Just got the server today only run a single drive it is going to be mon or tues if I raid it. It is annoying that snow does not run so fast. my 2009 has two external raid0 sata devices really fast hdd but the slow 2.66 cpu.
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2.5 i5 dual core or 2.7 i7 dual core???
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Just got the server today only run a single drive it is going to be mon or tues if I raid it. It is annoying that snow does not run so fast. my 2009 has two external raid0 sata devices really fast hdd but the slow 2.66 cpu.
I ended upgrading everything, but the ram because i'll do that myself....so i got the i7 processor.
part of the reason for getting a mini is to not spend more money than you have to. that means not going with apple's upgrades.
i live in a state/county with a high sales tax. if i ordered through the apple online store and upgraded the mini's cpu and hdd: $799 + $100 i7 + $150 750GB = $1049 + 9% sales tax = $1143.41
on the other hand: imac quad i5, 21.5" lcd, AMD 6750 w/ 512MB DDR5, snow leopard, superdrive, facetime cam, keyboard, mouse: $1134 on amazon (no sales tax applied)
if you live in an area with high sales tax and amazon is available to you, and you're ok with spending over $1100 on a desktop mac, might as well just get an imac.
i live in a state/county with a high sales tax. if i ordered through the apple online store and upgraded the mini's cpu and hdd: $799 + $100 i7 + $150 750GB = $1049 + 9% sales tax = $1143.41
on the other hand: imac quad i5, 21.5" lcd, AMD 6750 w/ 512MB DDR5, snow leopard, superdrive, facetime cam, keyboard, mouse: $1134 on amazon (no sales tax applied)
if you live in an area with high sales tax and amazon is available to you, and you're ok with spending over $1100 on a desktop mac, might as well just get an imac.
You could also buy the mini online also and save the tax. Many places like bhphoto.com have custom configurations and no sales tax, unless you live in NY. They have the one you mention above i7, 750Gb HD for 1,048.95.
The quad one I want is only $959 there no tax or shipping.
I got my configuration: i7, 750gb HD, for around 1,050 after going through the education store.
so for $84 less than the cheapest imac on amazon, you gained 250gb, an hdmi port, and compactness, but got a slower cpu, less powerful gpu, possibly slower hdd (3.5" vs 2.5"), no lcd display, no webcam, no keyboard/mouse, no speakers/mic, and no superdrive.
so for $84 less than the cheapest imac on amazon, you gained 250gb, an hdmi port, and compactness, but got a slower cpu, less powerful gpu, possibly slower hdd (3.5" vs 2.5"), no lcd display, no webcam, no keyboard/mouse, no speakers/mic, and no superdrive.
Some of us already have all that hardware. My 27" Cinema Display covers all that. When averaged that out with my 4 minis it works to my advantage.
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so for $84 less than the cheapest imac on amazon, you gained 250gb, an hdmi port, and compactness, but got a slower cpu, less powerful gpu, possibly slower hdd (3.5" vs 2.5"), no lcd display, no webcam, no keyboard/mouse, no speakers/mic, and no superdrive.
Yah I understand that, but I don't really need a fast cpu or a more powerful gpu than the one I got, and I already have all the other things that come with an imac...so i'm not really losing anything
For what it's worth. I picked the 2.7Ghz i5 due to the fact that I can't upgrade the CPU later. Any Mac Mini is fast enough today, but think ahead if the 2.5 will be enough in 3-4 years. I plan on having my Mini for quite a few years so upgraded a bit.
Yah I understand that, but I don't really need a fast cpu or a more powerful gpu than the one I got, and I already have all the other things that come with an imac...so i'm not really losing anything
if you don't need a fast cpu, why did you upgrade to i7? the i5 isn't that much slower than the i7. and i assume you upgraded the hdd since it's much faster (as 250gb extra is nothing special), so you do care about performance. even if you have a display/kb/mouse/webcam, once you get close to the imac price after upgrades, the imac becomes the better deal. just my two cents.
i'm sure you'll be happy with the mini. just boggles my mind how some people spend their money. anyway, welcome to the club.
