[protyne]

Guys I'm comparing between the iMac 17" - S$1688 to the Mac Mini 1.83 - S$1388.

- Mac Mini has BT and Super Drive
- iMac has 17" LCD, double HDD compared to Mac Mini, and most irreplaceable - Core 2 Duo.

For S$300 diff it makes more sense to get the iMac? Or am i missing out on something here?

Currently thinking of getting a Mac + Final Cut Exp (S$2200) which would give me a dedicated machine to do my edits

or

purchasing Adobe Premier Pro (S$1500) to be used my current Amd A64 3500 on Win XP... which than I can't do other stuff when dumping in/out.

S$700 difference for beautiful iMac as a dedicated editing machine. What do you guys think?

Also Premier Pro and FC Exp...big difference in term of capabilities? I'm not pro but need to do some simple productions for company. More docu style than anything fancy.

Cheers!

PS: I use a MacBook at home...so i'm biased towards Mac! but mgmt is biased towards $$$. Grin

[C.A.T.S. CEO]

Get the iMac. For vid editing max it out on speed and your budget.

[mduell]

iMac... you'll want to stab yourself in the face using the mini's 2.5" drive for video editing.

[ChasingApple]

Personally I would go with the Mini, and here is why...

The Mini you can upgrade, and I dont mean just externally! The inside is easy to get to and everything in there (HD, Mem, Optical, even the CPU!) is upgradable. Also there are MANY external drives that use pure Firewire made specifically for the Mini which dock underneath and take up ZERO space! I have seen some up to 500+ GB of HD space and not too bad on price. Honestly for video editing the GMA 950 is plenty of power, as most DV camcorders are 720p and require very little for graphics just to edit. Even at 1080p you would do fine! You can get any screen you want that makes you feel comfy with your editing window size, and everything takes up very little space.

With the iMac your stuck with what it has and external upgrades only. If our screen goes out you have no computer at all until Apple fixes it

Here is a link of the external Mini storage I was talking about...

NewerTech miniStack FireWire and USB Hub and Hard Drive up to 500GB at OtherWorldComputing.com

I guess they now offer up to 750GB in one of those things! The cool thing about those is you can keep on stacking them for even more HD space, and not to mention the added USB 2.0 and Firewire ports you are getting. Anyway, that is my opinion, this also coming from someone that has owned an iMac G4 all-in-one for over 3 years!

A quote from them on the HD performance...

"High-Performance 3.5" ATA/6 7200RPM Drive with 2MB, 8MB, or 16MB data buffer doesn't just give you more storage, it also provides far better performance than any internal Mac mini hard drive option as well. Use the NewerTech miniStack as your Startup Drive for an instant performance boost!"

Matter of fact, since your saving $300 by going with the mini you can get the 500GB add-on from them!

500GB NewerTech miniStack v2 7200RPM HD +... (MS2F7500G16) at OWC

Imagine the Mini, LCD, any speakers you want, also keyboard / mouse, and a 500GB Firewire HD add-on with more external Firewire and USB 2.0 slots. Mini all the way man

[protyne]

Thank you all for ur replies guys...

ChasingApple, what about the difference between Core 2 Duo and Core Duo? I was told its 40% difference in computing power but to wat details does that extend to I am not sure.

We can do the Firewire HDD stackup likewise for the Imac too can we? Firewire port included I read?

Thanks again !

[ChasingApple]

Originally Posted by protyne

Thank you all for ur replies guys...

ChasingApple, what about the difference between Core 2 Duo and Core Duo? I was told its 40% difference in computing power but to wat details does that extend to I am not sure.

We can do the Firewire HDD stackup likewise for the Imac too can we? Firewire port included I read?

Thanks again !

Ok, I feel qualified to answer this one. My wife has a Macbook with a Core Duo 2.0Ghz in it. I have an Alienware Area-51 m5550 with a Core 2 Duo 1.66ghz in it. Both are extremely fast and feel about the same to me. I have 2 friends both with Macbook 1.83Ghz Core Duo's, and they feel just as snappy. Let me just say, the Core 2 Duo is indeed faster, but it's not 40% faster all the time at everything, just particular things. I would say more like a 20% or so boost depending on which CPU speed it has. But let me say this again, ALL of the above are fast.

The reason I recommend the Mini setup is upgrades. The iMac is VERY limited in upgrades, but the mini you can swap all the main stuff, cpu, HD, mem, Optical drive, etc. You also have control over the size and change of screens, not so with the iMac. You might want another screen later with a certain widescreen / resolution combo, the mini is there for you. The iMac your stuck with what ya get. The external expansion item I linked you neatly stacks underneath the mini, nice and clean setup that takes up very little space, yes you can plug them into the iMac but to me would just look kinda ugly. The mini is also very portable, and you might decide to plug it into a plasma or HD TV later, try lugging that iMac around

Now I do love my iMac, cause it looks like R2-D2 and has given me 3+ years of flawless computing, but if there was a Mac Mini when I went to the Apple store that day I would have bought it instead. Honestly at this time I think the PC laptop makers are giving better deals with thier Windows based stuff then Apple is with the Macbooks. Yes I know it is Windows, but I know how to secure Windows, been doing it for 10+ years, and honestly Windows XP is a much faster OS then OS X is. I love OS X, I have 2 macs myself and my wife has hers, everyone here knows I'm a mac guy at heart, but honestly I like WIndows, Linux, and OS X for different reasons.

