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Should I Get a Mac Mini or iMac27"?
- Thread starter iMacBookPro
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"I have nothing against iMacs, but, correct me if I'm wrong, the majority of the time people choose iMac over Mac Pro because they want to save $$$."
You see how stupid that statement sounds? People choose iMac over the Mac Pro because they don't need the power ... Similarly people choose Mac Mini over the iMac because they don't need the power.
Besides, from MacRumor's forums alone, I can confidently say that the Mac Mini crowd has more knowledge about computers than the iMac crowd. Just because someone is not foolish with money doesn't make them poor.
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Mini.
The iMac screen is glossy and there are known screen issues. A lot of people (though still a minority) report that the area of screen next to the GPU start to discolor over time.
The iMac screen is glossy and there are known screen issues. A lot of people (though still a minority) report that the area of screen next to the GPU start to discolor over time.
Perhaps my main problem with the iMac is the all in one philosophy. Pretty much you are stuck with what you buy until you buy a new one.
With the Mini you at least have the option of tinkering with it. But then I understand not everyone cares for that.
Mac mini Server + Thunderbolt Monitor
The mini server + thunderbolt ACD makes a great combination -- unless you need a graphics chip for games. It's quite easy to replace either of the hard drives (you should NOT disconnect the fan while doing so, in spite of what ifixit says) and you avoid the iMac's "chin." Unfortunately, it costs somewhat more -- but then you have a fine monitor to use if and when you replace the mini, want to use a monitor for a Macbook Air, etc. Unfortunately, no one has yet come up with an adapter for the older minidisplayport to the thunderbolt monitor.
The mini server + thunderbolt ACD makes a great combination -- unless you need a graphics chip for games. It's quite easy to replace either of the hard drives (you should NOT disconnect the fan while doing so, in spite of what ifixit says) and you avoid the iMac's "chin." Unfortunately, it costs somewhat more -- but then you have a fine monitor to use if and when you replace the mini, want to use a monitor for a Macbook Air, etc. Unfortunately, no one has yet come up with an adapter for the older minidisplayport to the thunderbolt monitor.
Well, I did ask to correct me if I was wrong.
And I still stand by what I said.
This statement sounds more stupid. Basing the Mac population on these forums alone? MacRumor members make up less than 1% of the Mac population. In general, MacRumor members have more knowledge about computer than the average user.
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I have a 2010 iMac, but I bought a mac mini this year to take with me to college so i could have a desktop experience in my dorm, with out breaking the bank. I already had a Samsung touch of color 22inch monitor. The Mac mini is perfect for a college student or the average end user.
I'm a newbie to Macs, initially thought I'd get a Macbook Pro but as I'd mostly use it at home, and I do photo editing, I decided I'd need a bigger screen anyway. The Mini appealed to me as it's semi portable, can be hooked up to the TV or Hifi for home cinema, and I can use it with the TV in the living room or a monitor or TV in other rooms.
Cost wasn't the driver at all so it's silly to say it's a poor mans Mac.
I've since bought an old Apple laptop too.....
That said, the iMac's appeal to me was the the all in one, tidy solution and nice screen (although I'd prefer matt over glossy). If I purely wanted a desktop replacement and a new screen then I'd have chosen the iMac
Cost wasn't the driver at all so it's silly to say it's a poor mans Mac.
I've since bought an old Apple laptop too.....
That said, the iMac's appeal to me was the the all in one, tidy solution and nice screen (although I'd prefer matt over glossy). If I purely wanted a desktop replacement and a new screen then I'd have chosen the iMac
I use a Mac mini with a $2000 monitor to do heavy, professional photo retouching. The mini can handle anything I throw at it.
Former iMac user when I started out too. The mini is a powerful little machine that will allow you to use the monitor of choice. Contrary to popular belief, Apple/iMac monitors are NOT the standard for graphics work.
So, you're wrong.
I'm wrong why? Because you alone represent the entire Mac community?
The world is bigger than what you see around you.
Another reason to choose mini over iMac
Hello, im new here, i got 2008 mac pro & at the time i bought it to last years for audio production but i would like thunderbolt & more CPU power but i dont fancy trying to sell it for the right money & getting another for £2600 ($4000) so i thought about the 27" iMac 3.4 which can handle a third more tracks than my Mac Pro but its £1800 ($2700) & upgrading is limited so i would be selling it in 3 years which i dont want along with the unreliable issues mentioned on the internet. The Mac Mini Server which is £840 ($1200) on the other hand, instead of referring to it as a poor mans mac, i see it as a possible solution. Purchase a Thunderbolt Display along with the keyboard & touchpad & any other Thunderbolt parts you may need. Plug in the server Mini which can compete with my Mac Pro for CPU power, & in 2 or 3 years time if you have kept it immaculate along with its packaging, eBay it for a good price & put in its place a more powerful Mac Mini. Instead of it being "poor mans mac" it becomes "common sense computing".
