Hi all, I'm on the fence of buying a new Mac, but came with the thought that a Mac Mini could be well enough for my needs. First I wanted a Mac Pro since I have 4000
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Mac Mini - Is it good enough ?
- Thread starter Tatsuya Nakadai
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Since you don't list your uses nobody can answer your question. However, since you are asking in the first place a Mac Mini will probably be fine. All modern computers can handle facebook and listening to music.
Is it [Mini] good enough.... for what?
There is a vast difference in a Mini compared to a Pro. What do you intend on using this Mac for? That answer will lead you to the right product.
Unless you're a super power user type and are into heavy video editing, the Mini will suffice 99% of your needs and leave you will a lot of extra cash in your wallet.
There is a vast difference in a Mini compared to a Pro. What do you intend on using this Mac for? That answer will lead you to the right product.
Unless you're a super power user type and are into heavy video editing, the Mini will suffice 99% of your needs and leave you will a lot of extra cash in your wallet.
Sorry, most of my post has been erased for whatever reason ^^
I'm not sure I want to go through the writing again, since it was a bit long... But well, I'll sum up:
I want to buy a Mac Mini with Cinema Display and thunderbolt NAS, and I wonder if it is enough for my needs, that is WebDesign and very little 3D graphics.
I was thinking about that since my next upgrade would be only a new Mac Mini, all my Data and my accessories being already here.
So I wonder if Mac Mini's are good enough and how the graphic chipset can handle my tasks. 256 mb is small ^^
Oh, and I'm working mostly with Adobe suite: Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver...
Thanks
-- Sent from my HP TouchPad using Communities
I'm not sure I want to go through the writing again, since it was a bit long... But well, I'll sum up:
I want to buy a Mac Mini with Cinema Display and thunderbolt NAS, and I wonder if it is enough for my needs, that is WebDesign and very little 3D graphics.
I was thinking about that since my next upgrade would be only a new Mac Mini, all my Data and my accessories being already here.
So I wonder if Mac Mini's are good enough and how the graphic chipset can handle my tasks. 256 mb is small ^^
Oh, and I'm working mostly with Adobe suite: Flash, Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver...
Thanks
-- Sent from my HP TouchPad using Communities
Flash isn't going to run well in the first place. For the rest of those things the Mini should be fine.
Flash is my main activity, so if the mini can't handle it, it's not a good idea!
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-- Sent from my HP TouchPad using Communities
Have you ever used Flash on a Mac before? If so, you shouldn't be surprised. If not, you should be looking into a Windows machine for Flash development.
As a matter of fact I have and actually my late 2006 iMac has handled the task pretty well. But no more iMac for m now, so looking for alternatives, and definitely Mac ones
Maybe a 17" Macbook pro would be better ?
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As a matter of fact I have and actually my late 2006 iMac has handled the task pretty well. But no more iMac for m now, so looking for alternatives, and definitely Mac ones
Maybe a 17" Macbook pro would be better ?
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Out of 4k you could buy the 2.8 westmere (single proc) from the refurb store, add a 3.33 hex to it for 600ish so it could come out to a total of around $3k
so you have $1k left to spend it on w/e you want...
detailed installation instruction on the cpu swap can be found in the MP section.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. So building Flash content from within a Mini, even with a 256 mb gfx card, should be more than a hassle effectively! Thanks for the info
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Unfortunately I live in France and finding a refurbushed Westmere Mac Pro is more than unlikely, except for a 5000 euro one.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. So building Flash content from within a Mini, even with a 256 mb gfx card, should be more than a hassle effectively! Thanks for the info
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No, I think the Model with the discrete graphics card can handle it just fine.
I was saying not to get the base model, which shares graphics memory with the system memory.
Ok, so a Mac Mini could be a good idea... Is it possible to change the gfx chipset when buying the most expensive one ? Or is it welded to the MB ?
And do you think that the 27" Cinema Display is worth the money, or are there cheaper equivalent ? What kind of video out does the mac mini have except thunderbolt ? DVI ?
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And do you think that the 27" Cinema Display is worth the money, or are there cheaper equivalent ? What kind of video out does the mac mini have except thunderbolt ? DVI ?
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Whatever Mac you get make sure to stick Windows on it unless you're fine with flash stuff being at half speed and using up half your computer's processing power.
