Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iMac G5 20" or Mac Mini 1.42Ghz? Based Visually!
- Thread starter Apple!Freak
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
nice design yes, but price?
Sure the Mac mini + cinema display looks nice, but you'd have to be mad to buy it instead of an iMac. Similarly equip a Mac mini and an iMac and the iMac turns out to be much more affordable.
Mac mini + 17" cinema
Display -- $999
1.42 GhZ G4 Mac Mini + superdrive, BT, AE, wireless KB, mouse -- $927
1 Gig Crucial memory -- $227
Total cost: $2153
iMac 1.8 Ghz G5, 17" display + AE + Wireless kb, mouse, BT bundle -- $1677
1 Gig Crucial memory -- $252 (and can be ADDED to memory, not swapped)
Total cost: $1924
So ... with the iMac you get a G5 processor, much better graphics card and 256 mb more internal memory for $229 less. Unless you're willing to give up the Superdrive (bad idea), bluetooth (another bad idea ... the Mac mini needs those extra USB slots), Airport Extreme (I've already invested in 3 hubs) and are willling to live with whatever crappy monitor, KB and mouse you might have lying around, the mini isn't cheap.
By the way, adding memory to the iMac is a snap, anyone can do it at home. The mini? Apple won't void your warranty ... if you do it right. Want to take that chance?
Sure the Mac mini + cinema display looks nice, but you'd have to be mad to buy it instead of an iMac. Similarly equip a Mac mini and an iMac and the iMac turns out to be much more affordable.
Mac mini + 17" cinema
Display -- $999
1.42 GhZ G4 Mac Mini + superdrive, BT, AE, wireless KB, mouse -- $927
1 Gig Crucial memory -- $227
Total cost: $2153
iMac 1.8 Ghz G5, 17" display + AE + Wireless kb, mouse, BT bundle -- $1677
1 Gig Crucial memory -- $252 (and can be ADDED to memory, not swapped)
Total cost: $1924
So ... with the iMac you get a G5 processor, much better graphics card and 256 mb more internal memory for $229 less. Unless you're willing to give up the Superdrive (bad idea), bluetooth (another bad idea ... the Mac mini needs those extra USB slots), Airport Extreme (I've already invested in 3 hubs) and are willling to live with whatever crappy monitor, KB and mouse you might have lying around, the mini isn't cheap.
By the way, adding memory to the iMac is a snap, anyone can do it at home. The mini? Apple won't void your warranty ... if you do it right. Want to take that chance?
zelmo
macrumors 603
chicagdan said:
Agree with what you say as far as it goes, but I'll add one thought:
In two more years, when I want to upgrade my computer again, I can just get a new Mac mini instead of having to buy either a new AIO, or a monitor and computer. Sure, the iMac is cheaper this time out, but going with the mini and CD today pays off the next time you upgrade. (assuming, of course, that Apple's product line-up in 2 years' time remains generally similar to today's)
Passante
macrumors 6502a
chicagdan said:
I disagree but I guess it all depends on how long you plan to or are willing to hang onto your computer.
I look at the display as being a long term investment that will span at least two cpu upgrades. For me that is about 8 years time. I'd rather spend the money on an Apple Display (thank you for the price cuts) or even the Dell 20 inch wide screen. I can see buying the entry level mini and getting a 20 inch display. In 4 years I would upgrade to the revision C mini which by that time will be dual core G4 or maybe a G5 😀.
If I purchased a iMac I think the desire to upgrade in 4 years would be too great and I would bemoan having to replace the CPU AND the monitor. On the other hand my father in law is still happy with his 4 year old CRT iMac.
zelmo
macrumors 603
Passante said:
Agree completely. I bought my iMac G4 in July 2002, and I expect to replace it sometime in 2006. That iMac replaced a G3/266 DT and a Viewsonic 17" CRT, both of which I sold to work. I could have kept the display, I suppose, but I didn't have the space, or a purpose, for it. So, when I next replace my system, the choice is another AIO or buying a new display on top of the computer purchase. I'm hopeful that, by MWSF we'll see a G5 in the mini, which will make my decision easy.
gekko513
macrumors 603
powermac666 said:
Good point. You could run into problems, though. LCD technology is improving very fast these days and with Tiger's dynamic resolution feature we could be looking at displays using more than 72dpi in a couple of years making you want to upgrade your monitor as well.
Here are the reasons why I still think it's cheaper, long term, to go with the iMac:
1) Apple has a major incentive to keep the iMac one processor generation ahead of the mini at all times ... they need to maintain the value of their high margin products. So you will never be able to buy a mini on par with an iMac, if that holds up.
2) As noted above, the cost of displays has been dropping rapidly while the quality improves rapidly. That 8 year investment in an Apple monitor will depreciate absurdly fast, perhaps even faster than the typical depreciation on a CPU.
3) You're buying less for more up front and that is never a good investment, especially when it involves technology.
