Mac Mini's are a joke!

[err404]

Cave Man is right ( if not a bit partial )
The mini uses all Laptop components allowing it to be very quiet and power efficient. However this comes at a cost. The mini has a higher price is largely due the components just costing more then their desktop equivalents.

The performance is hindered somewhat by a laptop grade system bus and slower/smaller hard disk. Consequently it's not for everyone. Thats said the real world responsiveness will be at least equal to the PC you listed.

But for me the noise level and power requirements are very important since I have it running 24/7. At 14 these thing probably don't matter to you, but the power efficiency will more then recover the increased cost over 2 years.

 

[Cave Man]

How can an opinion be inaccurate?

Had s/he said "In my opinion..." or some such, then s/he might have been off the hook. But she didn't.

It seems that you're just such a fanboy you can't deal with a dissenting opinion.

Here's what s/he said:

I did some researching and in the flyer for Best Buy for $100 cheaper at $500, and had 2ghz, 2gb ram, 320gb HDD, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers. How can Apple justify charging thsi much????

But then does not tell us everything about this cheap win box, only the things s/he thinks are important. This apparently led to his/her statement that Minis are a "joke".

I like Macs. I plan on buying a Mini when they are updated, but I too think that the current price and configuration are a joke. Sorry if that riles you up.

At least you intimated that it was your opinion. If you want to go buy a $500 or $800 win box, good for you. But OP doesn't really understand what the Mini is.

 

[Cave Man]

Ok, let's just get it all out in the open. As usual, the Winbox is better in some respects and worse in others. Here are the lesser qualities of this $530 computer from Best Buy (eMachines T5246):

It has analog audio (vs. Mini's digital optical audio)
It has analog video (vs. Mini's DVI)
It doesn't have wifi (vs. Mini's 802.11g)
It has 100mbps ethernet (Mini has gigabit)
It doesn't have Bluetooth (vs. Mini's BT2.0)
It doesn't have firewire (Mini does)
It doesn't have an IR remote (Mini does)
It doesn't have Vista Ultimate (more similar, but substantially less capable than Leopard)
It doesn't have 64-bit addressing (Mini does)
It's limited to 2 gb RAM (Mini is 3.1 gb)
It only has 512 kb cache/core (Mini has 2 mb/core)
It cannot act as a wireless router (Mini can)
It has MSWorks (Mini has iLife, Front Row, iCal, Address Book, Safari, Mail)

If you think that PC's a better computer, then knock yourself out.

 

[anti-microsoft]

I used my friend's iMac and it was just so sweet, I want a mac really badly now. Too bad, Im only 14 and cant spend over $1000 on a computer. I looked at the Mac mini and $600 for 1.83ghz, 1gb ram, 80gb HDD, no monitor, keyboard or mouse.

I did some researching and in the flyer for Best Buy for $100 cheaper at $500, and had 2ghz, 2gb ram, 320gb HDD, monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers. How can Apple justify charging thsi much????

I want a mac, but hell no Im not getting blindly ripped off. Has anybody heard anything about a refresh, because this is almost as pathetic as $600 for a 20" monitor...

Do you want a desktop? If not, you can get a MacBook for a tiny bit over $1000...

 

[VoodooDaddy]

Ok, let's just get it all out in the open. As usual, the Winbox is better in some respects and worse in others. Here are the lesser qualities of this $530 computer from Best Buy (eMachines T5246):

It has analog audio (vs. Mini's digital optical audio)
It has analog video (vs. Mini's DVI)
It doesn't have wifi (vs. Mini's 802.11g)
It has 100mbps ethernet (Mini has gigabit)
It doesn't have Bluetooth (vs. Mini's BT2.0)
It doesn't have firewire (Mini does)
It doesn't have an IR remote (Mini does)
It doesn't have Vista Ultimate (more similar, but substantially less capable than Leopard)
It doesn't have 64-bit addressing (Mini does)
It's limited to 2 gb RAM (Mini is 3.1 gb)
It only has 512 kb cache/core (Mini has 2 mb/core)
It cannot act as a wireless router (Mini can)
It has MSWorks (Mini has iLife, Front Row, iCal, Address Book, Safari, Mail)

If you think that PC's a better computer, then knock yourself out.

CaveMan FTW!

 

[Globetrotter]

Ok, let's just get it all out in the open. As usual, the Winbox is better in some respects and worse in others. Here are the lesser qualities of this $530 computer from Best Buy (eMachines T5246):

It has analog audio (vs. Mini's digital optical audio)
It has analog video (vs. Mini's DVI)
It doesn't have wifi (vs. Mini's 802.11g)
It has 100mbps ethernet (Mini has gigabit)
It doesn't have Bluetooth (vs. Mini's BT2.0)
It doesn't have firewire (Mini does)
It doesn't have an IR remote (Mini does)
It doesn't have Vista Ultimate (more similar, but substantially less capable than Leopard)
It doesn't have 64-bit addressing (Mini does)
It's limited to 2 gb RAM (Mini is 3.1 gb)
It only has 512 kb cache/core (Mini has 2 mb/core)
It cannot act as a wireless router (Mini can)
It has MSWorks (Mini has iLife, Front Row, iCal, Address Book, Safari, Mail)

If you think that PC's a better computer, then knock yourself out.