My Alienware I just bought was $1083 out the door with shipping, and it blows the Macbooks away

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo Processor T5500 1.66GHz 2MB Cache 667MHz FSB
Operating System (Office software not included): Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition with Service Pack 2
Display: Alienware® m5550 15.4" WideXGA 1280 x 768 LCD - Saucer Silver
Motherboard: Alienware® Intel® 945PM + ICH7 Chipset
Memory: 512MB Single Channel DDR2 SO-DIMM at 667MHz - 1 x 512MB
Hard Drive: 60GB Serial ATA 1.5Gb/s 5,400 RPM w/ NCQ & 8MB Cache
Primary CD ROM/DVD ROM: 8X Dual Layer DVD+/-RW / 24X CD-RW Combo w/Software
Video/Graphics Card: 128MB ATI Mobility™ Radeon® X1400
Sound Card: Intel® 7.1 High-Definition Audio
Wireless Network Card: Internal Intel® PRO Wireless 3945 a/b/g Mini-Card
Communications: Integrated 10/1000Mb Gigabit Ethernet & 56K V.92 Modem
Warranty: 1-Year AlienCare Toll-Free 24/7 Phone Support w/ Onsite Service
AlienRespawn: Alienware® Respawn Recovery Kit
Alienware T-Shirt: Alienware® T-Shirt - Black - Price Includes $5 Instant Rebate - XL
Desktop Enhancements: Exclusive AlienGUIse Theme Manager

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SubTotal: $1,183.00
Shipping: $79.00
Discount: $179.00
Tax: $0.00
Order Total: $1,083.00

As for the lacking iSight crap, I use a 720p widescreen HD digital camcorder for all my camera needs, iSight can't even begin to compare

[mduell]

Originally Posted by protyne

ChasingApple, what about the difference between Core 2 Duo and Core Duo? I was told its 40% difference in computing power but to wat details does that extend to I am not sure.

C2D is 0-30% faster than CD at the same clockrate. How much faster depends on the application's specific needs.
It has more execution units, more cache, an improved vector unit, and a few other things.

[protyne]

Thank you all for ur inputs. Looks like we might get a bigger budget to go up to Mac Pro! Now some questions on Mac Pro...

[quiklee]

personal experience . . . go with the iMac . . . mini's intergrated graphics cards are just way too damn slow!

[ChasingApple]

Now a Mac Pro is insane fast goodness Mac loving computing!

[jamil5454]

ChasingApple, every component you listed as upgradeable in the Mac Mini is also upgradeable in the iMac. Granted, the Mini may be a little easier, but I'd reckon that anyone who's going to perform a CPU or optical drive upgrade on a Mini would likely also do so on an iMac. Given enough time and patience, an Apple product can be taken apart and put back together flawlessly (but possibly voiding your warranty).

I bought an iMac right before they were updated, and then Apple let me trade mine for a new Core 2 Duo. I gotta say, if nothing else is faster, Rosetta really likes that double in L2 cache. Get the 4MB L2 cache version of the 17" iMac if you can afford it.

The new iMacs are noticeably faster not only in Rosetta apps, but also in things like iPhoto and iMovie. The extra cache really helps to make things snappy when you're multitasking, and gives more overhead for use in 64-bit programs.

A Mac Pro would rock, but I'm sure an iMac will be plenty of power as well, as long as you're not doing really hi-res stuff.

[ChasingApple]

iMacs I thought had the CPU soldered onto the motherboard allowing no upgrade path. Also getting into an iMac and upgrading the harddrive is also a pain. The reason I see the Mini as a better deal is not only for the upgradability but because it is so small and has no screen attached. All of those HD enclosure upgrades match the mini and fit nicely underneath it, if your LCD goes out there is no down time for your computer. Just hook it up to another display.

Also there is the option of hooking the Mini up to the TV (being so small it is highly portable) or take it with you anywhere you want to go. Try lugging aroud a 24" iMac

[jamil5454]

The faster processor, graphics chipset, and much faster and larger hard drive and better value I think outweigh the offchance that the LCD in an iMac will go out. Also, you can hook up a 2nd monitor in spanning mode with the iMac which is very useful for video editing. If you get the iMac with the 500GB drive you won't have to worry about upgrading the drive probably for the life of the machine... and once the machine feels slow and you're in need of faster processors you'll probably need something more than what the iMac offers anyway.

BTW -- In my 3 months of working at the Apple Store last year we didn't have one single iMac (at least while I was on shift) that had its display go out. A few of them suffered from the capacitor problem and therefore had display issues, but that had nothing to do with the display itself. LCD displays in this day and age are very, very durable and the only component which might need replacing is the backlight, and even that usually takes years to fail.

The OP isn't getting a 24" iMac, but, instead, a 17" iMac. I'd much rather lug around a 17" iMac as opposed to a Mac Mini and a 17" (or larger) LCD display, along with display cables, Mac Mini power cable, etc.

[mduell]

Originally Posted by ChasingApple

iMacs I thought had the CPU soldered onto the motherboard allowing no upgrade path.

The Intel iMac CPU is socketed. The only Intel Macs that are soldered are the laptops, for height (thickness) reasons.

[ChasingApple]

Well then, I think we can leave it as some of you like the iMac, some of us like the Mini. It all depends on our own personal situation I would think