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Interesting in Getting a Mac Mini

G

gettingmac

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 7, 2008
4
0
Hi, im new to this forum and i have been using windows my whole life. I was looking into getting a new computer and i noticed that now on macs using a program called bootcamp you can run windows and mac os. But i was wondering if it would be slow running 2 os' on the basic mac mini. Also will i be able to play games such as counterstrike source on the mac mini?

Thanx

Chris
 
While the Mac mini is a great first Mac, it is not a gamers machine as it does not have a distinct video card. So if games are not your primary reason for getting a Mac, even if you run Windows on it, you will love it to bits. But if you are a gamer... better look to iMac or MacBookPro... or Mac Pro...
 
The Mini is a great machine in its own right. It will not be able to play any games with any decent settings. It can dual boot into Windows and it will still run just fine, it runs one OS at a time so it won't be any slower if you have Windows or not.

I would highly suggest getting an iMac (go with a higher end refurb) or waiting until January because there might be more powerful Mac Minis coming. The current ones on the market now are older and haven't really been updated (hardware wise) in over a year and a half. I would highly suggest a 20" Refurb 2.0ghz ALU iMac, it is a much faster machine and it is awesome!
 
Unless the a newly released Mac mini includes the new 9400 chipset the iMac is definitely a better option overall.
You get a larger 3.5" hard drive, a dedicated graphics card and faster processor in a really nice package, great for games.

Running via Bootcamp, there won't by any slowdown having 2 OS's installed (Only a reduction in hard disk space obviously). You loose performance in cases of virtualization, using products such as VMWare Fusion or Parallels whereby Mac OS X and Windows will run simultaneously and sharing resources (OSX is the host to Windows).
 
The current Mac Mini is two generations behind in technology. Its slow and a very poor value. Avoid it and go with an iMac.
 
Should i only buy off of apple for refurbished systems?
and is this one a good deal (sorry i dont know much about macs because im a c geek)

thanx to everyone!:)
 
Only buy the refurbs off of Apple.com . I would strongly suggest avoiding getting a refurb anywhere else. Whether it is refurbed or used is the question. When you get it straight from Apple, there is no question on it's refurb quality, which is good!
 
^ I agree. I bought a refurb. iPod touch from Apple vs. my friend who bought one from another 3rd party retailer. Comparing mine to a brand new one, you couldn't tell the difference, except the packaging. New products have retail packaging whereas refurb. has a brown box. Packaging aside, my friend's iPod touch was scratched on the back and the blackish ring around the iPod (1st gen btw) was scratched and dented. Funny thing is, He got that for $10 more for what I paid... :D Honestly, just wait until MacWorld Expo 09, which is in January and they will update the Minis.. I plan on buying one too, but the current graphics ... eh Iono. I don't want something weaker than my laptops graphics which are sub-par enough.
 
I don't see why everybody thinks an iMac is a good alternative for a mini. I personally don't want a 20" display and the 24" iMac is way too pricey.

A Macbook would be a better comparison. A refurb MacBook was running $799 this week and it will drive a 24" monitor.

The mini is a fine machine, but a bit of an older model. With 3.3 GB of usable RAM and dual cores it runs Windows under VMWare and Mac OS simultaneously fine.
 
my macbook (in sig) runs counterstrike fine although i have to run it in direct x 8.0 but i dont know the difference between them all, the thing is i cant play like new games but im a consol gamer so its all g, basically dont waste your money on a mac mini as its over priced for so little make a hackintosh or something save some money or buy one from phystar
 
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