Mac mini vs PC?

[luke71933]

So,
I am 14 years old next year we'll start java programming at school.I have a windows pc which is 10 years old and would like to buy my own computer.I would like a computer that will stay fast and not get old after 5 years.So, i liek mac stuff like the OS although i never used it , and like teh mac mini because is small and portable.I saw this windows pc http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Fast...ht_2423wt_1300

I will be using the computer for web browsing youtube,flash ms office, and the main reason heavy programming, maybe a little game programming too .I saw the mac mini with i7 dual core 2.7ghz and with radeon Graphics card.Whcih computer should i get mac mini or pc. I will be buying the computer next christmas .I would like the computer to perform well with multitasking too. My budget is 700e without mouse keyboard and screen.

Thanks
Luke

[maflynn]

That linked computer is going to out perform the mini. I'd say depending on what you'll be developing should dictate which platform to buy.

My experience has been that its been easier to upgrade (or downgrade) to a specific java version on windows then OSX. This may be changing now, but my experience is such that java wise windows has an edge in dealing with versions.

I'd say get the windows box since spec wise its a better machine.

[phr0ze]

Originally Posted by luke71933

So,
I would like a computer that will stay fast and not get old after 5 years.

Thats subjective. I think any computer older than 3 years is old.

I will be buying the computer next christmas .

This is a pointless conversation then. Everything will change by next xmas.

Honestly. Don't overspend. Get the cheapest you can (used mini/PC?). Programming isn't very demanding. You will be better spending $350, then another $350 two years later as far as longevity goes, than spending $700 now.

[hafr]

Originally Posted by luke71933

So,
I am 14 years old next year we'll start java programming at school.I have a windows pc which is 10 years old and would like to buy my own computer.I would like a computer that will stay fast and not get old after 5 years.So, i liek mac stuff like the OS although i never used it , and like teh mac mini because is small and portable.I saw this windows pc http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Fast...ht_2423wt_1300

I will be using the computer for web browsing youtube,flash ms office, and the main reason heavy programming, maybe a little game programming too .I saw the mac mini with i7 dual core 2.7ghz and with radeon Graphics card.Whcih computer should i get mac mini or pc. I will be buying the computer next christmas .I would like the computer to perform well with multitasking too. My budget is 700e without mouse keyboard and screen.

Thanks
Luke

Considering you have a very limited budget and you want the computer to last a long time, I would recommend that you go the PC route instead of Apple. That way, you can spend less for the same hardware (it will be less pretty, but that really shouldn't matter since the way a computer looks on your desk is secondary to how it performs) and also upgrade it a lot more than a mac as time goes by.

[Winni]

Originally Posted by luke71933

So,
I am 14 years old next year we'll start java programming at school.I have a windows pc which is 10 years old and would like to buy my own computer.I would like a computer that will stay fast and not get old after 5 years.So, i liek mac stuff like the OS although i never used it , and like teh mac mini because is small and portable.I saw this windows pc http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Fast...ht_2423wt_1300

I will be using the computer for web browsing youtube,flash ms office, and the main reason heavy programming, maybe a little game programming too .I saw the mac mini with i7 dual core 2.7ghz and with radeon Graphics card.Whcih computer should i get mac mini or pc. I will be buying the computer next christmas .I would like the computer to perform well with multitasking too. My budget is 700e without mouse keyboard and screen.

Thanks
Luke

Luke, you can already buy very good PC notebooks for that money, which probably will be much more fun and more useful on the long run than a desktop system.

The Minis are nice little machines, but awfully expensive considering what you get in return. A Mac Mini is a very LIMITED, RESTRICTED machine. You cannot really upgrade it and it will be out-dated quicker than you can look.

The PC in your link will run circles around a Mini, and you can even upgrade it by simply replacing parts.

Since you are interested in programming, I would also give Linux distributions a closer look. If you're serious about learning about software development and IT technologies, you should make a Linux distribution like Ubuntu your home. The professional IT world is dominated by Windows and Apple's OS X still is nowhere to be seen in the real business world - and that won't change.

Buy a PC and put Linux on it.

[Liquinn]

You can't run OS X on the PC.

[theRAMman]

Your 14 and you can afford the i7 mini?! I'm 15 and I'm struggling to afford the base model!

----------

Originally Posted by Liquinn

You can't run OS X on the PC.

You can, it's just illegal

[GimmeSlack12]

Originally Posted by hafr

I would recommend that you go the PC route instead of Apple.

I agree, get the PC. You get much much more bang for your buck when it comes to a desktop.

If you get a laptop, I'd almost certainly say get a Mac.
And you can install OS X on the PC too. Regardless of what people say.

[stuaz]

Originally Posted by luke71933

I will be buying the computer next christmas.

When you say NEXT Christmas, do you mean Christmas 2013? If so, alot will have changed in that time in the world of Computers...

[Liquinn]

I'd get the Mac Mini to be honest. It looks better, performs better etc. But having the Mini will make you want the Thunderbolt Display and so fourth.

[LeandrodaFL]

If your priority is your work, you may get the PC, but if you want a computer for your life, get the MacMini.

[willieva]

Get whatever computer you use at school. It will make your life easier having the same environment at home as well as school.

[Liquinn]

Another good thing you can both legally use OS X and Windows on the same machine. :P

[theluggage]

Originally Posted by luke71933

So,
I am 14 years old next year we'll start java programming at school.

