Requesting snap advice/thoughts on two machines

[eyc]

I am very computer illiterate and am requesting some very basic help comparing two machines.

My parents currently are using a slimline Dell as their HTPC with the following specs:
Intel R Core 2 duo CPU E7500 @ 2.93 Ghz; 4 GB RAM

It's been nothing but a headache, and I want to get them a new computer, a Mac Mini, with the following specs:
2.5GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5; 4GB RAM

Can someone please give me a quick snapshot as to the difference between the two machines? If the Dell is a 4, is the Mac a 9 in terms of speed and performance? I just don't know how to interpret the GHz and core information.

They are going to use the computer to stream 1080p videos on Netflix and Youtube, watch 1080p videos and view pictures on their local storage, and Skype. The Mac Mini should be more than sufficient, right?

 

[Schnort]

The dell is more than sufficient for that.

A better experience for people who are computer illiterate, however, would be a roku box. Less than $99 and you get a box that's designed for netflix and youtube, and can supposedly stream local files with relative ease (I've never done it).

But to answer your question directly, an i5 is faster than a E7500 (not double), but that fastness isn't terribly useful in your stated use case: HTPC.

 

[eyc]

Thanks so much for the advice. Part of the problem with the Dell is that it didn't come with a network card, and every damn solution for networking that I've setup for them has failed, i.e., powerline adapters, usb wireless, wireless bridge to ethernet. Each one has proven unreliable, and the last solution (the bridge) just plain stopped working today.

I just wanted to buy them the Mac Mini and cross my fingers that it will "just work." (On a related note, my macbooks have always just worked, and I wish the same for the mini.)

The Dell also looks hideous as it actually sits behind the TV because they don't have space in their hutch for the computer!