Mac Mini- Which to get for my situation?

[NewbToMac]

Hello all, I really am stuck as to which I should go about getting.

I have tried to browse google for hours looking at other people's answers to this but im still confused.

There is criteria I obviously need the mini to do:
1) Run videos in HD no stutter/ along with video editing.
2) Use either the secondary hard drive or a plug in hard drive as a iTunes library for all my devices.
(or is a time capsule best there?)
3) Run world of Warcraft , it's the only game we play on our current PC & it needs to run it at least on high settings well.

Is all this possible or am I thinking the mac minis are better than they really are.

In any instance I am prepared to give the mini 8GB RAM upgrade to help.

Thanks

 

[anc1en7z]

Hello all, I really am stuck as to which I should go about getting.

I have tried to browse google for hours looking at other people's answers to this but im still confused.

There is criteria I obviously need the mini to do:
1) Run videos in HD no stutter/ along with video editing.
2) Use either the secondary hard drive or a plug in hard drive as a iTunes library for all my devices.
(or is a time capsule best there?)
3) Run world of Warcraft , it's the only game we play on our current PC & it needs to run it at least on high settings well.

Is all this possible or am I thinking the mac minis are better than they really are.

In any instance I am prepared to give the mini 8GB RAM upgrade to help.

Thanks

1) Mac Mini will be easily be able to playback & edit HD video thanks to the new core processors.

2) Many choices, there is room for a secondary hard drive in the new mac mini, you can buy a new thunderbolt hard drive when they get released, or just a USB 2.0, or a time capsule, but I would stick with internal or external, video editing on a time capsule wouldnt be nice, due to network lag etc

3) The mac mini will be able to run around 20/30 frames on high, but it may dip, making the play experience un-fun when you go into populated area's etc

If doing a lot of Video enditing/hd viewing, I suggest an SSD Drive rather than the 8GB Ram upgrade

 

[NewbToMac]

1) Mac Mini will be easily be able to playback & edit HD video thanks to the new core processors.

2) Many choices, there is room for a secondary hard drive in the new mac mini, you can buy a new thunderbolt hard drive when they get released, or just a USB 2.0, or a time capsule, but I would stick with internal or external, video editing on a time capsule wouldnt be nice, due to network lag etc

3) The mac mini will be able to run around 20/30 frames on high, but it may dip, making the play experience un-fun when you go into populated area's etc

If doing a lot of Video enditing/hd viewing, I suggest an SSD Drive rather than the 8GB Ram upgrade

Which of the minis should I go for then high end with dual core (& better GPU) or server with quad (but integrated graphics).?

 

[r0k]

Which of the minis should I go for then high end with dual core (& better GPU) or server with quad (but integrated graphics).?

The integrated graphics are only an issue for gaming. I wouldn't recommend going for the higher end Mini unless you need i7/hyperthreading for some reason. It's still only 2 cores and is faster but not necessary for routine video editing. Just so you know, when playing back videos I don't get stutters even on my oldest G4 Mini running Leopard. I don't think stutter should be a concern for you. But wait. I was getting stuttering on my wife's core 2 duo Mini, but once I killed Firefox it never stuttered again. If you do notice stuttering, look for some pig of a process in Activity monitor. Don't run Firefox. Use either Safari or Chrome. I see no reason why the base Mini wouldn't work well for you.

 

[NewbToMac]

The integrated graphics are only an issue for gaming. I wouldn't recommend going for the higher end Mini unless you need i7/hyperthreading for some reason. It's still only 2 cores and is faster but not necessary for routine video editing. Just so you know, when playing back videos I don't get stutters even on my oldest G4 Mini running Leopard. I don't think stutter should be a concern for you. But wait. I was getting stuttering on my wife's core 2 duo Mini, but once I killed Firefox it never stuttered again. If you do notice stuttering, look for some pig of a process in Activity monitor. Don't run Firefox. Use either Safari or Chrome. I see no reason why the base Mini wouldn't work well for you.

Just trying to future proof as well, so if I go with the server model is it gonna last me in the long run or will the integrated not even manage to run wow correctly?
Also the fact you get dual hard-drives fits what I'm needing.