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in 3-4 years, the current dc i5/i7 cpus will be irrelevant, so it makes no sense to plan your needs that far ahead. that would be like me saying "man, i'm glad i upgraded my mini to c2d 2.0ghz from the stock 1.83 ghz 4 years ago. it really makes a difference today!"
I meant to say that I need a faster cpu than the i5 so I upgraded to the i7....I just don't need an imac for my uses considering I already have everything else, making the imac irrelevant.
I agree. INDG It's a little arrogant to tell how to spend our money or that you know whats best for us. What is good for you may not be good for everyone or anyone else.
And no freaking glossy mirror display.so for $84 less than the cheapest imac on amazon, you gained 250gb, an hdmi port, and compactness, but got a slower cpu, less powerful gpu, possibly slower hdd (3.5" vs 2.5"), no lcd display, no webcam, no keyboard/mouse, no speakers/mic, and no superdrive.
Oh, oops, has that issue been discussed before?
i'm just offering up my opinion. if the OP knows what he's doing and is happy with his purchase, that's great. all i said was if i were given the choice between paying $250 to upgrade the $799 imac (a 31% increase btw) and just getting the base imac, i would choose the base imac, glossy display and all (i don't mind the glossy), even if i already have an extra display/kb/mouse, imo the imac has better bang for the buck.
I agree with you, generally speaking, the iMac has better specs and more bang for the buck. I think there are lots of us, me included, who might love to buy an iMac but won't buy or use a glossy display no matter what. And some dislike the idea of all-in-one desktop computers.
This is a Mac mini forum. Most mini buyers know about iMacs, and don't want one, for various reasons.
Stick to the default don't bother with the i7 the extra performance you will get wont be noticeable in the real world. Put that money towards ram.
i'm not a fan of all-in-ones either (and i've owned imacs in the past!). and the standard mini configs actually do offer great if not better bang for the buck than the imac. but once you factor in the retail costs for upgrading cpu/hdd on the mini, it shifts in favor of the standard config imac. for some people the imac is never even considered simply because of their dislike of glossy screens, and i totally get that.
just going by the OP's first post and nothing else, i think he could have saved $100 and been just fine with the i5. in fact, i don't think he even needed to upgrade the hdd and could have saved his $250. upgrade the ram to 8gb yourself for $50, but that's really all he needed. i could do everything he said he would be doing on a 5 year old macbook pro with 3gb of ram that's way slower than the $800 mini.
just going by the OP's first post and nothing else, i think he could have saved $100 and been just fine with the i5. in fact, i don't think he even needed to upgrade the hdd and could have saved his $250. upgrade the ram to 8gb yourself for $50, but that's really all he needed. i could do everything he said he would be doing on a 5 year old macbook pro with 3gb of ram that's way slower than the $800 mini.
bhphoto is one of the only online resellers selling upgraded Minis. they have 2 versions of the server but not the 750gb upgrade only
but they told me if they get calls for it they will tell their supplier, so anyone wanting the server upgraded to 2 750s and stock RAM and No tax & No shipping, please call em!
but they told me if they get calls for it they will tell their supplier, so anyone wanting the server upgraded to 2 750s and stock RAM and No tax & No shipping, please call em!
I know I didn't need to upgrade now, but I mine as well because I want to use this mini for at least a few years before I need to get another computer.
my brother got the base mini yesterday and couldnt be happier (traded in his 4 year old mb at bb and actually came ahead on the deal money wise. how awesome is that)
I don't believe in upgrading via apple over base as often times you pay a high premium for a little bit bigger numbers that most of us will never see the benefit from, unless you have specific needs beforehand.
I would much rather buy the base, then save whatever I could have spent on upgraded components as a savings start for a new computer down the road which will be much faster than those upgraded parts!
I don't believe in upgrading via apple over base as often times you pay a high premium for a little bit bigger numbers that most of us will never see the benefit from, unless you have specific needs beforehand.
I would much rather buy the base, then save whatever I could have spent on upgraded components as a savings start for a new computer down the road which will be much faster than those upgraded parts!
Yah a lot of people use this method...I just like to have new stuff. So having a new computer now and getting to buy another new one in a few years sounds better to me