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gh_productions · Apr 4, 2006, 08:13 PM

do i need?

mac mini duo 1.66 or time to wait things out?

how do i proceed.

my efforts to find the perfect mac were finally realized this spring time. yet, i have doubts.

abstract: "does the mini really make sense for a graphic design college student who loves music making and the possibility of a Gquad inteltower; but not the time and possible over-pricedness those towers may bring with them."

hypothesis: " yes, the mini duo is a good option due to it's potential longevity since the adobe powers are directing their energies at revamping their code to suit intel OSX. furthermore, since it is a mid-range machine that offers you the ability to upgrade pc's without mon's it beats out imac competition."

trial #1: "a mac certified G4 refurb crapped out on user due to complications, with hd, network, memory, no 20" w/screen mon. support, genius' at bar stumped, etc."

trial #2: "purchase of mac mini 1.66 duo flies around for two weeks, negligible difference between DELL 8200 1 GB 266 RAM + 2.1 GHz intel4 in performance, returned mac mini out of $$ fears..."

show your work: "the mini is an excellent investment, yet we must consider a few factors: is it worth the money for the duo? while intel is going to slash prices on the duout in may based on their most recent roll out for the 2.33 GHz duo. will this intel be a significant change from the work happening in adobe apps. against the PC."

is it all worth the wait? will their be something better coming out in a month? will mac update their mini's or drop the prices? mini's are upgradeable so is it wise to buy the solo and upgrade to duo once the price drop happens?

i count on you the collective to form the conclusion to this scientific renaissance.

mduell · Apr 4, 2006, 09:43 PM

I doubt we'll see an update to Apples lineup for 6 months; maybe a slight price drop, but I doubt it will be as dramatic as the drop in wholesale CPU prices. Since you do audio and Photoshop, the graphics performance of the Mini isn't a concern; with plenty of RAM (2GB today, upgrade to 4GB in the future) the mini will fly for you.

gh_productions · Apr 4, 2006, 10:08 PM

the mini will fly for you.

just what i needed.

gh_productions · Apr 4, 2006, 10:38 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

I doubt we'll see an update to Apples lineup for 6 months; maybe a slight price drop, but I doubt it will be as dramatic as the drop in wholesale CPU prices. Since you do audio and Photoshop, the graphics performance of the Mini isn't a concern; with plenty of RAM (2GB today, upgrade to 4GB in the future) the mini will fly for you.

= one last question. what is truly logical for RAM upgrade? i was thinking have mac upgrade for 90 to 1 GB. is it really worth it to get 2 GB? or is it negligible at this point in the game?

cheers!

mduell · Apr 4, 2006, 11:29 PM

To ammend my previous post, "the mini will fly if you're not working with huge files." The 2.5" 5400RPM hard drive is slower than the 3.5" 7200RPM drives found in most "full-size" computers, but fine as long as your files aren't too big.

I'd go for 2GB, but not from Apple; buy from Crucial (or whatever vendor you prefer) and punt the stock 2x256MB.

gh_productions · Apr 4, 2006, 11:39 PM

well i can also make it fly by taking advantage of firewire HD's right?

or is that just a big happy mis-representation of the truth.

cheery.

cheers.

jamil5454 · Apr 4, 2006, 11:46 PM

A firewire hard drive will be marginally faster than the mini's stock internal, and the fastest would be an internal 7200 rpm 2.5" drive. Doing audio work on a 5400 rpm is definitely possible but a faster (firewire) drive will make more sense.

Go for the Core Duo Mini now, and if you find it sluggish after a RAM upgrade, get an external hard drive. Us college students should hold out for the high powered pro machines until we graduate and become pros.

mduell · Apr 5, 2006, 12:26 AM

Originally Posted by willage

well i can also make it fly by taking advantage of firewire HD's right?

You can make it faster using a Firewire 3.5" 7200RPM drive, but you still take a penalty there compared to an internal 3.5" 7200RPM drive (which sadly isn't an option).

gh_productions · Apr 5, 2006, 07:39 AM

should i try my own upgrade for a toshiba 7200 80GB swap out.

i'll end up voiding my applecare, 1 year limited...

cheer

mduell · Apr 5, 2006, 10:04 AM

80GB 7200RPM 2.5" SATA drive: $150

300GB 7200RPM 3.5" drive in Firewire enclosure: $140

Go external and keep your warranty.