Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

New 2010 Mac Mini 2.4 or Refurb Mini 2.53?

M

macmininoob

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 28, 2010
2
0
So I am trying to decide on getting the new 2010 Mac Mini (2.4 baseline model MC270LL) or a Refurbished Mini 2.53 (late 2009 FC239LL). I am not a power user and will only use it mostly for photos/imovie editing/ music editing/ itunes/ Web

Benchmarks I have seen actually show the 2009 2.53 model is slighlty fatser in many categories. ( http://www.macworld.com/article/151349/2010/06/macmini_mid2010.html )

Here are the options:
Refurb 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM w/320GB HD; 5400 rpm
Price: $589

or

2010 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB RAM w/320GB HD; 5400rpm
Price: $649

Any thoughts?
 
buy the 2.53 refurb. is that the answer you were looking for? no? then buy the 2010 2.4 mini.

bottom line: they're both adequate for what you want to do. it's your money, buy whichever you want. whatever opinion anyone gives here, you're going to believe what you want to believe anyway, so it's kind of pointless to ask. i think you already know which one you want and you're just looking for affirmation.
 
No, I am asking as I thought informed Mac users would have an opinion that I could value. I am simply asking which one others would prefer, not reaffirming any decisions I have already made.
 
I've got both.

The 2009 is just fine @2.53, but the HD is slow.

The 2010 we use at the TV and I really like blowing up web pages, etc. to see more detail for me. The HD is also slow on this one even tough it is 2.66.

I will put a Seagate Momentus XT in both and/or on the 2009 put an SSD + the Momentus for files.

Ask more if this does not hit home.
 
I would get the 2010 version because of the updated graphics. It's also easier to upgrade the RAM. Either one for me would also require a HD upgrade to a 7,200 or SSD
 
mlyon said:
I would get the 2010 version because of the updated graphics. It's also easier to upgrade the RAM. Either one for me would also require a HD upgrade to a 7,200 or SSD
Click to expand...

yep, Apple's marketing says 2x as fast with the updated GPU, haven't looked at barefeats to see where it lands.

Anywhere near that 2x mark is a darn good reason to choose it over the other.
 
Get the new one, and grab 4GB ram off of newegg. I got 4 gigs of crucial for $93 a couple weeks ago, which is a pretty darn good deal.
 
The new one is way better looking and the GPU is faster, new stuff works better, and it will keep you happy for a longer time

Macs are fast
 
While I have the earlier '09 Mini, the only reason I've been tempted by the new Mini is because of it's looks. Which is really the driving issue from the refurbs to the latest mini. Yes, there is a graphics bump, but from what you've stated, you really don't need it. What I do like is the 320gb 7200rpm HD that I was able to put in my mini, you can find a 500gb 7200 rpm HD to put in a refurb if you like, along with 8gb of memory. Putting in a new HD in the new mini is daunting to say the least.

The previous poster's link is very informative & helpful.

If you can grab a refurb for $100 less or so ( referring to a refurbed base mini ), why not. It may not be as pretty, but I think the savings will help you get over it.

Now, when the minis start showing up in the refurbs... ;)
 
Definately get the new one I would say. Several advantages that many of the other members have posted:

- No Powerbrick. This is a huge design improvement as the previous minis, while they were "mini" werent that small when you factored in the AC Adaptor which was pretty much the size of another mini!

- Design: Nice unibody aluminium structure gives the mini a more premium look while giving it greater serviceability, just twist off the lid on the bottom and off you go:) I also feel that this unit is whisper quiet.

- Serviceability: You dont need any special tools, the earlier mac minis required a mac mini putter knife thingy which technicians are trained on to open it up, its a pain.

- HDMI: The only mac right now that comes with an HDMI as default (Mac Pro as well depending on GPU). HDMI is useful as you can hook it up to an HD tv/monitor and in my case, it doesnt take up my DVI port which is occupied by my Windows machine, so I can keep switching machines, very nice.

- Better graphics card: The 320M is superior, period!

Tips: I would get a smallish SSD such as the OCZ Vertex 2E and 4GB DDR3 and this machine turns into a mean little machine!!
 
I had the same debate and went with the refurb. With the $$ I saved I put a 500GB momentus XT hybrid drive in it, and it's fast enough for me!

People say "serviceability" but that's not exactly true if you want to replace the HDD. If you just want more RAM then the 2010 is easier, but that's it.

The 2010 does look much nicer, and have better graphics, but nothing I do will benefit from the graphics bump. I went for bang for my buck and havn't looked back since.

Good luck!
 
Go

With California Tax through Apple The Refurb. Mac Mini 2.53 will run me $647 about $ 20 less than the New 2010 Mac Mini from an out of state vendor.

But, I do get an extra 2gb of ram with the refurbished Mini

Which one is the better deal NOW ?

For a basic user - MS Office, Windows 7 thru VMWare Fusion, Photo Editing, etc. - Will 2gb vs 4 gb make that much difference for me , or any difference for me? :apple:
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)

OWC did some benchmarks on the difference that RAM makes heck out their site and benchmarks and read for ur self.
 
bzollinger said:
I had the same debate and went with the refurb. With the $$ I saved I put a 500GB momentus XT hybrid drive in it, and it's fast enough for me!

People say "serviceability" but that's not exactly true if you want to replace the HDD. If you just want more RAM then the 2010 is easier, but that's it.

The 2010 does look much nicer, and have better graphics, but nothing I do will benefit from the graphics bump. I went for bang for my buck and havn't looked back since.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Yes its quite true, changing the hard-drive was slgithly tedius but its not that bad, as it just involves unscrewing and then shifting out.
 
dcl said:
For a basic user - MS Office, Windows 7 thru VMWare Fusion, Photo Editing, etc. - Will 2gb vs 4 gb make that much difference for me , or any difference for me? :apple:
Click to expand...
From what I recall learning on the Internets, your performance will be slower on VMWare or a similar solution -- versus Bootcamp or Crossover.
 
I have 2GHz Mini and it is plenty fast and I need it to do more than what you do. So you'd be fine with getting the new one or the old one.

Really... it's up to you.

For the record, I don't really care for the 2gigs of RAM I have and will be soon getting 4gigs.

Edit: For those saying the power brick is a pain... Here's my say on that. What I have, essentially, is a small entertainment center in my room. So I have surround sound, 2 monitors (1 being a 32 inch Sony Bravia), a Xbox, the Mac Mini, and soon a Blu-Ray player. That said, if you're running your Mac Mini next to an Xbox, or anything else with a brick for that matter, then you really won't notice it being there because you already had one in the first place. That's 100% my opinion though.

Would it be nice for me not to have a brick? Yes. Would it make an impact on me if I didn't have it? No

The only difference the non-brick 2010 Mini would have on me (as far as the power supply goes) is aesthetics. And my brick is hidden behind a bookshelf anyway!

I'm not saying it's not going to be a problem for everyone, I can see where it would be with limited space. I'm just saying, if you have the room for it don't make that one of the reasons not to get a refurb.

Power Consumption: Here is a change that may end up costing you. The 2009 minis used 110W (max) whereas the 2010 minis use only 85W (max). That is nearly a 25% decrease in maximum power usage! (If your computer isn’t running at full speed all the time, and it probably isn’t, it might not be as extreme, but there will still be a savings.)
Click to expand...

As mentioned above that may be something you may want to consider. I don't pay the bills so that doesn't affect me at all. (Dad does)
Also, I turn my computer off every night before I go to sleep, and put it in sleep mode when I'm not using it. Personally, I think it's better for the computer because I'm also anal-retentive but it also saves energy while doing so...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back