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applesnapple · Mar 14, 2006, 08:34 PM

So I've been in the market for my first apple, and now that the intel switch is nearly complete, I was looking to take the plunge.

I'm not sure whether to get the 20" iMac, or the mac mini, an external harddrive, and an external 20" lcd monitor. I'd probably be saving $100-$300 on the mini, but the iMac looks so friggin cool(well so does the mini...). I'd be using it for occasional video editing, maybe a 10 to 20 minute imovie every couple months, and mostly word processing, and internet browsing. ALso I would want it to be my media hub, but I don't have a big TV, so i'd just be watching it on either one of the 20" screens. Any insight/advice would be appreciated. Thanks

drewgolden · Mar 14, 2006, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by applesnapple

I'm not sure whether to get the 20" iMac, or the mac mini, an external harddrive, and an external 20" lcd monitor. I'd probably be saving $100-$300 on the mini, but the iMac looks so friggin cool(well so does the mini...).s

Congrats on taking the plunge. I made the same jump a few years ago and got the 17" flatscreen LCD iMac. It's been a love affair ever since.

There is something intangible about the iMac. It's overwhealmingly cool. Built in iSight. Superdrive. And now dual-core. Frankly, if you can swing the funds, splurge on the iMac. The screen is delicious and you will never regret the purchase.

I still use my 17" 800mhz G4 and I still love it. I do light video editing and email, web surfing, and general playing. It's a GREAT machine.

drew

MacOS-Fan · Mar 14, 2006, 08:56 PM

I've had both. It really just depends on if you want an all-in-one design or not. They are both great machines. I don' think that you can go wrong either way.

acorder · Mar 14, 2006, 09:20 PM

I just bought the 20" iMac a few weeks ago, and I'm in awe. It's a fabulous machine. I do similar work to you: lots of word processing and web browsing, but I do a bit of video editing (a couple of hours a week) and audio work (four or five hours a week) and this machine simply flies. I'm very impressed, and having the system built together into one slim, sexy package is a realy plus for desk space. the iMac's footprint is roughly equal to that of the mini when it comes to actually toudhing the desk. I recommend the iMac. Cheers for taking the plunge!

far200 · Mar 14, 2006, 09:50 PM

Just my two cents on this but I say go with the imac 20" if you can...... I think it will be a better bang for your buck.....

gambo · Mar 14, 2006, 10:39 PM

The imac is much cheaper!

I bought a mini and exchanged it a week later for an imac!

The macmini is cool but not worth the $ unless u have a usb keyboard mouse, display and speakers.
The speakers in the mini are terrible! You can not hear anything. I had to wear headphones to listhen to itunes.
1.66Ghz intel mini + keyboard and mightymouse w/ 120Gb hard drive is 1k without display or decent speakers.
Add 20-inch display your looking at $1800
now u have a $1800 machine without sound!
Add SoundSticks and your looking at $1970.95

Now for $1999
You can have a 2ghz intel imac w/ 2GB memory 250GB hard drive and a 20-inch display and pretty decent speakers.

So, for an extra $30 you have an extra
.33Ghz power in your processor
130Gb storage
All built into 1 machine without having a display there a speaker here a tower way over there and wiring everywhere.

I went basic and bought the standard 17-inch 1.83 intel core duo imac for $1300
its more powerful looks better and cheaper than the mini! only regret is that i didn't get 1GB of ram

larrinski · Mar 15, 2006, 12:00 AM

Get the imac 20". I can sit across the room and use the remote to watch movies. I switched a year and a half ago, and I love computers again! The took the plunge and went with the imac 20". An unbelievable experience.

applesnapple · Mar 16, 2006, 06:10 PM

thanks for the insight everyone! I think I am going with the intel 20" imac, and I will place the order probably in about 2 weeks(next paycheck). I have one more question though, right now I am using a dell dimension 4500 2.0Ghz P4 with 1 gig ram and a 128mb graphics card. How much of a boost in speed can i expect to see with the imac?

larrinski · Mar 16, 2006, 11:12 PM

It is hard to say. Trying to compare apples to oranges in a sense. When I had my Windows machine, it ran fast at startup (or reboot) but degraded over time. I don't notice that so much on a Mac. Browsing should be similar, but the quality of the software will amaze you. Programs like iphoto will be a fast and new experience. It will be fast though. I noticed that virus software seemed to slow windows as well. At least for now on the Mac there is not worry there...

Uisce · Mar 17, 2006, 12:04 AM

You can sit across the room and watch movies with the mini too now that it also has front row. I prefer the mini because it lets me choose any monitor I want, like one with a built in tv tuner,and I can upgrade it later without having to replace the computer.

eddiecatflap · Mar 17, 2006, 12:05 AM

i went from an imac G4/800 to the imac dual core 2. ghz

it's like night and day

everything feels so responsive and is a pleasure to use

imo the move to intel is the best thing apple have done since os-x

badnewsblair · Mar 17, 2006, 09:25 AM

My friend came by this weekend. He is a PC entusiast (kind of took over where I left off when I made the switch). He came into my room and saw my desk. He is a bit anti-Apple. He looked at my setup and said, "Wow. That's a pretty looking Apple Display." I said, "That's actually the whole computer." He was astounded. He didn't believe me at first and even looked under my desk for a tower. Love it.