Mac book pro or Mac mini as media compy?!

[BradleyGaulden]

hey! ive been considering getting a mac for a while and as my 16th birthday is in 3 weeks im pretty sure im getting one!! yes!! ive played aroundt with my friend on my soccer teams imac and loved it, but i really cant decide what i want!! i keep changing my mind between the MBP or the mac mini, i do this b.c im going to be using a 37 inch vizio hdtv in my bedroom asthe monitor so i can lay on my bed and use the compy instead of hunching over and stuff, so i was going to go with the mini, but then i thought what about all the trips i go on! i want a laptop! so i look and thought hummm i play games (but im not a hardcore gamer Psh! ha i play games like rollercoaster tycoon, flight/ train simulation games, stratigy games stuff like that not and big games....) so the MBP sounds good but i have a few questions about it all!!


1) could i use the MBP shut and us the tv as my monitor without having the mbps screen turned on? can i keep it turned on 24/7 without any damage being done to it?

2) is their any sort of keyboard that has a track pad or mouse built into it so i dont have to have a seperate 0ne?

3) mac mini, does anyone have one that can tell me about it? b.c if i do go with the mini i just want some pros and cons about all aspects!

4)same with the Mac Book Pro, some one who owns one tell me about it!

5) oh yea and could anyone tell me about the difference between the entrylevel MBP and the mid range MBP the 15.4 screen ones? besides the price! haha





tthanks a bunch!!!!

 

[greenday123]

The only question i can answer is the first one. Yes you can close the MBP and use the monitor as a display, and you can keep the MBP's built in display shut off.

 

[apple90]

I would say a Mac mini- cheap and durable.

Since you'll be hooking it up to your HDTV in your room, mac mini is the way to go!

Happy birthday btw kiddo

 

[xpovos]

I own both. Compared to a MacBook Pro or even an iMac, the Mac mini feels very low-end and cheap.

My mini is hooked up to my 37" HDTV. I use Front Row and a 2TB hard drive to watch movies and TV shows. At first, I also thought it would be nice to use the computer from the bed with a wireless keyboard and pen tablet, but that turned out to be an absolutely horrible experience. Nearly impossible to read what's on the screen. I only use the mini as a media center now. Using a laptop in bed is a lot more enjoyable than trying to use a Mac mini (as a computer) from across the room. The mini makes a good media center box, and it's not bad for anyone wanting to dabble in Macs without spending thousands of dollars, but the overall experience is not as dazzling on the Mac mini.

1) yes, and yes. Although I predict you'll grow tired of this more quickly than you might think.

2) nothing specifically designed for a Mac, that I'm aware of. Logitech is a good bet for this sort of thing, but beware potential driver incompatibilities.

3) Mac mini pros: good media center using Front Row; small footprint; price. Cons: Everything else. Extremely poor built-in sound -- external speakers an absolute must. Difficult to upgrade system components, including RAM. Inferior processor, graphics, etc. 802.11g WiFi only.

4) MacBook Pro pros: awesome screen; screen can be set to automatically adjust brightness with changes in ambient lighting; awesome keyboard with excellent feel and automatic backlighting in dark conditions; portability; built-in webcam and microphone; good built-in sound; more attractive design; much easier to upgrade RAM; larger standard hard drive; 802.11n WiFi. Cons: Overpriced; (anecdotally) higher incidence of factory defects.

5) The specific technical differences between the entry-level and midrange 15" models are easy enough to find on Apple's Web site. For any kind of "normal" use, there is no appreciable difference. Either model of MacBook Pro is far superior in terms of performance and refinement to a Mac mini.

 

[BradleyGaulden]

thanks!

thanks a buch guys!!! this has really helped me out!!!