Looking at buying my first ever Mac

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 07:37

Hi,

i have been a windows user ever since i can remember but since i have had the iphone i have been thinking about what a mac is like to use.

now the first think i can see different with macs is the price :eek:

but i understand that macs are not just your run of the mill pc so i can get around that.

now looking at the different types of Macs you can get i thought about giving a Mac Mini a go now i know some of you will say go for a mac book but i never get on with laptops as it always means at some time or another you have to get up and plug something in when you want it and although its nice to sit in another room and use a laptop i have always found it best sitting at a desktop.

another reason for looking at the Mini is that i am already running a dual display setup with vista so i could switch back to a single screen and use the other for the Mini and as i am a noob to Macs i just want something to get use to before i look at something like an imac and the mini although not that cheap is better than spending £930 on a 13" macbook when i can use a 20" desktop screen with the mini.

now if some of you can answer some questions for me please.

1, as well as using a 20" display i was also thinking to trying the Mini on my 37" 1080P TV so would the mini be OK for this ?

2, vista has a minimum amount of ram that people usually recommend which if i am correct is 2GB so what is the minimum for a Mac ?

3, if i was to buy the £499 Mini can i upgrade the ram to say 4GB i think i read somewhere that 4GB does not work to well in a mini true or false ?

4, if i do upgrade the ram after i got it would apple know, thinking about guarantee ?

5, how loud does the mini get and does the fans still run when put into sleep mode ?

5, if for some reason you need to reinstall the OS do you also have to reinstall all apps like you do in vista ?

6, i am using a 500GB WD my book if i used this on time machine to backup and i lost the hard drive on the mini will this restore it back to how it was before with all apps as well or just my files ?

7, vista does software updates every now and then do Macs do this as well and i also see that a new OS is due from apple so will this be an upgrade you have to pay for or will this be free if i was to but a mini within say the next week or two ?

8, Whats the sound like on a mini when put through some speakers, itunes user

now as i am a noob to macs any other advice would be grateful.

Tony

ian|Squared² · 27 Mar 2009 at 07:45

im guessing 1080p will be no trouble as the recently updated mac mini has the nvidia 9400 chip.
Im no mac expert so im not so sure about the other points.
In fact ill join the mac "noob" club with u tony lol

[Robster] · 27 Mar 2009 at 07:54

tonyzero said:
1, as well as using a 20" display i was also thinking to trying the Mini on my 37" 1080P TV so would the mini be OK for this ?

From Apples site : Extended desktop and video mirroring: Simultaneously supports up to 1920 by 1200 pixels on a DVI or VGA display; up to 2560 by 1600 pixels on a dual-link DVI display using Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI Adapter (sold separately)

tonyzero said:
2, vista has a minimum amount of ram that people usually recommend which if i am correct is 2GB so what is the minimum for a Mac ?

Like any computer, the more ram the better, but it'll run with the 1GB the lower spec Mini comes with.

tonyzero said:
3, if i was to buy the £499 Mini can i upgrade the ram to say 4GB i think i read somewhere that 4GB does not work to well in a mini true or false ?

4GB is an upgrade you can spec with the Mini from Apple, so I guess that means it'll work

tonyzero said:
4, if i do upgrade the ram after i got it would apple know, thinking about guarantee ?

I'll pass on that one.

tonyzero said:
5, how loud does the mini get and does the fans still run when put into sleep mode ?

I'll pass on that one too... never owned a Mini.

tonyzero said:
5, if for some reason you need to reinstall the OS do you also have to reinstall all apps like you do in vista ?

Of course. Unless you're talking about the apps that come with OSX, then no.

tonyzero said:
6, i am using a 500GB WD my book if i used this on time machine to backup and i lost the hard drive on the mini will this restore it back to how it was before with all apps as well or just my files ?

You can restore the entire disk I think, it'll be back as it was before the hard disk failed. Was going to use this route when I replaced the hard disk in my MacBook Pro, but ended up using Carbon Copy Cloner instead.

tonyzero said:
7, vista does software updates every now and then do Macs do this as well and i also see that a new OS is due from apple so will this be an upgrade you have to pay for or will this be free if i was to but a mini within say the next week or two ?

OSX has software updates like Windows yes. Think of Snow Leopard in terms of XP > Vista, was that upgrade free? Not sure if you can blag a free copy if you buy your computer a week or so before its released tho...

