Mac Mini

JIMA · 29 Oct 2006 at 10:58

Hi,

I'm looking at getting a Mac to replace my Windows PC used for e-mail, internet browsing etc.

The 17" Mac 2.0 Ghz looks to be the best for what I need it for. However, the Mac Mini also looks pretty good and it's a bit cheaper. The only things I'd be concerned about are the disk space and the Intel graphics.

Can I ask if people have found either of these to be a problem? Can a Mac Mini play DVDs without dropping frames, and will it be able to run the next OSX? Could it be used for Java development or would an iMac be far better?

For reference I'm currently using an Athlon XP2000 so I guess it's bound to be a vast improvement on that?

Thanks for any help.

Jim

JIMA · 30 Oct 2006 at 11:48

Thanks for the info everyone.

Sounds like the Mac Mini would do what I want. The only thing against it is the fact that once you add a 160GB drive, 1GB memory, keyboard + mouse (I haven't got USB ones, my PC is that old) the price isn't that different to an iMac that's roughly equivalent in spec.

But then I'd be able to use my current PC monitor, plus it would save so much space on my desk. There are some difficult decisions to be made!

JIMA · 30 Oct 2006 at 21:54

Thanks for the further info. Sounds like the Mini is a fine machine from what everyone says.

The 1.66Ghz Mini with 1GB Ram and an 80GB HD would seem a bit of a bargain. The slowness of the disk probably wouldn't be a problem given what I want it to do (e-mail, Internet, exploring OSX etc). And the HD size wouldn't be a problem with the external drives on offer as mentioned by a couple of you. Good to hear that the 1.66Ghz is fast enough processor-wise too.

Those onboard graphics are the only weakness I can see, but it sounds like they've improved in the last few years if they can play DVDs well. I'm using a Radeon 9200 here on my ancient PC with no probs.

The only reason I'm moving from the PC is reliability issues. Well, that and a growing tiredness of Windows.

JIMA · 31 Oct 2006 at 22:32

Thanks for the further info on the graphics etc.

I'm in the same position as Catalyst in that my monitor is pretty good and doesn't really need replacing.

I reckon I'll go for the Mac Mini to keep costs down as it'll be mainly used just for Internet, e-mail etc. and it'll also give me a relatively cheap look into OSX. If my development machine gave up I'd probably go for an iMac, as has been suggested, given the faster HD, better graphics etc.

It's good to see that Apple can offer a cheapish alternative that's still powerful enough to be really useful.