[Elecraft] Best Mac to use with KX3

[Jack Brindle]

WSJT-X runs just fine on my 2010 Mac mini with a core-2 duo processor. Almost every Mac that runs an Intel processor has at least a Core-2 Duo (the exception being the very first Intel iMac that used a single core Core-2 processor).
I would not want to use a Mac with a sub 2 GHz processor - the low end MacBook Air and last generation low-end mini come to mind here. Everything else should be prime for a shack computer. 

If you plan on running VMware Fusion, Parallels or VirtualBox you want a powerful Mac with at least two cores, the more the better. Give the Mac at least one of those and Windows as many as you can. You don’t want to starve either OS since both are running simultaneously.
My choice at this time to replace my shack mini (which is constrained to El Capitan) will be a 6-Core i7 mini with 16GB or Ram (don’t scrimp here) and 1TB of flash disk. It will last a long time, so putting extra money into it up front is a good thing. If Apple were to release an 8-Core i9 version of the mini that would be my choice instead…
On the laptop side, my choice was a 15” MacBook Pro with 4-core i7, 16GB memory and 500GB flash. Again, don’t scrimp. If it follows the pattern of my last MacBook Pro, this baby will last me eight years or so (the old one, constrained to El Capitan is still in use as a server).    

Basically, get as much horsepower as you can afford. That means lots of cores in the processor, lots of RAM, and a reasonable amount of flash. 256GB is a minimum here. Macs last a long time, so you are making an investment for the long term.

Good luck and enjoy your Mac!

Jack, W6FB


> On Jan 28, 2019, at 8:30 PM, Walter Underwood <wunder at wunderwood.org> wrote:
> 
> The only program that requires significant CPU is WSJT-X, for JT65 and FT8. The fldigi program might needs more CPU for some modes, but I’ve never noticed it. Macs usually have very high performance hardware for the year when they are released. I would expect any Mac from the last five years or so to work fine.
> 
> wunder
> K6WRU
> Walter Underwood
> CM87wj
> http://observer.wunderwood.org/ (my blog)
> 
>> On Jan 28, 2019, at 4:59 AM, Dave Sublette <k4to.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I use a mac mini running Parallels and Windows 7/64bit. It works very
>> well.  I would think any .odel mac would do the job.
>> 
>> Dave,  K4TO
>> 
>> On Sun, Jan 27, 2019, 11:51 PM Don Wilhelm <donwilh at embarqmail.com wrote:
>> 
>>> Steve,
>>> 
>>> The only software application specifically for the KX3 is KX3 Utility
>>> which takes very little of the computer resources.
>>> 
>>> Perhaps a better question is -- "What processing capability is required
>>> for the software applications that I want to run?"
>>> 
>>> That will determine how powerful a computer you will need - Mac or other
>>> OS.
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> Don W3FPR
>>> 
>>> On 1/27/2019 12:08 PM, Steve Grimaud (Gmail) wrote:
>>>> I'm trying to find a good new or used Macbook or Mac mini to begin using
>>>> with my KX3. I had used a PC with ASUS Xonar U7 and/or Signalink USB.
>>>> What will I need to keep, drop or use in a different way to get a Mac
>>>> unit working with my KX3? I'm especially interested in digital signals.
>>>> Who here knows what works best.
>>>> 
>>> ______________________________________________________________
> 
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