Which would you buy --- 2012 i7 mini or 2011 refurb i7 iMac?

HF7035 · Nov 13, 2012, 07:57 PM

All - I am in the market for my first Mac and need advice. I will be digitizing some VHS tapes, editing them, and then rendering them to DVDs. Guy at Apple store suggsted i get handbrake and then use imovie to begin with. Everything else I do is standard stuff other than I usually have lots of browser sessions, some word docs, etc open. I also expect to install either VMFusion or parallels for some carryover MSFT programs that will not run on Mac.

I am looking at a new Mac mini 2.3 i7 with a fusion drive. With my company discount, it comes to $1,004 excluding the cost of a new 23 or 24 inch monitor and a DVD read/write drive although I know it's cheap. I do not own a track pad either. I do little if any gaming. My office cannot accommodate the 27 inch screen so please do not suggest that as an alternative.

Alternatively, for $1229, I can buy the following:
Refurbished iMac 21.5-inch 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

Originally released May 2011
21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics with 512MB memory 
Built-in FaceTime HD camera

In both cases, I will upgrade the RAM to either 10 or 16 gb. Cost wise, it looks like they are very close, with the iMac possibly being cheaper.

If it helps any, I believe Apple just Implemented their holiday purchase policy so I have until the first week of January to try out whatever I buy.

Spink10 · Nov 13, 2012, 08:07 PM

Mac Mini

Are you aware the iMacs are being refreshed Mid-November / December?

HF7035 · Nov 13, 2012, 08:13 PM

Thank you and yes I am. The cost of a new iMac with an i7 is far more than I wish to spend. I would not even consider a fusion drive either as I believe the cost of an i7 with a fusion drive would be in the $1600-$1700 range or higher even when accounting for my company discount.

I do believe I should get an i7 because of its hyper threading although I don't actually know if I will need it but bett safe than sorry.

Dduval · Nov 13, 2012, 08:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HF7035

All - I am in the market for my first Mac and need advice. I will be digitizing some VHS tapes, editing them, and then rendering them to DVDs. Guy at Apple store suggsted i get handbrake and then use imovie to begin with. Everything else I do is standard stuff other than I usually have lots of browser sessions, some word docs, etc open. I also expect to install either VMFusion or parallels for some carryover MSFT programs that will not run on Mac.

I am looking at a new Mac mini 2.3 i7 with a fusion drive. With my company discount, it comes to $1,004 excluding the cost of a new 23 or 24 inch monitor and a DVD read/write drive although I know it's cheap. I do not own a track pad either. I do little if any gaming. My office cannot accommodate the 27 inch screen so please do not suggest that as an alternative.

Alternatively, for $1229, I can buy the following:
Refurbished iMac 21.5-inch 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program

Originally released May 2011
21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display
4GB memory
1TB hard drive
8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics with 512MB memory 
Built-in FaceTime HD camera

In both cases, I will upgrade the RAM to either 10 or 16 gb. Cost wise, it looks like they are very close, with the iMac possibly being cheaper.

If it helps any, I believe Apple just Implemented their holiday purchase policy so I have until the first week of January to try out whatever I buy.

I was kinda in the same position as you. I went with the mini just due to upgradability...

k.alexander · Nov 13, 2012, 08:39 PM

I was in the same boat except that I was looking at the base 2011 21.5 i5 iMac. I am still trying to decide and I'm testing the 2.3 mini, but so far it is very impressive to me. I will primarily be using it for photography, Aperture/Photoshop, and regular computer usage. I've chosen the mini, without the fusion Drive, over the 2011 refurbished i5 21.5" iMac.

It's a tough call especially bc I still needed the kb and the trackpad.
Upgradeability of the mini was a large factor in its favor. Also reading a lot re iMac's reliability kind of scared me.

HF7035 · Nov 13, 2012, 08:41 PM

Thanks. What have you read about reliability on the iMac that concerned you?