Hello, im new here, i got 2008 mac pro & at the time i bought it to last years for audio production but i would like thunderbolt & more CPU power but i dont fancy trying to sell it for the right money & getting another for £2600 ($4000) so i thought about the 27" iMac 3.4 which can handle a third more tracks than my Mac Pro but its £1800 ($2700) & upgrading is limited so i would be selling it in 3 years which i dont want along with the unreliable issues mentioned on the internet. The Mac Mini Server which is £840 ($1200) on the other hand, instead of referring to it as a poor mans mac, i see it as a possible solution. Purchase a Thunderbolt Display along with the keyboard & touchpad & any other Thunderbolt parts you may need. Plug in the server Mini which can compete with my Mac Pro for CPU power, & in 2 or 3 years time if you have kept it immaculate along with its packaging, eBay it for a good price & put in its place a more powerful Mac Mini. Instead of it being "poor mans mac" it becomes "common sense computing".
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You should heed your own advice, especially when you know not what you speak of.
No, you're wrong because you're basing your statements on assumptions. Which you have plainly stated. I am basing my statement on real world applications with both machines (and a Mac pro) in a real, WORKING environment. Something you have not done.
You are wrong. You asked to be corrected, so there you have it, but you don't seem to like it. Spending more money on a product does not equal having more brains.
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Exactly. It's not a "poor man's Mac". It's a "smart man's Mac". I'd probably opt for the standard mini over the server though and put the savings towards upgrades. But YMMV. I consider the iMac as a throw away item in reality.
Aside from MS Office all those "needs" could be accomplished with an iPod Touch.
If you have the money to spend on an iMac, get that one. Its over all a better computer. And if you really have to do photo retouching nothing says that you can't get a second or even a third screen with the iMac if you like. 
Seeing as I'm outnumbered here, I stand corrected, but you're an idiot to make assumptions yourself.
You use both machines? And a Mac pro? In a real WORKING environment? Omg good for you. Something I have not done? Do you know me personally?
You're the one lacking the brains here. I have used both an iMac and Mac pro at school and work, and a MBA at home, so I think I know a little about those machines. The Mac Mini, not so much, but it was my first choice for Mac, which I ended up skipping because of reviews and firsthand testing at an Apple store.
I flipped between Mini or iMac for about a year, and in the end 2 weeks ago I got the base 27" iMac. I have got 8G waiting for the weekend to install, and have attached a 2nd 19" monitor (my Windows 7 PC now only gets a single screen).
I will buy apple care at the 11 month point - or if the 2012 refresh is spectacular I might sell whilst still under guarantee.
It was a hard decision. In the end it was not about cost. Apple kit is way over priced regardless of what you buy in the eco-system.
In the end, for me, it was about how much you get for your money. I have got 4G of RAM a decent (for what I want) graphics card, a 1TB drive, a quad core i5, a key board, a mouse, and a large screen. I like the glossy screen; my office is a bedroom at home with a 100W light bulb - not a Doctor's surgery type brighly lit environment.
It cost £1400.
The closest I can get with the mini is the server (an i7 but onboard graphics - a real bummer) and I have to buy the cinema display and a keyboard and trackpad.
Total cost around £1900.
Am I happy with my decision. A resonding yes. I also like the fact that I can buy 8G and upgrad to 12G, the mini only has 2 slots and both are in use whatever version you buy.
I still might buy a mini - but as an "always on" server, and a lugable, not as my main desktop.
I will buy apple care at the 11 month point - or if the 2012 refresh is spectacular I might sell whilst still under guarantee.
It was a hard decision. In the end it was not about cost. Apple kit is way over priced regardless of what you buy in the eco-system.
In the end, for me, it was about how much you get for your money. I have got 4G of RAM a decent (for what I want) graphics card, a 1TB drive, a quad core i5, a key board, a mouse, and a large screen. I like the glossy screen; my office is a bedroom at home with a 100W light bulb - not a Doctor's surgery type brighly lit environment.
It cost £1400.
The closest I can get with the mini is the server (an i7 but onboard graphics - a real bummer) and I have to buy the cinema display and a keyboard and trackpad.
Total cost around £1900.
Am I happy with my decision. A resonding yes. I also like the fact that I can buy 8G and upgrad to 12G, the mini only has 2 slots and both are in use whatever version you buy.
I still might buy a mini - but as an "always on" server, and a lugable, not as my main desktop.
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Unfortunatley, the base 27" iMac isnt brilliant for Logic Pro which is what i need it for, its the i5, it can only do half the number of software synth tracks that my 2008 Mac Pro can do otherwise i would have bought one for the very reasonable £1300 a long time ago. Some people have managed to upgrade to the i7 CPU in that iMac but after i destroyed my iPhone 3 by trying to change the cracked case, i dont trust myself to perfofm the upgrade sucessfully. It seems too much to ask for Apple to use i7 cpu's in all the iMacs. They must be scared that alot of PC users might switch over to Mac!
