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How stupid is it to buy a new mac mini & ACD 20" now?

S

smarter

macrumors member
Original poster
Aug 8, 2007
58
2
The Netherlands
I'm following all the treads about the Mac mini being over one year old now and the Cinema Displays seem unchanged forever.

I'm planning on replacing my iMac G5 17" 1.9 iSight soon.
It's still running great, but right now I have the money burning in my hands to buy new hardware.

I really don't like the glossy screen on the new iMacs. The poor 20" iMac screen performance and all the quality issues on the 24" iMac screen also really let me down on buying one of these.

So, what I need is:

*High Quality 20" (or larger) widescreen monitor with a matte screen.
*Reliable hardware, significantly faster thanmy G5.

I use it for:

*Internet browsing (a lot)
*Email
*iPhoto to organise (and edit) all of my pictures
*Showing iPhoto slide shows on full screen for friends and family
*Microsoft Office (Word, Excel)

Right now I can sell my 2006 iMac G5 for a decent price, because it's working fine with no problems.

So, bottom line:

Will a new Mac mini 2ghz & ACD 20" combo make a a significant improvement in speed and image quality or am I really stupid wanting to buy this "old" stuff right now?

Seeing al the quality issues on current iMacs I'm not really thrilled to buy (soon to be released) Rev A spec new Mac mini & display.

Please advice.
 
keep in mind...

Keep in mind, of course you read about alot of "problems" with the iMacs by reading forums. But think about the 99% of people out there who have no issues whatsoever.

And if your iMac ever DOES have any sort of problems, just take it to the store and have it swapped. Simple as that.

Yes, buying a Mac mini with 20" monitor seems foolish to me. I have many friends who work in Apple Store, and without a doubt they say they fix 1/50th the amount of desktops as laptops.
 
I know it's a stupid idea, but my dad bought a new Mac mini & ACD 20" for my mom last month (right after he treated himself with a Mac Pro & 30" ACD:D).

The mini combined with the 20" ACD really looks nice to me and it seems fast compared to my G5.

Considering iMacs I like the "old" glossy white & aluminum look a lot more than the new black & alu Samsung/Sony/Toshiba whatever look. New iMacs look like ordinary consumer electronics to me. The black border around the screen and the glossy screen finish really put me off.

I really hope Apple returns to simple, clean design very soon. Starting with a new Mac mini & new (matte) Cinema displays this month I hope.
 
smarter said:
Considering iMacs I like the "old" glossy white & aluminum look a lot more than the new black & alu Samsung/Sony/Toshiba whatever look. New iMacs look like ordinary consumer electronics to me. The black border around the screen and the glossy screen finish really put me off.

I really hope Apple returns to simple, clean design very soon. Starting with a new Mac mini & new (matte) Cinema displays this month I hope.
Click to expand...

:eek: The new iMacs look awesome, this may have just being what Steve Jobs made up but he said in a Keynote " The Professional market say they look more professional, compared the the older G5 iMac ". I couldn't agree more, the glossy display is brilliant for displaying rich, vibrant colours, the black border is good, but I can see where you're coming from in terms of the old iMac just had the 1 border ( frame ). The alluminium also looks incredibly modern and stylish, which is what I like. They are thinner than before, and look like they are up to the job ( likewise are all Apple products )

And I haven't even bought a iMac yet !

... Just what I think anyway, and If i were you I would hold back, you never know the new ACD could have iSight built in

NStocks
 
I'd wait till atleast the Mini's are updated since those are due for one any day now. But, the ACD's, according to MR, is scheduled for an update in January 09. No point waiting so long, so you might as well just get one now with a refreshed Mac mini. I remember on these forums, in March, I was sucked into waiting like everyone else, but then finally in May I went ahead and bought it. 3 months later and no update, so Im glad I didn't wait, but I REALLY think a new one is coming any Tuesday now..
 
I love the glossy display. It makes me want to sell my DELL UltraSharp 2407WFP display, a matte screen is a downgrade to me.
 
Mac mini reliability

Just so you know (since people never bother to make such posts), I never had any problems with either of my Mac minis (1st one is a G4/1.42 GHz, 2nd one is a Core 2 Duo/1.83 GHz).

Just make sure to install enough RAM in the Mac mini (I'd suggest 3 GiB).
 
This is the worst time to buy a Mac Mini and an Apple Display as both are far overdue for upgrades. They may not come until January however, which may be a problem for you.

I would strongly take a look in person at the 20" iMac. The glossy display looks amazing in my opinion, although I do have the 24" which has a better screen. I have been to the Apple Store though, and have noticed nothing wrong with the 20's.
 
FWIW, mini's are nearly bulletproof, so don't worry about having any problems with one. However, it's almost been exactly one year since they were updated, so I would wait a few weeks for an updated one. (If that happens) But ACD's are Ok to buy, they won't be updated for a while.
 
