OK, I am going to get a Mac Mini soon. Right now I have a Gateway Laptop with a 1.5GHz Centrino processor with 512mb of RAM. Is the 1.4GHz Mac Mini with 512 or 1 gig of RAM comparable to my laptop? Also, when is the expected release date of the new Apple OS? Should I wait until it is released to get my mac mini? Thanks for your help!
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I am a PC user and I need some help...
- Thread starter ajcannon
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bousozoku
Moderator emeritus
The speed shouldn't be too far off. You may find on certain things that the Mac mini is faster. You'll want the maximum RAM, depending on what you do, to keep the speed up but you should probably check OtherWorld Computing (http://eshop.macsales.com/) or Crucial.com for better deals on RAM.
There is no stated date on the upcoming version of the operating system, other than first half of 2005, so expect it no sooner than June 30th. I'm hoping for April or May, but it doesn't really matter, except in new machine purchases.
There is no stated date on the upcoming version of the operating system, other than first half of 2005, so expect it no sooner than June 30th. I'm hoping for April or May, but it doesn't really matter, except in new machine purchases.
clayj
macrumors 604
I'm a PC user as well, and recently acquired a Mac mini (1.42 GHz, 256 MB RAM, since self-upgraded to 1 GB RAM). My recommendation: Get the 1.42 GHz with 80 GB HD and either 512 MB RAM (from Apple) or, if you want to go to 1 GB RAM, get the 256 MB RAM option from Apple and then upgrade the RAM yourself... you'll save a couple hundred dollars by upgrading to 1 GB RAM on your own (you can resell the old 256 MB RAM module). Make sure you get at least 512 MB RAM, one way or the other... 256 MB isn't really enough for things to run smoothly with multiple applications open simultaneously.
Whether you opt for the SuperDrive depends on whether you want to burn DVDs using your Mac mini... so if you want to do this, or think you might, go ahead and do it. (I burn DVDs on my Sony PC, so I just went with the combo drive on the Mac mini.)
Whether you opt for the SuperDrive depends on whether you want to burn DVDs using your Mac mini... so if you want to do this, or think you might, go ahead and do it. (I burn DVDs on my Sony PC, so I just went with the combo drive on the Mac mini.)
ajcannon said:
Unfortunately, this is a very difficult question to answer. Look at the "Mac OS X" section on apple.com to determine if you think the new features in Tiger will be things you will want to have. I would say yes, but that is just me. Once you decide on that, you need to decide if you are willing to add probably $129 to the purchase price of a current mini to upgrade to Tiger when it is released. If you can wait, you may want to. But, if you can't wait, then don't. Once the release date is announced, you will probably be able to buy a Mac mini with 10.3 and then pay only $20 or so to upgrade to 10.4 (Tiger). I don't recall what the normal lead time is between announcement and release so this might not save you much additional time.
Another thing to consider, though, if you are going to try to wait, there is a good chance that demand for any Apple computer will go up once people know they are getting the latest OS, so you might end up with additional delays. There are many Mac regulars who are just waiting for Tiger before ordering a mini as their 2nd (or 3rd etc) computer.
I hope that I have thoroughly clouded the issue for you.