 

[mfram]

If you really want to game on this machine, you better go for the high-end one. The integrated Intel graphics aren't going to be good for gaming. Even the ATI one isn't going to be awesome. But if you really want a Mini, it's your best bet.

 

[NewbToMac]

So
Summary

Specifications
2.0GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive + 256 Solid State Drive
User's Guide (English)
*
Vs

Specifications
2.7GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1333MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
750GB Serial ATA Drive @ 7200 rpm + 256GB Solid State Drive
User's Guide (English)

So comes down to Processor. The dual core version is slightly pricier but then again ur getting the better graphics.

 

[NewbToMac]

If you really want to game on this machine, you better go for the high-end one. The integrated Intel graphics aren't going to be good for gaming. Even the ATI one isn't going to be awesome. But if you really want a Mini, it's your best bet.

The only game will be Warcraft & that's only now and again.

Reason I say the mini is because space is an issue. But also the fact it's one of the later machines to be upgraded so figured it should be the best.

 

[VeganHipster]

The only game will be Warcraft & that's only now and again.

Reason I say the mini is because space is an issue. But also the fact it's one of the later machines to be upgraded so figured it should be the best.

But you said you need the game to play on high. With the integrated graphics, you will probably get 20-30 fps walking in a field where no one is around. As soon as you hit a highly populated city or raid, you will be screwed unless you play on low (this comes from experience). Not only that, performance in OS X already won't be that stellar, if you wan't you could go the boot camp way, but I don't that would be worth it. Again, you said you wanted to play the game on high so just get the one with the dedicated GPU!

Another option would be a 21.5" iMac?

 

[NewbToMac]

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Id love an iMac if the screen could be used for a ps3, which target mode has been removed in the last refresh to allow this.

 

[r0k]

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Id love an iMac if the screen could be used for a ps3, which target mode has been removed in the last refresh to allow this.

If you want a versatile screen that can be used for other things, the iMac may not be your best bet. Then again, I didn't catch that you wanted to run WOW in "high mode." If that's a deal killer, you should try it in an Apple store and see what framerates you get. Gaming is a much lower priority for me so I focus on things like cost, upgradability, power consumption and compatibility with the stuff I do every day. For me the new iMacs were very tempting... until the new Minis were announced.

 

[rattler]

The Intel integrated graphics aren't going to cut if for WoW. If I were you I would get the high-end model with the AMD graphics card to get better performance when playing games. As for the processors, either one is good enough for your needs

 

[VeganHipster]

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Id love an iMac if the screen could be used for a ps3, which target mode has been removed in the last refresh to allow this.

The only iMac that would be able to do this is the 27", but you would need to buy something called the Kanex HD to conect the ps3 to the iMac via HDMI. That box converter alone costs around $130, so I do not think that would be worth it.

Like someone else said, try it out in the Apple store and see how it runs. I am sure they won't care. In the end they are most likely getting a purchase, and even if they don't, there are always people in line.

 

[trip1ex]

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Id love an iMac if the screen could be used for a ps3, which target mode has been removed in the last refresh to allow this.

A refurb iMac is only $1019. And comes with apple keyboard and magic mouse.

PLace it face down on your desk and use an external monitor.

Turn it so the bottom faces you because that's where the speakers are.

POrts would face up and be easy to access. Sd card slot and dvd slot would be on your left.

Just get a monitor shelf to place over the face down iMac or sit your monitor in front of your face down iMac.

Or if it sounds too radical just stand it behind your exernal monitor.

 

[NewbToMac]

If you want a versatile screen that can be used for other things, the iMac may not be your best bet. Then again, I didn't catch that you wanted to run WOW in "high mode." If that's a deal killer, you should try it in an Apple store and see what framerates you get. Gaming is a much lower priority for me so I focus on things like cost, upgradability, power consumption and compatibility with the stuff I do every day. For me the new iMacs were very tempting... until the new Minis were announced.

It's deal killer as I have pc what runs it high mode, replacing my tower of a pc is what this mac mini should hopefully do.