The "Mod your MacBook" thread

Aptmunich said:

I think the issue is that the MBP 15" needs a special, slimmer slot drive, and these are only available up to 4x speeds.

It would be strange to have a faster drive in the consumer notebook, than you have in your more expensive "Pro" notebook.
Plus the slower drives are probably cheaper, which helps keep the costs down.

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Yes, I believe that's correct. I don't know the exact size of the new, smaller drive, but it is smaller. The new MacBooks/MacBooks Pros are using a "MAT****ADVD-R UJ-857" optical drive, which is a Mat****a DVD-R UJ-857 burner. I'm guessing it's a 9.5mm drive, versus the standard 12.7mm drives. Check out this page for a comparison:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/85.1.9.html

Edit: Hah, it took out part of the manufacturer's name. Take out the dash: Mats-hita.

Added a bunch more videos

I integrated Google AdSense ads tonight; do you think it looks tacky? My bandwidth has really shot up with the new articles and I just paid about $300 for a bandwidth/server increase for the rest of the year. Not chump change when you're in the low-end Mac market like me I don't really want to do ads and don't know if it will generate enough revenue to cover the site's cost, but I figured I'd give it a try. Anyone have experience with AdSense?

Thanks for the website you've set up. It's been very helpful in figuring out what version to get.

I finally decided to go for the low-end model, which will be $1,053.63 (with shipping) after the rebate from MacMall..

I was hesitant about only having a 60MB hard drive, until I realized I could replace the 60GB drive with a 100 or 120GB drive down the road and stick the 60 into a firewire case.

It seemed silly to get the mid-range just for a small speed bump and DVD-write when the MacBook will still write CD-R's and my tower has DVD write capability.

I also ordered two one-gig ram sticks from NewEgg to max out the machine.

MacMall still had the low-end models in stock when I called an hour or so before I ordered online, so if I'm lucky maybe it will be here next week.

jim0266 said:

Thanks for the website you've set up. It's been very helpful in figuring out what version to get.

I finally decided to go for the low-end model, which will be $1,053.63 (with shipping) after the rebate from MacMall..

I was hesitant about only having a 60MB hard drive, until I realized I could replace the 60GB drive with a 100 or 120GB drive down the road and stick the 60 into a firewire case.

It seemed silly to get the mid-range just for a small speed bump and DVD-write when the MacBook will still write CD-R's and my tower has DVD write capability.

I also ordered two one-gig ram sticks from NewEgg to max out the machine.

MacMall still had the low-end models in stock when I called an hour or so before I ordered online, so if I'm lucky maybe it will be here next week.

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Awesome! I've finally got some time to get out and run down to the local Apple store to check them out today, so I'm pretty excited. I'm sure that the 2.5" Firewire SATA cases will be out soon; they only have USB cases out currently, but with most manufacturers jumping on SATA for portables I'm sure we'll see a lot more aftermarket products for them coming up. Also, the 160gb drives will be released in SATA as well, and from what I hear those are going to support perpindicular recording for even faster speeds. Also, I'm sure someone will release an 8x 9.5mm DVD burner for the MacBooks, so we'll be able to upgrade for fairly cheap down the road. Good luck with yours!

kaidomac said:

Slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer read support (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW): writes DVD-R and DVD+R discs at up to 4x speed, writes DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs at up to 4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 10x speed, reads CDs at up to 24x speed

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Just a question b/c I want to make sure that I am reading the above correctly... That says that there is douple layer read support. So you can't write double layer DVDs is that correct? Not a deal breaker for me just trying to interpret the specs correctly. Thanks.

Added a lot more bags:

http://www.wiredbynature.org/comp/mac/macbook/mods.php#Bags

I'm surprised, manufacturers are really on the ball about getting cases out for the MacBook so quickly. This is my favorite sleeve so far:

http://foofshop.com/

jhelm007 said:

Just a question b/c I want to make sure that I am reading the above correctly... That says that there is douple layer read support. So you can't write double layer DVDs is that correct? Not a deal breaker for me just trying to interpret the specs correctly. Thanks.

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Yes, that is correct. The MacBook cannot burn dual-layer/double-layer DVD discs; it can only read them. Also, it has a maximum 4x burn speed for any DVD disc. The reason for this is that the MacBooks are using a new 9.5mm optical drive, compared to the older 12.7mm optical drives. From my research, I believe that Apple is using the fastest slot-loading 9.5mm drive available. Here's a page with photos of both sizes:

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/85.1.9.html

Given time, I'm sure that 8x dual-layer burners will be released in 9.5mm sizes, probably with Blu-Ray too eventually. I have to admit that I am disappointed at the 4x burn speed; 8x is enough for me even with the 16x desktop drives now available, but 4x is really taking a speed hit. Also, I'm not concerned about dual-layer discs - I have never once used them. I thought I would, but I've never need to, so that's not a big deal.

If you're interested in a getting a secondary drive, there are a couple options available. You can get an external slimline drive, for portability, or an external full-sized drive, for speed. LaCie has a number of good options available, check out their site here:

http://www.lacie.com/products/family.htm?id=10008

You can even get a drive with built-in LightScribe, for custom-burning labels on discs. I have a LightScribe drive in an external USB/Firewire case for my computer. You can build one yourself for even cheaper than buying one. Here's some links to good parts:

5.25" LightScribe drive @ $45

5.25" drive enclosure (Firewire/USB 2.0) @ $45

I have this combination, but with the previous-generation LightScribe drive. Works great! Spending $90 on a super-fast CD/DVD burner with LightScribe isn't a bad way to blow your money

Thanks for that info! I have a firewire external enclosure already. Does that BenQ drive work with the iApps? What apps do you use for the lightscribe functions?

jhelm007 said:

Thanks for that info! I have a firewire external enclosure already. Does that BenQ drive work with the iApps? What apps do you use for the lightscribe functions?

