03-02-2007, 02:04 AM

Greetings fellas, I'd like to jump in the Mac band wagon. I've been a PC owner for over 10 years. I'm torn between 2 Macs. Here goes:

Mac mini, the Core 2 duo with the built in DVD burner. This one: MA206LL/A I was thinking of getting a 17in lcd monitor and USB kb/mouse. I would also want to use the monitor as a second monitor with my PC (dual monitor). I know I'm going to have to buy a kvm with a DVI monitor, not cheap.

iMac MA590LL/A. This has a built in monitor of course, twice the ram, twice the HD and built in burner. This one is complete, however I won't be able to use a second monitor for my PC. But this one is a kickin machine. This will cost me about $250 more, but the hardware is much better.

My background:
I'm an I.T. guy. I have 3 PCs. 1 gaming desktop, 1 all around machine, 1 PC laptop. I want to jump into the Mac bandwagor because I want to do some video editing. I heard that iLife is great. What do you guys think?

I have a mini-DV and I want to transfer movies and create DVDs.
Thanks.

03-02-2007, 02:33 AM

I would buy the iMac with the specs it has, dedicated video card, extra ram, ability to hook up an extra screen. It's all there. I have a mini and you can outgrow them fairly quickly, always wishing I had bought the iMac instead. I find the more you use the Mac the more you want to get out of it and for that you need power and speed.

03-02-2007, 02:57 AM

Welcome to M-Fs!

Before commenting on this one, would you mind giving us more details about the two products.

Originally Posted by FriendlyPCguy

Mac mini, the Core 2 duo with the built in DVD burner. This one: MA206LL/A I was thinking of getting a 17in lcd monitor and USB kb/mouse. I would also want to use the monitor as a second monitor with my PC (dual monitor). I know I'm going to have to buy a kvm with a DVI monitor, not cheap.

MacMinis don't come with C2D processors. Are you talking about a ModMini?

03-02-2007, 04:04 AM

Get the iMac. I guarantee you'll love OS X and the whole Mac thang, and it's not much more money.

03-02-2007, 06:13 AM

Welcome to Mac-Forums, FriendlyPCguy!

I'd go for the iMac as well for the same reasons as already been said so far. For the price, the iMac is a tough deal to beat, even on the PC side. I know you can get a PC for $500 but I'm talking of equivalent specs, of course.

03-02-2007, 10:02 AM

Welcome FriendlyPCguy!! You'll find plenty of "FriendlyMacGuys/Gals" here to help you out!

I will add to the chorus - the iMac would seem a better choice, if only because of its video card (the Mini uses shared memory graphics). Also, the C2D chip in the iMac runs faster clock for clock than the equivalently clocked Core Duo AND it is 64 bit, which sets you up nicely for the upcoming release of Mac OS X Leopard, which is reputed to include full 64 bit support.

My 2 cents!

03-03-2007, 02:14 AM

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I could completely leave PC if not for gaming and .NET stuff.

However, I would like a more enjoyable computer to use. I started to get interested in Macs the other day. A person from the office bought a Mac book and I had to have it join our network and configure Entourage and the rest of "office" stuff.

It was challenging but quite fun.

I am grateful that nearly every computer in our building is a PC. Its quirky and unsecure OS keeps me employed

I think I will get the iMac 17 with the DVD burner. By the way, my office gets really hot during the summer. Around 95-100 degrees. Do Macs have a history of overheating? I don't have problems with my PCs since their bulky cases enable me to stick plenty of noisy fans to keep them cool.

I know there isn't a totally fool proof system. What are some weaknesses on the Mac bandwagon? I kept trying to right click the other day. Doh! :dive:

03-03-2007, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by FriendlyPCguy

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I could completely leave PC if not for gaming and .NET stuff.

However, I would like a more enjoyable computer to use. I started to get interested in Macs the other day. A person from the office bought a Mac book and I had to have it join our network and configure Entourage and the rest of "office" stuff.

It was challenging but quite fun.

I am grateful that nearly every computer in our building is a PC. Its quirky and unsecure OS keeps me employed

I think I will get the iMac 17 with the DVD burner. By the way, my office gets really hot during the summer. Around 95-100 degrees. Do Macs have a history of overheating? I don't have problems with my PCs since their bulky cases enable me to stick plenty of noisy fans to keep them cool.

I know there isn't a totally fool proof system. What are some weaknesses on the Mac bandwagon? I kept trying to right click the other day. Doh! :dive:

My old office was like that...with the exception of myself and two other people, it was all PC.
As far as the right-click thing - use any USB 2/3 button mouse with your Mac.
Right clicking will give you the same functionality you know in Windows (context menus, etc etc). I'm using the same Optical USB mouse I had with my PC from years ago.
Weakness on the Mac side?
Hmm...well, you won't get to deal with all those Windows viruses.
You might have to wait for a Mac-native version of that cool new game (but the tide is changing - several developers release a Mac version at the same time as their Windows version).
Definitely check out Parallels or VMWare Fusion if you need to run that pesky Windows-only application or need to connect to your employer's Microsoft-centric IIS servers.
When I was telecommuting, I would have to run XP in Parallels so I could connect to Remote Workplace or check my mail with Outlook Web Access.

My MacBook fills 99.9999999999999999999998% of my computing needs. The rest of it is done with VMWare Fusion and a bare minimum install of MS XP (but I also use Fusion to run FreeBSD and Linux on my MacBook).