Now, if you were planning to jump to a PowerMac once they go to G6 and see the Mac mini as an acceptable compromise now that will allow you to pay for a high quality monitor in a small chunk instead of as part of a huge outlay later, I can see that. But planning for generations of Mac minis seems foolish to me.
1) Apple has a major incentive to keep the iMac one processor generation ahead of the mini at all times ... they need to maintain the value of their high margin products. So you will never be able to buy a mini on par with an iMac, if that holds up.
2) As noted above, the cost of displays has been dropping rapidly while the quality improves rapidly. That 8 year investment in an Apple monitor will depreciate absurdly fast, perhaps even faster than the typical depreciation on a CPU.
3) You're buying less for more up front and that is never a good investment, especially when it involves technology.
Now, if you were planning to jump to a PowerMac once they go to G6 and see the Mac mini as an acceptable compromise now that will allow you to pay for a high quality monitor in a small chunk instead of as part of a huge outlay later, I can see that. But planning for generations of Mac minis seems foolish to me.
stevietheb
macrumors 6502a
Quick 2 cents...
Visually...the mac mini would win if you had a 30" display...hehe...
Overall aesthetic, however, the iMac is very pleasing. I'm especially a fan of the 17", the 20" just looked a little too huge and clunky (both on the desk and in the wallet...)
Visually...the mac mini would win if you had a 30" display...hehe...
Overall aesthetic, however, the iMac is very pleasing. I'm especially a fan of the 17", the 20" just looked a little too huge and clunky (both on the desk and in the wallet...)
stevietheb said:
I had the opposite reaction when I saw the two iMacs up close. I thought the 20" was just perfect for the enclosure while the 17" was overwhelmed by the white space. And so I bought the 20.
Still, I think the G4 iMac is my favorite because of the telescoping arm. The way I used my G4, I would pull the screen forward so it looked like it was floating in space. I could sit at that screen and write for hours, making minor adjustments to the screen angle to compensate with every chair shift I needed to make. My G5 iMac, while spectacular overall, doesn't have the same freedom of movement with the display.
When you write tens of thousands of words a day, you miss the posture freedom the old iMac provided. I believe there is a way to mount either the studio display or the iMac so it can float in space. I might have to look into it.
stevietheb
macrumors 6502a
Different strokes! For us, I think it was more about the desk space. Our desk isn't terribly large, so the 20" really seemed to overwhelm it...Thus, it felt clunky...Don't get me wrong! If someone gave me a 20" iMac, I would certainly keep it. I LOVE THE NEW iMAC!
That being said, while the iMac G5 looks better overall, in my opinion, the swivel arm on the G4 was just too cool. Unfortunately, the actual computer case on the G4 was soooo 1997...hehe
That being said, while the iMac G5 looks better overall, in my opinion, the swivel arm on the G4 was just too cool. Unfortunately, the actual computer case on the G4 was soooo 1997...hehe
It's so the 2nd pic. I don't like the plastic look of the iMac G5. But you know, if the choice was between Mac Mini and iMac G4, it would be totally iMac G4 all the way. Because, as everyone knows, the iMac G$ is the best computer ever built (or is it build, stupid English?). It's stunningly beautiful and practical at the very same time.
stevietheb said:
That's true, but the way I used the old iMac, I rarely ever saw the computer case. I think Apple marketed the computer poorly, always showing the monitor straight up over the case. I don't think most people used it that way.
You can never get too attached to the design of your Mac because there's guaranteed to be a new model two years down the road that makes the last one look like a relic. How would you like to buy a cinema display today only for the G6 PowerMac to come out in an entirely new enclosure that looks ridicuous with it? That's pretty much what happened with the last generation of flat panels and the G5 PM.
I'm still not sold on the iMac G5. I really agreed with Steve back in 2001 when he said you shouldn't slap all the guts on the back of an LCD. Is it a "flat" screen anymore?
I understand the engineering feats that went in to getting a G5 in that small an enclousre but when you see it in person compared to a cinema display it seems bluky. And I know that's because the whole computer is in there!
I have an iMac G4 and I just love the flatness of the LCD. The cinema displays are closer to that.
I understand the engineering feats that went in to getting a G5 in that small an enclousre but when you see it in person compared to a cinema display it seems bluky. And I know that's because the whole computer is in there!
I have an iMac G4 and I just love the flatness of the LCD. The cinema displays are closer to that.
I have an older display and a G5 on this desk right now, and I don't think they look so bad together. They don't match, but they don't clash exactly. Actually, the screen matches the icky white keyboard and white mouse, so the G5 is definitely the odd one out. (*awaits aluminum keyboard and mouse from Apple* 😀)
Anyway, I vote for B. I could just marry those new displays, really.
QCassidy352
macrumors G5
honestly, I think the mini + display setup looks much nicer, but if you're spending that kind of money, get the imac.