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I haven't tried it with the iApps, but I will give it a try for you this weekend. I'm working on a video for a friend so it's good timing I mainly use it on the Windows side of things. If you are using OS X to do your work in, SmileOnMyMac has a great piece of software called disclabel out for burning disc labels, including LightScribe discs. If you're using Windows, SureThing has a great application for doing disc labels.

A few caveats with LightScribe:
1. Photos stink; it looks great with vector graphics and text, however.
2. It takes a long time (up to 30 minutes per burn)
3. It requires two burns to look good (each disc has special markers built-in so you can add graphics to the same disc later or re-burn if needed; the second burn makes the images darker)
4. LightScribe discs are expensive (like $1 a disc instead of 50 cents or cheaper like normal DVD discs)

Newegg generally has the cheapest discs; if you go to your local Staples they'll charge you even more than normal. Here are some links:

30-pack LightScribe DVD discs @ $32 ($18 after rebate right now)

30-pack LightScribe CD discs @ $18

I generally use LightScribe for making client discs for my computer work. I build and repair computers sometimes and use it to make custom, personalized restore disc sets for people's computers. They look really sharp! Also, I'm working on a tutorial for disc labeling using both LightScribe and CD printers, look for it on my website next month.

Update: 7200rpm drives confirmed working just fine. Figures.

Added a Benchmarks section

Added a dedicated Bluetooth mice section, as well as a Modification section. So far there are two modifications:

1. Fix for the "squishy" mouse button
2. Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste (for cooling)

Being a newbie to the world of wireless, please consider adding wireless networking to your site. Thanks!

jim0266 said:

Being a newbie to the world of wireless, please consider adding wireless networking to your site. Thanks!

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I am working on a networking tutorial. I will be wiring up my parent's house with 10/100 and wifi this summer and will take photos to do a wired/wireless home networking tutorial once I'm finish. In the meantime check out JackMDS' site on networking:

http://www.ezlan.net/

lol:

http://www.wiredbynature.org/usage.jpg

Here's an interesting thought regarding wireless on the new MacBook. After a weekend of research into the world of wireless, I discovered that the MacbBook supports 802.11a, even thought it's not officially mentioned by Apple. It now seems worth it to find a wireless AP or router that handles 802.11a because it is as fast at 802.11g and is less likely to have interference from others since fewer people use it. The Airport does not support 802.11a so that means a 3rd party WAP/router. Now the problem is finding the "best" WAP/router.

jim0266 said:

Here's an interesting thought regarding wireless on the new MacBook. After a weekend of research into the world of wireless, I discovered that the MacbBook supports 802.11a, even thought it's not officially mentioned by Apple. It now seems worth it to find a wireless AP or router that handles 802.11a because it is as fast at 802.11g and is less likely to have interference from others since fewer people use it. The Airport does not support 802.11a so that means a 3rd party WAP/router. Now the problem is finding the "best" WAP/router.

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Why do you want "faster" wireless?

1. Even if you have full-speed wireless, your Internet connection (assuming you don't have a T1 coming into your house or something) is only like 1 to 5mbps (meaning you're not coming even close to utilizing the full potential of your wireless network speed).
2. Moving huge files across wireless stinks. I have a 802.11g network at my place and moving 400+ megs is a pain.
3. iirc 802.11a = 54mb = 802.11g
4. 802.11a is not compatible with most of the stuff out there (i.e. most cards you buy at the store, most integrated wireless cards in laptops, etc.)
5. There are many channels you can put G on - I set mine to 11 and never have interference problems.

A few questions for you - do you currently have a wireless system at home, or other network? Do you live in an apartment or condo building? What other machines are on your network?

kaidomac said:

Why do you want "faster" wireless?

1. Even if you have full-speed wireless, your Internet connection (assuming you don't have a T1 coming into your house or something) is only like 1 to 5mbps (meaning you're not coming even close to utilizing the full potential of your wireless network speed).
2. Moving huge files across wireless stinks. I have a 802.11g network at my place and moving 400+ megs is a pain.
3. iirc 802.11a = 54mb = 802.11g
4. 802.11a is not compatible with most of the stuff out there (i.e. most cards you buy at the store, most integrated wireless cards in laptops, etc.)
5. There are many channels you can put G on - I set mine to 11 and never have interference problems.

A few questions for you - do you currently have a wireless system at home, or other network? Do you live in an apartment or condo building? What other machines are on your network?

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I don't have a wireless network at home yet, just plain old broadband. I own a side-by-side duplex and give my tenant free internet access as a perk. When I re-wired the house I ran Cat5 to all three floors on each side. My tenant has a Mac and an Airport. The times I've had a laptop on my side I've been able to connect to his Airport and surf the web.

I'm not saying I want faster wireless as a reason to have an 802.11a compatible WAP/router, since as we've both said, it's the same speed as 802.11g. My reason for suggesting a WAP/router that supports a&g is if you are in an area or situation that is crowded with g channels.

From: http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/1009431

"A big difference with 802.11a is that it operates in the 5GHz frequency band with twelve separate non-overlapping channels. As a result, you can have up to twelve access points set to different channels in the same area without them interfering with each other. This makes access point channel assignment much easier and significantly increases the throughput the wireless LAN can deliver within a given area. In addition, RF interference is much less likely because of the less-crowded 5 GHz band."

Since the MacBooks work with 802.11a why not have this as an option in addition to 802.11g?

As I started this thread by saying I'm a newbie to wireless, it's possible, as you pointed, it may never be an issue. I'm simply raising the question and awarness of the issue.

160gb 4200rpm hard drives now available:

http://www.wiredbynature.org/comp/mac/macbook/mods.php#Harddrive