For what it's worth, I am buying AppleCare+ as it is only an extra $119 through my company.

k.alexander · Nov 13, 2012, 11:35 PM

If you read the forums, seems to be lots of people who've had their iMacs fail and then need to be repaired. Be it HD failure, motherboard, or burn-ins on the screen. If you're buying AppleCare and only plan on keeping the computer for 3 years, that's fine. I kept my last MBP for 6.5+ yrs, never planned on it, but it lasted me that long. Number of people talking about their iMacs failing and needing repair both in the first few yrs and then after the 3 yr mark. Seems like they overheat and that causes failure of various parts. Even one or two individuals who claim to work for Apple repair, say that the iMac is the model see in most for service.
Then again, you probably shouldn't go by what people write on forums where they mostly come to complain about something.

Nov 13, 2012, 07:57 PM	#1
HF7035 macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	Which would you buy --- 2012 i7 mini or 2011 refurb i7 iMac? All - I am in the market for my first Mac and need advice. I will be digitizing some VHS tapes, editing them, and then rendering them to DVDs. Guy at Apple store suggsted i get handbrake and then use imovie to begin with. Everything else I do is standard stuff other than I usually have lots of browser sessions, some word docs, etc open. I also expect to install either VMFusion or parallels for some carryover MSFT programs that will not run on Mac. I am looking at a new Mac mini 2.3 i7 with a fusion drive. With my company discount, it comes to $1,004 excluding the cost of a new 23 or 24 inch monitor and a DVD read/write drive although I know it's cheap. I do not own a track pad either. I do little if any gaming. My office cannot accommodate the 27 inch screen so please do not suggest that as an alternative. Alternatively, for $1229, I can buy the following: Refurbished iMac 21.5-inch 2.8GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 Eligible for OS X Mountain Lion Up-to-Date Program Originally released May 2011 21.5-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen display 4GB memory 1TB hard drive 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW) AMD Radeon HD 6770M graphics with 512MB memory  Built-in FaceTime HD camera In both cases, I will upgrade the RAM to either 10 or 16 gb. Cost wise, it looks like they are very close, with the iMac possibly being cheaper. If it helps any, I believe Apple just Implemented their holiday purchase policy so I have until the first week of January to try out whatever I buy.
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Nov 13, 2012, 08:07 PM	#2
Spink10 macrumors 68020 Join Date: Nov 2011	Mac Mini Are you aware the iMacs are being refreshed Mid-November / December?
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Nov 13, 2012, 08:13 PM	#3
HF7035 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	Thank you and yes I am. The cost of a new iMac with an i7 is far more than I wish to spend. I would not even consider a fusion drive either as I believe the cost of an i7 with a fusion drive would be in the $1600-$1700 range or higher even when accounting for my company discount. I do believe I should get an i7 because of its hyper threading although I don't actually know if I will need it but bett safe than sorry.
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Nov 13, 2012, 08:39 PM	#5
k.alexander macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2010	I was in the same boat except that I was looking at the base 2011 21.5 i5 iMac. I am still trying to decide and I'm testing the 2.3 mini, but so far it is very impressive to me. I will primarily be using it for photography, Aperture/Photoshop, and regular computer usage. I've chosen the mini, without the fusion Drive, over the 2011 refurbished i5 21.5" iMac. It's a tough call especially bc I still needed the kb and the trackpad. Upgradeability of the mini was a large factor in its favor. Also reading a lot re iMac's reliability kind of scared me.
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Nov 13, 2012, 08:41 PM	#6
HF7035 Thread Starter macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2012	Thanks. What have you read about reliability on the iMac that concerned you? For what it's worth, I am buying AppleCare+ as it is only an extra $119 through my company.
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Nov 13, 2012, 11:35 PM	#7
k.alexander macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2010	If you read the forums, seems to be lots of people who've had their iMacs fail and then need to be repaired. Be it HD failure, motherboard, or burn-ins on the screen. If you're buying AppleCare and only plan on keeping the computer for 3 years, that's fine. I kept my last MBP for 6.5+ yrs, never planned on it, but it lasted me that long. Number of people talking about their iMacs failing and needing repair both in the first few yrs and then after the 3 yr mark. Seems like they overheat and that causes failure of various parts. Even one or two individuals who claim to work for Apple repair, say that the iMac is the model see in most for service. Then again, you probably shouldn't go by what people write on forums where they mostly come to complain about something.
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