Cassie said:
FWIW, mini's are nearly bulletproof, so don't worry about having any problems with one. However, it's almost been exactly one year since they were updated, so I would wait a few weeks for an updated one. (If that happens) But ACD's are Ok to buy, they won't be updated for a while.
Click to expand...

well the acd's havent been updated spec wise for about 2 years
 
yeah, i'm no longer holding my breath for a Mini update. i have finally given up and moved over to the when-are-they-actually-going-to-update-the-Mac-Pro camp. It's irritating that Apple has completely neglected its entire headless Mac line.

at this point, I would tell someone who wants a cheap Mac to score a hackintosh
 
Why is Apple neglecting consumers this way? I really want to stay with Apple, but I prefer a separate component system.

I want a desktop PC and a separate display. This way I can decide when I want to replace either the display or the PC.

With the Imac there is no choice. I'm not even mentioning resale value of iMacs with broken displays or logic boards.

All I want is a powerfull, sleek and small desktop, dual Core around 2.5 ghz and 2 gb of ram, 320 gb harddisk, decent graphics and a superdrive.

A stylish 20-22" display, S-IPS or S-PVA (shame on you, Apple for the TN display in the new 20"iMacs) would close the deal for me.

How hard can it be to make this combo for around $ 2.000,- which I'm prepared to spend?
 
seriously build a hackintosh

i have a q6600 at 2.91ghz quad
4 gig 800mhz ram
500 and 80 gig hd's
8800 gt 512mb oc'd
dual layer dvd burner



this set up cost me about 900 back in feb. it has probably come down by 150ish since then for same components
 
dukebound85 said:
well the acd's havent been updated spec wise for about 2 years
Click to expand...

Yep. And the current crop of ACD's were already overpriced techno-fossils
when they were originally introduced. Why would anyone in their right mind
pay $600 ($700 with AppleCare) for a 20" display with only one video input,
zero features and the absolute crappiest warranty in the industry?

NEC, Dell (and others) offer vastly better monitors with multiple video inputs,
modern features, and 4-5 year warranties -- for the same money or less.

...a fool and her money are soon courted,

LK
 
I just got a new 2.66 imac. IMO the screen is very nice, and I am coming from a 20" ACD. Yes the viewing angles are not as good, but honestly, I'm sitting directly in front of it 95% of the time I'm using it. I don't do design work so I can't speak to that, but for "general use" I like the 20" iMac screen very nearly as much as my ACD.

re: the ACDs being "overpriced techno-fossils" - you might try finding out about display quality rather than just spouting off about specs and inputs. NEC, Dell, etc. do NOT offer vastly better monitors. Try searching these forums a bit.
 
QCassidy352 said:
re: the ACDs being "overpriced techno-fossils" - you might try finding out
about display quality rather than just spouting off about specs and inputs.
NEC, Dell, etc. do NOT offer vastly better monitors. Try searching these
forums a bit.
Click to expand...

Suggest you follow your own advice. There are LOTS of monitors that use
exactly the same LCD panel as the 20" ACD, (i.e., L.G.Philips LM201W01),
and LOTS more that use similar quality S-IPS, H-IPS, and AS-IPS panels
from Philips and others. (Check http://www.tftcentral.co.uk for details.)

The only things "outstanding" about the ACD are its high price, abysmal
lack of features, single video input, and crappy 1-year warranty.

LK
 
smarter said:
Why is Apple neglecting consumers this way? I really want to stay with Apple, but I prefer a separate component system.

I want a desktop PC and a separate display. This way I can decide when I want to replace either the display or the PC.

With the Imac there is no choice. I'm not even mentioning resale value of iMacs with broken displays or logic boards.

All I want is a powerfull, sleek and small desktop, dual Core around 2.5 ghz and 2 gb of ram, 320 gb harddisk, decent graphics and a superdrive.

A stylish 20-22" display, S-IPS or S-PVA (shame on you, Apple for the TN display in the new 20"iMacs) would close the deal for me.

How hard can it be to make this combo for around $ 2.000,- which I'm prepared to spend?
Click to expand...

This is one of the things holding me back from buying an iMac. I've had my current crt monitor for about 10 years now and I've had 3 different desktops with it. I can spend 800 on a really nice monitor and use it for longer than a single desktop would last me. Everytime I'd want to play a game I'd have to boot into windows too which is another minus, and of course imacs can't really be upgraded. And if one part goes bad, your hosed. I went to best buy tonight though and that imac really is a thing of beauty though.
 
czeluff said:
Keep in mind, of course you read about alot of "problems" with the iMacs by reading forums. But think about the 99% of people out there who have no issues whatsoever.
Click to expand...

What 99%? Where are you getting this figure from?

Yvan256 said:
Just so you know (since people never bother to make such posts)
Click to expand...

Lots of people make positive posts about their iMacs. Browse the forums much?
 
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