Thinking about getting a Mini

[cramazing]

Currently my only machine is my RMBP, I use it with an external HDD, while connecting to a Dell Monitor. I carry my laptop to and from work half the time and when I get home I have to connect all the cables to the monitor, speakers, and MagSafe2 just to on the my computer.

bottom line is, Im sick of doing this all the time.
So im thinking about getting a base Mini to do basic stuff.

has anyone done or thought about doing this as well?

 

[roow110]

The fundamental problem seems to be the effort in plugging in the MacBook to all the peripherals. I would consider getting the MacDock which combines them all into one plug.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1710259441/new-macbook-docking-station

 

[COrocket]

I was in a sort of similar position last fall. I had an aging macbook that i transported everywhere including hooking up to a larger monitor and keyboard at home. I had just got an iPad which seemed to suffice for doing mobile stuff that didn't require a buch of typing like reading the news/surfing the web. I got the mini and now I'm working with it in conjunction with my iPad. I tend to do all my work at my desk. So far its worked out great. If you setup a cloud solution you could have a computer to leave at home and at work that would always be in sync with each other.

 

[spacepower7]

I'm the "IT guy" for all my family, friends, and paying customers. I also have two other "real jobs".

Anyway, it really depends how you want to organize your life. Do you want to separate work and personal life?

Currently I am using a Mac mini for my personal life, photos, music, videos, etc.... With quite a few external hard drives and 2 Dell monitors.

My work machine is a 13" MacBook Air 128GB with Mac OS, Windows XP VM and Windows 7 VM.

I see this question all the time.
Some people want one machine to do everything and some people life/work seperatation.

I sync important work docs on both Macs via Dropbox. Just in case I have to do something during the weekend or at late hours on a weeknight.

Single Mac vs 2 computers, there are compromises both ways. I do feel that the more media, movies, music, photos you have, the more you are going to want to seperate work/life and keep the most important docs synced via Dropbox or whatever.

Hope this helps.

 

[KylePowers]

I run two Macs myself - 2011 13in MBA and a 2011 27in iMac.

My iMac holds my iTunes collection, iPhoto collection, is backed up to a 2TB hard drive via Time Machine, and is connected to a 4TB hard drive with my TV shows/movies. I stream from it to my AppleTV and use Air Video server to stream to my iPhone/iPad on the go.

My MBA is for being lazy in bed, when I'm at lectures, at friends' places, on the go, etc.

It's a sweet setup if you can afford it, but indeed, a Mini could serve just as well. For document syncing, I use Dropbox (I have 25GB) and it works flawlessly. I can access all my files from all my Apple devices and even from any ol' computer with an internet connection.

If you're not interested in getting a Thunderbolt display (thus only have to connect a Thunderbolt cable), then yeah, I'd say go for the Mini. You can snag refurbs for a decent price these days