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Help my buy my new setup from Best Buy

J

JohnnyBighead

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 26, 2013
6
0
I am a long timer lurker and first time poster here.

I am buying a Mac mini for the first time and need a little help with components. For reasons beyond my control, I have to buy everything from Best Buy. I know this is not ideal, and things will be more expensive, but that's the way it has to be.

Im going to be getting the 2.3GHz i7:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Apple%26%23174%3B---Mac-mini---4GB-Memory---1TB-Hard-Drive/4840689.p?skuId=4840689&productCategoryId=pcmcat268200050003&id=1218548287565

I will be immediately adding a SSD (Crucial m4):
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Crucial---m4-256-GB-2.5%22-Internal-Solid-State-Drive/5279068.p?skuId=5279068&contract_desc=&sellerId=38708104&productCategoryId=pcmcat270900050001&id=1218628963136

And 16gb of RAM (Kingston HyperX PnP):
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Kingston---PnP---16GB-Kit-(2x8GB)---DDR3-1600MHz-CL9-SODIMM/6380081.p?skuId=6380081&contract_desc=&sellerId=15329835&productCategoryId=abcat0506002&id=1218731162074

I am going to go ahead and get a new display, and I'm thinking about this one (LG IPS235):
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/LG---Geek-Squad-Certified-Refurbished-23%26%2334%3B-Widescreen-Flat-Panel-LED-HD-Monitor/6852032.p?skuId=6852032&productCategoryId=pcmcat143700050048&id=1218810613269

Did I choose the right SSD and RAM for the Mac mini? There were 4 256gb Crucial SSDs and I was not sure which one was the right one...

Will this be a good setup? Are there some different components that I should look at? The Samsung 840 Pro is sold out online in 256, but there is a 128 available. Also, the have the 840 non-Pro available.

I am pretty clueless at this point. I have tried to do a lot of research about this stuff, but I may be way off.

Let me know what you think and thanks in advance!
 
Not a hardware recommendation, but as a heads up Best Buy will price match printouts from sites such as NewEgg, BH Photo & Video, etc. The full policy (and a list of what sites they'll match) is available on their website.
 
JohnnyBighead said:
Did I choose the right SSD and RAM for the Mac mini? There were 4 256gb Crucial SSDs and I was not sure which one was the right one...

Will this be a good setup?
Click to expand...

Everything you picked is correct and will work fine.

The M4 comes in different versions, some with desktop mounting backets and others with USB transfer cables... that sort of thing. You don't need any of that, so just get whichever one is cheapest.

There are just under one million threads on here debating what is the best monitor or best SSD, and nobody agrees on much of anything and there are no clear, certain answers.

The M4 is commonly used by forum members here and works just fine.

There are higher end monitors with better color controls etc., but they cost more money.

----------
Guiyon said:
Not a hardware recommendation, but as a heads up Best Buy will price match printouts from sites such as NewEgg, BH Photo & Video, etc. The full policy (and a list of what sites they'll match) is available on their website.
Click to expand...

Ohhh... great suggestion. Best Buy just came out with this. They will price match Amazon also.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the input everybody. I will let you know what I end up going with... I stopped by the store and they had the mini in stock, but nothing else... They had some Dell monitors that looked nice also...
 
Do you want to use the stock HD and SSD at the same time in there? If so you might want one of those OWC data doubler kits. Or at least get the upper drive cable from someplace if you already got the right tools.
Also keep in mind that adding or swapping drives on these involves a little more knowhow and care than it does on your average computer :)
 
JohnnyBighead said:
The data doubler kit is already on its way. Thanks for the reminder though!
Click to expand...

Hello,
I highly recommend the Dell S2340M. If you call Best Buy they can price match the monitor with Amazon's pricing. Amazon has it for $171.37 instead of the $229 that Best Buy is listing it for and you can even pick it up in-store. For under $200, I would say that the Dell monitors are the best option. As much as I want the Thunderbolt display....


-Jay
 
Dell U2412M - IPS, 16:10 - excellent screen

I'd reconsider the i7 and 16GB of RAM unless you really need them for grunt work.
 
Well, I am a graphic designer by trade. I have a pretty powerful setup at work, and I am going to be doing all my freelance stuff on this machine. I use the whole Adobe Suite (including After Effects and Premier) pretty regularly. I originally was going to go for an iMac, but I think Mac mini will do the job. That said, I want to go ahead and get ahead of the curve and make it the best I can from the jump.
 
Hello, again!
Have you made a decision yet? For freelance stuff I believe the Mac Mini will handle your work fine. However, I understand that the UltraSharp Series (USB ports, DisplayPort, etc) from Dell are probably more suited to photo/video word than the S-series monitors from Dell? Personally, I think the S2340M is a great monitor, especially for the price.

-Jay
 
sahni130 said:
Hello, again!
Have you made a decision yet? For freelance stuff I believe the Mac Mini will handle your work fine. However, I understand that the UltraSharp Series (USB ports, DisplayPort, etc) from Dell are probably more suited to photo/video word than the S-series monitors from Dell? Personally, I think the S2340M is a great monitor, especially for the price.

-Jay
Click to expand...

so do u have it connected using the hdmi to dvi cable?

do you have a dual monitor set up?

if so, any issues?
 
It is probably going to be the S2340M for me. I would love to get into an ultrasharp, but Best Buy only has the 1k 27"...
 
dapitts08 said:
so do u have it connected using the hdmi to dvi cable?

do you have a dual monitor set up?

if so, any issues?
Click to expand...

Dear dapitts08,
I do no have a dual-monitor setup. I have the Dell S2340m hooked up to my macbook pro via the Apple Mini Display-port to DVI adapter and running a dvi cable from the adapter to the DVI port on the monitor and it works great!

Johnny, the S2340m is a fine monitor and should serve you well, especially if you don't have a large budget or need for professional level color gamut, etc. I use mine for Office, browsing internet, light gaming, and minor Photoshop work and it seems fine for my usage.

Sincerely,
Jay
 
JohnnyBighead said:
I am buying a Mac mini for the first time and need a little help with components. For reasons beyond my control, I have to buy everything from Best Buy. I know this is not ideal, and things will be more expensive, but that's the way it has to be.
Click to expand...

No problem buying at Best Buy. Same product as you would get at the Apple Store just help not as good. Apple Store will price match with Best Buy. At Best Buy you can use coupons.

I will advise you to get Apple Care and not the Geek Squad from BB. I purchased my Mini at BB and then purchased AppleCare. Glad I did.

As far as a monitor goes, I prefer Asus. Faster response time and I think an overall better picture.

http://m.bestbuy.com/m/e/product/detail.jsp?skuId=3706239&pid=1218428704344
 
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