So I've been drooling over any new Mac as I'm still running on a 2001 G4. My budget is in the $1000 range, and I've almost decided on a Mac Mini Server. I like that it's a Quad-Core, I can bump the RAM to 8Gigs for $50, or 16Gigs later down the line, and if I retire it in a little while, I can use it to watch movies, play Roms, and other stuff on my TV.
I looked into the iMac line, and while I'd end up spending about the same (roughly $1200 for a base iMac w/ AppleCare), I feel like I'll end up getting more use out of the Mini Server over the iMac. The Air is not enough power, the MacBooks are too expensive for what I'm getting and I don't need the portability, and the Mac Pros are way out of my range.
My main concern overall is staying within my rough budget (I'd love to drop $2k but, not going to happen), and getting something with longevity.
I don't do a lot of heavy work at home anymore, but I do need something to at least run Photoshop and the rest of the Adobe Suite, in the rare occasion I work from home or have small projects of my own, or even just to keep up my resume and that sort of thing.
The extra curricular are minimal, I don't play new games or anything, though I'd like to be able to give it a shot, not high on my priority list. I'll watch movies, download, use iTunes, and once in a while fire up some audio recording software or something similar.
My one major worry is the Graphics chip on the Mini Server, will that be able to last for a few years? Is there something I might be missing?
Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.
I looked into the iMac line, and while I'd end up spending about the same (roughly $1200 for a base iMac w/ AppleCare), I feel like I'll end up getting more use out of the Mini Server over the iMac. The Air is not enough power, the MacBooks are too expensive for what I'm getting and I don't need the portability, and the Mac Pros are way out of my range.
My main concern overall is staying within my rough budget (I'd love to drop $2k but, not going to happen), and getting something with longevity.
I don't do a lot of heavy work at home anymore, but I do need something to at least run Photoshop and the rest of the Adobe Suite, in the rare occasion I work from home or have small projects of my own, or even just to keep up my resume and that sort of thing.
The extra curricular are minimal, I don't play new games or anything, though I'd like to be able to give it a shot, not high on my priority list. I'll watch movies, download, use iTunes, and once in a while fire up some audio recording software or something similar.
My one major worry is the Graphics chip on the Mini Server, will that be able to last for a few years? Is there something I might be missing?
Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated.