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2012 Mac mini or laptop with higher specs
- Thread starter luke71933
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? Not sure of what you are asking. The Mini is as fast as the Retina MBP, as it uses the same processors in the mid range and the BTO CPU upgrade. The 2.3 Quad and 2.6 Quad. The mini is currently the best bang for your buck mac in apple's lineup.
The entry level mini is as fast as a 2012 13 MBP with it's dual core i5 2.5.
There aren't any Apple laptops of the same price with higher specs than the Mini.
I can't imagine ANY notebook with a 800 price tag that could compete with the Mac Mini ... After all, the CPU alone costs 400 bucks, and a notebook also has to finance the screen, keyboard, ..., you know?
What about this one?
http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00134074.html
(page in french) which has
Intel Core i5-3210M (Dual-Core - 2.5 GHz / 3.1 GHz - Cache 3 Mo - DMI 5GT/s)
8 Go PC3-12800 - DDR3 1600 MHz
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
2 USB3, HDMI out...
820
Granted it's not a quad core but the 650M makes up for it I believe?
http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00134074.html
(page in french) which has
Intel Core i5-3210M (Dual-Core - 2.5 GHz / 3.1 GHz - Cache 3 Mo - DMI 5GT/s)
8 Go PC3-12800 - DDR3 1600 MHz
NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M
2 USB3, HDMI out...
820
Granted it's not a quad core but the 650M makes up for it I believe?
I don't know how a GPU should "make up" for a CPU ... Yeah, this notebook is better for gaming than a Mini, but worse in anything else. No Thunderbolt, no support for three big displays, no Mac OS X, no aluminum chassis, probably not as quiet, only 2 USB 3.0 ports and so on. Granted, it may be a nice notebook for somebody looking for an 11" one with a dedicated graphics card, but then again, if you had to choose, wouldn't you take the MacBook Air instead?
I changed my mind ,I need a laptop to do programming for school, we are doing java currently , I can use BlueJ. I wont play games,maybe I play a usual game like league of legends, to game I have a ps3 so I wont use for gaming.I will be browsing and watching movies and hearing to music , I would need some good multitasking for example a skype video call , itunes open and facebook on safari and youtube, can the MBP 13" dual core i5 handle these or should I buy this laptop which is about 400euros cheaper and has way better specs,personally I don't think I need an i7. I will need this laptop to stay fast for at least the next five years.also I think I will install adobe after effects cs6 and photoshop cs6, can it handle these apps.What has the mac over the windows is it faster although with less specs.?I will be usign the laptop for about 3-4hrs a day.I can get the mbp for 1,100euros while the windows laptop for 700euros.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acer-Aspi...eripheriegeräte_Notebooks&hash=item232446c1f5
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Acer-Aspi...eripheriegeräte_Notebooks&hash=item232446c1f5
Honestly, you sound like someone who would prefer the PC flavor. You don't have any compatibility problems with the programs you use in school, you get the power to play some mid-range games and you know Windows.
After all, we buy Macs not because of their power. We buy them because of Mac OS X, because of their design and engineering. Mac OS is slower in games even with the same GPU, and it's about on par with Windows on everything else (well, performance wise - convenience is another topic). That's not what Macs are all about.
I don't know what to tell you. If you had used a Mac for some years, you'd have understood why the experience is so rewarding. But when it comes to pure specs and for using it in a school, PCs may win. If that's your priority, go the PC route. If you appreciate absolute precision in engineering, design and the simplicity and power of Mac OS as much as we Mac user do, go the Mac route. Nobody can make this decision for you, and a visit to the Apple Store can neither.
I really like the macs and their designs, I sued my cousin's macbook of 2007 and it is amazingly fast with only core 2 duo, but my problem is will it still be fast for the next 5 years is the i5 dual core enough for me? I pefer mac but because of the difference I can't decide if it'll be reliable for these 5 years ,Mac will win.
Generally speaking Macs will stay useful longer than a typical Windows machine will, if I were looking at a laptop I was planning to keep for a while I'd definitely go Mac.