Really? Do you have any more information on this?

 

[aaquib]

Hey guys,

Ive read all of your responses and to be clear, Im not hating on the Mini, I just can't justify it. I want to, so badly, get into the OSX world(legally, not hackintosh), but I care about specs. Im currently using a Toshiba PoS laptop with 1gb ram, and it just sucks. I have iTunes, Safari and MS Word open and the PoS just doesn't respond.

So I need atleast 2gb of RAM. That's $700 for the Mini. Second, I need a lot of hard drive space. I have tons of TV shows(24 seasons take up about 50gb!) and 80gb is pretty measly. A 160gb HDD to the mini would be $100 extra. Or if I wanted a 500gb external one, that's also $100 at Best Buy. So that's $800 for the Mini. And at $800 I still can't burn DVD's, or get a keyboard or mouse or monitor.

Guys, I really want one, but Im a 14 year old that just fell in love with Macs but can't afford one. Any suggestions? I looked in the Apple refurb store and they charge $650 for a 1.66ghz Mini with 512mb ram. I called them to ask if it was a mistake and the guy on the phone said no, it has a superdrive. So $50 more to get half the ram, a slower processor, and a refurbished product?!?P!

PS Does processor speeds from 1.83ghz to 2.0ghz make a noticeable difference?

 

[VoodooDaddy]

Just because you cant afford it doesnt mean its not worth it. Sometimes you just have to live within your means.

 

[Cave Man]

Really? Do you have any more information on this?

1. Connect your Mini to your DSL/Cable modem by ethernet cable.
2. Turn on Airport card.
3. Turn on Internet Sharing from your Airport card. Provide a password for others who want to join the network.

 

[Cave Man]

So I need atleast 2gb of RAM. That's $700 for the Mini. Second, I need a lot of hard drive space. I have tons of TV shows(24 seasons take up about 50gb!) and 80gb is pretty measly. A 160gb HDD to the mini would be $100 extra. Or if I wanted a 500gb external one, that's also $100 at Best Buy. So that's $800 for the Mini. And at $800 I still can't burn DVD's, or get a keyboard or mouse or monitor.

Stock Mini sans DVD burner: $600
Acer X193W+BD Black 19" Widescreen LCD Monitor : $175 (New Egg)
2 gigs RAM - $48 (New Egg)
500 gig Mybook Firewire; $140 (Best Buy)
Logitech Classic Keyboard 200; $14 (New Egg)
Logitech NX20 3 button optical wheel mouse; $13 (New Egg)

Total = $990

You can knock off about $30 if you go with a USB2-only external drive (slower). If you really need to burn DVDs, then buy a smaller external drive and spend the difference on a USB burner (about $50 to $60).

PS Does processor speeds from 1.83ghz to 2.0ghz make a noticeable difference?

I'd bet serious money that the 1.8 gHz Mini is faster than that AMD 2.2 gHz (because of its design and 4x cache size).

 

[Leon Kowalski]

Sure, it looks nice and is very small, super! But it has the
same damn f**** intel processor you can find in cheap PC's.
It has the same HD, CD/DVD, ... as in a PC.

No, actually it doesn't have the same HD. In their eternal
quest for cuteness, the form-before-function 'stylists' of
Cupertino saddled the mini with an anemic notebook HD.

Notebook drives are much slower, much smaller capacity,
and much less reliable than Real™ disk drives...

...OTOH, they are twice as expensive,

LK

 

[err404]

I looked in the Apple refurb store and they charge $650 for a 1.66ghz Mini with 512mb ram. I called them to ask if it was a mistake and the guy on the phone said no, it has a superdrive. So $50 more to get half the ram, a slower processor, and a refurbished product?!?P!

Check the refurb store every few days. I bought a 2.0ghz, 1G RAM, 120G HD with SuperDrive from them a month ago for $679. At the time this was the only one in stock. I think the problem with the Apple refurb store is that they base the price on the original MSRP, not relative to the current products. The machine is is flawless condition and performs very well.

You mention that running MSWord, iTune and Safari being sluggish with 1G? I run all that while encoding DVD's in the background with HB and streaming content to my Apple TV with no noticeable sluggishness on performance. Granted if you get into real video or image editing you will want more. If money is an issue I'd recommend sticking with 1G initially and if you find that you need a performance boost, upgrading to 4G (3.1G) when you have some cash to blow.

(Was this MSWord 2004 or 2008? The 2004 release is sluggish on most Intel Macs because it has to emulate a PPC processor. MSOffice 2008 is a native Intel app)

 

[iMpathetic]

This thread is amusing....


Say more stupid things!

 

[czachorski]

No, actually it doesn't have the same HD. In their eternal
quest for cuteness, the form-before-function 'stylists' of
Cupertino saddled the mini with an anemic notebook HD.

