Macbook @ Home

Do you ever use your macbook when you are at home or do you just use a desktop computer or an iMac?

If you do, Do you use your macbook as it is or do you connect it to a monitor and/or keyboard or mouse?



I have a monitor with a KVM switch but i find it a bit of a hassle to connect it, close the lid and awake the macbook form sleep then have to change the resolution. I find if i leave the macbook's lid open all my resolutions go all wrong.

I have a MacBook Pro and it's my MAIN computer. I don't travel really, but when I go to my Dad for the weekend I take it with me. I sorta miss a big chunky tower next to me though. lol

But I am planning on upgrading an old Mac soon so that'd be pretty nice =]

My Macbook is my main computer and I do not hook it up to anything.

I can imagin a macbook pro wouldent be to bad to use as the screen on them is bigger than the macbook. I find that using the macbook's screen when im out and about is fine but i would rather something bigger when im at home. its just a shame that its such a fuss and i cant just simply connect it to my monitor setup and shut the macbook lid.

I also find it much easier to actualy attatch an external keyboard and mouse to use a laptop at home, but again the trackpad and keyboard is fine when im out and about.

I use my macbook all day. When i am at the office i use it with out an external monitor. While i am at home it is hooked up to a 22" monitor, external keyboard, mouse, ipod docks, external hard drive, printer, and a memory card reader. With the exception of the monitor i use a usb hub to connect all the other equipment.

Although i am thinking about getting a desktop (imac or mac pro) next summer

I do use both the macbook screen and the external monitor at the same time. I was having to do the same process as you with the monitor being in the wrong resolution unless i plugged it in then woke my macbook from sleep. When i switched from using the VGA to the DVI connection i no longer had that problem. I plug the monitor in and it, as well as my macbook, go to the correct resolution. No need to sleep and wake my computer or adjust the resolution

If you switched FROM the VGA to DVI adapter, what did you switch TWO? How do you connect your macbook to your monitor with out it?

tobywuk said:

If you switched FROM the VGA to DVI adapter, what did you switch TWO? How do you connect your macbook to your monitor with out it?

Click to expand...

By using a non-VGA monitor?

1) I use my MBP as is when I'm using it. Don't use a Desktop at home.

2) I'm not too much of an expert on connecting your MB to your monitor, but I know that here at work, many of the people using their notebooks with a monitor set it so that both screens are up and on using the display preferences.

My monitor has both a VGA connection and a DVI connection. When i started i only had a mini DVI to VGA adapter for my macbook so I used the VGA connection on my monitor. I had problems with the connection working correctly (the screen in the wrong resolution) and read some where that people who had a similar problem were able to correct it by using the DVI connection on the monitor. The next day i went to the apple store and picked up the mini DVI to DVI connector and tried that. I have not had a problem since then.

I only have a Macbook so yes I use it at home also.
I hook it up to an external monitor (old 17" vga LOL) to have more screen space and also an external keyboard and a mouse.

Just plug it in?

Mad_Vtak, is that a 15 or a 17inch macbook pro?

tobywuk said:

Do you ever use your macbook when you are at home or do you just use a desktop computer or an iMac?

If you do, Do you use your macbook as it is or do you connect it to a monitor and/or keyboard or mouse?

Click to expand...

My MacBook is my primary computer, and I make it work hard for me. I use it connected to nothing but an external hard drive for backups and a wireless network for connecting to the world. For pleasure, I use my MB for connecting to the net, using and manipulating multimedia, and recreational programming. When needed for work, I connect to my employer through a VPN, attach to our Linux compute servers via VNC, and connect to Windows machines (servers, desktops) via RDC.

In moving to the Mac in January, I decided to forego external devices - trackball, monitor, KVM switch, et al - at least initially. I like that I can either do everything with the machine just as it is, or "bring" other machines and services to me wherever I am. The MB screen is adequate in size, and Spaces in Leopard makes my little machine *very* flexible.

I have both an iMac and a macbook but I use the macbook more often because it is nice to watch espn and surf the internet while laying on the couch. My wife mostly uses the iMac and I use it for music and movie organization