What will last longer?

[Dubois]

Hi,

I have a budget of around £530 to purchase a new computer, and have decided to go with a second hand mac due to the only option when purchasing a new PC is windows 8.

So far I've come up with three options of machines I could afford.

MacBook Pro 15" June 2009
MacBook Pro 13" mid 2010
iMac 21.5" mid 2010
Mac Mini October 2012 (the latest one, brand new)

My question is basically this. Which will last longer? By that I mean which is more likely to receive more OS X upgrades than the other. Excluding the Mac mini (because I'm sure a brand new machine would out do all the others) which machine do you think would
A) be better in performance for games such as Minecraft
B) receive more OS X upgrades over the next 3-4 years

I prefer portable machines overall, but I do have a current laptop and iPad that May be able to replace a portable machine, as they don't really mix with me (by that I mean they normally break within a year).

Many Thanks

 

[Macman45]

The mini, as it's new will last longer in terms of updates etc. but you will still need a monitor, unless you are going to use it headless.

That's going to put the price up a fair bit depending on which monitor you choose. I'd buy the mini personally, and couple it to a Dell Ultrasharp or similar..A nice little system.

 

[jkeating2005]

Hi,

I have a budget of around £530 to purchase a new computer, and have decided to go with a second hand mac due to the only option when purchasing a new PC is windows 8.

So far I've come up with three options of machines I could afford.

MacBook Pro 15" June 2009
MacBook Pro 13" mid 2010
iMac 21.5" mid 2010
Mac Mini October 2012 (the latest one, brand new)

My question is basically this. Which will last longer? By that I mean which is more likely to receive more OS X upgrades than the other. Excluding the Mac mini (because I'm sure a brand new machine would out do all the others) which machine do you think would
A) be better in performance for games such as Minecraft
B) receive more OS X upgrades over the next 3-4 years

I prefer portable machines overall, but I do have a current laptop and iPad that May be able to replace a portable machine, as they don't really mix with me (by that I mean they normally break within a year).

Many Thanks

It all depends on your needs. I know people who have 2008 MacBooks and it is still the right fit for them. If you buy the Mac Mini, you will be somewhat "up to date" but you will be forking over more cash for (Display, Mouse, Keyboard).

So essentially in my opinion it all depends on your needs and what you'll be using the mac for.

 

[Altemose]

Hi,

I have a budget of around £530 to purchase a new computer, and have decided to go with a second hand mac due to the only option when purchasing a new PC is windows 8.

So far I've come up with three options of machines I could afford.

MacBook Pro 15" June 2009
MacBook Pro 13" mid 2010
iMac 21.5" mid 2010
Mac Mini October 2012 (the latest one, brand new)

My question is basically this. Which will last longer? By that I mean which is more likely to receive more OS X upgrades than the other. Excluding the Mac mini (because I'm sure a brand new machine would out do all the others) which machine do you think would
A) be better in performance for games such as Minecraft
B) receive more OS X upgrades over the next 3-4 years

I prefer portable machines overall, but I do have a current laptop and iPad that May be able to replace a portable machine, as they don't really mix with me (by that I mean they normally break within a year).

Many Thanks

The Mac Mini is certainly not going to lose support any time soon as it is built off of the 2012 cMBP that they still sell today. The issue with iMacs is that when they begin to die, it is hard to replace parts if you are not competent doing the repair and that raises the costs to pay.

If you go with one of the MBPs I would look at also getting a RAM upgrade and an SSD. It will really make those four year old Macs feel like brand new out of the box! I put one in my 2012 cMBP and it flies.