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.
Is Mini a deal or a rip?
- Thread starter sbb155
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You can't really comment on that. Both have their different uses. A mac mini is general for the occasional user who uses word, excel, internet and not much else. An iMac is used if you want to limit space but also want good performance for things like editing graphics or playing games.
The mac mini is very good because it can be used to power a mac monitor as a TV as well if you have a Miglia TVmini or something similar. I was thinking about a mac mini for that and just to put it in the kitchen so browsing could be easy as well.
The mac mini is very good because it can be used to power a mac monitor as a TV as well if you have a Miglia TVmini or something similar. I was thinking about a mac mini for that and just to put it in the kitchen so browsing could be easy as well.
sbb155 said:
I do not think that the Mini is a rip, but I do not think that it is a great deal. For the relatively small price increase, I would recommend going with a 17" iMac Core Duo. Although, the Mini does have its uses.
Mac Mini Is A Great Computer
I purchased a Mac Mini solo almost two weeks ago and have been impressed by its performance. I am testing boot camp and have had no problems running Windows XP pro or the Mac OS. I already have a nice keyboard and mouse so I did not have to invest in those. The computer is just for testing and basic play so it fits my needs. The Mac Mini is a good deal as long as you already have a good keyboard and mouse.
I purchased a Mac Mini solo almost two weeks ago and have been impressed by its performance. I am testing boot camp and have had no problems running Windows XP pro or the Mac OS. I already have a nice keyboard and mouse so I did not have to invest in those. The computer is just for testing and basic play so it fits my needs. The Mac Mini is a good deal as long as you already have a good keyboard and mouse.
In my financial situation the AUD$300 gap is a lot so a mini is a good deal. Currently it's the only Mac I could even hope to afford (with a generous, read: 100% loan from the folks) if my iBook (now at version 1.2) decides to pack it in again.
If I can borrow one of their monitors it means there's a good $500 to $600 dollar gap. That's a lot of money for me - too much to justify an iMac.
If I can borrow one of their monitors it means there's a good $500 to $600 dollar gap. That's a lot of money for me - too much to justify an iMac.
A mini is good if you want to add it to a home theater. I plan to get one for my theater setup. With frontrow I can use it watch movies, play music and surf the web on the big screen. Sure you could do this with an iMac but it wouldn't look as nice in my A/V cabinet.sbb155 said:
This has always been the case with the Mini > iMac gap.
For general usage, if you need to buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse for the Mini, then the iMac is the better $ deal. Alternatively, do as I did and sell the ol' monitor and keyboard and get the iMac
For general usage, if you need to buy a monitor, keyboard, mouse for the Mini, then the iMac is the better $ deal. Alternatively, do as I did and sell the ol' monitor and keyboard and get the iMac
I have a PC in my home office and i wanted a mac since i use it for everything except to play games. I already had an apple bluetooth mouse and apple's mighty mouse so i got a macmini. I did not want to add an imac, having 2 computers on 1 desk it ugly so the mini was the only choice i had.
It looks good aswell, i have it setup so that the mini is beside the screen. When i want to switch between computers i just click a button and bam the screen changes form OS X to XP.
It looks good aswell, i have it setup so that the mini is beside the screen. When i want to switch between computers i just click a button and bam the screen changes form OS X to XP.
As others have noted, the major advantage of the mini is that it is, well, mini. Due to the Developer Transition kit trade-in, I got a 17" Intellimac "free" and then bought a mini duo (and just got a MacBook Pro for work), so I feel like I'm qualified to comment on the differences.
The iMac is the fastest of the bunch (although, had work sprung for a 7200 RPM HD on the MBP, maybe not) and is noticeable faster graphics-wise than the mini.
That said, with enough RAM (1 GB is a minimum, 2 GB would be better and I wish I'd gotten it), the mini seems just as fast as the iMac in non-graphics-intensive work. I use it to drive a TV at 1920x1080, and it works flawlessly. As others have said, it's ideal in home theater setups, if you already have a monitor/KB, or if the small size is otherwise better for you.
If you don't have a KB/monitor and have room for the iMac, I would strongly recommend one of those instead, if for no other reason than the better HD and graphics. The fact the RAM is easily accessible is another real plus.
But... I love my mini as well, so you really can't go wrong. I'd say to avoid the solo unless you either cannot afford the duo or will be using it for non-challenging tasks.
The iMac is the fastest of the bunch (although, had work sprung for a 7200 RPM HD on the MBP, maybe not) and is noticeable faster graphics-wise than the mini.
That said, with enough RAM (1 GB is a minimum, 2 GB would be better and I wish I'd gotten it), the mini seems just as fast as the iMac in non-graphics-intensive work. I use it to drive a TV at 1920x1080, and it works flawlessly. As others have said, it's ideal in home theater setups, if you already have a monitor/KB, or if the small size is otherwise better for you.
If you don't have a KB/monitor and have room for the iMac, I would strongly recommend one of those instead, if for no other reason than the better HD and graphics. The fact the RAM is easily accessible is another real plus.
But... I love my mini as well, so you really can't go wrong. I'd say to avoid the solo unless you either cannot afford the duo or will be using it for non-challenging tasks.
Keep in mind, companies will always price their products so that it makes "sense" to buy they next item up the line so that they can make more money. The iMac _must_ appear to, in most ways, be a better deal than the Mini even though it costs a lot more.