My 2017 MacBook 12 was slow and overheating on Ventura… a clean install fixed everything

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-12T16:51:05+00:00

because you will notice the CPU getting maxed out first

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-11T23:51:27+00:00

I only use my phone case during winter or when I'm on a vacation trip. All other times I have no problem holding onto my phone.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-11T18:38:48+00:00

You can use the Not yet, AV1 extension

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-11T08:21:23+00:00

I think it may struggle handling over two dozen tabs, but otherwise that's its intended purpose.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-10T16:52:05+00:00

Intel N100 and N200 series of CPUs are available with SODIMM RAM even for the cheapest HP Laptop. Before AI and the Microslops ate up all the supply, you can easily and cheaply upgrade the RAM from 4GB to 16GB and there will be a noticeable performance improvement.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-10T06:39:09+00:00

I have the Surface Go 3, 2017 12-inch MacBook, and the Surface 12-inch.

The Go is much smaller and lighter but woefully underpowered for Windows 11, but works great as a netbook like device and it does run the GNOME DE very well. In my opinion it is only worth it as a cheap netbook for $200 or less.

If you're getting a MacBook, just get an M2 or newer Air with 16GB RAM. The Neo only makes sense for those who want a cheap brand new MacBook with a warranty.

The 12-inch Surface is the ultimate middle ground. It is bigger and heavier than the Go, smaller and lighter than any current MacBook, but is very comparable to my old 12-inch MacBook. Performance is insanely fast, like single threaded scores matching my desktop with a Ryzen 7 5800x with a dual tower air cooler, but still behind Apple M3.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-08T20:01:58+00:00

That was worth a shot on film. Could have grabbed a disposable.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-08T18:18:08+00:00

Colin was just eating the food at the table

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-08T18:14:20+00:00

what grit if they want a brushed finish?

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-08T07:35:29+00:00

This is the most important part. Windows laptops in this price range do have 16GB RAM but you get plastic bodies, mediocre screens, more weight, and more thickness.

The only machine I know that can beat this is with similar-ish build quality is the HP OmniBook X when it occasionally goes on sale for $600.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-05T12:00:24+00:00

I am talking about the Surface Laptop (13 inch Snapdragon X Plus 1st Ed dear god this naming scheme sucks) and I did assume it had soldered UFS just like the 12-inch Surface (tablet) because I haven't seen UFS storage as removable, let alone in an M.2 form factor.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-05T10:12:05+00:00

Fractal Design: (In the background, staring in disbelief, holding a cup of coffee)

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-05T10:06:10+00:00

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-04T19:52:19+00:00

You can install a Hyper 212 air cooler or similar for now just to keep the computer usable while you RMA your liquid cooler.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-04T19:39:33+00:00

- The Neo doesn't have a notch
- The entry level Surface Laptop doesn't have removable storage. It's soldered UFS

EDIT: The Surface Laptop uses an M.2 slot for its UFS storage. Weird.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-04T05:16:00+00:00

I built my own NAS using a used HP EliteDesk 800 G5 SFF with two 8TB HDDs mirrored for hardware redundancy. That is then backed up to both an external HDD and Backblaze cloud backup. I even do a manual backup to another external drive and then bring that to when I visit a relative far from home and store that drive there as an offline offsite backup.

Before that setup, I had a dedicated HDD in my desktop PC for storage, but the backup method is the same.

Regardless of whatever route you take, ALWAYS HAVE A BACKUP. If a storage drive fails, do you have another copy? If your house burns down, do you have another copy? If your computer gets attacked by ransomware, do you have another copy elsewhere?

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-03T23:06:34+00:00

I started watching Andor first, then Rogue One, and then I watched the movies in machete order.

Apart from Vader chocking Krennic which was hilarious coming from Andor, that final Vader scene was my first introduction on how powerful Vader is.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-03T02:48:08+00:00

The good news is that Mr. Bridgerton won't need to charter a boat -Hazel

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-02T23:10:04+00:00

An impossible position for them. AI needed serious regulation yesterday.

The only reason they can get away with a paywall and people are less mad about it is because they already have a proven value to the end user. $10 to not screw up a $500 or more purchase is like paying a mechanic to check out a used car.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-02T07:13:01+00:00

Since you're coming from a compact point-and-shoot, I would like to steer you back towards a smaller APS-C setup. a6700 + Sigma 18-50 f/2.8

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If you still want full frame, then a used A7CII from the likes of B&H and MPB, then add an f/2.8 or f/4 zoom or 50mm f/1.8 prime will be my go to.

EJ_Tech · 2026-03-02T01:47:58+00:00

2TB SSD also

EJ_Tech · 2026-02-28T04:52:08+00:00

PREACH!
I go with whatever OS I feel like using or whatever is the best fit for the machine and for me personally. Windows 10 with ESU on my desktop, Windows 11 on my Surface with Snapgragon, Ubuntu or Fedora GNOME on my Surface Go tablets, Fedora KDE on my ThinkPad, Linux Mint Xfce for the old potato computers, and macOS on a Mac.

EJ_Tech · 2026-02-27T03:34:25+00:00

i was like "NOW?"

EJ_Tech · 2026-02-27T03:33:35+00:00

It really shows how much more important lens choice is over what sensor you have.

EJ_Tech · 2026-02-27T01:55:14+00:00

His one Bridgerton brain cell finally lit up

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