Asrock ION 330 v Mac Mini 2ghz

betaspin · 24 Jul 2009 at 15:53

manic111 said:
Fair point, but even if you needed to spend an extra £30 for the equivalent Silverstone case you would still be cheaper than the Mac...

I agree, and a Zotac 9300 ITX system of this type can be upgraded easily if required, whereas the only upgrade possible for the Mac Mini is the hd, and even this is quite complicated.

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.

manic111 · 24 Jul 2009 at 16:30

One thing I will say is that I don't know much about mITX myself, so am not entirely sure about the compatibility of that lot (although don't see any problems). I'm currently at the stage of looking for a few components myself, and that was what I'd come up with. Betaspin has already pointed out a problem with the PSU in that spec, so I wouldn't go ahead and buy any of those parts before somebody who knows what they're talking about comes in and has a tinker

raptormonkey · 24 Jul 2009 at 17:15

Ok, so anyone expert in Mitx builds?

betaspin · 24 Jul 2009 at 18:05

The best mini ITX motherboard available at the moment is the Zotac 9300 ITX. The choice of the case is a bit more difficult. Many people, including myself, would recommend the Silverstone SG05. In my case, I started with another box, Compucase 8k01 (120W psu), could not find a reasonable way of making it quiet, and switched to the Silverstone SG05 (300W psu), which is twice bigger, but can be made much quieter.

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

ShaolinDreams · 26 Jul 2009 at 03:06

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

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?

finite · 26 Jul 2009 at 09:54

It's the in order processing (a throwback to the original Pentium) that cripples the Atom performance, adding more memory won't help.

TheVoice · 26 Jul 2009 at 10:29

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

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.

manic111 · 26 Jul 2009 at 11:06

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.

If you aren't confident enough to build it yourself I agree with this. If you are, have a hunt around online for some reviews on cases etc and build something around a C2D and a suitable case.

Product Name Qty Price Line Total
Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi Mini-ITX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard Zotac GeForce 9300-ITX WiFi Mini-ITX (Socket 775) PCI-Express DDR2 Motherboard £113.99
(£99.12) £113.99
(£99.12)
Silverstone Sugo SG05B Mini-ITX Case - Black (300w PSU) Silverstone Sugo SG05B Mini-ITX Case - Black (300w PSU) £89.99
(£78.25) £89.99
(£78.25)
Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4670 Ultimate "Passive" 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 4670 Ultimate "Passive" 512MB GDDR3 TV-Out/DVI/HDMI (PCI-Express) - Retail £62.09
(£53.99) £62.09
(£53.99)
Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 "LGA775 Core 2" 2.50GHz (800FSB) - Retail Intel Pentium Dual-Core E5200 "LGA775 Core 2" 2.50GHz (800FSB) - Retail £51.99
(£45.21) £51.99
(£45.21)
Western Digital Scorpio Blue 320GB 5400RPM SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (WD3200BEVT) Western Digital Scorpio Blue 320GB 5400RPM SATA-II 8MB Cache - OEM (WD3200BEVT) £43.99
(£38.25) £43.99
(£38.25)
Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX Dual Channel (TWIN2X4096-6400C5C) Corsair XMS2 4GB (2x2GB) DDR2 PC2-6400C5 TwinX Dual Channel (TWIN2X4096-6400C5C) £33.99
(£29.56) £33.99
(£29.56)
Sony Optiarc AD-7593S DVD±RW SATA Notebook Rewriter Drive (Black) - OEM Sony Optiarc AD-7593S DVD±RW SATA Notebook Rewriter Drive (Black) - OEM £32.99
(£28.69) £32.99
(£28.69)
Noctua NF-P12 Vortex-Control 120mm Quiet Case Fan - 3 Pin Noctua NF-P12 Vortex-Control 120mm Quiet Case Fan - 3 Pin £17.24
(£14.99) £17.24
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £388.06
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £10.00
VAT is being charged at 15% VAT : £59.71
Total : £457.77

Cheaper than the Dell still, and has a dedicated GPU. Can always ditch that if you want to save another £60!

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

manic111 · 26 Jul 2009 at 17:34

raptormonkey said:
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

Thought it was for your sister, so your gaming habits are irrelevant?

Of the two, the Dell is a better machine, but the Mac is a Mac. If you (or your "sister") really want a Mac, get a Mac. The Dell will be quicker, the Mac will have OSX.

I still say that building your own is the best bang for buck option, followed by the Dell, and then the Mac. That's my opinion, and what I'd do in your situation. If you want to do something different, I can't say much more than I already have to inform you of what machines would work best. Buy what you want

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!