Mac mini or Imac or (even a pc???)

[kristenanne77]

Mac mini or Imac or (even a pc???)

Will be used mainly for Audio recording (small studio setup) and some Video editing.

CHOICE QUESTION?

Choice 1. Mac-Mini upgraded to 2.7Ghz i7 dual core mac mini upgraded with 8 gig ram plus keyboard,

Choice 2 . Mac mini server with 8 gig ram - I don't think I need a server since I don't have a company, but it has a 2 Ghz quad core which might(?) be faster than the 2.7 dual core (I really don't know)

The price of the upgraded mac mini and the server are close in price to each other.

Choice 3. An IMac with a 2.7Ghz i5 quad core with 8 gig ram (I don't know if it can upgraded to an i7 type whatever that means)
This would cost a few hundred more but will get the mouse and keypad and screen included.

I don't know how much difference in speed between a 2.7Ghx i7 dual core and a 2.7 Gighz i5 quad core so this adds to the confusion.



SHOULD I BUY NOW QUESTION?
These only have usb 2, not usb 3. but they DO have thunderbolt. I don't know much about it, but the name Thunderbolt sounds COOL!
Are there any new upgrades coming soon that will make this rather expensive investment obsolete?

My son switched to windoze after years of mac (which he still likes better). He says windoze computers last about half as long, but cost half as much, so he is breaking even but always has newer stuff. Obviously he doen't care about the cool word "Thunderbolt".

Chould I even consider a windoze pc?


BONUS COMMENTARY:
Personally from owning a few macbooks I think they are super reliable and run windows well.
But what concerns me is more and more of the Chinese stuff I get breaks faster than it used to, adding to the US trash heap which slowly cause my garbage and waste utility bill to go up each year as the garbage must get shipped further away. Being an old engineer, as much as I like new stuff, I am not crazy about planned obsolescence . Our land is becoming way to precious in an overpopulated world and we need more room for people , not trash. Although some (many?) governments use war as an instrument to help keep the population down, I do not like this idea. in fact, I hate it.

 

[flopticalcube]

New iMacs and minis are due (actually WAY past due). The current ones are running tech that is nearly 2 years old now so they represent a poorer future value than buying a PC with more recent tech. Thunderbolt is similar to USB3.0 but more flexible (displays, video cards, etc) but adoption has been slow. The new iMacs/minis should come with USB3.0. You could easily build a PC yourself from parts and then replace the outdated parts as time goes on. The final result won't be "Apple-like" but you will have a good working knowledge of your tools that way. Most people simply resell their Macs when they get new ones. Even as parts machines they can fetch good money on eBay.