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I wanted an iMac but, would up with Mini

grayskyz

grayskyz

macrumors regular
Original poster
Nov 21, 2008
210
144
Los Angeles
I couldn't live with the yellow screen considering I make my living as a photographer and high end retoucher. So I went for the Mini Server. I did a RAID 1 format and ordered 8GB of ram. I'll have a drobo for backup eventually and with my 30" screen, that will suit me just fine for now. Why apple won't give us a mini tower is beyond me.

C.
 
grayskyz said:
I couldn't live with the yellow screen considering I make my living as a photographer and high end retoucher. So I went for the Mini Server. I did a RAID 1 format and ordered 8GB of ram. I'll have a drobo for backup eventually and with my 30" screen, that will suit me just fine for now. Why apple won't give us a mini tower is beyond me.

C.
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Hey, at least you didn't end up in the PC land! There is hope!

Tom B.
 
grayskyz said:
I couldn't live with the yellow screen considering I make my living as a photographer and high end retoucher. So I went for the Mini Server. I did a RAID 1 format and ordered 8GB of ram. I'll have a drobo for backup eventually and with my 30" screen, that will suit me just fine for now. Why apple won't give us a mini tower is beyond me.

C.
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You did see that there is a 3 week wait on 27" imacs -- hopefully this is because they are getting fixed...

I would have gone with a 21" iMac w/ATI 4670 + 30" display.

$1399 for the iMac + $100 for 4 gigs ram (to boost it to 8) with 1TB drive, dedicated 256 meg Radeon 4670 = $1500

mini server for $999 + $450 for 8 gigs ram + $$ for a keyboard/mouse = $1500...

You have a drobo or your are going to buy one? lots of very mixed reviews on the several Mac boards I visit. Most not as happy as they would like to be.

There are a lot of other options for RAID 5 backups, or even simple 2 drive backups (which might be all that you need) that are far less $$$.
 
Badger^2 said:
hopefully this is because they are getting fixed
Click to expand...


No. It's because iLife 2010 isn't announced until next week so they couldn't ship the iMacs that are now being fitted with it until they were sure they would not arrive with owners before the announcement date.
 
Badger^2 said:
You did see that there is a 3 week wait on 27" imacs -- hopefully this is because they are getting fixed...

I would have gone with a 21" iMac w/ATI 4670 + 30" display.

$1499 for the iMac + $100 for 4 gigs ram (to boost it to 8) with 1TB drive, dedicated 256 meg Radeon 4670 = $1600

mini server for $999 + $450 for 8 gigs ram + TWO 500GB drives $$ for a keyboard/mouse + ability to use any monitor = $1500...
Click to expand...

Why is this forum based on "don't buy that, you could get something much better for the same price." To me, if your happy with what you have, there is no need to get something "better" for the same price.
 
Sir Cecil said:
No. It's because iLife 2010 isn't announced until next week so they couldn't ship the iMacs that are now being fitted with it until they were sure they would not arrive with owners before the announcement date.
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I 100% do not believe that is the reason for the delay. They have never, ever done that before.

$1399: http://www.macconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=10684961&cac=Result

Apologies, I thought I was posting in the "buying tips, advice.." forum.
 
I have a mini and an i7 iMac. The mini can't TOUCH the iMac in terms of speed, and my screen is great so far. I'm also a pro photographer, and I'm VERY happy with my iMac so far. :)
 
WilliamG said:
I have a mini and an i7 iMac. The mini can't TOUCH the iMac in terms of speed, and my screen is great so far. I'm also a pro photographer, and I'm VERY happy with my iMac so far. :)
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If I may retort...you are comparing this year's iMac to last year's Mac Mini. When the new Mini's are released in the spring (Core i5) the gap in terms of performance will be lessened.