Notebook drives are much slower, much smaller capacity,
and much less reliable than Real™ disk drives...

...OTOH, they are twice as expensive,

LK

Funny how Apple designs for form over function, and yet they still function better than Win PCs.

 

[iMpathetic]

Funny how Apple designs for form over function, and yet they still function better than Win PCs.

It looks like someone's been eating ROFL waffles!

Yeah, and to the poster who czachorski quoted, "saddling" the mini with an "anemic" notebook HD has nothing to do with cuteness.

The freakin' thing is the size of a 3.5" disk...... Duh.

 

[HLdan]

But you CANNOT compare ANY entry level Windows box with the mini. NONE of the towers will run OSX. I know, youll find some reason to say Im wrong or short sighted, I expect it from you.

You are absolutely right, I hate when people compare the Mac to what's in the PC world. If you want a PC go that way, there's no law against it.

Now on the other hand you should only look at what Apple's offering and not what some other company is offering and the Mac mini the way it is right now IS NOT A GOOD DEAL.
I'm quite disappointed in Apple charging so much for so little in the mini. I've never been thrilled that there's been no keyboard and mouse included (as cheap as they are) and the mini should have much beefier specs for the price it is so I understand how the OP feels but keep the PC comparisons out it doesn't help.

The price the top mini is right now it should contain:
2.4 Ghz Penryn
2GB Ram
200GB 7200 HDD
8400GS GPU

 

[MacSA]

The OP is totally correct. And in my opinion the Mini is most most over priced piece of computer hardware on the planet right now. GMA 950..COMBO DRIVE!!! WTF? Can you even buy one of those anymore? Apple most practically get them for free.

 

[Noobish]

The price the top mini is right now it should contain:
2.4 Ghz Penryn
2GB Ram
200GB 7200 HDD
8400GS GPU

Now that is a Mini I would buy. It's not going to happen though.

 

[tjohanne]

It's not a joke, it's just that you have very little imagination.

The cheapest Mac Mini costs 954 US$ in the official Apple store of Norway.
Now, that IS a joke... a really big joke.

All other PC shops and manufacturers compete on price and make good offers. Apple goes the other way. I mean, why pay 954 bucks for the mac mini specs.. 954 bucks and you don't even get a dvd-burner. Is Steve Jobs evil or something?

I love the Apple computers, but these prices make me sad.

 

[Krafty]

Wish I could get a mini. I need a desktop computer with a large screen.

 

[mags631]

You are absolutely right, I hate when people compare the Mac to what's in the PC world. If you want a PC go that way, there's no law against it.

Now on the other hand you should only look at what Apple's offering and not what some other company is offering and the Mac mini the way it is right now IS NOT A GOOD DEAL.
I'm quite disappointed in Apple charging so much for so little in the mini. I've never been thrilled that there's been no keyboard and mouse included (as cheap as they are) and the mini should have much beefier specs for the price it is so I understand how the OP feels but keep the PC comparisons out it doesn't help.

The price the top mini is right now it should contain:
2.4 Ghz Penryn
2GB Ram
200GB 7200 HDD
8400GS GPU

That would be great (more is more), and I would buy a new Mini to replace my current one if they came out with that. But, I disagree fundamentally that the mini is way over-priced -- its form factor makes a difference in its production cost, and that must be considered. You can get a sense for the cost by comparing similar small-form-factor Window PCs -- you'll find that the mini is priced relatively cheaply to those (see here for example).

My analysis of this issue is that those who look at the mini as an entry-level machine feel it is too expensive. Those who look at it as a small-form-factor machine feel that machine is worth its price. Seems like both may be right depending on which criteria they are using.

 

[Silver-Fox]

To solve this problem don't get one....wait till you have more money and buy a macbook or an imac

 

[Krafty]

To solve this problem don't get one....wait till you have more money and buy a macbook or an imac

 

[Silver-Fox]

This is getting way out of control lol

 

[bplein]

Ive read all of your responses and to be clear, Im not hating on the Mini, I just can't justify it. I want to, so badly, get into the OSX world(legally, not hackintosh), but I care about specs.

If you want to compare specs, then you have to avoid comparing dogs to cats (I'm avoiding the Apples to Oranges comparison at the moment).

Question: Two vehicles. One has a 5.4 liter V8, the other has a much less powerful 1.1 liter inline-4. Which is faster?
Answer: The second one. It's a motorcycle.

See, specs don't tell you the whole story. A year ago my desktop at home was a AMD64 X2 dual core machine, very fast. While I played a lot of games over the years, gaming was less and less important. In June I got a MacBook Pro, and I've simply stopped using the AMD desktop, even though it's a lot faster.

I have a Mac Mini as a HTPC, and it's fantastic. If I had to use a desktop at work, for email and basic apps, I'd be happy with a Mac Mini or an iMac, either would be great. But I'm lucky to have a second MBP, this one is work-owned.

So really you need to determine what apps are most important, and what else is important, and build around that. For my HTPC, quietness was key, and Front Row fits my needs at the moment, so a Mac Mini was perfect.