Discussion
What are peoples thoughts and opinions on the Mac Mini then?
I'm feed up with being done up the wrongun by microsoft and the mac seems reasonably priced with a good enough spec for what i shall use it for. I also get the impression the Microsoft - Apple divide is closing a little so there is more cross compatibility.
Is the Duo core worthe the premium over the single core and are they easily upgradeable? I can imagine that with their compactness upgrading hardware is tricky.
Anyway, your thoughts and suggestions please.
Busta
I'm feed up with being done up the wrongun by microsoft and the mac seems reasonably priced with a good enough spec for what i shall use it for. I also get the impression the Microsoft - Apple divide is closing a little so there is more cross compatibility.
Is the Duo core worthe the premium over the single core and are they easily upgradeable? I can imagine that with their compactness upgrading hardware is tricky.
Anyway, your thoughts and suggestions please.
Busta
The mini is a good little machine, it'll do everything that the average person wants (surf the net, e-mail, play DVD's and such) plus because of the bomb proof OS X even a total numptie can be left to play on it without fear of comming back to a machine that's got half it's config missing and infested with god knows what.
Hardware upgrades on such a small chassis are the same as working on a modern laptop, you can throw in some more memory, a bigger HDD but that's about it really.
The only thing I'd say is that unless they've changed a great deal from the G4 powered beasties the hard drive is a laptop unit; hence not wonderfully fast. So if speed is of the essence then your best to look else where.
Compatibility depends a lot on what you are doing; Office is avaliable for OS X, however if you are using things like Autocad, and such then your better off sticking with Windows.
Hardware upgrades on such a small chassis are the same as working on a modern laptop, you can throw in some more memory, a bigger HDD but that's about it really.
The only thing I'd say is that unless they've changed a great deal from the G4 powered beasties the hard drive is a laptop unit; hence not wonderfully fast. So if speed is of the essence then your best to look else where.
Compatibility depends a lot on what you are doing; Office is avaliable for OS X, however if you are using things like Autocad, and such then your better off sticking with Windows.
What are you looking to do with it, duo core may or may not be worth it.
They're a great way to introduce yourself to OS X, and they'll run Windows too!
Upgrades will be by replacement rather than addition.
An iMac might be the way to go though, and I agree with Barefeats assessment www.barefeats.com/mincd.html
They're a great way to introduce yourself to OS X, and they'll run Windows too!
Upgrades will be by replacement rather than addition.
An iMac might be the way to go though, and I agree with Barefeats assessment www.barefeats.com/mincd.html
If the mini mac is like the imacs... the CPU is soldered into place... no upgrade options there. Core duo has loads of power I'd go with them unless you are just typing letters on it in which case that maybe overkill.
I'd also go with imac my brother has the old 20" one... its a great 'little' machine (well its only a screen!)
The only reason I dont have a mac is because their graphics cards are not up to par... 512Mb nvidia 7900GTX or by comparison rubbish ati X1600. If computer games aren't your thing though don't let me put you off!
I'd also go with imac my brother has the old 20" one... its a great 'little' machine (well its only a screen!)
The only reason I dont have a mac is because their graphics cards are not up to par... 512Mb nvidia 7900GTX or by comparison rubbish ati X1600. If computer games aren't your thing though don't let me put you off!
I've recently bought an intel mac mini (the core solo version) to use in my studio as a media centre system, but it certainly seems to handle things like lightroom extremely well. I'd certainly buy another though. Most of the main titles like microsoft office etc are all available for the mac now, and at similar prices to the windows versions. By the sounds of it, just for the likes of microsoft office, the solo should be more than good enough, although it may be worth considering the duo for the superdrive (dvd burner) and the faster processor.
these days you can also use bootcamp, so you can have windows and mac os on your system.
these days you can also use bootcamp, so you can have windows and mac os on your system.
A small correction.. The Intel equipped Mac Mini's and the Intel iMacs do actually have their CPU's on sockets (Pre intel G4 & G5's were soldered on). People have been upgrading these Macs already.
However, the graphics on Mac Mini's and iMacs can not be upgraded. And on the Mac Mini's, the graphics spec is rather feeble. But unless you are playing demanding games on it, you simply won't notice this at all.
Whatever you get, make sure its got a gig or more of ram in it, and im sure you'll be very happy with its performance.
I've been using Macs for over 10 years now. No going back for me.. But at least you can run windows on them now natively if you want to, which is a great option to have.
Cheers, P
However, the graphics on Mac Mini's and iMacs can not be upgraded. And on the Mac Mini's, the graphics spec is rather feeble. But unless you are playing demanding games on it, you simply won't notice this at all.
Whatever you get, make sure its got a gig or more of ram in it, and im sure you'll be very happy with its performance.
I've been using Macs for over 10 years now. No going back for me.. But at least you can run windows on them now natively if you want to, which is a great option to have.
Cheers, P
Hi guys, sorry its taken a while to reply. Ironically my computer crashed last night and i couldnt be bothered to restart it.
I'll be using it mainly for pics, movies and music but I will also be doing a bit of image and music editing. Sounds like its up to the job anyway.
The only other thing is I want to use it with a 32" HD LCD screen. This should be ideal for movies but i'm wondering wether there will be any shortcomings with everyday use, apart from me getting square eyes. Has anyone use a big screen regularly for e-mailing and stuff? Will I go blind or is it simply a case of the bigger the better?
Bernie
I'll be using it mainly for pics, movies and music but I will also be doing a bit of image and music editing. Sounds like its up to the job anyway.
