Went Through Four Defective Desktops. Refreshed Mac Mini Might Be My Next Desktop

[gregpod9]

I have no desktop computer anymore. I went through 4 desktops this month and they all had major issues. The desktops were:
1. 2011 21.5" Highend iMac (major yellow tint on screen).
2. Dell Inspiron 580 (Power supply failure, unable to read hard drive).
3. Lenovo K330 with the Sandy Bridge i3 cpu (DOA).
4. Dell XPS 8300 (Freezing constantly).

Right now I'm using the 13" base MBP that I bought today as a temporary desktop replacement. I really want the buy the refreshed Mac Mini as a Desktop when it comes out, but keep the 13" MBP for portable use only. I enjoy using OS X and I don't want to back to a Windows PC.

 

[mrfoof82]

I suggest buying a lottery ticket. You've shown that you have incredible (bad) luck. The universe tries to maintain a karmic balance, so hopefully buying a lottery ticket will allow the universe to maintain equilibrium and defective computers will no longer seem like such a problem.

 

[zedsdead]

I would give the 21.5" iMac another try. The power of the iMac is and will be much more than the next Mac Mini. More bang for the $.

 

[MultiFinder17]

The mini honestly has the best track record of any member of the Macintosh family these days - it's a rock-solid little machine

 

[Transporteur]

The mini honestly has the best track record of any member of the Macintosh family these days

I'd like to see a source for that! Sounds interesting that a mini computer with notebook components has a lower failure rate than workstation hardware.

 

[jsm4182]

That MBP is more powerful than a mini, what about just getting an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to use the the MBP when at your desk.

 

[Lankyman]

I would give the 21.5" iMac another try. The power of the iMac is and will be much more than the next Mac Mini. More bang for the $.

Funnily enough I was reading the latest CNET review of the refreshed iMacs today and found the recommedations very mixed.

On the one hand they said the iMac's were now very quick machines, graphics let down some of the models and in summing up unless you are a pro-user then they couldn't really recommend them as a consumer purchase.

 

[lvlarkkoenen]

That MBP is more powerful than a mini, what about just getting an external monitor, keyboard and mouse to use the the MBP when at your desk.

The base 13" MBP is about as powerful as most people here (including me) expect the refreshed mini to be. Plugging it into a monitor, keyboard and mouse at your desk is still a good suggestion though imo.

Also, that's indeed some tough luck you had there, to have 4 computers fail on you like that.

 

[Mak47]

I have the current Mac Mini and I love it. I use a MBP for a lot of things, but at home it's nice to have a stationary setup. It's kind of like my "base station". I keep all of my permanent documents and files on it and an external HD that's connected. It's like my personal server.

That said, it's also my media center. The direct HDMI output makes it very versatile. Mine is hooked up to my HDTV in my living room. The web on a 40" screen is just a little awesome. Video content streaming right to the TV with no need for additional connections (Hulu, Netflix etc.) is pretty awesome too. I have the wireless keyboard and trackpad to control it with, but they usually stay tucked away. With the "Touchpad" app for iPad, I often just use that as my controller.

The reality is that I don't need a traditional desktop, I don't think most of us do anymore, but my desire for a stationary unit at home makes this the perfect solution. It's used for mostly web browsing and media content, but I have done some casual editing with iMovie and will work on Garageband mixes (pushed over from iPad) on occasion as well.

It's been totally reliable, absolutely trouble free and nicely portable in the event I want to move it to another room for any reason. Unless you need to run pro apps (Final Cut, ProTools etc.) you'll be very happy with the mini. A refreshed version with a faster processor wouldn't hurt, but I have no complaints with the current one. It's an easy upgrade to 8GB of RAM and you can use whatever you want to control it or for a monitor.

Some might view the mini poorly because of it's specs, but I think it's Apple's most impressive product because of its versatility.