Mac book pro and firewire chip? Any problem?

::XeS::

::XeS::

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Hi
I'm looking for an "old" mac book pro but I've seen there are several problems with some MPB that uses Agere chip instead TexaS Instruments.
Anyone of you get any kind of problem with these chips?
 
im a support agent for apple, and have had no calls about this issue for the macbook pro. really not as big of a problem as people say. there are plenty of drivers for most interfaces. macbook pro is the most popular apple comp. and i deal with those mofos all day (at least 30 a day). i know all the issues they have, and really they work with most audio interfaces fine.
 
I don't know but I'm reading tons of posts in the Presonus and RME forums....there are lot of people with problems (I think it's only the fw400 port) and they can't work with their FWcard.
A solution is to connect a fw external disk to the fw800 and daisy-chains the audio interface in the fw400port of the disk....
Anyway, some people has this problem and some people don't.........
 
Wow, there's a USB 3.0 out/on the horizon? Damn, I wonder if it'll still send info in packets, hello bottlenecks :Smug:
 
The bad thing is that in 1 year Apple said nothing about the agere problem (it also deletes threads from its forum.........).
It's very good I can spend 2000$ in a notebook to work better and find a problem like this.....very very professional.
Someone says the problem is the agere chip, someone else says it was the combination of agere and nvidia 8600......so?
What should I have to do? Check every MBP in the shop to see which chip they mount? Go to the shop with my soundcard?
And these should be notebook for pros? Is this called professionalism? mmmmmmh...
I think it's ridicolous that I have to use a fw pheriperal (you have to find one that works because also external hd, camera etc...have the same problem) as a hub for my audio interface or something else.
If you call the support they know nothing and they say it's a problem of the pheriperal.....weird.....80% of the pheriperal? :D
And I think this is the reason because Apple eliminates the firewire port
 
::XeS:: said:
Hi
I'm looking for an "old" mac book pro but I've seen there are several problems with some MPB that uses Agere chip instead TexaS Instruments.
Anyone of you get any kind of problem with these chips?
Click to expand...

I have a MacBook with an Agere firewire chipset. Honestly, I think it is a problem. I've used it with a 002R and a ProFire 2626, both of which act unstable and I get a lot of PT dropout errors for no reason. And I thought I was upgrading when I went from a Core Duo to a Core 2 Duo! Shit on me!

Both interfaces perform more reliably on the older Core Duo mac that I have. From what I understand the Agere chipsets began being used 10/07 to the present, so I'm on the lookout for a early - mid '07 macbook now, asking people on Ebay to boot it up and check the which chipset it has before bidding.

Good luck!
 
Only a question: do you have these problems everytime or only if you use the audio interfaces with no power supplies connected (I mean the interfaces power supplies)? Because I found that there is the problem only if you try to use the audio interface with the bus power...
 
yep...I went through this in early march, I bought a new MBP Penryn with the TI chip....I had Bootcamped my Mac so I could run Windows as well.

Protools didn't work because of leopard but the firewire was recognized on my machine on the Mac side. Then I bought the Motu Ultralite....that didn't work either on the Windows side...firewire wasn't recognized.

I contacted Apple through the discussions forum...never resolved issue...I went USB instead. There were a ton of supposed fixes(going to various sites and people stating certain things would work and people complaining about this issue) but I had no luck personally.
 
nope I didn't have the ac connected at the time...tried numerous methods, researched online for about 2 weeks...different fixes and such. I also have the TI #8025 chipset. I pretty much gave up. Lucky for me I have the TI chip which varies in the Penryn's but it still conflicts with something...maybe the NVdia I've heard? ...I adjusted settings on that as well and still had constant dropouts while recording. Funny thing is I have a WD Firewire hd and that works fine on both systems...Mac and PC.
 
Try to connect the power supplies. The new mac's don't power the firewire bus so you need the ac for the interfaces.
Try also to connect the WD hd and daisy chain it with the audio interface
 
tried all of those methods in the past...the PT's I returned to the store long ago ....until it becomes compatible with Leopard, I won't mess with it. and the Motu was sold on the bay some time ago.
 
::XeS:: said:
Only a question: do you have these problems everytime or only if you use the audio interfaces with no power supplies connected (I mean the interfaces power supplies)? Because I found that there is the problem only if you try to use the audio interface with the bus power...
Click to expand...

This is with a dedicated power supply. A 002 or 2626 wouldn't operate at all without their own power supplies.
 
This is a problem.......fuck Apple....you and your fucking Agere chip.
Anyway, I have a Macbook pro waiting me at the apple store....saturday I'll go to buy it but I'll try to check if it has the TI chip....I hope there is a sort return policy....
 
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