Should I get a MacMini

[diabolo]

I'm looking to get a new computer, currently I have a Dell XPS 400 and is quite old. It can run the basic stuff needed and maybe a couple games and Im running Windows XP on it.

I wanted to get a laptop and since I liked how Macs are I wanted to get the macbook pro 15", but that was quite expensive and Im not in need of a laptop.

But the MacMini is like 600USD which is about average and is energy efficient. Because I like to leave my computer on from the time I get home to when I go to sleep.

Also I do like how the Snow Leopard OS X is.

I do not plan to game on the MacMini. Although I know that I can dual-boot into Windows, it will most likely become my primary computer for web browsing, word processing, power points, school work, and I can turn it into a server. But I'm going to keep my XPS for gaming. (anybody know if the MacMini can handle games, COD:MW2)


Now I need you guys for input. Is the MacMini worth it? for the energy efficiency? for the price? for the OS?

 

[deltavolt]

I generally find that the quality of the Macs is excellent and they'll last you forever, but the lower-end models are generally overpriced. If you were to go to the higher-up models like the mentioned MacBook Pro then I'd definitely recommend it but the Mac Mini doesn't really have the specs for the price. It will handle everything you mentioned perfectly well and OSX is fantastic, but I really doubt it'll handle any really CPU-intensive games.

 

[Smith6612]

I'm looking to get a new computer, currently I have a Dell XPS 400 and is quite old. It can run the basic stuff needed and maybe a couple games and Im running Windows XP on it.

I wanted to get a laptop and since I liked how Macs are I wanted to get the macbook pro 15", but that was quite expensive and Im not in need of a laptop.

But the MacMini is like 600USD which is about average and is energy efficient. Because I like to leave my computer on from the time I get home to when I go to sleep.

Also I do like how the Snow Leopard OS X is.

I do not plan to game on the MacMini. Although I know that I can dual-boot into Windows, it will most likely become my primary computer for web browsing, word processing, power points, school work, and I can turn it into a server. But I'm going to keep my XPS for gaming. (anybody knwo if the MacMini can handle games, COD:MW2)


Now I need you guys for input. Is the MacMini worth it? for the energy efficiency? for the price? for the OS?

What are the specs on your current Dell XPS 400? The Mac Mini is a pretty good choice for a space saving PC. I've seen these things and they are pretty small, and they are decently fast. Obviously, many of the newer games today won't run maxed out but you can at least run COD4 on the GeForce card that comes with it at the low/medium settings. You might be able to squeak by with it on high, but don't expect much out of a GeForce 9400GT as it will be basically a laptop chip (and yes, it will eat up some RAM on your system). The Mac Minis are pretty much laptops themselves, more like net-tops on Steroids.

 

[diabolo]

What are the specs on your current Dell XPS 400? The Mac Mini is a pretty good choice for a space saving PC. I've seen these things and they are pretty small, and they are decently fast. Obviously, many of the newer games today won't run maxed out but you can at least run COD4 on the GeForce card that comes with it at the low/medium settings. You might be able to squeak by with it on high, but don't expect much out of a GeForce 9400GT as it will be basically a laptop chip (and yes, it will eat up some RAM on your system). The Mac Minis are pretty much laptops themselves, more like net-tops on Steroids.

here is my system specifications. I got them from the Belarc Advisor.

2.80 gigahertz Intel Pentium D
16 kilobyte primary memory cache
1024 kilobyte secondary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded

3072 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory

Slot 'DIMM_1' has 512 MB (serial number 030AF02E)
Slot 'DIMM_3' has 1024 MB (serial number 6631B11C)
Slot 'DIMM_2' has 512 MB (serial number 030AF0C6)
Slot 'DIMM_4' has 1024 MB (serial number 6C31B81C)

ATI Radeon X300/X550/X1050 Series [Display adapter]
ATI Radeon X300/X550/X1050 Series Secondary [Display adapter]
Eizo L565 [Monitor] (17.1"vis, s/n 94993092, September 2002)

 

[steronius]

i think you answered your own question!

you like it.
you know why you like it.
you know what you can do with it (bootcamp etc.)

i like my mac pro at work!

 

[Mr. DOS]

The Mac Mini will probably outperform the XPS for gaming. Your CPU isn't utterly terrible, and you've got a good amount of RAM, but your video card is old old old.

--- Mr. DOS

 

[diabolo]

The Mac Mini will probably outperform the XPS for gaming. Your CPU isn't utterly terrible, and you've got a good amount of RAM, but your video card is old old old.

--- Mr. DOS

lol. so I should just spend like a hundred bucks for a new graphics card rather than 600 for a macmini?
doing this I know I wont be able to use the Mac OS X, but the performance would be better?

 

[Mr. DOS]

No, because the Mac Mini also has a dual-core processor.

The basic situation is, whatever the Mac Mini comes with, it's virtually stuck with. You can upgrade it, but opening it voids your warranty. However, to upgrade your XPS to that point, you'd have to replace virtually every component in it.

The Mac Mini is a nice little machine for basic use. My recommendation at this point would be either get the Mac Mini and start saving for a good gaming machine ($1.5k would be plenty), or build yourself a decent machine right now ($600 can easily build you a tri- or quad-core AMD machine with a Radeon 4950 or 4970 - a fairly mid-range box overall, but capable of playing most modern games on at least Medium).

