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Mac Mini?

post #1 of 12
5/19/05 at 9:50am
Thread Starter 
does anyone have experience with the mac mini? my sis will be going to college soon and i was thinking about recommending it. she will be a business major, so its just internet and wordprocessing stuff. is it a good deal?
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post #2 of 12
5/19/05 at 10:27am
don't count on it. in its base package it is slow and undesireable, to upgrade it to something worthy is $600 to $800, for that price you can get a PC desktop with much better specs. Hell, you're better off getting an Averatec H3xxx laptop.

there are a few people on this forum with the mac mini....wait, they'll reply. that was just my 2 cents.
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post #3 of 12
5/19/05 at 10:49am
that was expected....



I guess there are a few questions to ask first. Does she already use Mac? Does she need mobility? Is she JUST doing word processing and using the internet?


That being said, regardless of what anti-mac sentiment may follow, I think it's a great system for college, so long as she doesn't need anything more powerful.

First, let's be honest here- college networks suck and any student on a network is bound to get some kind of virus/garbage spyware installed very quickly. In that regard, Mac's are a fantastic choice for a campus computer.

If she doesn't need power, like you said, a mini is great- but I would recommend going with at least 512 megs of ram.

If she doesn't need portability, its another great choice- does't take up much room and it's damn sexy. If I were to steal a computer though, I'd probably want to steal a mini over a desktop though. If she does need portability, you could go iBook or Powerbook, but if money is an issue, you can find a decent Windows laptop for under $800.

Hope that helps.
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post #4 of 12
5/19/05 at 12:36pm
I agree with everything kwick said.

The Mini is a great computer for basic computing tasks. It's not too much power for someone just surfing the net and it's not too much. The only thing that the Mini really needs is more memory, but otherwise it's a great little machine.

A college student might get better use out of a laptop, however...the iBook is a little more expensive, but she can take it to class with her.
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post #5 of 12
5/19/05 at 1:02pm
Thread Starter 
we dont own any macs, and i dont know if she's ever used one, but i've used a few at school and they seem extremely easy to pick up on, esp for simple tasks. i thought about recommending the mini due to the "cute factor", but it would also help because the dorms she will be living in are very tight on space. i also thought about the imac G5, but for 1300 she could get a nice laptop.
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post #6 of 12
5/19/05 at 5:21pm
The mini is pretty neat, but people sometimes forget about its BYOSK&M policy (Bring your own screen, keyboard and mouse). If you want an LCD screen, you might as well get an ibook instead, because you'll be spending about the same for a similar machine either way.
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post #7 of 12
5/19/05 at 5:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by ellement
The mini is pretty neat, but people sometimes forget about its BYOSK&M policy (Bring your own screen, keyboard and mouse). If you want an LCD screen, you might as well get an ibook instead, because you'll be spending about the same for a similar machine either way.
it's really a great deal if you already have your own lcd and keyboard and mouse. i've got a powerbook right now and i've got a 15inch lcd hooked up to it while I'm at home....i was thinking about picking up just the basic mac mini so i won't have my powerbook running all the time. but yeah if you don't have your own monitor, i really don't think it's that great of a deal if you have to go out and buy all that stuff, you might as well splurge a little and get an imac or just pick up an emac. what amazes me though is the size....but that becomes the problem if she wants to take the mac mini to college bc it would be very easy to steal....but then again any laptop is so. but i'd say go for it..you can't beat it's small form factor and also runs MAC OS X TIGER!
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post #8 of 12
5/30/05 at 5:42pm
The Mac mini is pretty cool, but in this particular scenario, unless your sister's already got a monitor she wants to use, I concur that an iBook is definitely worth a look. The iBook's a complete package that takes up less space, doesn't need to have any cords outside of the power cord, and can be toted. Even if your sister isn't the sort to take notes on a laptop in class (I wasn't even though I had a laptop) the portability counts for a lot. Take work to the library, outside on a pleasant day, or over to somebody else's place if there's a group project going.
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post #9 of 12
5/31/05 at 5:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abf
don't count on it. in its base package it is slow and undesireable, to upgrade it to something worthy is $600 to $800, for that price you can get a PC desktop with much better specs. Hell, you're better off getting an Averatec H3xxx laptop.
Got to disagree with you there, I had a mini and it was quick enough for basic stuff. Just make sure you get at least 512mb of ram. It only costs about $60 for a 512 stick from Crucial so you are still looking at less than $600. What was great about the mini is that it is absolutely quiet (unlike PCs) and it has small form factor that most chicks like.
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post #10 of 12
6/4/05 at 9:34pm
Mac Mini is a pretty sweet basic machine. With extra ram and the Mac OS, this thing is a beast for its size. I have played with one and its pretty snappy, but nothing mind blowing. For college, I still say a laptop and if she wants mac, 12inch PD or IB would do the trick.
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post #11 of 12
6/11/05 at 9:48pm
I had a mac mini for a few months, but I didn't like the whole "mac" style. I got the upgraded one with the 80 GB and stuff.. If you're interested in buying one, contact me, cause it's in perfect condition and such. I'll also include an apple mouse and keyboard.
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post #12 of 12
6/12/05 at 12:15am
the mac mini is a great computer, but she'll then need a mouse, keyboard, and monitor. As everyone else has mentioned, a notebook whether it be an ibook, powerbook, or other, is the better choice.
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