upgrade cost of Mini

[Scarlet Fever]

There is a Core Solo Mac Mini for $700 AUD on the Aussie Sales store, and i've wanted a desktop for some time now.

The core solo is going to kill me, and i've heard that the chip in the mini is replaceable. So the questions are:

-Is $700 (around $550 US) worth it for a new (never been used) but dated Mac Mini?
-How much would upgrades such as a superdrive and a compatible C2D chip cost?

Cheers
SF

 

[roland.g]

There is a Core Solo Mac Mini for $700 AUD on the Aussie Sales store, and i've wanted a desktop for some time now.

The core solo is going to kill me, and i've heard that the chip in the mini is replaceable. So the questions are:

-Is $700 (around $550 US) worth it for a new (never been used) but dated Mac Mini?
-How much would upgrades such as a superdrive and a compatible C2D chip cost?

Cheers
SF

I picked up a 1.66 Core Duo with Superdrive (the high end model before the bump) from Apple for $649 US. It was a refurbished. So no, I don't think the Core Solo is worth it at $550. See if you can get a 1.66 SD and worry about the chip in a year when they are cheap. Just get some RAM for now. I got 2GB for $250 US and maxed the RAM out.

 

[Scarlet Fever]

there is a CoreDuo 1.66 SD on the aussie store for $990 AUD (~$780 US), which is significantly more than what i was planning on spending.

I already have the MacBook, but i was thinking about getting a more powerful (ie 2.0GHz or higher) 64 bit desktop computer. if the price of the CPU was low enough, i would have jumped at it.

 

[ivnj]

550 is a lot. 599 usd local for me I can get a core duo 1.66.

http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.aspx?EDC=1039807

Thanks,
ivnj

 

[iW00t]

Instead of upgrading it, it is always a better idea to sell it and buy a new one.

I sold my old 1.66 one and bought a 1.83, and in the process I lost less than A$200. Since the old one served me for good part of 9 months, it isn't too bad... the cost of 2 meals per month I'd say

 

[ivnj]

200? If you have the box and original everything you can get a lot more than 200 on EBAY. No mini has ever gone under 300 or 400 on ebay.

Thanks,
ivnj

 

[jonutarr]

why do you want a desktop that is in no way better than your laptop?

just what a bit for the C2D mini


or get a big monitor and hook it up to your macbook

 

[iW00t]

200? If you have the box and original everything you can get a lot more than 200 on EBAY. No mini has ever gone under 300 or 400 on ebay.

Thanks,
ivnj

No, what I meant is I lost less than $200.

I bought the Mini under educational price for like A$1100 or so, but when I sold it I got almost $900 back, so I lost less around $200 in the upgrade.

That's not to say I also got a "new" warranty as well. Beats spending $250 on Applecare to keep the same old machine alive

 

[Scarlet Fever]

why do you want a desktop that is in no way better than your laptop?

i was planning on maxing the RAM and HDD out and putting a new C2D chip in it, but by the sounds of it, it would be cheaper to get an iMac.

Thanks for the responses