Hey guys.
So I've been using a Mac Mini for about 4 years now. It actually fulfilled my basic computing needs until I decided to get a Magic Trackpad and was forced to update to SL. Well my Mini has 1 GB of RAM and while it was sufficient for Leopard it has made SL a poor experience. I could of course go back to Leopard but I love my Magic Trackpad and am thinking about getting a new Mini and selling my current one (with Leopard reinstalled).
Okay, so I'm debating two options. One would be to get a base model 2012 Mini and max out the RAM on my own. Much cheaper and very easy to do. The other option is to get a 2012 Mini with an SSD via Apple. As you probably know this is pretty expensive and requires me to also get the higher end Mini. Total cost is $1,099 sans tax.
I know installing a 3rd party SSD would be cheaper but I question how much cheaper exactly. I've seen online tutorials and it's not something I'd feel comfortable doing on my own. So that means I'd have to purchase the SSD and then pay someone to install it for me. I'm guessing that would cost me at the very least something between $150-$200 all things considered. With that established I'd rather pay a little more and have the SSD preinstalled.
Now, the question becomes which model should I get. For now I tend to do the most basic stuff on my Mini (Word, Web, etc) so the base model Mini with max RAM would be more than enough. However my MBA has an SSD and I think I'd prefer my Mini to have one too. I'm also curious about potentially doing some video work in the future. (Not 100% but it's a possibility.)
Is the SSD really worth the pricey upgrade for my needs? Thanks.
(I don't care about the size of my HD. My music is stored and managed on my MBA and my videos and pics are on an external HD.)
So I've been using a Mac Mini for about 4 years now. It actually fulfilled my basic computing needs until I decided to get a Magic Trackpad and was forced to update to SL. Well my Mini has 1 GB of RAM and while it was sufficient for Leopard it has made SL a poor experience. I could of course go back to Leopard but I love my Magic Trackpad and am thinking about getting a new Mini and selling my current one (with Leopard reinstalled).
Okay, so I'm debating two options. One would be to get a base model 2012 Mini and max out the RAM on my own. Much cheaper and very easy to do. The other option is to get a 2012 Mini with an SSD via Apple. As you probably know this is pretty expensive and requires me to also get the higher end Mini. Total cost is $1,099 sans tax.
I know installing a 3rd party SSD would be cheaper but I question how much cheaper exactly. I've seen online tutorials and it's not something I'd feel comfortable doing on my own. So that means I'd have to purchase the SSD and then pay someone to install it for me. I'm guessing that would cost me at the very least something between $150-$200 all things considered. With that established I'd rather pay a little more and have the SSD preinstalled.
Now, the question becomes which model should I get. For now I tend to do the most basic stuff on my Mini (Word, Web, etc) so the base model Mini with max RAM would be more than enough. However my MBA has an SSD and I think I'd prefer my Mini to have one too. I'm also curious about potentially doing some video work in the future. (Not 100% but it's a possibility.)
Is the SSD really worth the pricey upgrade for my needs? Thanks.
(I don't care about the size of my HD. My music is stored and managed on my MBA and my videos and pics are on an external HD.)