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Category: A Closer Look

A better way to check your backups

A better way to check your backups

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Reading Time: 6 minutes Last year I wrote the piece “Check your backups” which focused on optical media backups. Backing up and checking those backups is an ever-evolving process, we always look for faster, easier and more reliable ways to backup our data but checking backups has always been pretty much the same tedious, time-consuming process. Today I want to tell you about a little utility that I’ve had for years but never used; IntegrityChecker by diglloydTools. Part of a suite that I’ve been…

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The differences between the 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro

The differences between the 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro

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Reading Time: 6 minutes My apologies, sometimes I take certain information for granted. When I see people on Facebook and other forums ask “what’s the difference between 4,1 and 5,1 Mac Pro?” or “Can I use a 4,1 CPU tray in a 5,1 Mac Pro” I think to myself ‘this is common knowledge, isn’t it?’. No, it’s not. Even in 2020 (and years to come), there will be plenty of people that first get started on upgrading an older Mac Pro or maybe even…

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Yes, you can use a PowerPC in 2020 (or any other year)

Yes, you can use a PowerPC in 2020 (or any other year)

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Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s that time again. PowerPC (PPC) is being slammed by the unknowing. If I had the time I’d make a response video, like Greg Hrutkay has, and set the record straight on a few things. Sadly, I do not have the time to shoot and edit such a video so I’ll write this article instead. Now I won’t start hating on this guy. I don’t know him or his channel so I won’t judge him for being terribly misinformed. Why…

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Logic board repair, two years later

Logic board repair, two years later

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Reading Time: 8 minutes Two years ago I wrote a bit about my beginning in the board repair industry. You can read all about that here. It’s not a thrilling read by any means but I know it has helped a few people out over the years, so I figured it’s time for an update. I am proud to say that I have repaired hundreds of boards and thus have saved people a LOT of money. Repairs that would have costed people up to…

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F.lux VS Night Shift

F.lux VS Night Shift

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Reading Time: 8 minutes If you are not familiar with these terms, here’s a little history. History F.lux is an application that I’ve been using for as long as I can remember. I want to say 2005/2006 maybe when I started using it, an early iteration of it or an app that did something similar. The earliest reference I can find is from 2009 but I am confident I was using this (or something like it) long before that. Basically it filters out blue…

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Mac Pro Pixlas Mod, is it really needed?

Mac Pro Pixlas Mod, is it really needed?

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Reading Time: 11 minutes A few things have bothered me about the reasons for recommending the Pixlas Mod. 1. The mini 6-pin connector can only provide up to 75W of power. 2. The traces in the Mac Pro’s logic board are too thin to have more power demanded than 75W. I needed definitive proof (at least definitive for me) of these two claims so I decided to really dive into this. I’ve gathered all the relevant information and put the puzzle pieces together, along…

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The future of Mac Pro is here

The future of Mac Pro is here

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Reading Time: 5 minutes Apple today announced the new Mac Pro. The entire keynote was a snoozefest for me as all I gave a damn about was to hear the new Mac pro being announced. One hour and 20 minutes in… finally! The new Mac Pro! Is it hideous? Meh, kinda. Were some compromises made? Yeah. Is it a worthy successor of our beloved Classic Mac Pro’s? Absolutely. Let’s take a quick look at how the new Mac Pro is everything Apple promised and…

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Louis Rossmann’s MacBook Buyers Guide. In plain English and with my take on it.

Louis Rossmann’s MacBook Buyers Guide. In plain English and with my take on it.

Comments 20 comments

Reading Time: 7 minutes Louis Rossmann released a video where he covers the MacBooks he recommends and those he doesn’t. The video is fast paced and I don’t expect anyone that isn’t well versed in logic board numbers or model information in general to keep up. You can watch the video several times, pause and rewind while you lookup the info and take notes but I figured I’d help you out a little here. It’s noon at the time of writing, he released his…

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Why everyone should have a Blu-ray burner

Why everyone should have a Blu-ray burner

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Reading Time: 5 minutes Power Mac G4 or the latest Intel MacBook Pro, everyone should own a Blu-ray burner. I figured a claim like that needs some explaining, which I will attempt to do in this article. Apologies in advance, this article has been in my drafts folder for months, has been touched up a few times and was now wrapped up quickly just to get it out of my drafts folder. So why Blu-ray?: – Much more resistant to damage from sunlight (UV)…

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The Classic Mac OS Challenge – Preparations

The Classic Mac OS Challenge – Preparations

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Reading Time: 4 minutes Yup, I’m doing it. Later this week I will be firing up my 800MHz 17″ iMac G4 and use Mac OS 9.2.2 for as much of my computing as I possibly can. Why? I love Mac OS 9 (and 8.6). I can get almost anything I need to do done fast and distraction free. And of course it’s a lot of fun! Leading up to the start of this challenge I figured I’d share some of the issues and joys…

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