buy mini while waiting for imac?

[drdeez]

hello

i had a retina macbook pro mid 2012 model that i had upgraded to the max

i7 core 2.7 ghz, 16gb ram, 768gb flash storage, etc

for some reason or another it died on me after only 3 years of usage, i think it was the video card because the computer would boot up and i would hear sounds and stuff, but my screen would be entirely black. the laptop had been shutting down randomly a few months / weeks prior to that

i went to the genius bar and they wanted 1300 to fix it, which i couldn't afford, the thing cost me 3000 to purchase, which now looking back on it was a dumb idea

now going forward, i purchased an hp probook 4530s for like 200$ with the idea of hackingtoshing it, which hasnt really worked out for me. i havent really been able to load into the osx installer, only getting to some split screen thing, anyway that's besides the point

i got my tax return and i was hoping apple would release the new imacs, which of course they are taking their time with.

i have been wanting to go back to osx since my laptop died (sept 2016) because of the way all of my music and pictures and documents are stored etc,

my questions-

is a mac mini the cheapest but best bang / for buck option to buy right now while i wait for new imac? i dont really need a laptop so much anymore, i mainly use the computer for web browsing and stuff, however i do play a single video game (dota 2) and i would like a little bit of power for that. currently on my hp probook i run it in all lowest settings and its still slow.

i have a large TV i was thinking i could just hook my computer up to and i already have a mouse and would just grab a keyboard

what are other better options where i dont have to spend a ton of money while i wait for the new macs?

. i was thinking of just buying a really nice PC and again hackintoshing it, but i really dont want to not be able to install ox on it. , i am becoming rather impatient waiting for apple to release their new product lineup

thanks for the help

 

[Lunder89]

Hackingtosh is never really a good idea, it is not supported, and will bring mostly trouble. (in my experience) So I would advise against it.

Getting a Mac Mini and expecting it to deal with Dota 2 would be a mistake, since its graphics card is in the very low end.

What features are you expecting from the new iMac?
Most rumros concentrate on USB C connection and the latest generation Intel processors, which aren't bringing any dealbreakers. The graphics department might, but I am unsure.

The current iMac is a pretty solid machine. And if USB-C is the only thing you are waiting for, go for a USB C hub.

I own a 27" iMac, and it deals with everything I throw at it.
Specs:
Intel i5 3,2 GHz
16GB Ram
512 GB SSD
AMD Radeon R9 M390

 

[drdeez]

thanks for the response

honestly there's nothing i'm "waiting for" on the new mac, but at the same time i dont wanna dump thousands of dollars on a 2 year old machine, it's more of an OCD thing

i'd rather just wait for the new macs to come out, and it will probably be the only computer i buy for a good while so i'd rather it be newer when i get it rather than older.

interesting to know that the mini isnt that great on the video card, i figured the iris graphics would be able to handle dota 2 just fine.

in that case i'll just keep waiting and getting interest on my tax return!

 

[komatsu]

Hackingtosh is never really a good idea, it is not supported, and will bring mostly trouble. (in my experience) So I would advise against it.

Interesting answer. Don't know much about hackintoshs but typically what are some of the problems you've seen?

 

[theluggage]

in that case i'll just keep waiting and getting interest on my tax return!

...I think that's the best advice. Or, build a time machine, go forward and see if the new iMacs are worth waiting for - or if they're 10% thinner, nothing but TB3 ports, soldered-in RAM and SSD, and ~meh mobile graphics designed not to overheat the beautiful new space grey case, for a magical new higher price.

I think the best bang for buck currently is the 27" iMac (with an SSD) - although its not cheap.

Why not look for a refurbished iMac? You'll get the same spec, with a few hundred bucks off to make up for it not being the latest shiny thing.

If you want to do Hackintosh, the thing to do is build your own desktop using the components recommended by the various hackintosh sites (its not rocket science and its fun). If you don't feel up to doing that it's not for you. Also, you pretty much need a Mac to download your own OSX, a Hackintosh bootloader and build the installation stick: the responsible (& hence reliable) Hackintosh guide sites don't offer pre-built sticks.

