Please help with which Mini Mac

WantsAMac · Oct 16, 2009, 02:42 PM

I would like to buy a Mini Mac. The main reason is for the photo and DVD programs. Would the $599 unit be good enough to run these programs, or would it be better to invest the $799 to more memory from the beginning (I know I could u/g myself for $85) and more memory towards the graphics card?

My husband wants the Mac and he wants it now, so he is trying to talk me into the $799 one, as that is all my local store has in stock. But, I don't want to blow $200 just to ge it today if it's not need.

Thanks for any help you could give. I haven't used an Apple since 1990

Hellhammer · Oct 16, 2009, 02:45 PM

Go for 599$ and upgrade RAM and HD yourself if you want to. You will save money and have more choices and upgrading ain't hard.

spice weasel · Oct 16, 2009, 03:08 PM

I agree with what hellhammer said - upgrading RAM yourself is always cheaper. But unless you absolutely need a mini now, I'd wait. Rumor has it that a new release is imminent.

JoelKelly · Oct 16, 2009, 03:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellhammer

Go for 599$ and upgrade RAM and HD yourself if you want to. You will save money and have more choices and upgrading ain't hard.

I'd argue against HellHammer, largely because touching the insides of the Mini voids your applecare.

WantsAMac · Oct 16, 2009, 03:40 PM

Thanks everyone for your input. I do agree that it is cheaper to just u/g myself. But, I didn't know about the warranty being voided. Hmmm it might not be worth the savings of doing myself to void that.

calderone · Oct 16, 2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WantsAMac

Thanks everyone for your input. I do agree that it is cheaper to just u/g myself. But, I didn't know about the warranty being voided. Hmmm it might not be worth the savings of doing myself to void that.

The warranty is not voided by upgrading, unless you break it while you are upgrading of course.

phairphan · Oct 16, 2009, 06:01 PM

You can upgrade the $599 Mini to the identical specs of the $799 Mini for about $75. That includes upgrading the memory to 2GB (with 1-1GB SO-DIMM) and the hard drive to a 320GB 5400 RPM model. Plus you'd then have the 120GB hard drive to use as a back-up drive/extra drive or to sell. The graphics memory scales with system memory, so putting in another 1GB stick will bring the graphics memory up to 256MB. The procedure is not as scary as it may seem and there are plenty of video how to's online. Alternatively, you can take the parts to certain Apple-certified dealers who will install them for you (for a fee, of course) and it won't in any way void your warranty (which, in the DIY scenario, is only voided if you break it while upgrading).

pukifloyd · Oct 16, 2009, 07:47 PM

I'd also go with the $599 mac mini...its very cheap to upgrade it yourself and you also get to choose the brands of your RAM and hdd...

if your local store has only the $799 model, order it online through the apple online store...

tbayrgs · Oct 16, 2009, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoelKelly

I'd argue against HellHammer, largely because touching the insides of the Mini voids your applecare.

Not true, as calderone stated, warrantly is only voided if you break something. As long as you're patient and follow any of the numerous tutorials available online, upgrading the mini is fairly simple.

For less than the $200 extra you'd spend for 2 GB RAM and 320 GB 5400 RPM HDD through Apple, you could upgrade to 4 GB RAM and 500 GB 7200 RPM HDD yourself.

Mac Cat · Oct 16, 2009, 09:05 PM

I am planning to get a Mac Mini 2.0ghz and would like to know if anyone here thinks or has paired it with the Hewlettt Packard 2159M LCD monitor? Any suggestions?

phatlipboardz · Oct 16, 2009, 10:38 PM

My exact setup Mac Cat.

katyoshi · Oct 17, 2009, 01:54 AM

Would the 2.26ghz be worth it?

Hellhammer · Oct 17, 2009, 03:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katyoshi

Would the 2.26ghz be worth it?

Not really.. And seeing that Mini has shipping time of 3-5 (2.26 is online only) so that would mean at least a week to it to arrive

JCP21 · Oct 17, 2009, 04:19 AM

go with the 599$ its all your really need, and getting a better one would be unneeded

iMav · Oct 17, 2009, 05:58 AM

Go with the lowest end Mac mini available and buy yourself 4GB of ram and a 500GB hdd from newegg.

ymarker · Oct 17, 2009, 08:23 AM

I got a current 2009 mac mini refurb from the apple store for $499 which was cheaper than had I used my student discount ($549). Then upgraded the 1gb ram to 4gb (about $60, IIRC) and harddrive to an intel x25 gen2 ssd (about $200, not really needed for what you're wanting to do, or the basic web browsing I do, but by golly it's out there so I must have it).

