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Parents Comp.

L

Loser120588

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 11, 2007
38
0
So for the longest time i have been debating what to do about getting a mac and when to get it and what should i get. I know i am getting a MBP but dont know if i like the Mac OS because i never used one in my life. So then i decided to get a used mac mini off off ebay for cheap just so i could use it as a media center and then also to get used to the OS. Well that didnt work out so well and then tonight my parents deicided to think aobut getting a mac so when i am away to college we can have video conversations, and i can show them what i am working on in photshop and all that ichat goodness. So my question is would a mac mini with the intel processor for
$599 be a good computer for me to get to use to test the OS and then media center and then when i leave also for video chat and other basic functions like internet and maybe Office use but thats it. I also want to know with the cheap mac mini can i get all the cool effects and will it be noticably faster then the current windows system i am using, i think i am using Pentium 4 processor with 512Ram.

PS: i also dont care that they may upgrade them in the near future
 
Obviously you would need a screen but i presume you would use your PC's? I don't think you mentioned wether it was laptop or desktop. Correct me if im wrong someone but you can't purchase iSights seperately at the moment. I don't know if there are other webcams out there that are compatible with mac and iChat either.

I don't think gettin use to OS X took me more than 10 hours or so...so i don't think you would have a problem there. If your doing photoshop a mac mini might not have the power to handle it easily..atleast until a universal binary comes out with the new version. I would suggest a Macbook or maybe even a refurb MBP or PowerBook.
 
I think he meant he would use photoshop on the macbook pro if he gets it. Yeah, webcam would be the problem as the mini doesn't have one. Also do you already have a display? The low end imac would also be an option. The mac mini would perform fine for basic at home tasks.
 
isight

I have a 14 inch lcd screen for it but know what you said about the isights. Can you use any type of camera hooked up to the usb ports or does it have to be isight.
 
you could get an iMac or macbook because they have the cameras already on them. since you're in college you'll get the student discount too. usually $100 off.
 
depending on cash allowance (Maybe your parents could pitch in, as it would be partly for them) id go with the low end imac + $29 remote. It would have an isight built in, be perfect for media, (Front row) and youll have the 17" display.

Good luck. :)
 
xbox live vision

I havent been really into the whole video chatting so i dont have a web cam all i have is a xbox live vision cam i got with xbox live. would this work with the mac mini.
 
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