Does The Mac Mini Have A Built-in Mic, and is the harddrive loud?

[brobson]

I'm considering purchasing a Mac mini soley for Garageband purposes.

Does the Mini have a built in Microphone so I don't have to purchase my own? And if so, is the system loud? I must know this so that if I get one, the machine's noise doesn't interfere with my recording. Any suggestions from owners would be useful.

My other option is a used 12" POWERBOOK G4 867 MHZ/40HD/640 RAM/DVD/AP/BT FOR $650 (is this a good deal?)

There's no warranty.

The Mini is reasonable $515 refurbished but can I use any monitor or does it have to be an apple display?

Thanks
David
(age 15)

 

[jsw]

It does not come with a built-in mic, but it runs virtually silently. I can't hear mine from a foot away.

Any monitor (DVI or VGA) will work. I connect mine to my HDTV.

The 12" PB is a good system, but the mini is probably better for you, as it's faster. However, I recommend a minimum of 1GB for GarageBand work if at all possible.

 

[baby duck monge]

I will also advise you that if the Mini isn't an Intel I don't believe it will not have an audio-in. I am not at the house right now so I can't double-check that, but it's something to keep in mind. It is basically silent, though, so that's a plus.

As for the PowerBook, I don't think that price is a terribly great deal for that machine. You could almost certainly do better with a newer PowerBook or even an iBook at that price.

Just my $0.02 USD

 

[bradc]

I just bought a Mini Core Duo 1.66ghz w/1gb RAM and it's barely audible. I have the 80gb harddrive and sometimes there is a 'click' but other than that, extremely quiet.

So far I'm really impressed with the Mini's speed, but the best part is obviously it's size and barely noticeable noise/sound register. You wouldn't want to use any computer's built in Mic if you're serious about recording though.

 

[brobson]

Thanks guys, I am glad to hear it. I'd like to get something with applecare anyway.

Where can we get an inexpensive monitor? The price is inching up.
Can I use my old imac G3 keyboard and mouse?
Brenda
(David's mom)