Asrock ION 330 v Mac Mini 2ghz

raptormonkey · 21 Jul 2009 at 09:57

Hope you can help me here. My sister wants to buy the new Mac Mini 2ghz unit but at over £500 i think that is way too much for what it is!! It looks great but that is a lot of dosh!

She hates laptops, doesn't like tower cases!! So, she saw the Mini and has asked my advice!! lol

Now, i have seen on these forum mention of the Asrock ION 330 pc. This is much cheaper by the look of it. I also noticed that it can be upgraded? Extra ram? Can the CPU be upgraded?

Now, is there much of a performance difference between the Mac and the ION? Would it be noticeable day to day? She doesn't game as far as i know.

Which would you choose out of the above 2 and why? Many thanks.

raptormonkey · 21 Jul 2009 at 13:13

But the Atom is a dual core on the 330?

Anyone else able to advise me as my sister wants to spend!! lol

raptormonkey · 21 Jul 2009 at 20:04

Well, anyone else with thier ideas? Not sure about building an itx system. Just saw the above 2 and not sure which is more powerful etc?

raptormonkey · 21 Jul 2009 at 22:01

iraiguana said:
ITX systems are pretty easy to build so depends what you really need it for.

If you want something that is powerful, quick and just works go for the mac mini.

For the same money or less (likely less) you would have priced up a mITX build and ended up with something more powerful and a much larger hard drive.

An atom is really good for server/light use but otherwise I think you will find it a bit slow.

So really tell us a bit more about what type of things she plans to use it for?

Thanks for a great reply. The Mac Mini looks the ticket then but, what spec system could i build for her that is as powerful or more powerful than the Mac, about the same size, is quiet and quite a bit cheaper? Any ideas on components?

raptormonkey · 21 Jul 2009 at 22:50

Nobski said:
Why not find out exactly what she intends to use it for before possibly spending twice the amount of her £££

Here:

raptormonkey said:
what spec system could i build for her that is as powerful or more powerful than the Mac, about the same size, is quiet and quite a bit cheaper? Any ideas on components?

What else do you need to know. 'As Powerful or More Powerful' but cheaper.

raptormonkey · 21 Jul 2009 at 23:16

Well, she has seen the Mac Mini. Likes it. So a spec around that or a little more but cheaper would suffice.

raptormonkey · 22 Jul 2009 at 10:40

chet84 said:
Personally, i'd go with a Mac Mini. Where as the Asrock ION 330 looks a very good machine on paper, i'd question it's ability as an every day computer. I'be ran an Intel Atom 330 (dual-core desktop) as an office machine and thought it was just a bit too slow. However, the Mac Mini is made for that sort of use.

Now, thats what i have been looking for, someone who has tried the 330 and can say what it is like. Cheers

raptormonkey · 24 Jul 2009 at 16:25

Ok, so let me have a good spec manic111 that incorporates either the above case or one very similar (Smaller if need be) has the right PSU and is a very quiet system? Which heatsink would fit?

I have win7 rc and win7 on order. I also have a hard drive, 2.5.

Thanks guys as i haven't a clue what spec to get without your guidance!

Onboard graphics is fine. System needs to as quiet as is humanly possible and all parts compatable and fit! Cheers guys.

raptormonkey · 24 Jul 2009 at 17:15

Ok, so anyone expert in Mitx builds?

raptormonkey · 24 Jul 2009 at 19:31

Right, thanks. Back to the drawing board then!

raptormonkey · 25 Jul 2009 at 22:57

Still undecided. Why have the Mac's got to be so expensive!! lol

raptormonkey · 26 Jul 2009 at 08:03

ShaolinDreams said:
does she prefer apple or microsoft software?

tbh my single core atom without 94OO gpu is fine for basic task like surfing. i think people are comparing too much to their monster gaming towers

its less powerful cos it much cheaper, also its more eco~friendly. i vote ion for the sis

Thanks. I know people are comparing it to the avergae build. She said she would like to do a bit of gaming on the PC but what gaming i don't know. She does do some photoshop and video camera stuff too.

Would the ION be a much better machine if i put 4gig ram and a faster hartd drive in it for her if she bought one? Comparable to the MacMini?

raptormonkey · 26 Jul 2009 at 11:24

TheVoice said:
Give that Dell a look that I posted before, bit cheaper than the Mac Mini (not by much mind), same form factor and much better specs comparatively.

Seen that, thank. Not sure about it though. Mac looks a better unit myself.

raptormonkey · 26 Jul 2009 at 16:21

Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core Processor T4200 (2.0GHz, 800MHz, 1MB cache), Genuine Windows Vista® Home Premium SP1 32 bit - English £474

Ram can be upgraded to 4gig. What ram does it take?

Do you think the Dell is a better buy than the Mac Mini? Don't care about onboard graphics as i only game on a console.

Mac Mini or Dell?

Can get the base Mac Mini for £400 brand new! 2ghz

raptormonkey · 10 Aug 2009 at 17:20

My sister opted for a Mac Mini but i am looking for myself now!! She hasn;t had the Mac yet though as she is away for a month in America working.

I want a small, silent unit that is powerfull too. I did like the Asrock ION 330 but people say it is no good. Even with 4g ram and an SSD hard drive!