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 07:58

Thanks [Robster]

From what i can see buying ram after is a hell of a lot cheaper than getting apple to do it

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 08:19

it seem that some of you have been getting your macs with a HE discount when your not in collage so i take it its easy to get the discount by telling a few fibs

so can someone please tell me what a Mini would cost with the discount.

Thanks

Feek · 27 Mar 2009 at 08:34

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 08:53

Thanks Feek, i read some of your posts when you was running OSX on a windows PC
£50 is better in my pocket than in apples, i know someone that is in collage so can he give me some info that i can use to help get a discount or is it just easier to get it myself.

if i am correct i think you got a mac in the end so how are you like it now ?

Feek · 27 Mar 2009 at 09:13

I ran OS X on my non Apple hardware for about four months or so and absolutely loved it - After that I sold the PC and bought a Mac Pro. Since then I've bought a Macbook Pro as well.

I guess that answers your question as to how I like it?

Incidentally, if you want Apple to supply and fit the extra memory, it's an extra £35 to take it to 2Gb (which I think is reasonable) but £108 to take it to 4Gb (which I don't think is reasonable).

fez · 27 Mar 2009 at 11:03

I dont think that apple void your warrenty if you do it yourself . They have made it very easy on their macbooks. Just give them a call to make sure.

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 12:29

what will apple ask for in order to get the HE discount ?

Vonhelmet · 27 Mar 2009 at 13:13

tonyzero said:
1, as well as using a 20" display i was also thinking to trying the Mini on my 37" 1080P TV so would the mini be OK for this ?

Don't know for sure, but I gather the new display port thing is very versatile and that you get component or HDMI output from it.

tonyzero said:
2, vista has a minimum amount of ram that people usually recommend which if i am correct is 2GB so what is the minimum for a Mac ?

1GB was fine for me when I started, but I upgraded to 2GB when I could. Every little helps, to be honest.

tonyzero said:
3, if i was to buy the £499 Mini can i upgrade the ram to say 4GB i think i read somewhere that 4GB does not work to well in a mini true or false ?

I think the new ones work fine with 4GB. Check what you can upgrade to on the Apple store - that'll indicate the maximum it can take.

tonyzero said:
4, if i do upgrade the ram after i got it would apple know, thinking about guarantee ?

As I understand it, you can do what you like to your Mac, but if you break anything while you're in there, that won't be covered. For example, I did my RAM upgrade myself and in the process I damaged my Infra-Red receiver. Now, I can't go to Apple and ask them to replace the IR receiver, as that was my own fault, but if - say - the hard drive dies then they should replace it just fine.

tonyzero said:
5, how loud does the mini get and does the fans still run when put into sleep mode ?

Not sure about the new ones, but the last gen ones are absolutely incredibly quiet. My external hard drive is noisier than the Mac Mini.

tonyzero said:
5, if for some reason you need to reinstall the OS do you also have to reinstall all apps like you do in vista ?

Yes, but installing apps is pretty easy. A better bet would be to pick up an external hard drive and use Time Machine or SuperDuper, either of which can keep a full backup of everything and allow you to restore your Mac to exactly the position it was in before. Time Machine even allows you to specifically select which bits you restore.

tonyzero said:
6, i am using a 500GB WD my book if i used this on time machine to backup and i lost the hard drive on the mini will this restore it back to how it was before with all apps as well or just my files ?

Ah, talking of which. It'll restore everything on the drives that you tell Time Machine to back up.

tonyzero said:
7, vista does software updates every now and then do Macs do this as well and i also see that a new OS is due from apple so will this be an upgrade you have to pay for or will this be free if i was to but a mini within say the next week or two ?

The upgrades (Tiger to Leopard, Leopard to Snow Leopard, etc) do cost, but I understand that there is a two week grace period.

tonyzero said:
8, Whats the sound like on a mini when put through some speakers, itunes user

No worse than the same speakers on my old Windows box, certainly!

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 13:21

thanks vonhelmet

i just need to order one now once i find out how to blag the discount

SimonR · 27 Mar 2009 at 13:23

tonyzero said:
what will apple ask for in order to get the HE discount ?

In my case nothing. I told them that I wasnt a student or a teacher but could provide them with a valid lecturer ID if that was what they wanted. The guy on the phone said no it was ok, and charged me at the HE discounted rate for my MBP.

