Mac Mini

[dirt diggler]

Ive been thinking of getting a Mac for quite awhile now. Now that the Mac mini is almost on the shelves i think it looks the one for me. Ive had a quick look at the spec and i know theres not much room for aftermarket upgrade (infact non apart from memory) but i was going to get the 80G version with superdrive DVD, more memory and bluetooth additions.

Anybody know if this seems like a good buy or just a fashion type thingy and id be better going for something else ?

Cheers

PS I know very litttle about Macs so any Pros and Cons would be a good help.

[toiletduck]

Its a fashion accessory.
If you drive an Audi TT, wear pink shirts, have an ipod to show all your mates, then a mac mini will suit you, otherwise, buy something that'll actually do the job properly, As I personally would rather get on with work than gawp at the screen at it's prettyness :p
No computer will look particulary pretty, although laptops are really easy to hide out of the way when you don't need it, and as you might have guessed i'm not a apple fan, I prefer Pears anyday... :D

[dynamited]

Well... i`d suggest you drop by one of their mac stores.. and try one out. I dont quite see the MAC hype... its more like a different operating system to WinXp... software titles are very limited... games nearly nothing and most hardware upgrades are more expencive than a PC upgrade.

But we cannot say they`re not fast things... OsX is fast and more reliable... but does get its bad days too.

Depends what you`re going to use it for.... if its DVD and video editing... Macs + their software titles are slightly better than PC. But for the rest... they`re both the same. But the price is quite reasonable to be honest.

However.... DVD at 4x? and PC`s are going 8X and over soon. Its quite looking outdated... and its just been launched.

Go there... try one... you might not even want to bother after trying it.

[dirt diggler]

I realised i should have included what i actually use the PC for about an hour after i posted the topic.

I only use the PC for web surfing, playing, recording and Copying music and loading and editing the odd picture from my Digi camera. None of them to any specialised degree.

I do like the idea of a PC taking up minimal room and i also like the idea of a Laptop but the Mac Mini is a pretty good price.

Cheers for the input, more views required.

PS Sorry for not posting in the correct forum, just noticed it......:p

[Lighting90]

I have used both and like both.. if you feel happy using it then go for it.

You should try before you buy though..

[paradiddle]

You'll find that most people use Macs for graphics based work - page layout with Quark, or Photograpgic - workflows with RAW programs and Photoshop. For this, PC's are hardly used at all. Because most are used for work, you won't find as many games and junk as PC's. True, they are more expensive.

I've a flat screen iMac, and for my photographic work, it's great - OSX is indeed good. I've a writer friend of mine who has just changed over to a G4 imac from PC's, and he absolutely loved it from the word go.

I'll echo the other suggestion - try one or two, think about it and then decide.

[jjsaul]

Try a 'barebone' pc.

theyre those small compact ones about 1/4 size of a full tower case.

[dynamited]

Well... to be honest... i use PCs for my graphic design... and i get along fine. Gives me a hassle if im preparing A1 sized posters... but for the rest.. it probably fares well to a Mac. Its all about how you configure your system.. and quality components.

I dont know how much the Mac Mini is in the UK, but im quite tempted to buy one myself when i fly over for a holiday. Anyone got a good quote from a retail store? I`d use it for when i recieve files from Mac only designers who tend to snob when you ask them to send in PC format too. Probably its their tight jumpers and yellow specs which makes them so clever ;).

I`ll probably go try it out at our stores in Malta ( which get the UK price and multiply it by 2... *******s) and bring one over in my suitcase when i fly there.

Problem with Mini PCs... is that they`re still larger... and if you go cheap ... you`ll end up with a slow system anyway. This mac looks quite decently priced.

paradiddle.... how does the cpu speed compare with other macs released at the moment... say G4s? Cause this is the cheapest Mac around.. thats for sure. http://www.microanvika.com has got some prices up already. Thing is... if you want to grab a quick bargain.. im sure the G3s and Imacs are going to be slashed. Seen any bargains around?

[Lacy]

I have always been a mac user at home and use PC's at work. I prefer my mac. I have a G4 cube (sort of grandfather to the mini) and looking at the list of jobs you want the mini to do, it would be perfect. As for specs, it's not cutting edge as far as macs go but then from £320 aint a lot of money.........Check out the RAM prces though......OK if you want to upgrade to 512Meg but don't even think of 1gig........ If its web surfing, music, photo's and stuff, you will be pleasently surprised by the mac experience, the OS will take a little time to adapt too if you are used to doing things the Microsoft way but it's well worth the effort.

[paradiddle]

Dynamited,

Don't really know how the Mini fares for CPU speed I'm afraid. The G5 processors aill be inherently faster than the G4's, but having said that, I've had this iMac since they came out (its the half football one) so its only the 700mhz processor, and I've added 512MB RAM. It handles my 47.7MB digital camera files fine - and lots of them in batch processing - so I'm sticking with it for the time being. As you say, an outgoing G4 model would do very nicely for lots of applications with their 1.25ghz speed. I don't think OS X or iPod's will work with G3 stuff though, so I wouldn't go too old.

I'm sure you can send your Cube away to have a 1ghz chip put in it, which may be worth considering for some.

[dynamited]

dirt diggler ... sorry for not sounding consistent... cause when i saw the price tag... loads of things come into perspective. Macs were always considered the 800Pound+ for the 'rich'. Really a bargain at that price. But i`d still put it to the test.

[dirt diggler]

Dynamited, your about as consistant as me.....:D

Thanks for all the advice so far, very helpfull indeed.

Ive tried to price a similar barebone system and it still works out cheaper with the Mac Mini and then you also get software included.

More thought required.....which is fine as it doesnt get released for a few weeks anyway.

[dynamited]

The Mac Mini....

http://www.macnews.de/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=16

[Lacy]

I'm sure you can send your Cube away to have a 1ghz chip put in it, which may be worth considering for some.

Yea, you can get upgrades for the cube. Mine is the bog stock 450Mhz G4......Was hot stuff when new and still a very capable machine for music, photos, internet and stuff, even video editing is no problem. The new mini at three times the speed should be a perfect upgrade path for me as it would actually cost LESS than a cube processor upgrade.........

The prices of cube stuff is hideously expensive because it is such a niche market.......check out the price of graphic cards. :eek: