User Name
Password
AppleNova Forums » Purchasing Advice »

Is a mac mini a good choice?


Register Members List Calendar Search FAQ Posting Guidelines
Is a mac mini a good choice?
Thread Tools
tyrant
 
 
2005-08-17, 14:58

Hi

I am looking at buying a mac mini, but am pretty clueless when it comes to macs. Some advice would be really nice on a few things.

1. Is a mini a good choice for a first look at macs? I mainly use my machine for browsing, mp3 ripping, im and general stuff.

2. What resolutions and refresh rates will a mini work at?

3. Would i see an increase in going for the 1.4 over the 1.2? Performance as well as actually being able to see a difference?

4. Is there anything else i should think about before buying?

Thanks
  quote
n2o2
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: The Netherlands
Send a message via AIM to n2o2  
2005-08-17, 15:07

1. The Mac Mini is an excellent machine for a first look. It's my first Mac and I enjoy working with it a lot as my main home machine!

2. For digital (DVI) connections, you can set your display up to a widescreen resolution of 1920 by 1200. For VGA, see up to 1920 by 1080. I use a 17" Benq flat screen at 1280x1024 resolution connected to DVI.

3. I bought the fastest version (before the recent 'bump') with Bluetooth, Airport and 80Gb hard drive. Recently I upgraded the memory to 1Gb to increase the overall performance.

4. The internal hard drive is a 4200 rpm model. If you use a fast (7200 rpm) external Firewire hard drive as startup disk the Mini runs even faster.
  quote
Franz Josef
Passing by
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: London, Europe
 
2005-08-17, 15:13

Quote:
Originally Posted by tyrant
3. Would i see an increase in going for the 1.4 over the 1.2? Performance as well as actually being able to see a difference?
No, not really. RAM is much more important than small incremental differences in CPU speed. 1GB of RAM will give a noticeable increase in performance. Running 1.4v1.2Ghz with same RAM will not generally give a perceptible difference.

Last edited by Franz Josef : 2005-08-17 at 15:14.
  quote
judeobscure
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Western MA
 
2005-08-17, 15:19

Above all, make sure you get 1GB of memory. My mini was lethargic till I installed the 1GB. Just don't get the memory from Apple or you will pay too much for it.
  quote
n2o2
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: The Netherlands
Send a message via AIM to n2o2  
2005-08-17, 16:37

I bought my 1Gb memory module at http://www.crucial.com using the 'Memory Advisor Tool'. Works fine and much cheaper that the Apple Store!
  quote
BenP
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
 
2005-08-17, 17:05

Be careful using the Memory Advisor thing at Crucial. They do weird stuff with their pricing. If you use that tool to search for RAM that will work in an Apple computer it may charge you a significant amount more than if you find the proper RAM without the tool. Try using the advisor, write down the chip it recommends, and then reset your browser (cookies, cache, temporary files) and find the chip on the Crucial site without using the advisor. Saved me over $50.
  quote
tyrant
 
 
2005-08-17, 17:36

Some good tips, thanks. What sort of refresh rates can i expect on normal (600 x 800 and 1024 x 768 ) settings? Low refresh rates make a comp unusable for me, so i really need to know this.
  quote
Ryan
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Promise Land of Trustafarians
 
2005-08-17, 18:25

I don't have a CRT handy, but you should be able to use any refresh rate your display handles, if all you have is a standard monitor, like, say, a 19" CRT or 17" LCD.
  quote
Koodari
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
 
2005-08-18, 02:11

Mini is a great choice for a general purpose computer.

The speed difference isn't that great - 20% best case, assuming processor is the bottleneck, which it usually isn't - but I think the new prices are structured so that all the other specs you get with the 1.4GHz speed make it worth it. 1.2GHz in itself is enough, that's the speed my iBook runs at.
  quote
usurp
High Monarch of MacDebate
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Kuwait
 
2005-08-18, 02:32

i love the mini
  quote
kcrockett
 
 
2005-08-27, 17:04

I just got the Mini two days ago and I love it.
  quote
curiousuburb
Antimatter Man
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2005-08-28, 05:02

Quote:
Originally Posted by tyrant
Hi

I am looking at buying a mac mini, but am pretty clueless when it comes to macs. Some advice would be really nice on a few things.

1. Is a mini a good choice for a first look at macs? I mainly use my machine for browsing, mp3 ripping, im and general stuff.
Yep, it's a good choice... other machines in the same price/performance range worth a look include eMac (built in monitor) and iBook (portable, built in LCD, plus better GPU)

Quote:
2. What resolutions and refresh rates will a mini work at?
My mini shows refresh rate options (some greyed out on this monitor) of
60 75 85 90 95 96 100 and 120 Hz. TV output offers different options.

Quote:
3. Would i see an increase in going for the 1.4 over the 1.2? Performance as well as actually being able to see a difference?
Barefeats tested the Mini in Feb '05... grains of salt are usually required for their results given it's hardly a professional lab, but you can see some figures and compare to similar gear

I've read elsewhere that the actual CPU performance difference is closer to 8%.
Hardly justifies the extra $ IMO, given that the 80Gig drive is slower (4200RPM w/8Mb cache) than the 40Gig drive (5400RPM w/2Mb cache) that ships in the 1.25. If you want a faster/bigger drive, get a 7200RPM external 6-pin FW (which you can use on multiple machines).

I'd generally recommend that the money is better spent on max RAM in a 1.25 rather than a mildly faster CPU with slower drives. YMMV

Quote:
4. Is there anything else i should think about before buying?

Thanks
Seriously consider the iBook... now that it has a CoreImage supporting GPU it may have better resale than a 1st generation mini (despite lack of DVI), and it's otherwise similar, plus the added portability of built-in LCD and battery may mean you can use it more places, more often, depending on lifestyle.

The only other minor issue might be microphone... all other Macs have built-in microphones... the mini does not... if you want to audio conference using iChat or other IM, you'll require extra gear with a mini (although you could spend the money you saved not buying the 1.42 on an iSight...)

I love my mini, but I miss not being able to work in transit at times.
If you don't have long journeys where portable computing or personal "inflight movies" matter, the mini will probably be more than enough for you to make a brilliant introduction to the Macintosh.

Last edited by curiousuburb : 2005-08-28 at 05:09.
  quote
holbox
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Florida
 
2005-08-28, 13:52

NO.

Buy an eMac!

It's the most overlooked product in the Apple line. Preforms way better than the specs would lead you to believe. It's a well balanced machine that'll run for years and you got everything you need in the one package. Cost you less in the long run.

Not a race car, but a good solid Chevy that'll get you where you're going!
  quote
Posting Rules Navigation
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Post Reply

Forum Jump
Thread Tools
Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
iMac G4 vs. Mac mini screensaver400 Purchasing Advice 3 2005-05-09 15:33
Mac Mini ...Cooper!!! resorcerer Third-Party Products 13 2005-04-20 08:03
What's a sexy USB hub that will look good with my mac mini? solinari6 Purchasing Advice 4 2005-02-24 02:47
Target selling new Mac mini! psmith2.0 General Discussion 27 2005-01-26 10:00
Apple releases updated Power Mac G5s staph Apple Products 43 2004-06-09 13:20


« Previous Thread | Next Thread »

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:29.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2024, AppleNova