren't being used, as well as a G4 PowerMac that's sitting in a corner.  The Mini may spur me to get another (modern) Mac system.  UPDATE - Yup...bought a Macbook Air M1.

I've also bought my first real app for the Mini: iStatistica Pro, a system monitoring tool.  I used to use iStat and was going to purchase it but saw that it hadn't been updated in awhile (and other issues).  iStatistica Pro was the same price ($10), and didn't seem to have any bad reviews, so I bought it.  I've already used it to pare down some files. (I copied the files from my iMac to the Mini when setting it up, so there's a bit of files on the Mini already.)

So, I'm happy.  I won't promise to document my experience with the recent Apple purchases since my life is pretty fragmented right now, but I'll document the experience when I remember I've things to share.

My daughter bought me a 1 TB WD Black SN750 SE NVMe SSD for Christmas. 

Wasn't able to install it until today. It took maybe an hour of investigating/researching, maybe 20 min of cloning the drive, then another 30-40 min of troubleshooting when Windows' Disk Management wouldn't extend the C: to use the rest of the unallocated drive space (I had to install a 3rd party disk manager tool).

Also, when I copied the partitions from the old M.2 to the new M.2, it broke Bitlocker on my data drive, but that was easily fixed by copying the drive's BL key from my Microsoft account and using it to re-establish access to the data drive. 

It feels nice to have 2 TB of space in a laptop!  The data drive is a mechanical drive - it'll suffice for now but I do have a spare 500 GB SSD that I can use in it's place (I actually have two of them but only one will fit in the laptop).

Post-Christmas post - December 2021

 I received the following as Christmas presents:

Thrustmaster TWCS Throttle

M.2 2280 1 TB Solid State Drive

Cargo Area Weather Mat for my 2018 Jeep Wrangler

I got a few other things as well, but the top two are things I'll definitely be using as soon as I can.

That SSD will be replacing what's currently in my Dell G7 laptop (it came with a 128 GB M.2 SSD).

The Thrustmaster throttle system will be replacing my Saitek X-52 Pro throttle.  The Saitek throttle works, but I've been having issues with it's matching stick, which has a loose PS/2 port (connector keeps falling out during gaming, so I switched to a 1st Gen Thrustmaster T.16000M stick.  I didn't want the HOTAS combo since I already have a T.16000M stick; plus, I prefer my CH Pro rudder pedals over the Thrustmaster TWCS pedals, which are too close together for my preference.

The Jeep's cargo mat isn't a tech item but it's pretty cool.  I already have Mopar weather mats for the seating area.  This particular mat is from Quadratec (cheaper product)...looks every bit as nice as the Mopar mats, though.

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Windows 11 & TPM 2.0 Requirements; Radeon Software Issues

I just wanted to speak a bit on the Windows 11 TPM 2.0 and SecureBoot requirements.

I spent a bit of time trying to understand why TPM 2.0 was needed.  When I investigated, I found that SecureBoot is also a requirement for upgrading to Windows 11.

I suggest enabling it if you have it.  If your system was built 3-4 years ago, it should already be TPM 2.0 capable (you may need to enable it within your BIOS or use a discreet TPM).  If your system is older, your system will more than likely not be capable of using TPM 2.0.

SecureBoot is also a requirement, as both TPM 2.0 and SecureBoot will keep rootkits from starting before the OS boots up.  I'm not sure on if SecureBoot will interfere with dual booting systems (if you've configured your systems to boot both Windows and Linux, for example)...it shouldn't but I'd test first.

The below video has a lot of information about TPM and SecureBoot.

Now, for a different subject.

So, as you know, I've upgraded my GPU to an AMD Radeon RX 6600.  While I love that it's a lot more capable than my prior GPU, I'm finding that I do NOT like certain things about it.  Well, it's not a card issue, specifically, but it is a driver and software issue that I've been experiencing the past few days.

If I right-click on my desktop, I should be able to pull up the AMD Radeon software console.  Well, it hasn't been working.  I've followed several tutorials explaining how to fix this issue, but none of them work.  It's always explained that the issue is due to conflicting drivers and that you have to remove the driver installation folders, safe boot, then use DDU to remove all GPU drivers, then boot back into the OS normally, then reinstall the drivers.  I've done that at least 3 times, back to back and the software still doesn't start.  This is problematic because the software should be checking for driver updates and notifying me.  If the software can't start, it can't check the drivers and notify the system owner.  Apparently this is a known pain point with AMD cards.  I'm not sure how long it'll be before I find a real solution to this issue, but I'll manage, a guess.

Upgrades Performed, New System is Functional!

 I posted earlier in the week that I'd bought parts for a new system.  

I'd said that I'd wait for the weekend to strip down my current system and replace the motherboard and supporting parts (GPU, CPU, memory).  Well, I couldn't wait.  The CPU HSF and memory arrived yesterday and waited an hour or two after they arrived to begin the rebuild.

I'd not done this in awhile but it wasn't all that difficult, but was sort of a pain in the ass.  I basically had to strip down the old motherboard while leaving the rest of the system attached to the case, then remove the motherboard, then attach the new CPU to the new motherboard, then attach the CPU HSF to the system, then attach the RAM to the motherboard, attach the back IO panel to the case, then mount the motherboard to the case, then plug in the motherboard power connectors and the rest of the cabling.  I also had to try to ensure wires and cables weren't interfering with the cooling fans.  Some of the wires are very long and some are also very short, so I spent some time trying to route things...I'm probably going to have to revisit this, as I could spend a whole day trying to route and secure cabling using zip ties.

The PowerColor video card was a beast!  I thought my GTX1060 was big.  This one is a bit bigger.  I didn't know it had blue lighting, which enhances the blue lighting I already have in the case.

When I booted up the system with the new parts, I honestly thought it wouldn't boot because of something I'd forgotten.  At least the PSU is sufficiently powerful.  It immediately booted up but was complaining because it couldn't control the CPU fan - I'd plugged it into the wrong outlet, so I had to fix that.  It was a bit of a pain because I'd used a hot glue gun to secure the wires to the frame of the HSF - I had to remove the glue to reroute the cabling and then reglue the cabling so that it wouldn't get caught in the CPU fan.

The system is ultra quick now.

I played a few matches of War Thunder last night and noticed that the system was complaining that Windows wasn't activated.  I'd saved my product key from when I'd upgraded to Windows 10 but the damned key wasn't working.  Apparently, I'd nullified it when I added the new hardware.  It took me maybe 15 minutes to fix that.

I also downloaded and installed the latest RX 6600 drivers.

At some point, I'll probably wipe the drive and reinstall Windows and all of my games and hardware, but for now everything works.

I still need to do some things like find another area to mount my SSD drives, as they're in the way in case I want to add additional USB 3.0 ports in back.  I may end up buying a new case, though...this one is a bit cluttered.

Here's to another seven years!  :D