 

[Lunder89]

thanks for the response

honestly there's nothing i'm "waiting for" on the new mac, but at the same time i dont wanna dump thousands of dollars on a 2 year old machine, it's more of an OCD thing

i'd rather just wait for the new macs to come out, and it will probably be the only computer i buy for a good while so i'd rather it be newer when i get it rather than older.

interesting to know that the mini isnt that great on the video card, i figured the iris graphics would be able to handle dota 2 just fine.

in that case i'll just keep waiting and getting interest on my tax return!

I just think the wait will be a little long, so far, the rumors about a spring release seems to be just that, rumors.

Apple just released a new beta of Sierra, if someone finds something iMac relevant in it, the wait could be short, but the chances are low.

The iris graphics in it self is not very good, the Iris Pro is the one with all the power

 

[maflynn]

I think overall, you're better off waiting, then buying a mini, just to hold you off until the iMac shows up. Nothing wrong with the Mini but you'll end up losing money in the long run, i.e., buying two computers and never really getting back what you spent on the Mini.

 

[flyinmac]

If the graphics capability is a concern, then make sure you evaluate that aspect on the iMac as well.

 

[drdeez]

I just think the wait will be a little long, so far, the rumors about a spring release seems to be just that, rumors.

Apple just released a new beta of Sierra, if someone finds something iMac relevant in it, the wait could be short, but the chances are low.

The iris graphics in it self is not very good, the Iris Pro is the one with all the power

i'd definitely be getting the 27" which comes with the amd radeon graphics, i think it should be enough to handle dota 2
[doublepost=1489492234][/doublepost]

...I think that's the best advice. Or, build a time machine, go forward and see if the new iMacs are worth waiting for - or if they're 10% thinner, nothing but TB3 ports, soldered-in RAM and SSD, and ~meh mobile graphics designed not to overheat the beautiful new space grey case, for a magical new higher price.

I think the best bang for buck currently is the 27" iMac (with an SSD) - although its not cheap.

Why not look for a refurbished iMac? You'll get the same spec, with a few hundred bucks off to make up for it not being the latest shiny thing.

If you want to do Hackintosh, the thing to do is build your own desktop using the components recommended by the various hackintosh sites (its not rocket science and its fun). If you don't feel up to doing that it's not for you. Also, you pretty much need a Mac to download your own OSX, a Hackintosh bootloader and build the installation stick: the responsible (& hence reliable) Hackintosh guide sites don't offer pre-built sticks.

yea honestly now my trigger finger is itching and i have been looking at the refurbished ones

i was going to do hackintosh with all the parts that were recommended off of the main hackintosh website, but i dont know i just feel like i wouldnt want to dump thousands of dollars into a really nice PC and not be able to run osx on it (similar to what happend with the hp probook i'm currently on )

 

[theluggage]

yea honestly now my trigger finger is itching and i have been looking at the refurbished ones

If dota 2 won't run reasonably on a 27" iMac then somebody wasted their time making a Mac version of it.

The late-2015 27" iMac already has a skylake processor, and the advantages of the next-gen Kaby Lake are negligible.

Any new iMac will probably feature improved graphics with the newer AMD chips, but that's not a big deal for most of your use. Also, how good the graphics are depends on Apple's chosen compromise between power and thickness.

The big selling point of a new iMac is likely to be TB3/USB-C and, as a result of that, the ability to connect a second 5k display with a single cable.

If you get a 2015, there may come a time when you can't connect the latest shiny because of the lack of USB-C or TB3 - but USB 3 is still ubiquitous, is the only connection on many new PCs and isn't going anywhere anytime soon, so I don't think you're going to be struggling for (say) an external disc drive in 2019. If you want Thunderbolt 2 stuff, maybe get it sooner rather than later, as that might start disappearing when Apple no longer sell TB2 machines.