The most often statement you'll hear re: mac mini purchase - buy the least expensive mac mini then upgrade yourself. There are youtube videos that show you step by step how to do it. I'd pause the video in between and do the steps. Not that hard to do as many here would tell you. I didn't even have a putty knife, but found something in the kitchen (I think it was plastic spatula or something - as you can tell I can't cook

or follow directions )

c.s. · Oct 17, 2009, 08:28 AM

I noticed an interesting difference between the 2.26 and 2.0 (2009). I've owned both. When I started up the 2.0, or woke it from sleep, the optical drive made a very annoying "cranking up" sound. The 2.26 is totally silent, just like my MBP. No idea why this would be different -- maybe my 2.0 had a flaw/firmware difference?

ymarker · Oct 17, 2009, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by c.s.

I noticed an interesting difference between the 2.26 and 2.0 (2009). I've owned both. When I started up the 2.0, or woke it from sleep, the optical drive made a very annoying "cranking up" sound. The 2.26 is totally silent, just like my MBP. No idea why this would be different -- maybe my 2.0 had a flaw/firmware difference?

Apple had posted a firmware update sometime back to address this. Just update your f/w.

WantsAMac · Oct 17, 2009, 02:12 PM

Thanks again for everyone's help. This is what I decided to do.... Order online the cheapter one and am having it upgraded right from Apple for $45 extra. I know I could do it myself, but I have only replaced memory once on a PC and online a 1GB mod is $30 or so, so I figured for the extra $15 I didn't have to mess with it. BTW, I am able to get government pricing for home purchase to the total before taxes of the lower end mini mac w/ 2GB is $594. I already have external HD's and want another one, so the hard drive issue isn't too big of a deal for me to replace, as I'll just run external. Thanks again!

Oct 16, 2009, 02:42 PM	#1
WantsAMac macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	Please help with which Mini Mac I would like to buy a Mini Mac. The main reason is for the photo and DVD programs. Would the $599 unit be good enough to run these programs, or would it be better to invest the $799 to more memory from the beginning (I know I could u/g myself for $85) and more memory towards the graphics card? My husband wants the Mac and he wants it now, so he is trying to talk me into the $799 one, as that is all my local store has in stock. But, I don't want to blow $200 just to ge it today if it's not need. Thanks for any help you could give. I haven't used an Apple since 1990

Oct 16, 2009, 02:45 PM	#2
Hellhammer macrumors 68040 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Helsinki, Finland	Go for 599$ and upgrade RAM and HD yourself if you want to. You will save money and have more choices and upgrading ain't hard. __________________ iMac 24" 2.93GHz, 4GB DDR3, 640GB HD, GT130 512MB GDDR3 iPhone 3GS 16GB 50 Top Tips for Mac OS X Beginners Get 20% Off with coupon: MR20

Oct 16, 2009, 07:47 PM	#8
pukifloyd macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona/ India	I'd also go with the $599 mac mini...its very cheap to upgrade it yourself and you also get to choose the brands of your RAM and hdd... if your local store has only the $799 model, order it online through the apple online store... __________________ 15" MacBook Pro, 2.6 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB HD; 30 GB iPod video; iPod mini Blue colour 4GB; Nokia 5800

Oct 16, 2009, 09:05 PM	#10
Mac Cat macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	Mac Mini 2.0ghz and HP 2159M LCD monitor? I am planning to get a Mac Mini 2.0ghz and would like to know if anyone here thinks or has paired it with the Hewlettt Packard 2159M LCD monitor? Any suggestions?

Oct 16, 2009, 10:38 PM	#11
phatlipboardz macrumors newbie Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Boulder	My exact setup Mac Cat. __________________ Mac Mini 2009: 2.0GHz, 500GB Scorpio Blue, 4GB RAM; Dual HP 2159m Monitors 24" iMac, 3.06GHz, 4GB RAM, 1 TB HD, nVidia GeForce GT 130

Oct 16, 2009, 03:08 PM	#3
spice weasel macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jul 2003	I agree with what hellhammer said - upgrading RAM yourself is always cheaper. But unless you absolutely need a mini now, I'd wait. Rumor has it that a new release is imminent.