The only other thing is I want to use it with a 32" HD LCD screen. This should be ideal for movies but i'm wondering wether there will be any shortcomings with everyday use, apart from me getting square eyes. Has anyone use a big screen regularly for e-mailing and stuff? Will I go blind or is it simply a case of the bigger the better?
Bernie
I run my mac mini on a 20 inch lcd tv, and i find it quite good really (although its not as big a screen as the only you're looking to use), but it runs at 800x600. I am looking at upgrading to a slightly larger screen though, but with HD resolution, so it should still work really well. I would imagine at higher resolution, on a larger screen, you should be fine as long as you aren't too close to the screen, and your eyes aren't straining too much.
I've got a G4 Mini and I love it to bits. The only reason I'll be replacing it with a Mac Pro is that the Pro will let me consolidate my Mac (for work and stuff) and my PC (for games). I might even get an iMac (saves buying a separate monitor) if the graphics card is good enough.
It's been utterly reliable and I've upgraded the memory in it (which isn't as difficult as the websites that tell you how to do it would have you believe).
Choose the Mac that's right for your pocket, but with one caveat - always fit the maximum amount of memory that the machine will take.
OS X really, really likes memory.
It's been utterly reliable and I've upgraded the memory in it (which isn't as difficult as the websites that tell you how to do it would have you believe).
Choose the Mac that's right for your pocket, but with one caveat - always fit the maximum amount of memory that the machine will take.
OS X really, really likes memory.
Do Not Buy One Now!
Whilst the current Mini is a fantastic machine the signs are that there is about to be a revision. If you wait a few weeks you might be able to get a better machine for the same money.
www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/08/20060824183848.shtml
Whilst the current Mini is a fantastic machine the signs are that there is about to be a revision. If you wait a few weeks you might be able to get a better machine for the same money.
www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/08/20060824183848.shtml
Just a couple more Qs.
Looking at apple's website, where you can spec your own mini, 2GB ram is a £210 option and larger hard drives are eqaully over priced. It seems to me I'd be better of buying the basic spec then buying 2 1GB ram thingys and a bigger harddrive from somewhere like aria.co.uk. for half the price but is there any catch? It seems to me like apple are just cashing in on this.
Bernie
Looking at apple's website, where you can spec your own mini, 2GB ram is a £210 option and larger hard drives are eqaully over priced. It seems to me I'd be better of buying the basic spec then buying 2 1GB ram thingys and a bigger harddrive from somewhere like aria.co.uk. for half the price but is there any catch? It seems to me like apple are just cashing in on this.
Bernie
busta said:
Just a couple more Qs.
Looking at apple's website, where you can spec your own mini, 2GB ram is a £210 option and larger hard drives are eqaully over priced. It seems to me I'd be better of buying the basic spec then buying 2 1GB ram thingys and a bigger harddrive from somewhere like aria.co.uk. for half the price but is there any catch? It seems to me like apple are just cashing in on this.
Bernie
Looking at apple's website, where you can spec your own mini, 2GB ram is a £210 option and larger hard drives are eqaully over priced. It seems to me I'd be better of buying the basic spec then buying 2 1GB ram thingys and a bigger harddrive from somewhere like aria.co.uk. for half the price but is there any catch? It seems to me like apple are just cashing in on this.
Bernie
Bear in mind that there's a single memory slot on a Mini, and that the hard disk is a laptop unit rather than a standard 3.5 inch desktop unit.
These will all fit an Intel Mac Mini.
Note that you need SO-DIMMs not full size ones. They need to be DDR2 667 (iirc). You can find some of those here
You may wish to take a look at these instructions: they are not designed to be taken apart.
Note that I don't work for Scan, I've ordered from them a lot of times and been happy with them...
Also as I mentioned above new machines appear to be coming out very soon: I'd wait a couple of weeks (till after September 5th at least).
Note that you need SO-DIMMs not full size ones. They need to be DDR2 667 (iirc). You can find some of those here
You may wish to take a look at these instructions: they are not designed to be taken apart.
Note that I don't work for Scan, I've ordered from them a lot of times and been happy with them...
Also as I mentioned above new machines appear to be coming out very soon: I'd wait a couple of weeks (till after September 5th at least).
We've just gone over to using these in the office and have no complaints whatsoever - truly a great little bit of kit.
You can run Windows on them but you'll need to buy the software (boot camp or iBoot or something IIRC). However, this is a public beta software and is not supported by either Mac or MS. In truth though, you'll not really need it. The old compatability issues between the two platforms have largely been erradicated. Unless you're into serious gaming, then there's no reason not to buy a mac.
You can run Windows on them but you'll need to buy the software (boot camp or iBoot or something IIRC). However, this is a public beta software and is not supported by either Mac or MS. In truth though, you'll not really need it. The old compatability issues between the two platforms have largely been erradicated. Unless you're into serious gaming, then there's no reason not to buy a mac.
Steviebee, Bootcamp is free. And actually very good. And although Apple say it isn't supported, they do actually update it quite frequently. Mainly to include better drivers. For example, Apples iSight camera is now supported under windows because of the updated driver package in Bootcamp.
If you wanted to run Windows on a mac, then i would say Bootcamp is definitely the way to go, because you just wont get that kind of driver support from 3rd parties. Having said that, you could probably use the drivers from Bootcamp with Parallels or something, with a little ingenuity.
I think mac mini's are really good for the money, and i'll probably pick one up myself soon.
Cheers, P
If you wanted to run Windows on a mac, then i would say Bootcamp is definitely the way to go, because you just wont get that kind of driver support from 3rd parties. Having said that, you could probably use the drivers from Bootcamp with Parallels or something, with a little ingenuity.
I think mac mini's are really good for the money, and i'll probably pick one up myself soon.
Cheers, P
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