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Mac mini or iMac?

Flyers1718

Flyers1718

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 9, 2007
66
0
Well I am saving up and am going to purchase a mac around xmas. I really want something nice since I have been using a laptop with 256 ram and lowend processor for a few years now. I really want dual monitors and saw that I would need that dual head 2 go with the mini and I wanted to get two 22 inch monitors but the dual head only suppourts 1024x1020 and 22's are a little higher. I wanted to spend under 1000ish with a little wiggle room. What are some suggestions for my situation.
 
Flyers1718 said:
Well I am saving up and am going to purchase a mac around xmas. I really want something nice since I have been using a laptop with 256 ram and lowend processor for a few years now. I really want dual monitors and saw that I would need that dual head 2 go with the mini and I wanted to get two 22 inch monitors but the dual head only suppourts 1024x1020 and 22's are a little higher. I wanted to spend under 1000ish with a little wiggle room. What are some suggestions for my situation.
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The mini can't do multiple monitors, unless a lot has changed. The iMac can, but one will be built in either 20" or 24". I would go with the iMac if you want the multiple monitor setup.

Out...
 
I dont know theres such a large price difference. Any other opinions.
 
Wyvernspirit said:
What do you want to do with it, and what features are the most important to you?
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Flyers, go iMac all the way. The mini is already outdated. It has a relatively small and very slow hard drive, an integrated graphics card that will show its age when Leopard comes out, and no keyboard/mouse/monitor. For $400 extra, I'd say that's a worthwhile upgrade!
 
Maybe Ill go imac its a 500 difference. But id have to go way over my budget for another monitor and external hdd and ram. Hmmm well I have time to decide.
 
Well the camera and 4 gig ram cap is another plus,more advice would be great guys.
 
Flyers1718 said:
Maybe Ill go imac its a 500 difference. But id have to go way over my budget for another monitor and external hdd and ram. Hmmm well I have time to decide.
Click to expand...

IU would not buy the RAM or HD from Apple, try a third party provider as they will be cheaper. I will not "endorse" any in particular except to say that I have used Other World Computing in the past with no problems, but there are others like Crucial that I think many recommend.

Shop around before you purchase.

400 posts.... YAY!
 
Yeah theres no way im gonna buy apple stuff for that. I would get an external hdd from wd and ram from owc.
 
I know that Samsung made a monitor that connected via usb, and there may be some kind of adapter so that any monitor can be connected via usb. There are likely limitations with this kind of thing, but you could look into it.

Otherwise I would actually suggest getting a PC. The Mac mini includes no keyboard, mouse, or monitor and has poor graphics performance which doesn't seem suitable for a multi-monitor setup. You could get a much better PC with a monitor, keyboard & mouse for the same price, perhaps even cheaper.

If you really want OS X then I'd say get the mini and a 24" monitor at 1920 x 1200 (the max resolution the mini supports). Here are some cheap ones: http://dealnews.com/categories/Comp...lat-Panel-LCDs/24-Inch-LCD-Or-Larger/384.html
 
Flyers1718 said:
I really want dual monitors and saw that I would need that dual head 2 go with the mini and I wanted to get two 22 inch monitors but the dual head only suppourts 1024x1020 and 22's are a little higher. I wanted to spend under 1000ish with a little wiggle room. What are some suggestions for my situation.
Click to expand...

Mini won't do two monitors. It will get you in for under $1000, but plan on buying a ministack encolsure/hub to get your HD space up where you need it. So long as you don't plan to do a lot of 3D-intensive apps, the mini will work fine. I use mine for home theater, aperture, photoshop CS3 and video - all easily handled by the mini. If you have to have two displays - gotta go with the iMac.
 
Would look kinda weird tho, adding another screen to the iMac.

If they would make the mini as fast as the iMac it would be the perfect computer for me.... :)
 
Yeah, I was also thinking the imac would look kinda dumb with dual monitors. I wish there was a mid-range tower.
 
Mac-mini is owesome gem

Mac-mini was my first mac. I like this little bugger. It fits nicely into family room and when hooked up to big screen HDTV via DVI and receiver via optical cable and fitted with wireless kb and mise - it is invaluable tool to collaborate with entire family and/or friends on home video or music composition. iMac simply would not do.

It is funny I used the same word "bugger" as another fellow. Mac-mini rules and is plenty for photo, HD video, music, Youtube, internet surfing and any creative stuff. No need for dedicated GPU, integrated video works just fine.

Hey, look iPod nano plays video nicely without any ATI, NVidia help. I glad Apple keeps it rolling.

BTW, Linus bought one out of curiosity to its size vs. performance. He likes it , but he still favors Power G5 CPU (he owns Mac Pro G5, but claims to run Linux on it - yeh right) over Intel which I would disagree. My opinion - G5 is great chip, but does not fit for multipurpose use. This type of CPU belongs to the server market (it came from and went back), not for consumer. Exactly where Linux shines currently.

And for games, there is XBOX 360. Just for $279 it will beat c**p out any PC or even mac-pro. But, it is another story...
 
Well I guess Mac mini is my choice right now. That and a 22-24 inch monitor and some ram and maybe a external hdd.
 
External firewire FW400

Do not fall for USB2.0 - it will never beat FW400, not to mention FW800.

FW400/800 (800 will give you option to grow it, or use it with probable another mac you will get in the future) external enclosure will do. I upgraded my mac-mini from 1 GB to 2GB by myself. Not hard, plus you will have a glance on Apple hardware design. I think you will like what you will see inside.

Good luck!
 
I will be doing internet browsing,im client,intunes,lots of videos. I will also do photoshop here and there. And video encoding and burning.
 
Flyers1718 said:
I will be doing internet browsing,im client,intunes,lots of videos. I will also do photoshop here and there. And video encoding and burning.
Click to expand...

The mini may be fine for you as it can do all of what you ask. The iMac will do it better, but maybe not enough to warrant the added cost. Some of what you want to do will benefit from multiple monitors, and I think would look ok if you got the right one. You might want to try both out if you have an apple store near you first.

Out...
 
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