Is the Mac Mini a good buy?

[gazfocus]

Ok, I was waiting for an update to the Macbook line and I stupidly thought the new Macbooks would be similar pricing to the previous ones...how wrong was I...

Anyway, I am now having to rethink my plans and am now looking at the Mac Minis.

Basically, I am looking for a cheap(ish) Mac to 'test drive' between now and January to see if I am able to perform all my work (web developement mainly) comfortably on OSX as I am use to using Windows. I will then, in Jan/Feb, buy an iMac and Macbook or a Mac Pro.

Is the Mac Mini a good buy? I know the specs are somewhat outdated, and I may wait to see if I can pick up a G4 ibook or something similar, but I already have a 23" ACD so having a screen isn't mega imporant.

Also, would it be better looking for a 2nd hand Mac Mini? With HE discount, the bottom end Mac Mini is £359 and people seem to be asking £350 for them anyway.

All advice welcome

 

[brand]

The Mini is overpriced for what you are getting since it hasn't been updated in over a year.

 

[sonia1234321]

Yeah, I say wait for an update!

 

[theLimit]

The minis are extremely outdated with no rumors of updates. If you want one, a refurb is the best bet followed by scouring eBay for one that isn't a ripoff.

 

[Cave Man]

Anyway, I am now having to rethink my plans and am now looking at the Mac Minis.

Basically, I am looking for a cheap(ish) Mac to 'test drive' between now and January to see if I am able to perform all my work (web developement mainly) comfortably on OSX as I am use to using Windows. I will then, in Jan/Feb, buy an iMac and Macbook or a Mac Pro.

Is the Mac Mini a good buy? I already have a 23" ACD so having a screen isn't mega imporant.

Sounds like the Mini is about your best option. The 2 gHz Mini is still quite a machine and is plenty powerful for most things. Heck, it can even play Blu-Ray rips in their native format. Nice machine and tough to beat for the price. I sure won't be getting rid of mine anytime soon.

 

[queshy]

For the price, the specs are very 2004-5 ish! It's pretty embarrasing apple has a "desktop" with 80 gb Hard drive and a combo drive...

 

[br0nc080]

I picked up a refurb mini last year, and it served me quite well. If you can find the cheaper mini on the Apple refurb store for $499, that is a nice test drive if you already have all of the peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse), not to mention the year of AppleCare. I ended up not needing mine after a few months (already have a MacBook), and was able to sell it for near the same price I purchased it.

I actually purchased an even older model (the 1.66ghz processor) and I had no problem running Vista and HD video streams with my HDHomerun on Media Center, so I think you will be fine for anything you need on the Windows side.

 

[queshy]

there is nothing wrong with the mini for basic tasks but it's just not as "worth it" as other machines are for the price.

 

[Cave Man]

there is nothing wrong with the mini for basic tasks but it's just not as "worth it" as other machines are for the price.

That really depends on what you consider "worth it".

 

[Eidorian]

"9400M G Mac mini or bust."

I'd rather not buy late 2006 hardware in late 2008.