Oct 16, 2009, 03:40 PM	#5
WantsAMac Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	Thanks everyone for your input. I do agree that it is cheaper to just u/g myself. But, I didn't know about the warranty being voided. Hmmm it might not be worth the savings of doing myself to void that.

Oct 16, 2009, 06:01 PM	#7
phairphan macrumors regular Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: CT	You can upgrade the $599 Mini to the identical specs of the $799 Mini for about $75. That includes upgrading the memory to 2GB (with 1-1GB SO-DIMM) and the hard drive to a 320GB 5400 RPM model. Plus you'd then have the 120GB hard drive to use as a back-up drive/extra drive or to sell. The graphics memory scales with system memory, so putting in another 1GB stick will bring the graphics memory up to 256MB. The procedure is not as scary as it may seem and there are plenty of video how to's online. Alternatively, you can take the parts to certain Apple-certified dealers who will install them for you (for a fee, of course) and it won't in any way void your warranty (which, in the DIY scenario, is only voided if you break it while upgrading).

Oct 17, 2009, 01:54 AM	#12
katyoshi macrumors regular Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Honolulu, HI	Would the 2.26ghz be worth it?

Oct 17, 2009, 04:19 AM	#14
JCP21 macrumors member Join Date: Oct 2009	go with the 599$ its all your really need, and getting a better one would be unneeded

Oct 17, 2009, 05:58 AM	#15
iMav macrumors 6502 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Columbus, WI	Go with the lowest end Mac mini available and buy yourself 4GB of ram and a 500GB hdd from newegg. __________________ -=iMav=- http://geekhack.org 13.3" MBP, 2.26GHz C2D, 8GB ram, 640GB & 500GB hdd's

Oct 17, 2009, 08:23 AM	#16
ymarker macrumors member Join Date: Sep 2009	I got a current 2009 mac mini refurb from the apple store for $499 which was cheaper than had I used my student discount ($549). Then upgraded the 1gb ram to 4gb (about $60, IIRC) and harddrive to an intel x25 gen2 ssd (about $200, not really needed for what you're wanting to do, or the basic web browsing I do, but by golly it's out there so I must have it). The most often statement you'll hear re: mac mini purchase - buy the least expensive mac mini then upgrade yourself. There are youtube videos that show you step by step how to do it. I'd pause the video in between and do the steps. Not that hard to do as many here would tell you. I didn't even have a putty knife, but found something in the kitchen (I think it was plastic spatula or something - as you can tell I can't cook or follow directions ) __________________ Mac Mini (mid '09) 2 ghz, 4gb ddr3, intel SSD 80gb g2, bose qc2 headphones, 24" Dell LCD 2408wfp, apple wireless keybd, logitech g7 mouse, hp 2600n color laser printer; lenovo x61 tablet

Oct 17, 2009, 08:28 AM	#17
c.s. macrumors member Join Date: Nov 2007	I noticed an interesting difference between the 2.26 and 2.0 (2009). I've owned both. When I started up the 2.0, or woke it from sleep, the optical drive made a very annoying "cranking up" sound. The 2.26 is totally silent, just like my MBP. No idea why this would be different -- maybe my 2.0 had a flaw/firmware difference? __________________ uMBP 2.66 \| mac mini 2.53 \| 2 x 24" LED Apple Cinema Display \| 500 GB Time Capsule \| 8 GB iPod Touch

Oct 17, 2009, 02:12 PM	#19
WantsAMac Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Oct 2009	Thanks again for everyone's help. This is what I decided to do.... Order online the cheapter one and am having it upgraded right from Apple for $45 extra. I know I could do it myself, but I have only replaced memory once on a PC and online a 1GB mod is $30 or so, so I figured for the extra $15 I didn't have to mess with it. BTW, I am able to get government pricing for home purchase to the total before taxes of the lower end mini mac w/ 2GB is $594. I already have external HD's and want another one, so the hard drive issue isn't too big of a deal for me to replace, as I'll just run external. Thanks again!

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