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My First MAC

P

Peacerob12345

macrumors newbie
Original poster
May 21, 2011
8
0
CANADA
Hello there everyone. Im new to the forums, and thought that this was the right place to be for everything mac info!

For a little while now i have been trying to think of which mac to get.

all i will be doing on it is browsing on the internet and making videos on youtube with imovie, and maybe going on the app store and such!

so as i have been doing some of my own research on which mac is right for me, and i narrowed down my research to the mac mini.

so my question to you guys is, is the Mac mini a good starting/beginner Mac for a guy coming from PC? and is it able to do a little bit of video editing?

Thanks everyone for your input!

Rob.
 
The Mac mini is a wonderful little machine - if you're looking for an inexpensive first desktop Mac, then I can't see any reason that you would be disappointed with it!
 
If you don't have a problem with glossy displays, you might consider the recently updated iMacs. You get a much more powerful CPU and better value for money.

I buy Mac minis because I don't like glossy displays, and I have good quality matt displays to make use of, not to mention I use one in a home theatre setup and they are great for that.

If you've decided you prefer the Mac mini form factor for whatever reason, now is not the best time to buy as they're due for an update fairly soon. See MacRumor's buying guide: https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//#Mac_Mini
 
It's anyone's guess as when apple will get off their ars and update the mini. If this is your 1st Mac, go snag a refurb 2009 to keep your cost down. Not to much difference between the 09 an 10. But if your not in any big rush, wait until September as the update will probably hit then. Nice thing about the mini is they resell pretty fast. Get something now, resell it down the road.
 
Welcome to the forum and to Macs.

The Mini is a great computer and it can easily do what you're looking for. If you're not against getting a used or refurbished Mini you can save a few dollars and grab a 2009 mini or the 2010 aluminum unibody mini as someone else said. The only major differences between them, besides cost, is the 2010 has an HDMI output (which the 2009 mini can do but needs an adapter), and the 2010 has a card reader built in. There are a handful of other changes but for the most part they are pretty much the same machine in different cases.

What connection would you use to hook up your monitor to a Mini? DVI? HDMI? VGA?
 
New Mac Mini user here and love it. Easy to set up. I'm running it with a 2TB external drive for all my music, videos and photos. Blue tooth keyboard and trackpad - no cables.

My monitor is a Samsung 32" LCD TV. This is my best dekstop rig to date. Super fast, the Mac OSX is incredible fast and nimble. I'm still using the stock 2gb of RAM. Plan to upgrade it to 8gb RAM soon.

$699 really can't beat it.
 
cocacolakid said:
Welcome to the forum and to Macs.

The Mini is a great computer and it can easily do what you're looking for. If you're not against getting a used or refurbished Mini you can save a few dollars and grab a 2009 mini or the 2010 aluminum unibody mini as someone else said. The only major differences between them, besides cost, is the 2010 has an HDMI output (which the 2009 mini can do but needs an adapter), and the 2010 has a card reader built in. There are a handful of other changes but for the most part they are pretty much the same machine in different cases.

What connection would you use to hook up your monitor to a Mini? DVI? HDMI? VGA?
Click to expand...

i will be using either HDMI or VGA, Depends on which one looks better on my monitor.
 
i really like the uni-body aluminum 2010 Mac mini. the look and design of the machine is very nice looking and i really don't like the 2009 models. (just my opinion)

the display i will be using with it will be a Dynex 22" LCD HDTV as a monitor.
i will be using the apple wired keyboard and the apple magic mouse.

i have to say thank you to everyone for giving me back info, as other forums you can hardly get any reply's back!

as for the new models coming out soon, it doesn't bother me at all.

Thanks

Rob

AdrianK said:
Definitely go for HDMI. It does sound like the mini will suit you very well.
Click to expand...

Thanks, i hope it will suit me well to.

kalsta said:
If you don't have a problem with glossy displays, you might consider the recently updated iMacs. You get a much more powerful CPU and better value for money.

I buy Mac minis because I don't like glossy displays, and I have good quality matt displays to make use of, not to mention I use one in a home theatre setup and they are great for that.

If you've decided you prefer the Mac mini form factor for whatever reason, now is not the best time to buy as they're due for an update fairly soon. See MacRumor's buying guide: https://buyersguide.macrumors.com//#Mac_Mini
Click to expand...

the imac's are really nice, but i don't want to get into something that big starting off. not to be rude or anything.

i just want to take it slow and see what i am getting into and if i am going to like the mac at all ( i do so far).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Peacerob12345 said:
the imac's are really nice, but i don't want to get into something that big starting off. not to be rude or anything.

i just want to take it slow and see what i am getting into and if i am going to like the mac at all ( i do so far).
Click to expand...

