What would you go with?

[forza69]

I really can't decide now. I was set on getting a new iMac but looking at the base specs of the 21.5 inch I'm a little underwhelmed. Granted I already knew about the specs but it's a lot more real now that I actually have the option of buying it. I'm now looking at the Mac Mini. 2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7, 4GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM (would upgrade to 16GB myself from Crucial), and the 1TB Fusion Drive. I have a 42 inch HDTV which I could hook up to it via HDMI. I'd like your take on this. What would you do? I'm not a gamer, and I don't do any type of work with video or images other than the occasional photoshop. I mainly just browse the web, email, stream, and maybe a game here and there. Oh also, would the MM be able to handle the 42 inch display?

Mac Mini - $1189.73 + $80 for the 16GB RAM upgrade.
21.5 inch iMac with 16GB of RAM - $1637.08

 

[jablko]

"... maybe a game here and there." Without knowing what games you play, it's really hard to know if the Intel HD4000 is sufficient. As far as performance goes, the graphics performance is the only thing really holding the Mac Mini back from competing "head-to-headless" with the iMac.

For everything else you listed, the Mini should be great.

As for the running a 42 inch display, it's not the size that matters; it's the pixel count. I'm assuming it's 1080p. Any computer can handle that these days for 2D content like videos, Web, etc. The only question, again, is in gaming. Depending on how demanding the game is and the detail and resolution settings you use, it could be taxing. The HD4000 is great for an integrated GPU, but you can't expect it to perform on par with a discrete card like the ones in the iMacs.

 

[forza69]

"... maybe a game here and there." Without knowing what games you play, it's really hard to know if the Intel HD4000 is sufficient. As far as performance goes, the graphics performance is the only thing really holding the Mac Mini back from competing "head-to-headless" with the iMac.

For everything else you listed, the Mini should be great.

As for the running a 42 inch display, it's not the size that matters; it's the pixel count. I'm assuming it's 1080p. Any computer can handle that these days for 2D content like videos, Web, etc. The only question, again, is in gaming. Depending on how demanding the game is and the detail and resolution settings you use, it could be taxing. The HD4000 is great for an integrated GPU, but you can't expect it to perform on par with a discrete card like the ones in the iMacs.

Oh sorry, by gaming I meant downloading emulators and playing old games from Genesis/N64/Gameboy. All other gaming I do on my PS3.