[AndrewG]

All right guys, this may be it! I am thinking of switching from my big desktop to a small Mac Mini for basic computing needs. Here's what I've got and what I'd be getting.

Windows XP Service Pack 2
AMD Athlon XP 3000+ 2.16 GHz
DVD-RW Drive
DVD Drive
512 MB PC2700 DDR Ram
120 GB HDD
64 MB NVidia GeForce MX-440 SE Graphics Card (Don't think it's integrated...)
AverTV Cable Tuner/ Video Capture Device
D-Link 802.11b Wifi PCI card
9 USB 2 Ports / 2 FireWire Ports
S/PDIF Audio In/Out
7 in 1 Integrated Media Card Reader

and this is the Mac Mini I would be getting

1.42 GHz PowerPC G4
1 GB PC2700 SDRAM
ATI Radeon 9200 32 MB Graphics Card (I know that one is dedicated)
80 GB HDD
Slot-Loading DVD/CD-RW Drive
Two USB 2.0 ports and one FireWire 400 port
10/100 Ethernet/ V.92 56 kbits/sec modem
Speaker/ Headphone Audio Out
Mac OSX 10.4.6 Tiger
ilife ‘05, Microsoft Office Suite for Mac

So I will have 40GB less HDD space and 32MB less Video memory which seems bad, but I think I'll be able to cope. How is the CD Buner on the Mini? I don't burn DVDs very often at all. The Mini will have 2x the RAm which should be good. It doesn't have any wireless stuff built in... can I get that upgrade now? Also, how well will this Mini function. I want to play Warcraft III on it and it says that it reccomends 32MB Video Memory for Mac OSX compatibility so that should be fine, right? Is the video memory upgradeable at all? The msot compelling thing about this Mini versus a new one is that it's only around $350 so it's pretty easy to sell my current computer for that much. The media card reader was pretty slow and I do have USB 2 cables for my devices so no worries. The AverTV was cool though...

Can my Dell Axim X50 function on a Mac?

Any ideas guys?

[BigBear]

I wouldn't worry too much about the internal HDD; you can always building an external one or get something like this lacie. I've even seen a few that have usb and firewire expansion ports which would also be nice.

Speaking from experience with the burner on my iBook; it works just fine. The extra ram is a nice plus. Warcraft III should work just fine (esp. w/the extra ram). I run Warcraft III on my iBook (same graphics card) w/768mb of ram and it runs smooth. The video card/memory is not upgradeable.

The wireless cannot be upgraded. Well not very easily; there are a few sites that sell the internal airport/BT kit but from what I've read it can be tricky installing. I've also read lots of mixed reviews about using a usb wireless connection. So if wireless is a major factor for you this may be a downfall.

$350 is still a steal though.
Can't comment on syncing up a Dell Axim.

[techster82]

For what its worth, I had a mini with almost identical specs and I wasn't impressed at all. I got rid of it after a month and upgraded to a faster laptop Mac. I looked at the specs on your PC, and compared to the Mini you may be disappointed. I say "may" because I am not sure how you used your PC and what exactly you are expecting from the Mini. My view is that the Mini is a great introduction to OS X, but it definitely isn't for the hardcore Computer user. Its very slow overall, there are NO USB ports (only two is next to worthless), and the money you will spend on external components would almost justify buying an iMac. You will soon find the limitations of its capabilities and will either upgrade or kick yourself in the butt for buying it in the first place. Remember, there is a reason you can pick up a G4 mini for $350. If you don't expect much performance besides web surfing and writing text documents you are set. If you want to do video editing or have a massive MP3 library the Mini just won't fit your needs.

[AndrewG]

Bump for more opinions.

Originally Posted by AndrewG

Bump for more opinions.

I do not know for sure, but a new Intel Mini with dual core might offer the better performance you are looking for while still being within budget.