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i need help · Apr 23, 2005, 02:33 AM

Hey all,
I'm brand new to the world of macs and have basically decided to switch from a pc to a mac. I needed help in deciding which is right for me though. I guess my budget is between the mac mini and emac range, and i just wanted to know which is a better computer for the value. I have the display for the mac mini, but i would not mind replacing it if i got an emac. However i would have to buy a a new keyboard/mouse with either machine. I would probably go for the 1.42 mac mini, with a 512mb upgrade; and a combo drive emac with a 512 mb also, i would need a wireless internet card in both though. Im not too heavy of a comp. user, mostly internet, light music downloads, word processing (im a high school student), and a few other jobs here and ther. ANy comments would be appreciated, tell me if you need more info too.

marc · Apr 23, 2005, 08:05 AM

The eMac comes with a mouse and keyboard. It is a good value if you have the room for it and do not need to move it around. There are rumors that the eMac will be upgraded soon, so I would wait a bit. In either case, wait at least a week so that Tiger is included. Check the Apple Store for Education. Many high school students qualify for discounts.

Either machine is fine for the purposes you stated. You are right about having at least 512 MB of memory. If you can, go someplace where you can try out the machines to see if you have a preference. Best wishes

Stecchino · Apr 23, 2005, 11:06 AM

What marc has said is right on the money. On the other hand, I'm selling my eMac which is a 1.25 Ghz G4 with 1 GB DDR RAM, an 8x SuperDrive, has iLife '05 and I will be installing Tiger on it. Oh yeah, it's got a 160 GB hard drive, too. The rumors are that new versions of the eMac will be out in April some time, so I'll give you a good deal. Send me a private message if you're interested. Just click on my name on the left-hand side of this post and select "Send private message to..."

Either way, definitely include at least 512 MB RAM. Let us know what you decide and if you have any technical problems, this is a good forum to post questions in (this and the Apple Discussions on Apple.com).

i need help · Apr 23, 2005, 01:47 PM

A new version of the emac in april, so that would mean it would come out sometime in the next week then, right? Also, is the extra speed in the mac mini significant over the emac? In other words, is it better to go with the mini just for that extra speed?

Stecchino · Apr 23, 2005, 02:45 PM

Yes, the RUMORS are that it might be announced on April 30, MAYBE. Never know exactly when. Check ThinkSecret.com

The 1.25 Ghz eMac I have right now (with 1 GB of DDR RAM) does everything I need it to very nicely. The only difference the Mac Mini's extra .17 Ghz would help with would be photo editing and iMovie rendering, etc. Day-to-day tasks you won't notice too much difference.

Commodus · Apr 23, 2005, 02:46 PM

Originally Posted by i need help

A new version of the emac in april, so that would mean it would come out sometime in the next week then, right? Also, is the extra speed in the mac mini significant over the emac? In other words, is it better to go with the mini just for that extra speed?

It's more important to load up on RAM and storage space with the Mac mini than anything.

Personally, I'd get the Mac mini with 512 MB of RAM and an 80 GB hard drive - you might as well get the 1.42 GHz model in that circumstance, since the $50 savings of an upgraded 1.25 GHz model isn't really worth it. Order it with the Airport/Bluetooth combo card - it's only $20 more than the Airport-only add-in, and it gives you the option of, say, syncing a Bluetooth cellphone in the future.

When it comes to input, it might be best to get the Apple keyboard, but a 3rd-party USB mouse (unless you already have one). That way you get properly-labeled keys, but the flexibility of a multi-button mouse that may well cost less.

i need help · Apr 23, 2005, 05:30 PM

So i guess people are generally saying wait a little bit and see if anything new happens with the emacs, and then decide after that? Anybody have any more comments?

trip · 01:59 AM

Originally Posted by i need help

So i guess people are generally saying wait a little bit and see if anything new happens with the emacs, and then decide after that? Anybody have any more comments?

eMac in April will have 64 vram.

Kyros · Apr 24, 2005, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by i need help

So i guess people are generally saying wait a little bit and see if anything new happens with the emacs, and then decide after that? Anybody have any more comments?

That would be the best thing.

One more thing, I don't know how fast your pc is, but remember that the eMac and mini are the bottom of the line. If you are used to a blazing fast pc, you might find them too slow. It's really all relative, I use a g4/450 and since it is what I am used to, it is plenty fast for me. However, I know people who switched from a 3.7 ghz pc and the first thing they did was complain about how slow the mini is. I'm not saying they are bad computers, but don't have unreasonable expectations. From what you plan to do with it, you should have no problem at all.