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ero2 · Jan 23, 2006, 03:56 AM

I know this has been covered, but have been trying to find one and can't figure out how. I was hoping to get the 1.5GHZ mac mini, with the 64mb vram. I can live with 64 but not 32. How do I find one, all the specs I see are all 1.42 with 32mb of vram.

iREZ · Jan 23, 2006, 04:06 AM

thats because the mac mini with upped HD speed, more VRAM and faster processor is a silent upgrade (ie. apple hasnt announced it so they are not obligated to deliver such a machine). it appears that recent mini purchases from the apple store online seem to have the bumped specs. if i were you, id wait to see what intel has instore for the mini, if it gets a duo...im buying in a heart beat

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ero2 · Jan 23, 2006, 04:08 AM

I need to buy one asap, and figured this is the cheapest option while waiting for the upgrade, and if they upgrade the minis in a few months I will throw it on ebay and take my losses

So if I order one from the apple store am I almost guaranteed the upgrade? what if I pick one up in the store?

These drive the 20" apple LCDs fine, correct?

mduell · Jan 23, 2006, 04:57 AM

Originally Posted by ero2

I need to buy one asap, and figured this is the cheapest option while waiting for the upgrade, and if they upgrade the minis in a few months I will throw it on ebay and take my losses

So if I order one from the apple store am I almost guaranteed the upgrade? what if I pick one up in the store?

These drive the 20" apple LCDs fine, correct?

The Radeon 9200 is a bit weak for a a 1680x1050 screen.... people have reported slow/choppy Expose and other effects in the GUI; and of course, no Core Image support.

ero2 · Jan 23, 2006, 05:50 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The Radeon 9200 is a bit weak for a a 1680x1050 screen.... people have reported slow/choppy Expose and other effects in the GUI; and of course, no Core Image support.

Even if I get one with the 64m of Vram as opposed to 32?

I am having a really hard time deciding here, maybe you guys could help me out.

Wisest decision considering money is fairly tight would be mac mini 1.5 with 20" apple lcd.

Next would be 12" powerbook with 20" display, thus giving me laptop and desktop.

And my favorite but a bit more pricy would be a powermac G5, with a 20" LCD, obvioudly way out of my budget but that's what credit cards are for right? :-)

I was also thinking of going with the mini because it is the cheapest option to go with until the kinks with core duos are worked out and all apps are universal binaries. Then, when they are I only take a small hit selling this instead of a pbook or powermac, and then pickup one of the new powermacs.

I played with the mini with the 64mb of vram and while it was not quite as smooth as the imac core duo, it wasn't bad either.

mduell · Jan 23, 2006, 08:16 PM

Why not get an Intel (or G5) iMac?

ben.mcguire · Jan 24, 2006, 07:44 AM

my mac mini runs at 1680 x 1050 ok , no slowdown at all on expose.

robo74 · Jan 24, 2006, 05:14 PM

I just got one off of ebay. I emailed a few sellers and asked if I could have the serial number, and then used the web address (I found here in the forums) to verify that it should have the upgrades. As far as I know, this website has been pretty good with its facts. My machine should arrive tomorrow, and if it has the upgrades, the seller had no idea about them.

Rob

ben.mcguire · Jan 24, 2006, 06:02 PM

I just looked at mine and it has 1.5ghz & 64mb vram. haha I didnt even think to check !

ero2 · Jan 24, 2006, 06:05 PM

alright I think I am going to get a mini and a 20in for now, and then upgrade to whatever the G5 is going to be when they get released. Thanks guys!

jhogarty · Jan 25, 2006, 05:51 PM

I ordered one earlier this week. It shipped and should be here next week at the latest. I post more info, especially if I get one of the silent upgrades. I did do a BTO by adding the modem.

J.

ero2 · Jan 25, 2006, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by jhogarty

I ordered one earlier this week. It shipped and should be here next week at the latest. I post more info, especially if I get one of the silent upgrades. I did do a BTO by adding the modem.

J.

wow you have quite a list of macs for only switching a year ago. I have been contemplating this to death because I DON'T want an intel mac, not yet at least, and have been trying to decide whether to get a mini and NOT invest in an older power mac, or to go ahead and get the Dual 2.0GHZ because it should still be a killer machine. Any input, what would you guys do?

Thanks!

jhogarty · Jan 25, 2006, 11:01 PM

I've been happy with all the Macs I purchased this last year. In addition to what is in my sig, I bought an eMac for my brother. While the display and speed are not as nice as an iMac, it is still a nice solid machine for what he needs - mostly email, word processing, handeling digital pictures, and web browsing.

I would have bought a Powerbook had they been a little more up to date. But I really want an "upgrade" from my Dell laptop. I've been doing a lot more photo work in the field and it just sucks badly to use my Dell. I don't edit in the field and need to bring all the work home to edit on my Power Mac.

The Mini should make an excellent File/Print/Fax/Media server. My only worry is getting it to workk nicely with a new TV I plan on purchasing.

J.

jhogarty · Jan 27, 2006, 07:25 PM

Just wanted to update since the Mini arrived today. It is one of the "Silent Upgrade" models. 1.5GHz with 64MB VRAM.

J.