is the new cheap iMac a better value than the mac mini?

[crsh1976]

That $150 LED panel you're talking about is unlikely to be IPS and will probably be a TN panel with terrible viewing angles. They're not the same. And there is a cost worthy benefit to some people to have an all-in-one design encased in aluminum and not black plastic. I'm not saying the Mac Mini is a bad choice for the OP, but just wanted to not dismiss "a monitor" as just a monitor. It's really the visual lifeblood of your computing experience.

I think you need to give a look at the IPS section of a major retailer like BestBuy.com (not the best retailer by any stretch, but they sure have a wide range of everything); there are currently 13 IPS LED monitors from major brands available in the $100-150 bracket alone (those are just the IPS models, I filtered out the non-IPS stuff and everything above $150).

While I know not all IPS LED monitors are created equal and there's no guarantee they're as good or better than the iMac display (which is made by LG anyway), there are many decent options out there.

 

[iMacFarlane]

It's a good computer, but it is priced terribly wrong.

If you can't afford a $40,000 Mercedes Benz C-Class, how about a $35,000 Ford Fiesta?

Right, it doesn't work that way.

 

[Jambalaya]

i've decided to go for the mini - more bang for the buck. thanks

Nice choice

The iMac's all-in-one form is great but the Mini is much more flexible (and portable and upgradable) and with a decent sized third party screen is great platform. Easy to plug it into the TV etc for use as media centre. Suggest you get Apple Keyboard and Magic Mouse. If a new Mini does come out you can replace the box and sell on the old one.

 

[adh]

Nice choice

The iMac's all-in-one form is great but the Mini is much more flexible (and portable and upgradable) and with a decent sized third party screen is great platform. Easy to plug it into the TV etc for use as media centre. Suggest you get Apple Keyboard and Magic Mouse. If a new Mini does come out you can replace the box and sell on the old one.

thank you!
gonna pick up a 2.3quad i7 +8gb ram aftermarket. still deciding whether to have apple ssd or aftermarket

 

[Truthfulie]

Personally, I do find iMacs beautiful and elegant solution to all-in-one. I use one myself and generally am happy with it sans the display tint issue. But I don't find the low-budget mode compelling enough for any users. Not only it is a bad value in comparison to Mac mini, but it is generally a bad value amongst iMacs as well. For 15-16% less cost you get less than 50% the performance in comparison to $1299 model. If you can purchase a laptop-grade desktop for a grand, you surely can shell out $200 more and get the twice the performance. Hell, refurbished models cost 15% less than the original price. So i5 iMacs are actually about the same price as the value iMac.

thank you!
gonna pick up a 2.3quad i7 +8gb ram aftermarket. still deciding whether to have apple ssd or aftermarket

Aftermarket SSD prices have come down greatly recently. You can get cheaper, better SSDs aftermarket. Definitely go aftermarket.

 

[Jambalaya]

thank you!
gonna pick up a 2.3quad i7 +8gb ram aftermarket. still deciding whether to have apple ssd or aftermarket

I don't think you need a quad core, if you are on a budget spend that money on screen/ssd/apple keyboard/mouse (I find having the proper short cut/cmd keys and multi-touch swipe gestures useful and worth paying for). If you can afford it and of course you have the educational budget then go for it. If you put RAM and the SSD into the Mini (and I would say go after market) and you do sell it on if/when a new Mini comes you'll get a very good price and sell it easily.

EDIT: lots of what-screen threads on here, you have 20 vs 24 vs 27 choices and I saw one ASUS (I think) which had bose speakers embedded at an attractive price.

 

[Truthfulie]

List of 1080p, 1440p IPS displays
Personally, I'd go with Dell if it's within your budget.

 

[TechZeke]

What makes no sense to me is the use of the expensive ULV processor when they could have put an i3 or Ivy Bridge i5 instead and could have sold it for $999. Such a large performance hit just to save $200. Even the 2.5 i5 in the mini would have been than this.

 

[adh]

i've already got an asus IPS 24"

installing ram aftermarket b/c ez

probably taking apple's ssd option for convenience

yes educational budget

yes aapl kb + mouse

i hate how the mac mini is always excluded from back to school promos

 

[Jambalaya]

i've already got an asus IPS 24"

installing ram aftermarket b/c ez

probably taking apple's ssd option for convenience

yes educational budget

yes aapl kb + mouse

i hate how the mac mini is always excluded from back to school promos

Don't be greedy !

 

[adh]

Don't be greedy !

educational budget as in the $20 dollar discount?
i don't see what any of that has to do with greed in even the slightest sense but you go right on ahead

 

[Jambalaya]

educational budget as in the $20 dollar discount?
i don't see what any of that has to do with greed in even the slightest sense but you go right on ahead

My kids (UK based) got 14% off as their educational discount and 75% off Apple Care. I didn't realise you didn't get the same.

 

[Orr]

For the price of the entry iMac you have:
- A mini that is twice as fast (core i7)
- A much better screen (dell U2412M)
- A much better mouse (5$ Logitech mouse)
- A much better keyboard (20$ microsoft keyboard)
- Firewire 800
- 2x SATA 600 for maximum 1GB/s read write SSD
- Serious user upgradability (RAM and 2 drive bays)
- iFixit score of 8 instead of a 2
- A much better value holding. The iMac will drop value like a brick from a bridge, the Mini will drop only 100-150 in 2 years.

And even though Apple uses the same "in-theory" good panel as Dell, the reality is the display by Apple is much worse. It is Apple's most unreliable product: the iMac screen.

Synopsis:
The new iMac is ONE COMPLETE LAUGH. Only suitable as cash register* (*what a stupid word when you think about it in 2014, our word Kassa is much more universal).

I'm not a fan of iMacs, especially the new budget model but some of your clams are borderline absurd.

The Dell U2412M screen is clearly not 'much better' than the iMac one. I'd say the iMac one is slightly better overall or at best a wash.

I use a Logitech mouse myself even though I have a Magic Mouse, but to claim a $5 Logitech one trumps the included Magic Mouse or Trackpad is ridiculous.

The Apple wireless keyboard is quite good (I use one) and much preferable to some cheap generic one.

Firewire 800 is nice if your technology is still dated and hasn't caught up with present times.

Most new Apple products lack 'upgradability', and I seriously doubt anyone getting the budget model has any desire to change anything anyway.

Don't agree with your 'holding value' either. It's far too early to tell if the resale value on the budget iMac will be extremely poor. And assuming the Mini finally gets an update with Broadwell, your HD4000 mini well be worth far less than $150 after 2 years with technology that is 2 full cycles behind.

I think the new budget iMac is a very poor and uninspiring offering from Apple. There are lots of legitimate criticisms to make. Most of yours just aren't the right ones.

 

[robgendreau]

You can get IPS monitors that are just as good as the iMacs; they are around the $150 US mark right now. I have a 27" sitting right next to my 27" iMac and it's better, mainly because it doesn't keep getting crap underneath it...

And with the mini you can hide most everything away.

The 27" iMac might be more worth it, but that's a much higher price point.