A lot of things: surfing the web, E-mails, Microsoft Office Mac, watch movies, edit movies, and listen to lots of music. I want a big screen, thats why I want the 27" iMac or Mac Mini and connect it to my flat screen.
Price--Speed--Function is the triangle here.
Price: most people want the cheapest possible.
Speed: people want enough to function without annoyance.
Function: ultimately what you need.
With today's processor speeds, the Mini will do everything you want. Even the base Mini is pretty zippy. All text stuff and video watching is now quite smooth on all Macs, including 1080i viewing from large files.
Function: the mini will do all that.
Speed: the mini is fast enough to not be annoying.
Price: cheapest.
I think the mini is now Apple's greatest consumer computer. While iMacs are nice, they come with the screen locked in and with a (nearly useless) optical drive and more design than necessary for an average user. Yet, the iMacs are as tightly packaged and inflexible as the Mini, only memory being easily accessible to the user. If you buy the mini, you can upgrade for half the price of an iMac and keep your monitor (most monitors seem to last far longer than computers these days).
On a side note: I wish Mac would trim down the MacPro tower line and start making MacMiniPros which are just souped up processors in tiny towers, boxes, with room for nothing more than lots of memory: TB would then allow all the other MacPro extras to be added on externally.
not to jump in but testing a mac mini in the apple store is a not a viable method. in store mac minis are the base model with only 2gb ram and a 5400 rpm hdd.
base 2011 mac minis with 2gb ram are slow. they also cost 568 at amazon.com 8gb ram is 40 so 608 and during sales a 128gb ssd cost 142 so for 750 the machine will fly. If you had tested a 2011 base mac mini with 8gb ram and a 128gb sdd you would have said holy mf this machine is great.
You asked to be corrected if you were wrong. YOU ASKED. I corrected you. Call me an idiot all you want. It only makes yourself look petty. But, if it makes you feel any less inadequate...go for it. I'm just curious as to why you take such offense when you asked to be "corrected if I'm wrong".
I am explaining that I have used all 3 in a working environment, and that in RESPONSE to the OP's ORIGINAL question, a Mac mini would serve him perfectly fine.
You on the other hand, plainly state that you know nothing about the Mac mini and think of it as a "poor man's Mac". You only serve to project your materialistic and undermining personality and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.
Just because you NEED the biggest and shiniest material possessions to help project your identity and uniqueness, because you lack the inner resources to do so yourself, does not mean everyone else has to as well.
You're probably also the guy who was disappointed that the 4S was not a complete redesign because you couldn't go around flashing it proclaiming how "different" you think you are.
But hey, Apple thrives on guys like you and laughs all the way to the bank.
Anyhow, I'm done with you. I'm sure you've heard that plenty of times before though and are used to it by now. Toodles...
I did say I stand corrected, and I apologize for calling you an idiot.
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I guess I never thought about that. I deemed the Mac mini too slow for my taste based on the ones in the store since I don't know anyone who owns one.
I love everything about the iMacs, except for the glossy screen. Also, even if you ad a second display, it won't be a matched look unless you go with another glossy Apple display.
It is annoying that apple's product line has this divide, but what can we do.
Also, I think for people that are slightly strapped for cash at the current time, but plan to upgrade to something better in the future (be it a newer, higher spec Mac mini, or a possible future apple pro offering--hell even a Custom built PC or Linux machine) then a Mac mini is still way more versatile in the future as a secondary machine. You can adapt it to hook up solely to your tv, run it as a headless server, or just have a secondary machine that doesn't take up nearly the space of an iMac.
Other benefits include not having to pay for apples mouse/keyboard. They look great, but I much prefer a solid mechanical kb and pretty much anything is better than an Apple mouse to me.
Do I wish I could just an iMac with a matte screen? Yes. But since Apple doesn't offer it and the Mac mini can be useful as a secondary machine further into the future, I don't think all is lost.
Wish they were about 15-20% cheaper though!
It is annoying that apple's product line has this divide, but what can we do.
Also, I think for people that are slightly strapped for cash at the current time, but plan to upgrade to something better in the future (be it a newer, higher spec Mac mini, or a possible future apple pro offering--hell even a Custom built PC or Linux machine) then a Mac mini is still way more versatile in the future as a secondary machine. You can adapt it to hook up solely to your tv, run it as a headless server, or just have a secondary machine that doesn't take up nearly the space of an iMac.
Other benefits include not having to pay for apples mouse/keyboard. They look great, but I much prefer a solid mechanical kb and pretty much anything is better than an Apple mouse to me.
Do I wish I could just an iMac with a matte screen? Yes. But since Apple doesn't offer it and the Mac mini can be useful as a secondary machine further into the future, I don't think all is lost.
Wish they were about 15-20% cheaper though!