As for the iMac itself, many folks don't care for the idea of having their computer tied to their monitor. When the monitor dies the idea of sending my data off site so the display can be repaired/replaced is inconceivable if you give a damn about your data and passwords. This is why I would never consider picking up an iMac (as sexy as they appear). The Mini is a beautifully simple machine that more than gets the job done while not being locked to the display.
 
belltree said:
If I may retort...you are comparing this year's iMac to last year's Mac Mini. When the new Mini's are released in the spring (Core i5) the gap in terms of performance will be lessened.

As for the iMac itself, many folks don't care for the idea of having their computer tied to their monitor. When the monitor dies the idea of sending my data off site so the display can be repaired/replaced is inconceivable if you give a damn about your data and passwords. This is why I would never consider picking up an iMac (as sexy as they appear). The Mini is a beautifully simple machine that more than gets the job done while not being locked to the display.
Click to expand...

If I may refute, I'm comparing the Mac mini that exists right now to the iMac that exists right now. Isn't that.... fair? And if my iMac ever developed a problem, it's very easy to back-up my data (Time Machine etc) and wipe the drive, or even remove the drive if you know what you're doing.
 
WilliamG said:
If I may refute, I'm comparing the Mac mini that exists right now to the iMac that exists right now. Isn't that.... fair?
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Not when the release time of the Mini is always lagged behind the iMac. But I see your point as you are comparing what can be purchased today. Let's have a follow up in ~3-4 months (fingers crossed). ;)
 
belltree said:
Not when the release time of the Mini is always lagged behind the iMac. But I see your point as you are comparing what can be purchased today. Let's have a follow up in ~3-4 months (fingers crossed). ;)
Click to expand...

Nobody knows what Apple will release. 3-4 months is an age away. However, if a nice i5 mini came out, I'd have to upgrade because I have no self control. :)
 
Sir Cecil said:
No. It's because iLife 2010 isn't announced until next week so they couldn't ship the iMacs that are now being fitted with it until they were sure they would not arrive with owners before the announcement date.
Click to expand...

I don't think so... if true, wouldn't the same delay apply to all models of Macs?
 
If in fact in the next 3 months they release a i5 Mac Mini or should make the imac 27" with a perfect screen, I think I could sell my server for a and my 30" for pretty hefty price and still get the 27". My 30" Cinema Display has great color reproduction and is calibrated to my printer and scanner and I get great results.

Secondly, I know the 27" iMac is considerably faster. That's why I wanted it! I noticed that my cinema display 24" also has some color issues with yellow on the bottom 1/3 of the screen. It's very easy to see. So, I lost my faith on the 21.5" screen not having that same condition.

WilliamG, Do you find yourself distracted in the yellow areas at all when adjusting skin tones or retouching at all? I noticed this on my 24", just curious.

C.
 
grayskyz said:
If in fact in the next 3 months they release a i5 Mac Mini or should make the imac 27" with a perfect screen, I think I could sell my server for a and my 30" for pretty hefty price and still get the 27". My 30" Cinema Display has great color reproduction and is calibrated to my printer and scanner and I get great results.

Secondly, I know the 27" iMac is considerably faster. That's why I wanted it! I noticed that my cinema display 24" also has some color issues with yellow on the bottom 1/3 of the screen. It's very easy to see. So, I lost my faith on the 21.5" screen not having that same condition.

WilliamG, Do you find yourself distracted in the yellow areas at all when adjusting skin tones or retouching at all? I noticed this on my 24", just curious.

C.
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Not in the slightest. Nobody except me would EVER notice the very slight tinge toward the bottom of the screen, and a lot of it is just a variance with viewing angle, as when I tilt the screen up the yellowing is 99.9% gone. (I'm quite tall at 6;5", so the bottom of the screen is me looking down a bit at it anyway).

I can say my screen is awesome, because it is. I wouldn't worry about what the fearmongers say here, because you're more likely to complain than praise on any forum.
 
WilliamG, thanks for the reply. I'm not set on the mini server although I did buy it already, I can always return it within the next 8 or so days. I'm going to run my usual batches and see how it stacks up with the 4GB of ram it has now.

C.
 
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