Beware though, some store managers will give you the HE discount as long as you buy Apple Care (still cheaper than without though)

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 14:14

ok so i ordered a mac mini with a DVI adapter and aperture 2 for £517 told me i need to send in a copy of the lecturer ID which i don't have so i hope they won't chase me on that

tried to sell me apple care and once i said put on aperture 2 as well he said i needed more ram but as i am looking at getting some and doing it myself i said no which i think he thought was strange

going to get 4gb ram now for £56

MagicBoy · 27 Mar 2009 at 16:54

tonyzero said:
1, as well as using a 20" display i was also thinking to trying the Mini on my 37" 1080P TV so would the mini be OK for this ?

Mine works fine on my LCD via HDMI.

2, vista has a minimum amount of ram that people usually recommend which if i am correct is 2GB so what is the minimum for a Mac ?

General use will be fine on the 1GB the basic Mini ships with. More RAM is always better in OS X.

3, if i was to buy the £499 Mini can i upgrade the ram to say 4GB i think i read somewhere that 4GB does not work to well in a mini true or false ?

The Crucial 4GB kit works fine in mine.

4, if i do upgrade the ram after i got it would apple know, thinking about guarantee ?

Only if you take in it with the non-Apple RAM. If it needs warranty service then swap the original RAM back in.

5, how loud does the mini get and does the fans still run when put into sleep mode ?

Not very. I can't hear mine in normal use. No fans in sleep mode.

5, if for some reason you need to reinstall the OS do you also have to reinstall all apps like you do in vista ?

Yes, unless...

6, i am using a 500GB WD my book if i used this on time machine to backup and i lost the hard drive on the mini will this restore it back to how it was before with all apps as well or just my files ?

Re-install the OS then use the migration assistant during setup to restore from Time Machine. Then it's back to the way it was.

7, vista does software updates every now and then do Macs do this as well and i also see that a new OS is due from apple so will this be an upgrade you have to pay for or will this be free if i was to but a mini within say the next week or two ?

Leopard does software updates for the OS and all Apple applications. No free Snow Leopard upgrades until the OS is launched.

8, Whats the sound like on a mini when put through some speakers, itunes user

Fine. I'm quite happy with it.

craptakular · 27 Mar 2009 at 17:13

Look I'm not trying to get anyone angry. I own a macbook and I must say it was a waste of money.

I ended up paying twice the amount compared to a PC laptop. I just feel that its way way over priced. I bought my macbook in a moment of madness. Yes the hardware feels well built but it is extremely expensive and I hear they increased the prices this year, just wow.

I wish I had spent £350 on a PC laptop and stuck arch linux on it.

Just really think before you buy.

IMO there a waste of money.

I say again, i'm not flaming any of you. Just trying to get the OP to really think about this

MagicBoy · 27 Mar 2009 at 17:30

OP really needs to go to an Apple Store and have a play with a display machine. Then if he wants to give a Mac a go the the mini is pretty much perfect. It's small, quiet and power efficient and they hold their value well if he wants to shift it on at a later date. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't let someone on an internet forum persuade me out of trying something without getting my hands dirty.

As regards the prices - what do you expect? The economy is down the toilet and the £ vs $ exchange rate has collapsed. Do you seriously expect an American company to sell you something at a loss? That's just bad business.

"Just wow"

craptakular · 27 Mar 2009 at 17:51

MagicBoy said:
OP really needs to go to an Apple Store and have a play with a display machine. Then if he wants to give a Mac a go the the mini is pretty much perfect. It's small, quiet and power efficient and they hold their value well if he wants to shift it on at a later date. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't let someone on an internet forum persuade me out of trying something without getting my hands dirty.

As regards the prices - what do you expect? The economy is down the toilet and the £ vs $ exchange rate has collapsed. Do you seriously expect an American company to sell you something at a loss? That's just bad business.

"Just wow"

they make them in china

MagicBoy · 27 Mar 2009 at 17:56

Oxy said:
they make them in china

Doesn't make a jot of difference. Apple are American therefore business is conducted in dollars. UK prices are converted from this.

tonyzero · 27 Mar 2009 at 18:19

The OP being me did go and play on a few macs today and i liked what i see which i why i went for the mac mini as i already had the display so didn't see the point in a laptop, even if i find that i don't like it as much as vista i am sure i will still have a use for it.

do any of you think apple will chase me about the lecturer ID that i said i could give in order to get the discount as i don't really know anyone :eek:

Tony