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Mini or iMac - moving from PC

Xorro

Xorro

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 19, 2008
129
0
UK
Hi all,

I've had enough of PCs and problems with Windows (Vista SP1 has completely screwed my PC and I've had enough of wasting my time trying to fix such things), hence I am considering moving to a mac.

A couple of friends have Macs and have only been saying good things about them and that I won't regret moving across.

I'd kinda decided that the 24" iMac was best for me with the 3ghz processor, but now some one has suggested the mini might be better.
I have a decent spec PC and I'm a PC gamer (latterly a Wii gamer too!), so I would still like to play games on the Mac.

Typically I use my PC for games, surfing, Office stuff, getting pics off my camera and doing some graphics stuff (nothing major) and web development.

If I do get a Mac I'd also get the Apple TV.

Does anyone have any useful comments to help me decide between the Mac Mini and iMac? I have a decent screen already if that helps.

Thanks
 
For gaming, should I buy Mac games, or PC games and run them in VM?

Reading that back it sounds completely stupid, but places seem to charge more for "games for Mac".
 
I move from a Pc well still have one to an iMac 20" 2.4 Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo and ive not regretted it its the best thing ive ever done. I can only imagine the bigger version 24" would be better which is a good thing. I opted for the 20" as it was down to funds and the lack of space. For games i use my xbox 360 mainly however i have call of duty 4 on my mac and it runs spot on. Deffo go with the iMac over mac mini i should think the iMac could be upgraded quite a bit where as the mini i think your stuck with it, how it is.
 
New iMacs might come out in three weeks...

I love the 24in hi-spec iMac, its the perfect desktop computer imo. It will run pretty much any game out there great. Games on the mac are interesting. I wouldn't want to run games in a virtual machine - though if you were wanting to, I'd recommend Parallels because of its performance advantages - I'd rather game with Mac games, or in Crossover Games (runs windows games without windows, aka wine) but your best option for windows games is to install Windows Vista with bootcamp. Bootcamp lets you boot right into windows like any pc, on your iMac.

Apple TV is great, especially when you put Boxee software on it with a patch.
 
I've read that new imacs *might* be out in 3 weeks - but theres nothing definite and what would the difference be?

At the moment I have the use of a PC which only boots in safe mode and my works laptop - so I'd rather not have to wait.

I'll have a look to see what Boxee is.
 
From the new top story, I'd say wait for the refreshes then as these questions.
 
Get the 24" iMac if you still want to play games

Play PC games from bootcamp, they will run better

Example: WoW under bootcamp XP runs 5-10fps better than under Mac OSx
 
Definitely go for the iMac if your a serious gamer. Playing graphics and processor intensive games run them in Bootcamp not VM.

As for waiting 3 weeks, personally I would wait, I like to have the latest thing when I buy one and then keep it for a long time. But to be honest if you are happy with the prices and specs now then go for it.

You never know Apple may increase / decrease the price with the inevitable speed bump / revamp. So if you are happy with the current line then go for it.
 
I got the Mini. While I love it, I wish I would have gotten the iMac - it is actually a better value!

I couldn't get over the 'integrated monitor, have to throw it away' thing from my PC days, but now it's not an issue. The iMac is the better machine.
 
Trivial rock said:
Definitely go for the iMac if your a serious gamer.
Click to expand...
Actually, if you're a serious gamer, give any Mac a miss. If you're a casual gamer and/or play games a couple of years old, the iMac will be good enough.

If you do get a Mac and want to play games, first choice is to buy Windows versions and play them in a Windows partition on a dual boot Mac, second choice is to buy the Mac version if they are Universal Binaries (all newer games will be), last choice is to use a VM.

Games that have been ported to OS X tend to be slower than Windows native games, not because OS X or the hardware can't handle them, but because the games market is smaller, most games are being ported from DirectX to OpenGL, and the software companies put in less effort.

I say this as someone who won't have a Windows PC in the house. I don't want you to be disappointed.

The last game I bought for OS X was Civ IV and it has decent enough performance on my three year old iMac. The last PC game I bought was Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, back in early 2003. It won't play in VMWare Fusion, but is playable in Parallels.
 
As a "serious" pc gamer I'd say stick with a beefy desktop pc for gaming. Mac Mini is awful for gaming and while the higher end 8800 equipped iMac isn't bad for gaming (8800gt is a pretty standard low/mid end card these days) you can't upgrade the video card (iMac is sort of like a Macbook Pro in a desktop case).

Now if all you play is Blizzard games (WoW, Diablo, Starcraft) the iMac would most likely be plenty. Or if you don't mind the lack of upgradablity. If thats not an issue dive right in just be warned in a few years you will probably want to sell it and pick up a newer model.

Your only other option is the pricey Mac Pro desktop if you want to be able to do some upgrades yourself while still being a Mac.

As a new mac convert (I drank the Koolaid and I'm loving it :D) I still use a quad core desktop pc for gaming and I picked up a Macbook Pro to replace my old as dirt compaq and to dip my toe into the world of macs.

The Macbook Pro actually isn't half bad for a "gaming latop". It can handle games such as WoW and Fallout 3 with a few settings turned down. On top of that unlike "real" gaming laptops it doesn't weigh 10 pounds and OSX is really great. My top feature I wish MS would um borrow is Spaces. I'm having a ball just relaxing on the couch with WoW in one space and Firefox/itunes in another.
 
Xorro said:
Hi all,
I'd kinda decided that the 24" iMac was best for me with the 3ghz processor, but now some one has suggested the mini might be better.
I have a decent spec PC and I'm a PC gamer (latterly a Wii gamer too!), so I would still like to play games on the Mac.

Typically I use my PC for games, surfing, Office stuff, getting pics off my camera and doing some graphics stuff (nothing major) and web development.

Does anyone have any useful comments to help me decide between the Mac Mini and iMac? I have a decent screen already if that helps.

Thanks
Click to expand...

I'd get the iMac with 24" screen and the 3.08GHz processor. Don't by an Apply TV. If you want to hook something up to a TV, the Mac Mini is a better choice. I use my Mac Mini (which I've suped up with 2.33GHz processor, Superdrive, and a 320GB hard drive) and I use my iTouch as a remote control for my music. I don't watch video thought it, but I expect that would work well on a Mac Mini also.

This iMac s a great machine. I'd wait until the next generation comes out, which could be in a few weeks.

For gaming, run bootcamp, not VM for best performance. Gaming is a problem, I've heard, in VM environments, although they are working on that.
 
Get a mini.

I recommend the mini that's rumored to come out in January. It'll do anything you want to do adequately on your existing display for less money. I'd get a Mac keyboard to go with it though. You don't want to fumble around with a Windows keyboard on a Mac.

I think iMacs with their mirror-like displays are overrated, but some people love them.
 
Hi all thank you for the responses. I'm glad (?!) to say I am typing this on my Vista PC which has now been recovered, however I still have all my crap to put back on it :mad:

I wouldn't say I was a serious enough gamer to want a PC just for that.

I visited the local Apple store on Friday and totally loved the iMac, after 3 mins using I "got" what Macs are about. I will wait though as I could cope with spending a months mortgage payment on a machine only to find theres a better one out in 3 weeks or something ;)
 
do the new imac

supposed bump in ram and hd, new graphics and chips
supposed LED screen will get rid of dead pixels and color fading issues.

might even have something new :)
 
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