$300. Mac mini?

[noodile]

I wanna get my mom a used computer. I was thinking a mac mini. Used.

She really doesn't do much the requires a ton of hardware. so basically she needs a Facebook machine, and hopefully possibly an upgradeable HD cause she loves her pictures / into photography. So I'll need to get her a 500gb or 1tb HDD later on.


So is it possibly to get a Mac for under 300. and if so, what gen should i be looking at?

 

[Lil Chillbil]

I wanna get my mom a used computer. I was thinking a mac mini. Used.

She really doesn't do much the requires a ton of hardware. so basically she needs a Facebook machine, and hopefully possibly an upgradeable HD cause she loves her pictures / into photography. So I'll need to get her a 500gb or 1tb HDD later on.


So is it possibly to get a Mac for under 300. and if so, what gen should i be looking at?

your looking at a late 2008 core 2 duo mac mini with about a gig of ram for your price range, pretty decent little machine

 

[noodile]

your looking at a late 2008 core 2 duo mac mini with about a gig of ram for your price range, pretty decent little machine

Thanks man. appreciate it.

 

[glenthompson]

I've seen Minis with upgraded hard drives for that price. Otherwise you'll have to get one cheaper with a smaller drive and upgrade it. Consider the age if you want to run Mountain Lion. Some of the earlier C2D models won't run ML.

 

[noodile]

Well, thanks alot guys. I;ve been checking ebay, and it seems like late 09 will be the best like you guys said. now i wait for a good deal

 

[jg321]

If you can find someone to get you a student discount then the current base mini won't be much more than that, will be quicker and have warranty etc. This is what I plan on doing if/when the Haswell ones come out!

 

[COrocket]

If you can find someone to get you a student discount then the current base mini won't be much more than that, will be quicker and have warranty etc. This is what I plan on doing if/when the Haswell ones come out!

Student discount is pretty measly, around $20 (at least in the USA). People would be better off finding an online retailer and trying to get one W/O sales tax.

 

[johnnnw]

If you can find someone to get you a student discount then the current base mini won't be much more than that, will be quicker and have warranty etc. This is what I plan on doing if/when the Haswell ones come out!

Student discount will only get him like 50$ off the base 700 dollar model. Not very close to 300.

 

[benwiggy]

Student discount is pretty measly, around $20 (at least in the USA). People would be better off finding an online retailer and trying to get one W/O sales tax.

Really? In the UK, I bought from Apple Education and got 15% off my entire order.

Assuming it's also 15% in the US, that would save you $90 on the base $599 model.

 

[COrocket]

Really? In the UK, I bought from Apple Education and got 15% off my entire order.

Assuming it's also 15% in the US, that would save you $90 on the base $599 model.

Yeah when I bought my mac mini i was surprised. I guess Apple doesn't make as much money on each mini they sell. They offer $100-$200 off their higher end products, but even then its no where near 15%.

 

[jg321]

Really? In the UK, I bought from Apple Education and got 15% off my entire order.

Assuming it's also 15% in the US, that would save you $90 on the base $599 model.

Yeah - this is what I thought too. Did you get a Mini or something else? I got a MBP and 15% off the machine. AppleCare was something insane like 75% off! Got the base model for £900 in the end!

Of course, I'm in the UK. I can also see why the Mini would attract a smaller discount.

 

[GoCubsGo]

your looking at a late 2008 core 2 duo mac mini with about a gig of ram for your price range, pretty decent little machine

Disagree. I've seen early 2009 Minis go for $300. Actually, I think someone on this site sold theirs for $250. I say aim higher than a 2008.

 

[benwiggy]

Yeah - this is what I thought too. Did you get a Mini or something else? I got a MBP and 15% off the machine. AppleCare was something insane like 75% off! Got the base model for £900 in the end!

Of course, I'm in the UK. I can also see why the Mini would attract a smaller discount.

I got around 15% off the top-spec Mini and free AppleCare. I bought a load of peripherals and extra kit, too, and that was all discounted too.

 

[jg321]

I got around 15% off the top-spec Mini and free AppleCare. I bought a load of peripherals and extra kit, too, and that was all discounted too.

Looks like we have a pretty good deal here in the UK then! Apologies to the OP if this is not the case elsewhere!