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Should I upgrade to a 1.42? Or spend the money on ram? Mac Mini ?

B

BillHarrison

macrumors 6502
Original poster
I have a mini, base model. 1.25ghz. I have 21 day return policy from CompUSA, and am considering returning it to get the 1.42. Anyone have any suggestions?

Which would be better: (HD size is NOT an issue, so the larger HD means little to me)

1.25ghz / 40gb 5200rpm HD / 1gb Ram

1.42ghz / 80gb 4200rpm HD / 256mb Ram

Basically, I have an extra 100 bucks, but would i be better off buying the faster processor, and having less ram, or buying more ram, and having less processor. Kinda a dillemma for me atm.

Any suggestions? I have heard ram is super important in OS X, and am wondering if that is a more worthwhile investment than the faster processor.

Bill
 
Definetly get more ram, forget the 1.42ghz processor, plus the 5400rpm HD in the 1.25ghz one is better then the 4200 rpm one in the 1.42ghz model.

Not to mention, I bet you pretty soon you will find guides on how to overclock the 1.25ghz mini to say over 1.5ghz!
 
Absolutely no question about it.

Go for the RAM.

OSX eats memory, so so much more so than XP does.
That and you really wont notice the speed difference between the 1.25 and the 1.4. I used to have to work with powermacs and i barely noticed this sort of difference in Mhz with the G4.

More memory will give you a system much faster then the 1.4.
 
You'll definitely notice a RAM difference more than a processor difference. So if you need the power right away, go for the RAM. If, however, you have time to save up before you need it, I'd say get the 1.42GHz and throw the RAM in later. Basically, buy the best of the things you can't upgrade, then worry about the extras later.

Although, the different HD speeds don't make sense to me. Why does the 1.25Ghz mini have a faster HD than the 1.42?
 
jadam said:
plus the 5400rpm HD in the 1.25ghz one is better then the 4200 rpm one in the 1.42ghz model.
Click to expand...


Not sure where you got that from. Everything I've read suggests that some people are getting the faster drive, but it is completely random.
 
Peyote said:
Not sure where you got that from. Everything I've read suggests that some people are getting the faster drive, but it is completely random.
Click to expand...

Actually, I have yet to see someone with a 40gb model that DID NOT get the faster drive. All people that have reported the model number have the faster model.
 
Get the RAM! You almost won't notice the processor difference.

Cruacial should have some good deals on RAM. The sweet spot on OS X seems to be 512 megs but, of course, if you can afford 1GB you should get it. 😀 (the beauty is that you'll have this spare 256meg ram that you can put back into the mini when you sell it, and you can put the 1GB stick into your new mini.. and that's the way the story goes..)

Oops.. the 1GB modules are extremely expensive on Crucial ($500!! 😱 ), but the 512 meg is only $100 tho.. Strange thing. It would actually cost you less to return your Mac mini, and buy a new Mac Mini from the Apple store BTO with 1GB of RAM (+$325), then when you sell it, get a 256meg from Crucial for $50. This totals at $375, which is way below what crucial is selling it for.

Morale:
Returning your Mac Mini, and buying a new 1.42 GHz BTO with 1GB of RAM will cost you $25 less than keeping the 1.25 GHz and buying 1GB RAM from Crucial. Getting a new 1.25 GHz BTO with 1GB RAM will cost you $125 less!

Link
 
1.25ghz / 40gb 5200rpm HD / 1gb Ram
Click to expand...

For what it's worth, I agree with everyone else - go for the option quoted above. The RAM can make or break an OS X machine. It'll fly with 1gig - comparitively, anyway 🙂

Cheers,

andy.
 
BillHarrison said:
That is not what the website quotes:

http://www.compusa.com/terms.asp#returns

And also not what the manager of the local store said when asked. Why do you believe this to be otherwise?
Click to expand...

Personal experience. 😕 They do not charge the fee if the item is defective though. They will strictly enforce this too. However, if you talked with the manager, maybe you will be okay. One time I purchased a defective palm pilot and they did not have anymore in stock. I asked for a refund and they tried to charge a restocking fee because I was not exchanging it. I could hardly believe that because they did not even have anymore in stock! I had to go round and round with the manager until they finally saw my point.
 
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