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What Mac to buy? (Minecraft/Web)

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Tylersmiiith

macrumors newbie
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Jan 7, 2014
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Hey thanks for taking the time to view my thread. I have never owned a Mac before, and I recently got some money. I have $240ish to spend, I probably sound extremely nooby, but I really want a Mac. I will be using the computer for browsing the web (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and also playing Minecraft. I have narrowed it down after looking for awhile on eBay. Here is what I found:

1. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-imac-...3678649?pt=Apple_Desktops&hash=item33891c80b9

2. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-MacBo...611?pt=Apple_Laptops&hash=item27dcf01afb#rwid
 
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Minecraft is actually pretty demanding, and sucks battery like all get out, so I'd lean towards the first iMac.

Make sure it has an Intel processor 2006 or later and not a PPC "g5" one. So not number 3!

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For the price you're willing to spend, option 1 above definitely gives great bang for buck, I would say that long as you don't need to be portable
 
My $.02 is hold off, and save up more money, especially since you want to run minecraft. The increased funds will allow you to get a more powerful Mac.
 
Tylersmiiith said:
I will be using the computer for browsing the web (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) and also playing Minecraft. I have narrowed it down after looking for awhile on eBay.
Click to expand...

Frankly, although the iMac would be fine for basic office work and web browsing I wouldn't have high hopes of it running Minecraft well (Minecraft is quite the resource hog - it runs OK on my 2011 17" quad-i7, 8GM, Radeon 6750M MacBook Pro, but I don't think its going to fly on a Core 2 Duo).

(I suspect that the original Minecraft isn't as efficiently coded as the mobile/Raspberry Pi versions).

Also, bear in mind that it probably won't be officially upgradeable beyond OS X Lion, which is already two versions behind & I'd expect to see it dropping of some software's 'supported' list before long.

All things being equal, I'd always prefer a Mac, but you can't escape the fact that Apple don't do cheap computers - and they hold their value well secondhand. I'd either save some more, or look at a cheaper mini-tower Windows 7 PC (which might be easier and cheaper to upgrade bit-by-bit).
 
Well as of right now these are my current specs, I'm buying a "new" computer because when I tried my friends Mac various times, I fell in love. These are my specs:

HP Pavilion Slimline
- Pentium(R) Dual-Core E5200 @ 2.50GHz
- 4.0 GB RAM
- 500 GB Hard Drive
- Nvidia geforce 7100

This is the Windows computer I picked out, it's just I'd really love to be on the Mac side.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/DELL-GAMING...NECRAFT-WOW-D3-STEAM-ATI-RADEON-/271352471922


Edit: & Wow Mac people are so much more helpful than in other forums. I really mean that.
 
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Tylersmiiith said:
Well as of right now these are my current specs, I'm buying a "new" computer because when I tried my friends Mac various times, I fell in love.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, all of the Macs you've linked will be quite a bit slower than that PC.

I have a similar E5300 PC that (coincidentally) I use for my kids' Minecraft server among other stuff. It's designed to be Hackintosh-capable and performs somewhere between my 2008 Macbook or my 2009 Macbook Pro. My 2006 iMac is solidly trounced by all of those, not to mention the 2011 and 2012 Macbook Airs.

If you don't want to be too disappointed save up your money for at least a Mid 2010 model.

B
 
balamw said:
Unfortunately, all of the Macs you've linked will be quite a bit slower than that PC.

I have a similar E5300 PC that (coincidentally) I use for my kids' Minecraft server among other stuff. It's designed to be Hackintosh-capable and performs somewhere between my 2008 Macbook or my 2009 Macbook Pro. My 2006 iMac is solidly trounced by all of those, not to mention the 2011 and 2012 Macbook Airs.

If you don't want to be too disappointed save up your money for at least a Mid 2010 model.

B
Click to expand...

I thought Intel Core 2 Duo is faster than Pentium Dual Core? I've asked Toms Hardware, and other sites. They all say the same thing.

I really can't spend over $200 (on the computer itself) so that computer I listed is not really in my budget ($209.99 Windows PC)

This feels like my current plan:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-imac-...3678649?pt=Apple_Desktops&hash=item33891c80b9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apple-iMac-...05?pt=PCA_Mice_Trackballs&hash=item3f2e74f9c9

http://www.ebay.com/itm/APPLE-WHITE...AL-MAC-IMAC-/181296929642?hash=item2a36239b6a
 
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If you live in an area that has craigslist. Save up a bit and buy a 2006 Mac Pro. You can find them for around $300. In my area there is even one with a 20" Aluminum Cinema display for that price. It would be much more powerful than anything you listed by quite a bit, and with the ability to expand later. You can also find them on eBay for that much money or a little bit more.

Hope this helps!
 
I would be looking at saving and getting something 2010 or later. Minecraft is taxing as mentioned earlier, and if you want any type of smooth graphics you will want to get something that can handle it appropriately.
 
Do yourself a favor and buy a Windows-based computer. 250 dollars is just not enough for any decent mac but it can get a nice low-end desktop or laptop that will be much faster and probably last longer.
 
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