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Custom pc vs mini 2014 decision

C

cypriot

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 14, 2011
242
30
I dont really use anything osx specific and mostly i do office photoshop web development and very basic audio/video edit. My only concern is that i want it to run long time like my 6 years old macbook unibody. I will have to decide this week. It is hard for me to justify the mini. I wanted one before the update but now i am confused badly. Custom pc option is:

i7 4790 gtx 750 ti 8 gb ram 1 tb hdd 128 gb ssd gigabyte mainboard and mobo windows 8.1

1000 $

Vs

2014 Dual core i5 mac mini 16 gb ram + 256 ssd

1300 $
 
cypriot said:
I dont really use anything osx specific and mostly i do office photoshop web development and very basic audio/video edit. My only concern is that i want it to run long time like my 6 years old macbook unibody. I will have to decide this week. It is hard for me to justify the mini. I wanted one before the update but now i am confused badly. Custom pc option is:

i7 4790 gtx 750 ti 8 gb ram 1 tb hdd 128 gb ssd gigabyte mainboard and mobo windows 8.1

1000 $

Vs

2014 Dual core i5 mac mini 16 gb ram + 256 ssd

1300 $
Click to expand...

A custom PC with hackintosh supported hardware can serve you well for years without needing an upgrade, you can dual boot both but it needs a lot of free time and basic troubleshooting experience, with 1000 $ budget you should be able to build a great hack.
 
0xyMoron said:
A custom PC with hackintosh supported hardware can serve you well for years without needing an upgrade, you can dual boot both but it needs a lot of free time and basic troubleshooting experience, with 1000 $ budget you should be able to build a great hack.
Click to expand...


If i go custom route i plan to give hack a try but i dont know. From what i read its risky and unstable. I might be wrong though.
 
cypriot said:
If i go custom route i plan to give hack a try but i dont know. From what i read its risky and unstable. I might be wrong though.
Click to expand...

I've been running Lion/ML/Mavericks and now Yosemite without any major issues just minor tweaks here and there, the most important part after the CPU selection is the graphics card compatibility there are lists of supported cards and even full custom PC setup specs on Tonymacx86, it's a fun experience, it's not "risky" your PC won't explode :p, at best you create CCC backup before experimenting with upgrades and kexts.
 
Do what you need to.
IF you have to use a specific software which only runs on one of them, then buy the relevant computer.
If not, then get what you like more.
Think of yourself, after you buy whatever you buy, will you wish to have gone the other way? Then you know what to do.
 
cypriot said:
I dont really use anything osx specific and mostly i do office photoshop web development and very basic audio/video edit. My only concern is that i want it to run long time like my 6 years old macbook unibody. I will have to decide this week. It is hard for me to justify the mini. I wanted one before the update but now i am confused badly. Custom pc option is:

i7 4790 gtx 750 ti 8 gb ram 1 tb hdd 128 gb ssd gigabyte mainboard and mobo windows 8.1

1000 $

Vs

2014 Dual core i5 mac mini 16 gb ram + 256 ssd

1300 $
Click to expand...

If you're considering a PC or a Mac then you'll always regret buying the PC! Buyer's Remorse.
 
cypriot said:
I dont really use anything osx specific and mostly i do office photoshop web development and very basic audio/video edit. My only concern is that i want it to run long time like my 6 years old macbook unibody. I will have to decide this week. It is hard for me to justify the mini. I wanted one before the update but now i am confused badly. Custom pc option is:

i7 4790 gtx 750 ti 8 gb ram 1 tb hdd 128 gb ssd gigabyte mainboard and mobo windows 8.1

1000 $

Vs

2014 Dual core i5 mac mini 16 gb ram + 256 ssd

1300 $
Click to expand...
I'm pondering on the same issue. The new Mac Mini is really not up the standards you could expect from a 2014 desktop computer. For example, I'm running Stockfish to analyze the games of the Chess World Championship, and Stockfish can use up to 8 cores for it's engine.

Could you share the specific components you are considering for your custom PC? (Either here or on PM.)
 
Sagnet said:
I'm pondering on the same issue. The new Mac Mini is really not up the standards you could expect from a 2014 desktop computer. For example, I'm running Stockfish to analyze the games of the Chess World Championship, and Stockfish can use up to 8 cores for it's engine.



Could you share the specific components you are considering for your custom PC? (Either here or on PM.)
Click to expand...


Of course i can. When i get to my pc i will.

I already feel i wasted my time with hacks and stuff to overcome apples restrictions on running windows on second ssd in my macbook and ssd trim and sata 2 support and what not. The argument that apple is hassle free is outdated because you have to deal with these restrictions all the time. My sony vaio with exact same parts run windows 8 like brand new and it is older. Why not my macbook?

I like osx very much but apple wants too much compromise. Much more than money.
 
Personally, I'd side with the PC in this case. Windows 10 is just next year and should bridge the PC-Mac gap even more.

Costs less and is far more powerful. Hard to argue it, really. I guess it comes down to certain software you may need, but so much is offered for both now that it hardly makes a difference.
 
Here is my custom PC parts list.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=31515407

  • LIAN LI PC-Q36WX Black Aluminum Computer Case
  • ASUS MAXIMUS VII IMPACT Z97 Mini ITX Motherboard
  • Intel Core i7-4790K processor
  • MSI GTX 980 GAMING video card
  • Crucial MX100 512GB SSD
  • G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB DDR3 2400 CAS 9 RAM
  • SeaSonic SS-520FL2 520W fanless power supply

Total: $1768.94

I had two 120mm case fans, a Corsair H50 CPU cooler, and Windows 8.1 already,
but the total still would have been under $2000 even had I not.

The case is small (13" x 9.5" x 12") and nicely designed.