Someone else has already posted this but it is worth saying twice: you'll probably be better off using the same operating system that you'll be using in school. In theory, Java works the same on PC, Mac and Linux, and so do the popular free development tools such as Eclipse and Netbeans, but there can be bumps in the road - often silly things like font sizes changing slightly so that bits of text get clipped off and your assignment looks messy on the teacher's PC. Also, your school could throw you a curve ball and insist on using some PC-only development tool.

Note: The Mac is a nice system to program on, and you are writing multi-platform stuff you can use virtual machines to test across multiple versions of Windows and Linux - but if you're doing Java at school and the most important thing is that your assignment runs on the school PCs, use a PC.

If you really want a Mac Mini-sized system then you want a Mac Mini (there are Mac-mini-sized PCs, cheaper PCs or more powerful PCs but good luck finding a PC that is Mac-mini-sized, cheaper and more powerful) but you're paying quite a lot for the small size.

[luke71933]

Can i install Virtual machine on the mac mini or will the windows 7 lag and not run properly.

[micrors4racer]

Im pretty sure it will not lag. My VM windows on my base mini runs quite fast. You also don't have to run windows by vm. You can run it natively on the mini with bootcamp.

[macmastersam]

Originally Posted by luke71933

So,
I am 14 years old next year we'll start java programming at school.I have a windows pc which is 10 years old and would like to buy my own computer.I would like a computer that will stay fast and not get old after 5 years.So, i liek mac stuff like the OS although i never used it , and like teh mac mini because is small and portable.I saw this windows pc http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-Fast...ht_2423wt_1300

I will be using the computer for web browsing youtube,flash ms office, and the main reason heavy programming, maybe a little game programming too .I saw the mac mini with i7 dual core 2.7ghz and with radeon Graphics card.Whcih computer should i get mac mini or pc. I will be buying the computer next christmas .I would like the computer to perform well with multitasking too. My budget is 700e without mouse keyboard and screen.

Thanks
Luke

Luke,

the mac mini has outdated hardware, by a year. you will also find that windows will be more Java-friendly than a mac would. however, the mac mini can have the HDD and the RAM upgraded without taking apart the whole thing, but i suppose the same can be said about both PC desktops and laptops.

so i would go for the PC in the link you provided us with, as you are using the same thing as you work environment at school. but ask yourself this: do you trust the seller? does it look too good to be true? IMO you should shop around and see what other PC brands offer (ie alienware or HP) or custom build your PC, where you are in control of the parts specific to what you are doing (ie heavy web browsing and school-related stuff) and how long it will be future-proofed for.

equally, you could just get a high-end laptop and be done with it. it might be a bit over the 700e budget, but since the laptop already has the screen, the keyboard and the trackpad, there is no need for external stuff (ok, maybe a mouse be an option) , therefore spending the leftover money towards a higher spec laptop.

----------

Originally Posted by luke71933

Can i install Virtual machine on the mac mini or will the windows 7 lag and not run properly.

yes, you can. windows 7 will not lag if you partition enough hard drive space and RAM for it to work. if you want to go that route, then i would suggest upgrading the RAM and the hard drive first, so you still have enough space for the MAC and get speedy access to windows 7.

for the virtual machine: i would like to suggest parallels 7 or virtualbox.

[luke71933]

I really like the mac os, I dont really need a high spec pc to do just java programming in windows 7 and web browsing and that stuff on OS x.What i am worried about is that it is dual core. I will buy the computer in christmas 2012,So i think enw mac mini will arrive.Do i need quad core, or is dual core just fine.I will be using this mini for roughly 3-4 years,so i want it not to lag if i have youtube, and xcode open, or i have windows 7 vm with visual studio and youtube and it'll lag.Also how can i put win 7 on the vm ?Because i have win xp full version and win 7 upgrade to ultimate and they are on cd's and mac mini don't have optical drive.

Thanks
Luke

[blanka]

Originally Posted by phr0ze

This is a pointless conversation then. Everything will change by next xmas.

The PC will change, the Mini won't.
Just go for the i5 version. The i7 does not offer much extra. Buy a Samsung 830 128gb second SSD drive for the 100 bucks, it will make the Mini a totally awesome machine.

[phr0ze]

Originally Posted by luke71933

Also how can i put win 7 on the vm ?Because i have win xp full version and win 7 upgrade to ultimate and they are on cd's and mac mini don't have optical drive.

I have a 2011 Air. It doesn't lag running all those things. BTW: I recommend Parallels. Virtualbox is what I swore by, and I didn't get why someone would need something different. But parallels fully integrates into MacOSX in ways Virtualbox can not.

Finally you have 2 choices for the disks. 1. The Mac will let you use the PC's CD drive over the network as if it were a local drive. 2. You can rip the ISO from the CDs and copy them to the Mac. VirtualBox and Parallels can read those ISO's as if they were actual CDs.

[MaggieNoodle]

Buy the PC.

You can get much, much more powerful PCs for much cheaper than its Mac counterpart.
If you're programming, there are many more applications for that on a PC than on a Mac and if you end up game programming, well most likely that game won't run on the Mac.

If you buy a Mac mini, well you'll need a monitor, and thats about $100 for a decent one. ($1000 for an Apple monitor )




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