Okay, Mac fans, Id like to get your opinions on the purchase of my first Mac, which I hope will take place in the next couple of weeks.
First, a bit of information on my current situation. My current PC is self-built, and its short list of specs are as follows:
Two-thirds of the time, I use it for surfing the Net, e-mail, word processing, iTunes, the usual. These functions could be handled easily by a refurb, but I want Leopard from the get-go, so Im willing to pay for a new machine.
However, I spend that other third in Cakewalk SONAR 5 Producer, a digital audio application similar in power and function to Logic Pro.
Im not a serious gamer by any means; Id rather hear the boom of a 909 than the boom of a HeadShot.
Thus, video specs are not highly important.
NOW heres where your opinions come in. Should I
(1) opt for a high-end Mac mini OR
(2) go for a low-end iMac?
The 24 iMac and the Mac Pro series are out of my budget range at this point, unfortunately.
Im seriously considering running (the Windows-only) Cakewalk in Bootcamp in either case, as I have several music projects and a good bit of money already invested in Cakewalk and will not replace it with Logic. Is the Mac mini as fast as my current PC, with the obvious exception of hard drive speed? If not, I may have to get the iMac, as I need the processing power for the virtual synthesizers and effects.
If you thinkor know from experiencethat running Cakewalk in Bootcamp is not a good idea, let me know, for that makes the choice much easier. Honest opinions from musicians are definitely welcome in this case, as are those from all.
Sarcastic remarks? Well, if you make them witty enough, I guess theyre OK too.
First, a bit of information on my current situation. My current PC is self-built, and its short list of specs are as follows:
- AMD Athlon 64 3500+ on Gigabyte K9 series motherboard (400MHz bus)
- 1 GB RAM
- ATI Radeon X300SE PCIe video card (Sapphire)
- Two 80 GB 7200 rpm SATA hard drives (Western Digital)
- Windows XP SP2
Two-thirds of the time, I use it for surfing the Net, e-mail, word processing, iTunes, the usual. These functions could be handled easily by a refurb, but I want Leopard from the get-go, so Im willing to pay for a new machine.
However, I spend that other third in Cakewalk SONAR 5 Producer, a digital audio application similar in power and function to Logic Pro.
Im not a serious gamer by any means; Id rather hear the boom of a 909 than the boom of a HeadShot.
Thus, video specs are not highly important.NOW heres where your opinions come in. Should I
(1) opt for a high-end Mac mini OR
(2) go for a low-end iMac?
The 24 iMac and the Mac Pro series are out of my budget range at this point, unfortunately.
Im seriously considering running (the Windows-only) Cakewalk in Bootcamp in either case, as I have several music projects and a good bit of money already invested in Cakewalk and will not replace it with Logic. Is the Mac mini as fast as my current PC, with the obvious exception of hard drive speed? If not, I may have to get the iMac, as I need the processing power for the virtual synthesizers and effects.
If you thinkor know from experiencethat running Cakewalk in Bootcamp is not a good idea, let me know, for that makes the choice much easier. Honest opinions from musicians are definitely welcome in this case, as are those from all.
Sarcastic remarks? Well, if you make them witty enough, I guess theyre OK too.
