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Question or two for the new mini owners

soloer

soloer

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 27, 2004
883
202
Omaha
I've been trying to convince myself I can wait another year to upgrade my mid-2007 2.8GHz iMac, but things seem awfully slow lately and I'm tired of seeing beachballs while things page out due to my lowly 4GB of RAM. I'm trying to decide between the dual-core 2.5 or dual-core 2.7. I suspect the 2.5 will be fine, but my first question is, have any of you bought the 2.5 and wished you had bought the 2.7? If so, why? Likewise, has anyone bought the 2.7 and realized they maybe should have saved $100 and the 2.5 would have been fine?

My main reason for even thinking of the 2.7 is mostly because I want it to last another 4 years, so I figure the faster speed may last a bit longer. However, I can save money by using AmEx points if I purchase a 2.5 online. Decisions, decisions..
 
Not considering the Quad core mini server? many have who talk a lot about useful longevity.
 
gigaguy said:
Not considering the Quad core mini server? many have who talk a lot about useful longevity.
Click to expand...

I hadn't seriously considered it. I like to use Aperture and read that it seems to benefit more from the dedicated graphics that the 2.5 or 2.7 have. Of course, if my iMac can run Aperture semi-ok now, I imagine the new mini's with the integrated graphics can run it just fine. Hmm, more decisions!
 
maybe there are better ways to spend $100, but i spent that money on the 2.7. since i can upgrade the ram and hdd myself, i put that money toward something that i could not upgrade without having to get a new computer.

that doesn't mean it'll be the right decision for you though. i am happy with it's speed, power, and the GPU. it's a good computer and worth it.
 
SumoHamster said:
I've been trying to convince myself I can wait another year to upgrade my mid-2007 2.8GHz iMac, but things seem awfully slow lately and I'm tired of seeing beachballs while things page out due to my lowly 4GB of RAM. I'm trying to decide between the dual-core 2.5 or dual-core 2.7. I suspect the 2.5 will be fine, but my first question is, have any of you bought the 2.5 and wished you had bought the 2.7? If so, why? Likewise, has anyone bought the 2.7 and realized they maybe should have saved $100 and the 2.5 would have been fine?

My main reason for even thinking of the 2.7 is mostly because I want it to last another 4 years, so I figure the faster speed may last a bit longer. However, I can save money by using AmEx points if I purchase a 2.5 online. Decisions, decisions..
Click to expand...

I don't have buyers remorse over my i7 Dual core. It's a wonderful system and tests within striking distance of the Mini Server. It powers though most games I throw at it and is other wise an awesome system.
 
i bought 2.5 GHz mini... and does job well... So i am not disappointed in any way... or regretting that did not pay extra for slightly powerful processor...
 
I bought the 2.3 base version otf the mini and I'm happy with it. I upgraded the ram to 8 GB.

It is fast, it is near silent, it is cool (as in low temperature).

...and it was so cheap that I can easily justify an upgrade in 2 or 3 years.:D
 
One full day now with the 2.3 Ghz, 5 Gb memory, integrated video, and not one complaint thus far. The system is so quiet and cool its just like night and day over my home build PC, not to mention its just the size of a cigar box that fits nicely on my desk.

I don't do intensive application work, but all the programs that I do use are coming up fast. My boot up time is at present 36 seconds with the 5400rpm hdd. My Windows 7 64 bit PC booted up in 45/48 seconds and that was with a Raptor 10,000rpm hdd, so no complaints on that one either.
 
Mawal said:
I bought the 2.3 base version otf the mini and I'm happy with it. I upgraded the ram to 8 GB.

It is fast, it is near silent, it is cool (as in low temperature).

...and it was so cheap that I can easily justify an upgrade in 2 or 3 years.:D
Click to expand...
Especially when you think about the resale value too. Why people want to keep technology past its useful life is beyond me. Buy the base, upgrade the ram and if you feel rich grab an SSD. You can remove the upgraded hardware when you sell it later. 2009 Mini's are going for $400 and I got a new one for $568 retail. As long as the resale values are that strong, its not worth it to keep the stuff past a year or so.
 
For $100 more (over the 2.7 dual) the Quad core gets you a better processor for some apps, 2 7200rpm 500gb HDDS, and the cables for any future switchout to any 2nd drive you want.
All the Minis are great, I'm holding off a little while longer, will probably get the server since I want the options for easiest way to future upgrades and quickest rendering.
 
Last edited:
Mawal said:
I bought the 2.3 base version otf the mini and I'm happy with it. I upgraded the ram to 8 GB.

It is fast, it is near silent, it is cool (as in low temperature).

...and it was so cheap that I can easily justify an upgrade in 2 or 3 years.:D
Click to expand...

This describes my situation, exactly.

In fact, the only regret I have is that I had to buy an expensive DVI KVM switch to pair my mini with my Windows desktop :mad:
 
I took several things away from this post, including how well the 2.3 is working for some and how if you get one of the cheaper options then you can just upgrade again in a couple years and not feel bad. I also read in other threads that the quad is just slightly louder than the dual, though I suspect most people might not even notice it.

Anyway, I decide to just pick the dual 2.5 and purchased 8GB of ram elsewhere. Best of all, I got to use rewards points, so the total was just a hair over $500 :D
 
SumoHamster said:
I took several things away from this post, including how well the 2.3 is working for some and how if you get one of the cheaper options then you can just upgrade again in a couple years and not feel bad. I also read in other threads that the quad is just slightly louder than the dual, though I suspect most people might not even notice it.

Anyway, I decide to just pick the dual 2.5 and purchased 8GB of ram elsewhere. Best of all, I got to use rewards points, so the total was just a hair over $500 :D
Click to expand...
Perfect, you are guaranteed to be able to sell that for a tidy sum compared to your cost when the time comes. Just don't hang on to it too long.
 
I know you already purchased the Mini, but for anyone else reading: a solid-state drive (SSD) would improve your Mini's performance far more than going from 2.3 to 2.5. :cool:
 
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