I like how the side panels just slide off. It makes installing components really easy.
 

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If you don't need anything from OSX, why are you considering a Mac? Just build a PC and stay away from Hackintoshes.
 
Same decision I am trying to make. Leaning now more towards a PC for the same cost.
 
dogslobber said:
OS X isn't just about what it offers. It's what a Windows OS running machines gives you that you don't want and OS X doesn't offer it.
Click to expand...

Really???? That's coming from a 90's perspective. My new Gateway laptop has Windows 8.1 and is otherwise void of 3rd party apps. It's not like the 90's where the first thing I did was uninstall 20 apps.
 
dogslobber said:
Then why post to a MAC forum?
Click to expand...

I don't know why the OP is posting in a Mac forum. Based on the OP's post, there's no compelling reason why he/she should be buying a Mac. Buying a computer that's not best for the job is illogical.

The OP stated that he/she has a hard time justifying a Mini, so my recommendation is to buy a Windows machine.
 
If there was an easy, reliable way to go hackintosh, I would do that without second thought. I use my mac for work, so it needs to be rock solid stable.

From reading the forums here it seems Yosemite is no more stable than Win98 was. I know Win7 is stable and Win10 is finally getting around to copying expose/spaces feature, for me a critical feature.

It sucks, but apple does not care about power/pro users. They crippled the new mini and unlikely that will change. I will likely build a W10 workstation and keep my macbook for web/on the go stuff.
 
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germinator said:
Take a look at this:
http://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-Barebone-i5-4570R-Graphic-GB-BXi5-4570R/dp/B00HYEU0C8/

Plenty powerful and way cheaper than the crippled mini.
OS X (Mavericks at least) runs well on this machine following instructions on tonymacx86. I have built one with the i3 model and it is rock stable.

Also, Ubuntu Linux works perfectly on those machines without any tweaking (no Photoshop, though).
Click to expand...

NICE!

Newegg currently has these for $385, after rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856164011
 
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my 2 cents:

- hackintosh is ugly to sit on the desk

- it's unstable and there is no guarantee OSX will work properly on long term (OSX works well on a Mac because Apple works on optimizing its OS on dedicated hardware, while OSX works on hackintosh because hackers are developing pilots for hundreds of different hardware, at some point, they cannot keep up with hardware as the list is growing)
 
corvus32 said:
Here is my custom PC parts list.

https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=31515407

  • LIAN LI PC-Q36WX Black Aluminum Computer Case
  • ASUS MAXIMUS VII IMPACT Z97 Mini ITX Motherboard
  • Intel Core i7-4790K processor
  • MSI GTX 980 GAMING video card
  • Crucial MX100 512GB SSD
  • G.SKILL Trident X Series 8GB DDR3 2400 CAS 9 RAM
  • SeaSonic SS-520FL2 520W fanless power supply

Total: $1768.94

I had two 120mm case fans, a Corsair H50 CPU cooler, and Windows 8.1 already,
but the total still would have been under $2000 even had I not.

The case is small (13" x 9.5" x 12") and nicely designed.

I like how the side panels just slide off. It makes installing components really easy.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I appreciate it.
 
macaron95 said:
my 2 cents:

- hackintosh is ugly to sit on the desk
Click to expand...

They can be ugly or they can be attractive or not even on the desk.

- it's unstable
Click to expand...

In the last 3 years or so, the stability of hackintoshes has been a non-issue, so long as you start with well-supported logic boards. I have two running that are more than 2 years old and each is currently on Yosemite with no stability issues.

and there is no guarantee OSX will work properly on long term (OSX works well on a Mac because Apple works on optimizing its OS on dedicated hardware, while OSX works on hackintosh because hackers are developing pilots for hundreds of different hardware, at some point, they cannot keep up with hardware as the list is growing)
Click to expand...

And again, so long as you start with a logic board that has the same hardware as an Apple computer, this is mostly a non-issue. And to suggest that Apple's computers will remain fully-functional with OS X is to be oblivious to the facts. Apple's history is replete with examples of such incompatibility issues. Take for example the current problem with Handoff. I cannot use it with my 2011 MacBook Pro. But guess what? With my hackintosh, all I have to to is put in a compliant Bluetooth module and it will work just fine. Try doing that with an iMac or Mac Mini.

The truth is, unless one of Apple's computers suits your needs, a hackintosh can be a far more attractive computer. Much more RAM, faster and superior cpus and gpus, multiple hard drive and SSD options, eSATA, etc, and usually for a more attractive price. If you can assemble Tinker Toys, then you can assemble a hackintosh. It is not difficult to do.
 
macaron95 said:
my 2 cents:

- hackintosh is ugly to sit on the desk

- it's unstable and there is no guarantee OSX will work properly on long term (OSX works well on a Mac because Apple works on optimizing its OS on dedicated hardware, while OSX works on hackintosh because hackers are developing pilots for hundreds of different hardware, at some point, they cannot keep up with hardware as the list is growing)
Click to expand...

Cave Man has it exactly right.

I have built two hackintoshes and they are rock-stable. Same as real Macs.
It seems that macaron95 has no understanding of Apple hardware. Since the move to Intel, a Mac is a PC. Same processors, same chipset designed by Intel. Apple build a custom motherboard.

Where issues arise it's because the hardware deviates too much from what Apple uses and OS X (for obvious reasons) only needs to support a small subset of PC components. In those cases, a custom driver is needed.

Yes, hackintoshes require more time and dedication. But don't dismiss them for the wrong reasons.

As for future viability of hackintoshes: They work with Yosemite, and that should cover a few years. Only Apple can choose to limit what runs on Apple hardware. If they do so, I will abandon the Apple platform.
 
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