Mac mini... worth the upgrade from an iBook G3?

[ravenvii]

I have an iBook G3 900 MHz, 640 MB, 12" with AirPort. I basically use it as a desktop, with a keyboard, mouse and a LCD attached to it.

I'm eyeing the Mac mini, 1.42 GHz, 1 GB and AirPort+BT.

My question is, is it worth it upgrading from the iBook to the Mac mini? I will be overjoyed to finally move to a G4 from a G3 - real-time video editing, ability to use a video camcorder as a webcam, closed captioning with eyeTV, among other things (like AltiVec-abled apps).

BUT the video card is still crap, and when I get Tiger, it still won't support CoreImage. I'm wondering, is it worth it upgrading to a Mac mini? Or should I just keep the iBook and wait until they upgrade the mini with a graphic card that can handle CoreImage? I know it'll be a long time, and I feel like the waiting, waiting, waiting is a waste of time. I would've just gone for a iMac G5, but I already have a LCD, I don't really like AIO's. As for the PowerMac G5, I would get it, but it's large, and I shuttle back and forth between college and home, so it's a bit unwieldy. The Mac mini is a perfect size and a perfect speed (except that graphics card). What do you guys suggest?

[gallivant]

If you already have an LCD you like, I'd go with the Mini now; it'll still be a huge improvement over your current setup, and while it won't do all the superflashiness of Core Image, it's not like it won't run Tiger - which won't be out for a couple of months anyway. If it were me, I'd either go straight to a PowerBook, or pick up a Mini now and save up for a supershiny powerbook a few months or a year or two down the road.

[jadam]

get the 1.25ghz mini, It may have a smaller hard drive, but it is 5400rpm versus the 4200 rpm of the 1.42ghz mini. Not to mention, if you plan on using both your ibook and mini, you should get a nice external hard drive for it.

[ravenvii]

I'm going to sell my iBook if I get the mini. And I don't need 40 GB of HD space, so I don't need an external drive.

And the 5400 RPM drive is not a guarantee it seems. I'd be stupid to bet near a thousand bucks on a chance I could get a 5400 RPM drive.

[jadam]

I'm going to sell my iBook if I get the mini. And I don't need 40 GB of HD space, so I don't need an external drive.

And the 5400 RPM drive is not a guarantee it seems. I'd be stupid to bet near a thousand bucks on a chance I could get a 5400 RPM drive.


No all the 1.25ghz mac minis with the 40gb HD have a 5400rpm drive in them. Show me one that doesn't.

[cubist]

The 1.42GHz G4 will blow the doors off the 900MHz G3, if you're doing anything CPU-intensive (such as iMovie).

Why do you say it won't support CoreImage? It's a Radeon 9200. I think that's supported.

[neonart]

From the tests I've seen the 40GB Mini has a 4200 RPM Seagate drive. Where has anyone seen that a 5200RPM drive comes in the 1.25?

http://eshop.macsales.com/Reviews/Framework.cfm?page=/Benchmarks/12705/minihd.html

[jadam]

From the tests I've seen the 40GB Mini has a 4200 RPM Seagate drive. Where has anyone seen that a 5200RPM drive comes in the 1.25?

http://eshop.macsales.com/Reviews/Framework.cfm?page=/Benchmarks/12705/minihd.html

That site is wrong.


http://www.macworld.com/2005/01/reviews/macminireview/index.php

[wwooden]

It's not that the video card in the Mini won't support coreImage, it just won't be as fast or do the fancy stuff as well. They wouldn't make a production model that doesn't support the operating system it ships with. And they wouldn't make an operating system that tailors only to a select few of their recent models. CoreImage is built into the system, it's not a program like Motion. If your system can run Tiger, it will be able to do the stuff that comes with it.

[clayj]

It's not that the video card in the Mini won't support coreImage, it just won't be as fast or do the fancy stuff as well. They wouldn't make a production model that doesn't support the operating system it ships with. And they wouldn't make an operating system that tailors only to a select few of their recent models. CoreImage is built into the system, it's not a program like Motion. If your system can run Tiger, it will be able to do the stuff that comes with it.http://www.anandtech.com/weblog/default.aspx#168

Backs up what you say... CI will work, but it will be slower on a Mac mini because of the video card.

[tdhurst]

Let me get this straight...you are currently using a G3 iBook as mainly a desktop computer, you don't manipulate big enough files to warrant a 40 gig drive (which tells me you don't edit much video, audio or graphic files) and you are upset that the mac mini MIGHT not support CoreImage?
Do you have any idea what CoreImage is?
For myself included, CoreImage is simply eye candy. The mac mini will blow the iBook away, just go get it while you can...

[ravenvii]

Well, I'm a sucker for eyecandy :D

I do sometimes manipulate big files (the biggest I've ever manipulated with is a 20 GB pure DV video). But the thing is, I never keep them around. :D

Thanks for the anandtech link! It seems I'll be able to see all the eyecandy, just a bit slower. I'm getting the mini!

[zyuzin4]

i was going to wait on buying the mini but I couldn't stand my iBook 700G3 anymore and after previewing the Mini at Macworld I was sold (although theirs had 1gb modules)