so im planning on buying a mac mini for my parents for xmas and i was just wondering what model would be fine for them for home use. all they need it for is general email and internet surfing. would the base model with the 2.26 ghz be enough or should i upgrade to the 2.53 ghz processor? im also buying a mac pro or imac i7 so money is definately an option so any money that can be spared should be. thanks in advance
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mac mini for family
- Thread starter Tony5787
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For the sake of having something future-proof, I'd opt for the 2.53ghz. It's good to have room for growth (as software becomes heavier in the future) and the rare case where they may need that power (They later decide they want to edit videos and pictures).
I have have 2.53ghz MacBook Pro with the same video card and amount of ram and it is plenty for me, an avid user that is constantly pushing the limit for "moar P0vva!" and I've never reached a point where I said to myself "Captain! We haven't got enough power!"
In summation, for the sake of increased lifespan and flexibility, I shoot for the higher option.
I have have 2.53ghz MacBook Pro with the same video card and amount of ram and it is plenty for me, an avid user that is constantly pushing the limit for "moar P0vva!" and I've never reached a point where I said to myself "Captain! We haven't got enough power!"
In summation, for the sake of increased lifespan and flexibility, I shoot for the higher option.
For the sake of logic, futreproofing makes no sense.
Say for example you bought the highest iMac two years ago, that's $2,198. Chances are, the low-end iMac could have performed most of the tasks over the past two years and it would cost half that. The new base model iMac is definitely faster then the one you would have bought two years ago.
Just something to think about.
There are options and abilities that users are missing out on NOW that were cut short simply by ONE degree in options.
For instance:
There are people currently unable to run iWork '09 simply because they purchased the 400mhz PowerBook G4 titanium as opposed to the 500mhz option.
Just something to think about.
For instance:
There are people currently unable to run iWork '09 simply because they purchased the 400mhz PowerBook G4 titanium as opposed to the 500mhz option.
Just something to think about.
so just buy the base model then? theyre really never going to do photo or video editing. they cant grasp the concept of firefox yet saying that they dont understand how to use it. so im thinking the 2.26 should be fine. i might upgrade the ram to 4gb and then 160gb should be plenty for them. if they need more they can get an external drive i suppose
Yeah. I'm not sure what MrCheeto is smoking but it sounds like the base model is more then enough. Even if they were doing anything besides the bare basics, it really wouldn't make sense. The machine that you are buying will serve their needs for likely longer then five years, at least at this rate, at that point they can just buy a new one.
alright dont flame each other lol im going with the base model with 4 gb of ram because even though i can upgrade it later, i dont feel like getting bitched at by my parents when they see me prying it open with a putty knife. theyre going from an hp pavilion desktop with a 1.8 ghz intel viiv (piece of ****) with 1 gb of ram and i think an intel gpu (not sure i dont really use it) so i think this should be a much needed and much deserved upgrade even though theyve only had the pc for 2 years or so. im just tired of hearing them say its too slow which it is so mac mini it is
Nice work, home diggy doggy!
I must say, there's nothing like upgrading to a Mac
My transition was;
From: 2.2ghz AMD64 3500+ (single core) and 256mb ram. Slow as a rat in a dog's mouth.
to: 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo MacBook White, 2gb ram. Did everything I asked without groaning along like Santa in his off-season.
Couldn't have been more pleased, I hope your family appreciates it as well.
Is this your first Apple?
I must say, there's nothing like upgrading to a Mac
My transition was;
From: 2.2ghz AMD64 3500+ (single core) and 256mb ram. Slow as a rat in a dog's mouth.
to: 2.4ghz Core 2 Duo MacBook White, 2gb ram. Did everything I asked without groaning along like Santa in his off-season.
Couldn't have been more pleased, I hope your family appreciates it as well.
Is this your first Apple?
well im buying either the base mac pro and an hp display or the i7 imac soon so this will be our second when christmas comes around. right now i use them at school and i love them. could you help me also decide which of those to buy? its a tough decision because the i7 imac is faster than the mac pro but the mac pro is more expandable. my hand is like a pretzel. i got a pretzel on my hand!
Cheez Plz?
I can't say anything about the Mac Pro Vs. iMac. I own neither and it's all about the buyer's needs.
Personally, the iMac's power and the fact that it's SOOOOO cost effective (add the Display to the Mac Pro and you'll have to ring your pants out) makes it very attractive.
I can't say anything about the Mac Pro Vs. iMac. I own neither and it's all about the buyer's needs.
Personally, the iMac's power and the fact that it's SOOOOO cost effective (add the Display to the Mac Pro and you'll have to ring your pants out) makes it very attractive.
The Mac Mini is underrated
I have a 2.0, the top of the line of the last revision and is amazing. I am running a 3D dsiplay that needs full HD format and the mini does it with no problem. I use it too with my render farm.
For your parents is actually too much of a computer. I gave to my mother one of my old 12" powerbooks and she was just fine until some one broke into the house a few months ago and stold it. That was a 5 years old computer, she used it to check email, facebook and watch powerpoint stuff. A Mac Mini would last her at least 10 more years.
I have a 2.0, the top of the line of the last revision and is amazing. I am running a 3D dsiplay that needs full HD format and the mini does it with no problem. I use it too with my render farm.
For your parents is actually too much of a computer. I gave to my mother one of my old 12" powerbooks and she was just fine until some one broke into the house a few months ago and stold it. That was a 5 years old computer, she used it to check email, facebook and watch powerpoint stuff. A Mac Mini would last her at least 10 more years.