On which experience is your statement based ? Do you use Adobe Flash (the creating app) on a mac ? Or is it from your experience while surfing the web ? Cause again, even my late 2006 iMac handles Flash pretty well for its age!
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If you think a late 2006 Mac is ok (not going to disagree, I'm on a 2007 MB myself atm) I have a hard time imagining even the base Mini not satisfying you. But 2GB RAM really is ridiculously low so if it's to be a main computer you might as well get the more upgraded version to begin with.
The graphics card can't be changed as far as I know.
I wouldn't past 1 grand for a display personally. I have a Samsung
Not sure about the video out
Thanks @The_Pro. So when connecting through DVI adapter the TB port is not available ?
@Ditzy: Mainly because it is all *in one, and I don't like glossy screens. If I want to change computer I need to change the whole set. Also dust interfers between the screen and the leds. I know that because of my actual iMac and it is very annoying. It just mess up the colors and the visibility !
-- Sent from my HP TouchPad using Communities
@Ditzy: Mainly because it is all *in one, and I don't like glossy screens. If I want to change computer I need to change the whole set. Also dust interfers between the screen and the leds. I know that because of my actual iMac and it is very annoying. It just mess up the colors and the visibility !
-- Sent from my HP TouchPad using Communities
If you get an Apple thunderbolt display then you will have an extra thunderbolt port on the screen for daisy chaining. If you plug in a different screen with the adapter into the mac mini then you will not have the thunderbolt port available.
What im not sure about is if you have a thunderbolt storage device which has a thunderbolt port for daisy chaining can be used to connect the screen to. It would be connected as follows: Mac Mini ---> TB storage ---> DVI adapter with screen. Logically it should work, maybe someone else knows.
just get a hacintosh from PearC they deliver to france and their "hackintoshes" are no hackintoshes really ,as there is no hacking needed to install OSX and OSX is preinstalled and comes with the original Apple snow leopard disc , they are as reliable as MacPros if not better , they cost less , you can choose how powerful you need it to be cpu's from core i3,i5,i7 to westmare xeons ,GPU's from nvidia and ATI to your liking
come as standard with 2 year warranty on all parts
and under European Law they are legal to
a real alternative to the overpriced Mac's if you want to run OSX
http://pearc.de/home
sorry their website is in German and their PearC's are Made in Germany and sold for a fair price
Regarding doing Flash authoring on a Mini, I think there is some bad advice in this thread.
I've done heavy flash work on much less capable Macs.
The RAM in the base Mini is too low at 2GB. You must upgrade to 4GB.
If I were you, I would get the higher level Mini which includes 4GB RAM, faster CPU, and discrete GPU.
Note: as far as I can tell, the Flash authoring app won't take advantage of a discrete GPU. The Flash player can -- if all the stars align! -- but the current gen mini can play back anything even vaguely reasonable with or without it.
Regarding the Apple thunderbolt display, go see one in person before you buy one. If you didn't like the glossy iMac screen, you may not like the thunderbolt display either because they are glossy as well. There are different levels of glossy, though, so you might still take a look in person if you can. It's still hard to tell because you really want to see it in your work environment, not in a store... but it's still worth it to see it for yourself.
By the way: I like your idea of using the Mini as an upgradeable part in your setup. You can afford to upgrade on every revision if you want/need to. (If this is how you make your living and you do time sensitive work (who doesn't?), I'd actually keep one older mini as a backup when you upgrade.)
I've done heavy flash work on much less capable Macs.
The RAM in the base Mini is too low at 2GB. You must upgrade to 4GB.
If I were you, I would get the higher level Mini which includes 4GB RAM, faster CPU, and discrete GPU.
Note: as far as I can tell, the Flash authoring app won't take advantage of a discrete GPU. The Flash player can -- if all the stars align! -- but the current gen mini can play back anything even vaguely reasonable with or without it.
Regarding the Apple thunderbolt display, go see one in person before you buy one. If you didn't like the glossy iMac screen, you may not like the thunderbolt display either because they are glossy as well. There are different levels of glossy, though, so you might still take a look in person if you can. It's still hard to tell because you really want to see it in your work environment, not in a store... but it's still worth it to see it for yourself.
By the way: I like your idea of using the Mini as an upgradeable part in your setup. You can afford to upgrade on every revision if you want/need to. (If this is how you make your living and you do time sensitive work (who doesn't?), I'd actually keep one older mini as a backup when you upgrade.)
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