Ok as some of you know i am thinking about using mac and buying a mac book pro and well i am going to wait until fall until i really need it to actually buy it. But i cant wait that long to get hold of a mac so should i get a mac mini. i was thinking and so were my parents about getting a new computer and well my parents would go in on it with me and pay half of it. I would buy it used off of ebay and not pay over 400 to 500$ for it. Should i do this or should i wait and just purchase my first mac when i buy my mac book pro. Another reason is i dont know if i am going to like the mac system so getting a mini i would be out only 500$ if i dont like it and if i got a MBP then i would be out 2500$. What should i do Thanks.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Mac Mini or Wait?
- Thread starter Loser120588
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
well. product cycles suggest that its a bad time to buy a mini, however, if the mini thats available now has all the features you want, for instance your not fussed about the difference btween a Core duo and a core 2 duo then just get it. I just bought my first mac, which is a mac mini and im so glad i did. i thought about it for ages should i wait for leopard shud i wait for new mac mini model...but i thrt screw it, the mac mini available now is really cool neway and im happy with it. in regards to the buy or wait for MBP i would definately recommend trying OSX before you launch 2500 in to it, it is a great OS but its main perks are multimedia and ease of use, if your into heavy programming and kinda tweaking things and playing games then windows is unfortunately better at the moment (in my opinion). If you have a decent pc now u could try installing a OSX86 version to that to see if your going to like it, thats what i did, for help doing that go to www.insanelymac.com .... nehu hope this made sense/ helped! 
A refub Mini might be a good idea, and then when you replace it w/ a MacBook Pro, you can use your Mini as a media center, back up Mac,
public Mac(when people visit, and you don't want them on your MacBook Pro
public Mac(when people visit, and you don't want them on your MacBook Pro
What should a savvy consumer look out for by way of updates for the Mini to represent good value? To me it seems that no core 2 duos and the weak stock ram amounts count against the Mini. I will be looking out for when these machines are upgraded as they seem pretty cool.
Mac Mini
I just want to get familar with the OS and see if i like it before i dish out 2500 on a MBP and then not like it so i will probably buy a used one off of ebay for somewhere around 250 to 350 just something cheap that i can see if i like the Mas os x 10.4 OS
Also what is this project X86X any help will be awsome thanks
and should i get intel or G4 the G4 wouldbe cheaper but would it be worth it?
I just want to get familar with the OS and see if i like it before i dish out 2500 on a MBP and then not like it so i will probably buy a used one off of ebay for somewhere around 250 to 350 just something cheap that i can see if i like the Mas os x 10.4 OS
Also what is this project X86X any help will be awsome thanks
and should i get intel or G4 the G4 wouldbe cheaper but would it be worth it?
Project x86 is just people hacking OSX to get it to run on non-Apple computers. Besides being against the OSX liscence agreement, it wouldn't be good to learn on since it can be buggy and hard to get fully running.
I say just go with a G4. Since you're only getting a mini to get your feet wet with OSX, might as well not brake the bank on one. It runs OSX 10.4 fine for basic use. Heck, my old Powermac runs 10.4.8 fine. Also if you do end up getting a Macbook Pro, you can still keep the G4 mini around to run older non-universal applications on. Or as others have said, a media center pc.
If you do buy one from ebay, make sure it comes with all the accessories. Like the system restore discs, power supply, etc. Otherwise you could end up investing more than you expected buying any missing parts.
the prior mentioned mac hack is illegal i would like to point out and i wouldnt like to mislead you in anyway into thinking its ok to use, jus sayin that i found it very helpful in pushing me into buying a real mac, and yes hack mac is very very buggy and only supports limited hardware so bare that in mind if you do try...which i legally am obliged to advise you not to 
Am I the only one holding out on a mac mini because of the lack of 802.11n ?
thats my main concern and yeah a dedicated video card would help
thats my main concern and yeah a dedicated video card would help
Well its hardly 'buggy'. I've used a 'hacked' system every day for several months now. OSX runs fine, although you can't use official updates. But its quite difficult to set up.
I would suggest waiting on a mac mini. It would be pretty darn stupid to buy one right now. You would get much better value for money by waiting a few weeks (at most). Honestly, Core series? Who sells that any more, its all Core 2.
We have just retrieved your info from ASIO, a hit squad is en route to your location right now