Looking to buy new Mac Mini 2.5 dual for CS6

[SUSU65]

Hi

I'm looking at buying a new mac on a budget -

Mac Mini - 2.5 Dual Core - 4 gig - 4000 graphics

Mostly I want to run CS6 - Illustrator - photoshop - acrobat pro -
dreamwaever when I learn how to do that .

Will this mac run CS6 ok ?

I understand that upgrading the ram is not too hard down the road,
so was thinking to get it at 4 gigs and up grade to 8 or 16 later.
any advice on which ram is best for this mac ?

 

[blanka]

It will, but you MUST add an SSD yourself. The 5400rpm drive is too slow as scratch disk. You can even add a Kingston SSDNow 60GB if you're on a budget, with cable that will be like 70 bucks.

 

[SUSU65]

It will, but you MUST add an SSD yourself. The 5400rpm drive is too slow as scratch disk. You can even add a Kingston SSDNow 60GB if you're on a budget, with cable that will be like 70 bucks.

-------------------------------
Questions on that ?

• If I up the ram ( later ) to 16 gig - will that keep the speed to the optimum,
as in make all the functionality of the software happen in ram - so, fast ??

• What is an SSD ? what is the cable ? is that an internal install or external ?
Cable makes it sound external ...

• Is it difficult to install ?

-----

If you were in my shoes ... ( rumors of a new mac mini )
Who knows when ... would you wait and hope that the new one is
close to the same price as the 2.5 dual ... but better ??
or just get the mini now ...

 

[Fishrrman]

[[ Mostly I want to run CS6 - Illustrator - photoshop - acrobat pro -
dreamwaever when I learn how to do that ]]

If you're going to run processor-intensive apps like these, you had better consider the i7 CPU instead of the i5.

A little more $$$ up front, but you're going to be glad that you spent it, a little further down the line.

As someone else mentioned above, you're probably going to want to add an SSD before too long.
But be aware that you DON'T have to open the case and install it internally, if you don't want to. Instead, you can connect the drive via USB3 and boot that way. Just put the enclosure (or dock) that holds the SSD in an out-of-the-way place on your desk, and you won't even notice that you're booting externally.

You might even consider a "dual" USB3/SATA dock such as this one:
http://plugable.com/products/pss-dd1
Put your SSD into one slot, and use the other slot for your backup drives.

You're also going to need RAM for CS6 -- probably "the max" of 16gb.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND datamem.com as a source. See this page:
http://www.datamemorysystems.com/ap...6ghz-md388ll/a-cto-late-2012-memory-upgrades/

(Disclaimer: I have no association with the websites mentioned above other than being a paying and satisfied customer)

 

[blanka]

SSD is a solid state drive: a memory chips based hard drive. No moving parts, very fast.
The mini has 2 drive bays. In one, Apple installs the 500GB or 1TB 5400rpm hard drive. The one directly under the bottom plate is empty. You can slide in for example a Kingston SSDNow 60 or 120GB (very affordable and speedy) and either run the system/apps/cache from that disk, or let OSX create a fusion drive of both disks.
If you do normal photoshop work, investing in SSD is way more relevant than investing in quad core. i5 is fast enough for demanding photo work. As long as you don't shoot on a 36 mpixel D800, the i5 is fine. But the 2.3 quad is a welcome long term investment. The mini looses very little value, so if you can pony up the cash, try buy a quad. The quad 2.3 mini is FASTER than all quad i5 iMacs! PS writes every action you do to the disk as history, and it demands very much from a 5400rpm hard drive. That is why you need a 7200rpm minimum, but an SSD is prefered.