Meanwhile, there have been very few rumours about leaked 2017 iMac parts, or strange machines showing up on website logs so, honestly, I wouldn't hold your breath. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:
Is the MBPro you have a "non-retina" model?
If so, please read on.

Do you have a USB3 enclosure, or a USB3 adpater "dongle" to which you can connect a 2.5" drive?

Why I'm asking:
I would suggest you get one of the above.
Then, open the back of MacBook and remove the internal drive.
(you'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver, go to ifixit.com to see the instructions).
Take the drive OUT of the Macbook, put the back cover on with a few screws. Easy to do.

Next, put the drive into a USB3 enclosure or attach it to a USB3 adapter/dongle.

Now, press the power-on button and hold down the option key until the startup manager appears. Select the external drive with the pointer and hit return.

What happens now?
Does it suddenly boot up (when it wouldn't before)?

If so, the internal hard drive ribbon cable is what's causing your problems.
This is a VERY COMMON FAILURE on 2012 non-retina MBPros.
Easily fixed with a new ribbon cable.
See ifixit.com for the part number.

There's no guarantee that this is the problem, but it could be.
The only way to know is to try what I suggest above.

EDITORIAL follows:
Folks, here's but ONE MORE REASON why a Mac user should always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep a fully bootable cloned backup of the internal drive close-at-hand.
A matter of a couple of minutes to plug it in, attempt a boot, and if successful, to be in a better position to diagnose the problems.

Final thought to OP:
As the saying goes, "if you NEED now, BUY now".
Don't buy a Mini as an "interim" until the iMac gets released -- waste of money.
Since you "need now", BUY one of the current iMacs.
I'd recommend the 27" with the 2tb fusion drive.
DO NOT buy an iMac with only a platter-based HDD or the 1tb fusion drive.
If you do, you're going to be VERY disappointed.

 

[drdeez]

OP:
Is the MBPro you have a "non-retina" model?
If so, please read on.

Do you have a USB3 enclosure, or a USB3 adpater "dongle" to which you can connect a 2.5" drive?

Why I'm asking:
I would suggest you get one of the above.
Then, open the back of MacBook and remove the internal drive.
(you'll need a Phillips #00 driver and a TORX T-6 driver, go to ifixit.com to see the instructions).
Take the drive OUT of the Macbook, put the back cover on with a few screws. Easy to do.

Next, put the drive into a USB3 enclosure or attach it to a USB3 adapter/dongle.

Now, press the power-on button and hold down the option key until the startup manager appears. Select the external drive with the pointer and hit return.

What happens now?
Does it suddenly boot up (when it wouldn't before)?

If so, the internal hard drive ribbon cable is what's causing your problems.
This is a VERY COMMON FAILURE on 2012 non-retina MBPros.
Easily fixed with a new ribbon cable.
See ifixit.com for the part number.

There's no guarantee that this is the problem, but it could be.
The only way to know is to try what I suggest above.

EDITORIAL follows:
Folks, here's but ONE MORE REASON why a Mac user should always, ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep a fully bootable cloned backup of the internal drive close-at-hand.
A matter of a couple of minutes to plug it in, attempt a boot, and if successful, to be in a better position to diagnose the problems.

Final thought to OP:
As the saying goes, "if you NEED now, BUY now".
Don't buy a Mini as an "interim" until the iMac gets released -- waste of money.
Since you "need now", BUY one of the current iMacs.
I'd recommend the 27" with the 2tb fusion drive.
DO NOT buy an iMac with only a platter-based HDD or the 1tb fusion drive.
If you do, you're going to be VERY disappointed.

it was the retina model , i already took out the hard drive and put it into an enclosure, waiting for the new mac to extract / transfer the data

as of this moment it's nto that i "need" a mac or pc, it's more of a "want"

this laptop i have does evryting just fine with the exception of playing dota2

i think i will just wait out for the new model, legend of zelda breath of the wild is doing a really good job of taking up my time

the rest of the stuff i do on the PC is just word processing, pwoerpoint, email, web brwosing etc