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cheruman · Jun 11, 2005, 02:41 AM

I guess this question has been asked before, but searching the forums didn’t return anything suitable - feel free to point me in the direction of any threads that are.

I’ve recently changed jobs and have had to return my Power Mac Dual 1GHz and 17” Apple TFT (will be sorely missed). So, I’m left without a computer (apart from some Windows POS that only gets used for Database Development).

I’m torn between a maxed-out Mini with a 20” Apple Display or the recently updated iMac G5. I no longer need to do any huge video or graphic editing tasks, but it will be used for web design (Fireworks / Dreamweaver) along with some light Photoshop work.

From what I’ve read, a lot of people seem to favour the iMac, but part of me is thinking that eventually I’ll upgrade to a Power Mac G5 and if I buy the Mini with all the extras and a 20” Display I’ll at least already have the monitor.

My question is, would a Mini with 1GB ram be as responsive for day-to-day tasks and would OS X’s GUI be smooth enough compared to my old G4 (which had a Radeon 9000 64MB), or should I go for the faster iMac (2.0Ghz)?

I await your wise words…

Jasoco · Jun 11, 2005, 06:35 AM

I have a Mac mini (1.25GHz) with 1GB RAM and 20" ACD.

Frankly, the only real reason to go with the mini is if you want to be able to upgrade the computer without having to pay for a whole new display. The G5 iMac is cheaper than a mini+ACD and probably a hell of a lot faster. But I went with it because I plan on upgrading the computer part frequently, maybe one day even going with a tower. It's just easier to not have to replace the whole thing.

So basically, if you want to be able to easily replace the computer part but keep the display, mini it is. Otherwise, get the iMac!

cheruman · Jun 11, 2005, 09:45 AM

Thanks for your reply. I'm leaning toward the Mini, but I could do with hearing from anyone who's used a 1Ghz G4 (or the closest thing to it) and a Mini, whether the performance for daily tasks and responsiveness of OS X is at a similar level. I'd prefer to have a seperate display but I don't want to spend a load of cash on a Mac that's slower than the G4 I used to use.

Basically, is OS X's general performance on a Mini with 1GB ram, as smooth as a dual-cpu G4 (remember, I'm not going to be using it for heavy work), or would the faster, but more self-contained iMac be a better purchase?

Thanks again.

Jasoco · Jun 11, 2005, 03:29 PM

If you really don't plan on upgrading too often, get the G5. I mean, it's a G5! Versus the mini's slower G4, the iMac is a great deal!

After you have upgraded the mini, you'll end up spending almost as much as a 20" iMac anyway.

icibaqu · Jun 11, 2005, 04:24 PM

i'm in the same quandry and i haven't had time to go to the store to really figure out the difference.

the deal with me is that i can see needing a portable in a couple years and wanting to get a little powerbook that i could still run off the 20" display. but then again, i just heard about running stuff off target mode (aka running the imac off target mode) which might basically do the same thing.

also, i plan to use the computer to play dvd's also and i can more easily see watching the display screen than the imac and not feeling like i'm watching it on a computer. ha...like that really matters, but i guess it sort of dues.

hmmmmmmm. decisions decisions..

so i'd also like to hear more thoughts too.

Jasoco · Jun 11, 2005, 09:40 PM

Well, if you plan on wanting to use the display again, then go for the mini and display. It's a good "step up" machine. I have a mini now, but who knows what I might get or want in a few years. It's nice to be able to just replace the machine and keep the screen.

icibaqu · Jun 13, 2005, 05:10 PM

sure it is nice to be able to just replace the machine...in a way i agree.

but today i went to the apple store to figure out the answer to this question for myself -- and well -- the iMac is just bad ass.

Eug Wanker · Jun 13, 2005, 06:24 PM

Exposé with the Mac mini on a 20" display is utterly painful.

Mac mini GPU - Radeon 9200 32 MB
iMac G5 GPU - Radeon 9600 128 MB

Plus the the laptop drive and CPU aren't particularly fast. The 20" iMac is better in almost every way. The only place where the mini wins is noise. The iMac G5's fans are audible (if you're in a quiet room) if the CPU is under heavy load.

Jasoco · Jun 13, 2005, 07:33 PM

Yeah, as a mini owner, I say go with the iMac G5. At least until the mini is up to speed as it were.

Eug Wanker · Jun 13, 2005, 11:27 PM

The mini is now at 6-8 days shipping. Hmmm...

cheruman · Jun 14, 2005, 04:33 AM

Well, it looks like you guys have persuaded me! iMac 20" it is.

*goes to Apple Store

Jasoco · Jun 14, 2005, 03:04 PM

Good luck! We demand pictures!

icibaqu · Jun 14, 2005, 04:17 PM

ha! yeah.

first pictures on the new computer will be OF the new computer. that's funny.

i can just imagine the conversation with my girlfriend. "uh, can i borrow your digital camera?" "why?" "well..."

so we'll see.

Luca Rescigno · Jun 14, 2005, 05:03 PM

Yay good choice!

The mini is only a good deal if you keep everything else cheap too... i.e. skip the wireless, the 1.42 GHz upgrade, the 80 GB hard drive upgrade, the DVD burner upgrade, and use a cheap monitor. Then you can get a nice Mac setup for not too much money. But there's no point in getting a mini and then splurging on extras, most of which are already included when you buy a much faster iMac for just slightly more.

icibaqu · Jun 14, 2005, 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by Luca Rescigno

Yay good choice!

The mini is only a good deal if you keep everything else cheap too... i.e. skip the wireless, the 1.42 GHz upgrade, the 80 GB hard drive upgrade, the DVD burner upgrade, and use a cheap monitor. Then you can get a nice Mac setup for not too much money. But there's no point in getting a mini and then splurging on extras, most of which are already included when you buy a much faster iMac for just slightly more.

pretty much.

i'm probably picking it (and my airport extreme) up on saturday.

oh the joy

PeteWK · Jun 15, 2005, 01:39 AM

I'm in line with most of the responders. I got the Gen 2 G5 iMac 20 inch. It has the following things going for over the mini:

Much faster CPU
Holds 2x the memory
Much better video card
Much faster MotherBoard
1 gig ethernet
3.5 inch hard drive (up to 400 gig with more to come)
Great screen (0 bad pixels on mine!)
Very easy to upgrade HD & Mem
Standard Bluetooth (I opted for the wireless mouse & keyboard)
Standard Airport card

There are probably other things as well that others call fill you in on.

Regards,

PeteWK

THIS IS AN EDIT from here on down...

I do wish it had FW 800 though. That would make it the perfect consumer computer imho