No worries. You're not being rude at all. As I said, I've bought minis in preference to iMacs too, though for different reasons. It does sound like the mini is a good choice. It's not the fastest Mac out there, but hey… that gives you an excuse to buy something new in a year or two once you're totally hooked. :)
 
Peacerob12345 said:
the display i will be using with it will be a Dynex 22" LCD HDTV as a monitor.

Thanks

Rob
Click to expand...

You'll definitely want to use HDMI to connect the Mini. HDMI will give you a higher resolution than the VGA input on that TV, and it also carries sound so you don't have to run a separate cable to the TV. If you're in the U.S., Monoprice has great prices on HDMI cables.
 
kalsta said:
No worries. You're not being rude at all. As I said, I've bought minis in preference to iMacs too, though for different reasons. It does sound like the mini is a good choice. It's not the fastest Mac out there, but hey… that gives you an excuse to buy something new in a year or two once you're totally hooked. :)
Click to expand...

haha, well i deffinitly will see about buying a imac in the near future :p

cocacolakid said:
You'll definitely want to use HDMI to connect the Mini. HDMI will give you a higher resolution than the VGA input on that TV, and it also carries sound so you don't have to run a separate cable to the TV. If you're in the U.S., Monoprice has great prices on HDMI cables.
Click to expand...

alright, HDMI it is, lol, thanks man. im in canada, ill just check out futureshop or something.;)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
The mini is a good choice for you. I have a mini 2010 server and it is a nice little machine. The regular mini is good for a first machine as it has plenty of power to handle Lion when it comes out, so you should get a few years out of it. The refurb store is worth checking too. I bought mine as a refurb and they are like new with full warranty, but at a decent discount. You will love having a Mac. Enjoy! :)
 
radiohed said:
The mini is a good choice for you. I have a mini 2010 server and it is a nice little machine. The regular mini is good for a first machine as it has plenty of power to handle Lion when it comes out, so you should get a few years out of it. The refurb store is worth checking too. I bought mine as a refurb and they are like new with full warranty, but at a decent discount. You will love having a Mac. Enjoy! :)
Click to expand...

yeah, i checked out apples refurb store, and there is some really decent prices. i will check it out again and see what they have.

and i hope i do love my first mac. i love apple as a company and i hope that they love me to for buying the mac lol
 
The key to finding a Mini's on the refurb store site is to check frequently, or set it up to alert you. There was only one time in the past 6 months where they had quite a few Mini's for several days. Usually they are gone quick. I did snag a refurb and have been very happy with it. It does everything I need it to do.
 
Irishman said:
Hey, good luck with your choice and welcome to the tribe!
Click to expand...

thanks man! :D

BigDukeSix said:
The key to finding a Mini's on the refurb store site is to check frequently, or set it up to alert you. There was only one time in the past 6 months where they had quite a few Mini's for several days. Usually they are gone quick. I did snag a refurb and have been very happy with it. It does everything I need it to do.
Click to expand...

yeah, i think i will stick to stores around my area. save my self some money with no shipping and handling charges. also i won't have to do the waiting game :p
 
BigDukeSix said:
The key to finding a Mini's on the refurb store site is to check frequently, or set it up to alert you. There was only one time in the past 6 months where they had quite a few Mini's for several days. Usually they are gone quick. I did snag a refurb and have been very happy with it. It does everything I need it to do.
Click to expand...

Depending on the sales tax in your state it may be almost as cheap to go with new on Amazon, if Amazon doesn't charge sales tax in your state.

Refurb $599
Sales tax at 8% $48
$647 final total

Amazon
New $664

For $17 difference I would go for new and they're always in stock.

MacMall, Mac Connection and BH also have them for $664 and no sales tax in most states.
 
Bob Coxner said:
Depending on the sales tax in your state it may be almost as cheap to go with new on Amazon, if Amazon doesn't charge sales tax in your state.

Refurb $599
Sales tax at 8% $48
$647 final total

Amazon
New $664

For $17 difference I would go for new and they're always in stock.

MacMall, Mac Connection and BH also have them for $664 and no sales tax in most states.
Click to expand...

its 15% tax here in canada
 
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