--- Mr. DOS

Edit: Disregard what I've said here and go read Smith6612's post. I was thinking your Dell had an older Socket 478 motherboard; it doesn't, it has an LGA 775 motherboard, for which modern, quad-core CPU's are still being made. Because of that, you don't have to upgrade your motherboard to get a new CPU, which means you don't have to upgrade your RAM, so really, unless your power supply is inadequate to drive them, all you need is a new CPU and video card.

 

[Smith6612]

lol. so I should just spend like a hundred bucks for a new graphics card rather than 600 for a macmini?
doing this I know I wont be able to use the Mac OS X, but the performance would be better?

I just saw your specs. Your Dell XPS is pretty decent, so I wouldn't give up usage on it just yet. Just stick in a new video card such as an 8800GT or 9800GT and it should be running nicely. I also think you can get an old Q6600 or faster quad core CPU in that machine as well which will surely outperform the dual core processor a Mac Mini comes with if you can get apps Multithreaded to use up all 4 cores. Heck if I hadn't have sold my Q6600 a while back so that I could pay for my current i7 CPU, I'd given it to you for some really cheap price ($60? ).

FYI: I'm positive the XPS 400 is a BTX form factor PC, so keep that in mind. Dell seems to have moved to BTX from ATX form factors lately.

 

[casey roberts]

I would say personally I prefer OS X for everyday use. Web surfing, e-mails, Office, everything just seems to work as it should. I also prefer it for pro apps like Logic, Final Cut, and Aperture. Basically, if you want a gaming machine, look to upgrade your graphics card in your XPS. If you want a machine for everyday use, look into a Mini. If you're satisfied with the Windows experience and don't want to spend much money, you may want to look into reformatting your hard drive, as Windows machines tend to bog down after a year or two. A graphics card will not make it run better on everyday tasks, but getting the clutter off will.

 

[risket]

I've had a Mac Mini for about two years now and it's awesome. It may be small but it's a powerful computer. I'm a graphic artist and a hobbyist musician and Photoshop CS4 works great. I also use Garage Band because Mac's can handle some really nice sounding midi drums and synths.

I've been using it regularly for the past two years and it still only takes a little over 30 seconds to be ready to go after pushing the power button.

Right now I currently have it hooked up to my main TV in the living room so I can use the Hulu application to watch Hulu on the big screen in high quality. Never have any problems.

I think a Mac Mini is a great choice. By the way, because of how small it is, if you have a flat panel LCD monitor you can set it right on top of the mini and your entire computer will take up almost no space at all.
Edit:
I should probably add, that the MacMini isn't that great when it comes to playing games with very high graphics. My wife tries to play The Sims 3 on it and even though the graphics aren't anything special, it seems to lag and at times textures won't even load. She ends up playing it on my laptop.

So if you're looking for something to play games on, the MacMini is not a gaming computer. If you're looking for something that's quick and ready to go when you are for everyday use, it's not a bad choice. You'll pay a bit more for it but considering mine is still just as good as it was about two years ago (maybe a little more) it's worth it.

 

[diabolo]

I would say personally I prefer OS X for everyday use. Web surfing, e-mails, Office, everything just seems to work as it should. I also prefer it for pro apps like Logic, Final Cut, and Aperture. Basically, if you want a gaming machine, look to upgrade your graphics card in your XPS. If you want a machine for everyday use, look into a Mini. If you're satisfied with the Windows experience and don't want to spend much money, you may want to look into reformatting your hard drive, as Windows machines tend to bog down after a year or two. A graphics card will not make it run better on everyday tasks, but getting the clutter off will.

I've had a Mac Mini for about two years now and it's awesome. It may be small but it's a powerful computer. I'm a graphic artist and a hobbyist musician and Photoshop CS4 works great. I also use Garage Band because Mac's can handle some really nice sounding midi drums and synths.

I've been using it regularly for the past two years and it still only takes a little over 30 seconds to be ready to go after pushing the power button.

Right now I currently have it hooked up to my main TV in the living room so I can use the Hulu application to watch Hulu on the big screen in high quality. Never have any problems.

I think a Mac Mini is a great choice. By the way, because of how small it is, if you have a flat panel LCD monitor you can set it right on top of the mini and your entire computer will take up almost no space at all.
Edit:
I should probably add, that the MacMini isn't that great when it comes to playing games with very high graphics. My wife tries to play The Sims 3 on it and even though the graphics aren't anything special, it seems to lag and at times textures won't even load. She ends up playing it on my laptop.

So if you're looking for something to play games on, the MacMini is not a gaming computer. If you're looking for something that's quick and ready to go when you are for everyday use, it's not a bad choice. You'll pay a bit more for it but considering mine is still just as good as it was about two years ago (maybe a little more) it's worth it.

thanks guys!
I have decided that Im not going to get a new computer. (even though I want a mac badly)
Im just going to upgrade my current Dell and flush out the whole system.

 

[risket]

That would be the best choice if you're looking for a good gaming computer.

But if you really want a Mac and decide to go for it in the future (and don't need it to be a laptop) I highly recommend the Mini. It's a pretty speedy computer. Like I said mine is up and my browser is loaded an I'm on the internet in just over 30 seconds.

I do a little test with it occasionally. I'll turn on my Windows XP desktop and my Windows 7 laptop at the same time and I don't press the power button on my Mini until both of my Windows computers have displayed the Windows logo. Then I press the power button and it's still up and running and I'm online before the other two are ready to go.