Refurb iMac or new Mac Mini

[stubeeef]

Last iMac (refurb)-quad core i5/thunderbolt/optical drive-keyboards/mouse/display

New Mac Mini - USB 3.0/thunderbolt/HDMI

I'm looking at 3 for my daughters for Christmas, the oldest will take this to college in less than 2 years-if she doesn't take a laptop.

Help- I can get the 3 mini's with a fair monitor for $740 less than the 3 iMacs.

 

[Fishrrman]

"I'm looking at 3 for my daughters for Christmas, the oldest will take this to college in less than 2 years-if she doesn't take a laptop.
Help- I can get the 3 mini's with a fair monitor for $740 less than the 3 iMacs."

She will probably want a laptop for school, anyway. It's going to be difficult to carry that Mini to the classroom!

Having said that, right now the "Mini option" looks to be the better deal. USB3 really is "the big step forward" in the new Minis.

 

[madrag]

I would get two Mac Minis and a MacBook for the one that will go to college.

Or

One iMac and one MacBook, and the family shares the iMac, I don't know how your daughters will take that kind of sharing.

It all depends on the budget, as with me I'm dealing with a decision between an iMac and the Mini.

 

[stubeeef]

College is still 1.75 yrs away-with needing it another 4 yrs after that-I'm going to wait on till she starts before I get that technology.
I decided to go with the mini's last night, I'll order them either Black Friday or closer to Christmas so the one year warranty doesn't start while it sits in a closet for a month.
I'm probably going to get them some inexpensive Dell monitors-they already have the new keyboards and special mice. I'll get a single dvd drive for them to share on the rare times they will need them.

 

[MacSignal]

I think you will be further ahead to choose the current mini over the prior version iMac. Good luck with your purchases!

 

[henryonapple]

just buy 2 mac minis and let them share. college is still 2 years away, every electronic you own will be outdated by then

 

[stubeeef]

just buy 2 mac minis and let them share. college is still 2 years away, every electronic you own will be outdated by then

You don't have 3 teenage daughters! They're 14,15,16 and are pretty much like cats after a bath confronted by pit bulls.

 

[tears2040]

"I'm looking at 3 for my daughters for Christmas, the oldest will take this to college in less than 2 years-if she doesn't take a laptop.
Help- I can get the 3 mini's with a fair monitor for $740 less than the 3 iMacs."

She will probably want a laptop for school, anyway. It's going to be difficult to carry that Mini to the classroom!

Having said that, right now the "Mini option" looks to be the better deal. USB3 really is "the big step forward" in the new Minis.

USB3 might be a step forward but the lack of a graphics card is 3 steps back. Doing ANY kind of Motion graphics the system cannot keep up. I bought and returned a Mac Mini, Never again buy computer without a dedicated graphics card.

 

[henryonapple]

USB3 might be a step forward but the lack of a graphics card is 3 steps back. Doing ANY kind of Motion graphics the system cannot keep up. I bought and returned a Mac Mini, Never again buy computer without a dedicated graphics card.

i'm sure the mac mini can handle the graphical power of facebook and iMessage

 

[tears2040]

i'm sure the mac mini can handle the graphical power of facebook and iMessage

You're a Genius....... I guess you missed the part where he mentioned College in two years.... With 1080p videos becoming standard in 2 years we will be moving towards 2k and 4k. Also Photoshop and many other graphic programs students in college will be using in two years I do not recommend a computer without a graphics card.....
Trust Me

 

[DestroVega]

I'd buy them a ton of condoms instead.

 

[Wong Jowo]

Lol...!!!

 

[henryonapple]

You're a Genius....... I guess you missed the part where he mentioned College in two years.... With 1080p videos becoming standard in 2 years we will be moving towards 2k and 4k. Also Photoshop and many other graphic programs students in college will be using in two years I do not recommend a computer without a graphics card.....
Trust Me

I guess you missed the part where I said computers today will become outdated in 2 years.

 

[tears2040]

I guess you missed the part where I said computers today will become outdated in 2 years.

1000% Wrong..... The Mac mini is already outdated since the Gpu cannot handle Pro HD content, Fact. Nor can it handle Motion graphics.....

In comparison a 2011 iMac can, so yeah I would not purchase a Mac mini.

 

[B.A.T]

Would one mac mini and two iPad minis work? One computer for home work, iPads for teenage internet stuff.

1000% Wrong..... The Mac mini is already outdated since the Gpu cannot handle Pro HD content, Fact. Nor can it handle Motion graphics.....

I really doubt his teenage daughters are going to need to handle Pro HD content or motion graphics.

 

[tears2040]

Would one mac mini and two iPad minis work? One computer for home work, iPads for teenage internet stuff.



I really doubt his teenage daughters are going to need to handle Pro HD content or motion graphics.

Do you have a Mac mini? Have you used one? Using the hdmi port simple tasks as just watching 1080p content causes vertical screen tears in the content. Maybe apple will come out with an update, maybe not.... Point is when my 2011 iMac gpu test is 3x faster than the hd4000 in a Mac Mini then it is simply of no use.

Many people in college use graphic programs, Apple Motion, After Effects, etc. HD4000 according to the tests I ran on a 16gb Mac mini 2.6 quad is unusable. The processor is great, but that's not the only important component of a computer.

Heck I would have loved for it to have been fine, I could have saved money, but now I'm waiting on the new iMac.

 

[B.A.T]

I have a late 2009 mac mini that I use as a HTPC. I don't have any of the problems you are talking about.