iPhone SDK / xCode on MacMini

[EdH]

Hi Folks,

I have not owned a Mac since the original 128k model...the dreams I had back then of someday owning the 512kb 'fat-mac' just never happened :-(. So I am WAAY out of the loop on Mac hardware and performance..

Now that the iPhone SDK is out, I would really like to start writing some apps for it (both freeware and commercial), so I once again need a Mac.

So I was wondering if anyone could comment on the performance (compiling / debugging, etc..) of xCode / iphone SDK on a MacMini or MacBook? I'd really like to start with an inexpensive Mac if possible, just to get my feet wet again, and don't really have the money to spend on a Mac pro right now. Will a MacMini be usable for this type of work, or is going to be frustratingly slow?

All input appreciated!

Thanks,
-Ed

 

[JHKL]

I have a Core Duo 1.66 Mac Mini with 512 MB of RAM, and I don't find XCode or the iPhone SDK to be slow. Builds are generally pretty quick on regular XCode projects, even when they're larger (I haven't done anything too big on the iPhone SDK).

Considering I'm using one model down from the current Mac Minis, I suspect you'll find them more than adequate for your needs .

 

[Eraserhead]

My MacBook CoreDuo 2Ghz with 2GB is fine for developing, I make D&D Manager, with no problems, so either will be fine, it may be worth maxing the RAM though.

 

[EdH]

Thanks for the quick responses!

I assume it is ok (an less expensive route) to go with a MacMini base model, and then upgrade the RAM on my own? Should I go with 2 or 4 gigs?

Thanks again!
-Ed

 

[Eraserhead]

I think upgrading Mac Mini RAM is quite hard, and you are limited to 2GB total by the motherboard. The MacBook can go to 4GB though, and is easy to add RAM to.

 

[EdH]

I think upgrading Mac Mini RAM is quite hard, and you are limited to 2GB total by the motherboard. The MacBook can go to 4GB though, and is easy to add RAM to.

Good to know, thanks! Maybe this will justify the macbook purchase over the macmini

 

[Island Dog]

Replacing the RAM in a Mac Mini isn't that hard. I'm running the SDK on an Intel 1.6ghz with 1.25gb of RAM and there are no problems.

 

[gwerhart0800]

Ed ... you never updated your thread as to what you decided. I was in the same boat. I owned a 128k mac in 1984/5 and used a 3rd party upgrade kit to boost it to 2MB, then abandoned Apple for Unix/Linux/Windows stuff. When the iPhone SDK was announced, I bought a Mac Mini to use as a development box. I added a 22" LCD display and a 2GB Crucial memory upgrade through newegg for ~$269. It works great and is all that I really need for iPhone dev.

Geo

 

[parabol]

Just to try summerize. If buying a mac just for running XCode and SDK, you guys recommend a bout 2gb of ram should be ok(preferably 4gb) and core 2 duo. And a mac mini with these specs should be ok? and preferably running Lion?

 

[gnasher729]

Just to try summerize. If buying a mac just for running XCode and SDK, you guys recommend a bout 2gb of ram should be ok(preferably 4gb) and core 2 duo. And a mac mini with these specs should be ok? and preferably running Lion?

You are summarising a thread that was dead for three years.
If you want to develop for MacOS X, just buy _any_ new Macintosh and you will be fine.