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Cheapest possible solution with 10.5?

S

sebb630

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 5, 2009
17
0
Hey everyone

I'm new here and I want to introduce me to Macs. (I bought an iPhone 3G in July)

I want to do things I can't do with my PC like iWork, iLife, PhotoBooth, etc...

So my question is :

I want to buy a Mac (I already have the monitor, keyboard and mouse), the cheapest possible way, who can run 10.5. I ask the question because I don't know if I need 1,2,4Gb? Old Intel IGP or NVidia? C2D 1,8 or 2? I want decent performances (but still the cheapest possible way)

I live in Canada (Canada Apple Store don't have a lot of interesting refurbs), the generation of the mac is not really important (I can live with an old-gen mini or imac or macbook).

You can ask me questions if you want, I will try to respond as best as I can for precise my needs.

Thanks a lot

Sebastien


EDIT : I started to make some researches, and what I found is the newgen Mac Mini (3-3-9), base model, with a 2Gb upgrade... is this the cheapest way to get a Mac with decent performances?
 
You can get something cheaper, but I say go with the just released MacMini.

It will have all the software you're looking for that an older model may not have (Leopard, the newest iLife, etc) and it will give you a better user experience, as well.
 
I started to make some researches, and what I found is the newgen Mac Mini (3-3-9), base model, with a 2Gb upgrade.

Does the 2Gb upgrade worth the cost? Does 1Gb is enough??
 
Buy the RAM from another dealer, not Apple. Apple overcharges for the RAM upgrades.
 
Duff-Man says.....if it is within your budget then just get the new mini - it'll do the trick and give you more good years of service (and perhaps future OS upgradeability). Another alternative may be to check your local "for sale" places like craigslist (with the usual 'be careful' caveats!)....oh yeah!
 
Fine! Thanks for all the advices! That's really appreciated!

I'll probably go for the new Mac Mini, base model, with 1Gb of RAM.

If I see slow speeds or anything like that, I'll look for 2Gb (or 4 in the future?) upgrade, I'm okay to open those little beasts (I had one at school!).

Another question : if I decide to buy the RAM from another dealer, should I look for a specific brand/MHZ/latency/anything else of memory?
 
1GB will be enough to run the stuff you mention comfortably, but you'll appreciate 2GB a lot more (especially since it will boost your VRAM, too).

And as was mentioned earlier, the Mini's not the easiest machine Apple makes for self-installed RAM upgrades, so make sure you buy it pre-installed if you don't want to open it up yourself.

But yes, the consensus is the new MacMini with 2GB of RAM should do you well and not break the bank.
 
Unspeaked said:
Most people seem to be happy with the cheapest stuff Newegg offers, which seems to be Corsair.
Click to expand...

DDR2 800 is the thing to buy?

Another question (lol) : is Online Apple Store the best place to buy? I looked at some local stores (like Best Buy, etc... I don't have an Apple Store in my city) and they sell it way higher (and they don't have the new macs too!)
 
sebb630 said:
DDR2 800 is the thing to buy?

Another question (lol) : is Online Apple Store the best place to buy? I looked at some local stores (like Best Buy, etc... I don't have an Apple Store in my city) and they sell it way higher (and they don't have the new macs too!)
Click to expand...

You want 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM if it's the brand new Mini you're buying.

Apple is probably your best bet for a brand new release, since it will be a while before anyone else has it.

Sometimes, Amazon has rebates or places like MacMall or MacConnection will throw in free RAM, however.
 
Okay, I looked at MacMall and MacConnection, today they have similar price as Apple Store.

I found (I think) a store, CDW, who sell the base mini with the 2gb upgrade for the same price as the base without the memory (729$ CAN), but I pay shipping, and I don't pay shipping at Apple store.

Also, this shop is weird as I can't make a total price before adding my credit card number... I want to know if they charge PST (I don't know this info with Apple Store too)!
 
BTW... what's the difference within MB463LL/A and MB463C/A? Only the language? Don't they come with English AND french pre-installed???
 
????

I was wondering if you could put 2-2gbs of ram in the new mini.
And about the ram, newegg.com has 2gb crucial sticks for $23 in the DDR3.
Make sure you are getting notebook, not desktop ram. I have literally
Read 25-50 perfect crucial reviews. I just put 4gb in my MB Alu and it's so much faster while using VM.Fusion.
My best bet would be wait till you can get one as a refurb. If I would of waited 2 months. I could have gotten the MBP instead of MB. Either way you can get really addicted to this stuff
 
Mac Mini is NB Ram (Sodimm?) DDR3 1066??

And if I buy a french system, can I put it in english? And vice-versa?
 
Finally, after 2 months of hesitating and searching, I bought my FIRST MAC!

Mac Mini 03-03-09, base model, with a 2Gb upgrade from newegg (for a total of 3Gb), with iWork.

Thanks for all of your advices, and I'm really happy to be a new mac!!!

I ordered it yesterday and waiting for it! I'm really happy!
 
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