Just purchased a 1.83GHz Mac Mini for $400

[iboost79]

Hey Macrumors,

Last week, I bought a Mac Mini from a friend of mine who works for Apple. I bought it for $400 through the closeout store. I'm now debating whether to buy the newer 2.0Ghz Mac Mini. Of course, I'd be paying more, but just to max out my Mac Mini, I'd have to throw another $200 down.

Should I just sell the Mac Mini I just bought and buy the most current Mac Mini?

I'm only going to use it for handbraking dvd's, watching netflix, hulu, and boxee. I'd like it to support 720p or 1080i formats.

 

[iboost79]

Also, are there better alternatives on the bluetooth mice/keyboard? I'm not sure if I like the Apple version.

 

[robeddie]

It's all subjective on how much you value graphics performance.

The graphics on the new Mini are DRAMATICALLY faster than the one you just purchased.

For instance, try running the iTunes visualizer on the Mini you have (with the GMA 950) ... there are sequences that literally turn into a slide show.

On the newer Mini - smooth as silk.

The relationship is pretty much the same as the new versus previous model Macbook. As you will find in other threads here, people are raving about the graphics performance in the new Macbook compared to earlier generations.

For me, $200 more would be an almost trivial amount to pay for graphics performance that's 5 times better, on average.

 

[iboost79]

Well graphics aren't that important to me. I'm only watching media on it. If I decide to keep it, I'll probably install a 7200rpm HD and 4GB RAM and leave the combodrive alone.

 

[robeddie]

And while I hate to mention it... if windows games are part of the equation, the older Mini is totally worthless.

The new Mini, while not a top-end gaming choice by any measure, does well for me.

I can run Half-Life, Portal, Tiger Woods 08, ALL at full resolution with all the graphics options turned up and get perfectly smooth frame rates on my 2009 Mini.

The older Mini (which my wife owns) will not even LAUNCH those games!

 

[iboost79]

And while I hate to mention it... if windows games are part of the equation, the older Mini is totally worthless.

The new Mini, while not a top-end gaming choice by any measure, does well for me.

I can run Half-Life, Portal, Tiger Woods 08, ALL at full resolution with all the graphics options turned up and get perfectly smooth frame rates on my 2009 Mini.

The older Mini (which my wife owns) will not even LAUNCH those games!

Yeah. I'm not going to be playing any type of games on the Mac Mini, nor will I ever install Windows OS. I'm assuming for what I'm using it for, the old Mini will be ok.

I'm wondering if anyone has any overheating issues with 3rd party 7200rpm HD and 4GB of RAM