Mac Mini or iMac? What's better for me?

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Hey, I'm saving all my pennies for a Mac and I 'm just wondering what would be better for me, if the Mac Minis are fine, I'd love to save the few hundred and get one instead. Anyhow, here's what I want out of my Mac:

-To be able to have my entire music library on it(iTunes) (about 50 albums give or take)

- Good internet connection


I don't really want anything else out of it either then that. I guess what I'm asking is if a Mac Mini is alright for what I need, and is it a good, reliable computer? Otherwise, I'll go a step-up for the 17'' iMac.

Thanks a bunch.
 
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Welcome to the Forums first of all :D

Well it depends. As u probably already know the Mac Mini doesn't come with the display or anything, not even sure if it comes with mouse and keyboard. So u'd still have to dish out the money for those unless u already have them.

As per the stuff u mentioned above, I believe the Mac Mini can handle it and then some, don't let the name fool u :D

One suggestion tho, if u have to dish out the money for the display, kb, and mouse, which might not be much but it might bring u close to the 17" iMac.

That was my 2 cents.

Cheers
 
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MinaMACMan is correct, the Mac Mini does not come with a display, keyboard, mouse, or speakers. If you don't already have all those, then you're looking at a price close to the 17" iMac after you figure those parts in.

Both machines are very capable devices. It's really up to your personal preferences on what machine you want. Whatever choice you make, you'll be getting a solid machine :)
 
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50 albums would eat a big chunk out of the minimacs harddisc much less with the i-mac.
 
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50 albums isn't that many songs. Say each album averages around 12-15 songs, you're looking at somewhere between 600 and 750 songs. If you take an average file size of 5MB, that's only 3GB to 3.75GB, hardly a large chunk of space.
 
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My personal believe is the iMac is a better purchase. Reason why I is you get a complete system and in the end it will grow with you, and the initial cost versus purchasing all the accessories for the mini.
 
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Again, I agree with MinaMACMan. If you don't have any existing hardware to go with the mini, then it is almost the same cost as an iMac once you have purchased a display, mouse and kb. If you already have a nice display then you are saving money with the mini, aswell as giving yourself the option to upgrade the display in the future, something the iMac will not let you do.

If you are mainly using iTunes and browsing the internet then the mini's power is more than enough. However, most people (including myself) will recommend that Tiger requires 1GB of RAM to perform to expectations. Apple ships some of its computers with 512MB, which IMHO is pretty poor in this day and age. The mini ships with 512MB RAM and is not designed to be user servicable. So you will more than likely have to upgrade the RAM at the time of ordering of you want it (adding to the price!). The iMac already ships with 1GB RAM and you can upgrade it in the future without voiding warranty.
 
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Well, I did have a keyboard, monitor and everything but I guess I should go with the iMac for the ram purpose, but does the Mini still operate alright at 512mb for just using internet, listening to music and other simple tasks? Also, what did you mean by user serviceable?

The only thing that bothers me about iMacs is that it looks like the stand thing that comes from the back of the monitor is too small or weak to support it.

Thanks for all your help!


Edit: Also, is it safe to use PC monitors, keyboards, and mouses for a Mac Mini? Or do they have to be Apple products?
 
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Oh yeah, the mini will still perform very well with only 512 MB if you are performing simple tasks. It's just that if you are going to be using more power hungry apps like garageband or iMovie then you would want a little more RAM. More RAM helps the computer run much faster, but it's not a requirement if you are a light user. I wouldn't base my purchase on memory considerations, it's just something to consider.

As for user serviceable, the case on the mini is not designed to be opened up, and if you do so then you void your warranty (and risk breaking the mini aswell). So if you want to add memory then it has do be done by an Apple certified technician. The iMac is designed so that memory can easily be added by opening a small flap in the case and inserting it. This doesn't void your warranty.

If you are worried about the stand then don't be! It is well designed for it's purpose. Just take a look at this thread: http://www.mac-forums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62190&highlight=narrow
 
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Mac mini is fine for a casual Mac user. They run quite well but think of them as a laptop with no screen or keyboard, that's basically what they are.

I had a Mini for about 2-3 weeks and it was fine, upgraded to 1GB and it helped lots.

One thing I did notice is lines on the VGA output, understandable given the dimensions. The DVI port would be better.

iMac is a better buy long term, Mac Pro better still if you need the power.
 
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mac mini is great for some one who is on a budget. You can get a mac mini + 17" screen + keyboard and mouse for less then a 17" iMac. You also have to take into consideration that the iMac does not support other monitors. With the mac mini you can go as big or as small of a monitor as you like and you can also hook it up to your TV.

For what you want to do I would suggest a mac mini. If you want actual system setup I suggest coupling it with a small touch screen and some speakers.
 
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Alright, I think a Mac Mini would be perfect for me then. Thanks for all your help.

However, I don't think anyone answered my other question (Is it safe to use PC monitors, keyboards, and mouses for a Mac Mini? Or do they have to be Apple products?). If it was, sorry in advance.
 
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Mac Mini is good for:

- A tight budget
- A second Mac
- People who don't spend more than an hour a day on their computer

I don't realize how valuable it is to have an iMac with display, wireless internet, speakers and Front Row because it's all so integrated and obvious. If I want to enjoy my media, my iMac is great, but it really rocks when you jsut want to work, and have a thousand apps open, it's great. And itunes runs in the background as well.

The display alone is worth it.
 
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Unless you want to have a bigger monitor other than 17-inches, I think iMac is the way to go. Unless you would want to upgrade any of the components inside the computer by yourself in the future, which makes the Mac Mini a better choice.
 
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No you do not need to use Apple products. I have a view sonic monitor and a windows wireless keyboard and mouse connected to mines.

I do not understand why you guys are telling him to go for an iMac when all he wants to do is store his music and ( maybe have a music player type setup?). It seems blatantly obvious that the mac mini is good for this. iMac would be good if he wanted to do more like word documents, internet, games .etc.
 
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Depends, some people have iPods with as much storage as a Mini.
 
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I'm just going to bundle up the rest of my questions here.

-Is it safe to leave your Mac Mini running all day, and just shut it off at night, reboot in the morning/afternoon? I use my current computer quite a bit.

-Is 512mb of ram good enough to store/listen to my music and use the internet? That's really all I want out of my Mac. I'll likely never use apps like iMovie, and Garageband.

-Are the Minis more prone(then other Macs) to just crashing or not turning on one day or just gettting fryed internally or whatever else that's bad that could happen?

-How many years do you think I could get out of it if I take good care of it (which I will)?

-Are Mac minis available in Canada, if not, will they ship to Canada? (Sounds stupid I know, just making sure)
 
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I'm just going to bundle up the rest of my questions here.

-Is it safe to leave your Mac Mini running all day, and just shut it off at night, reboot in the morning/afternoon? I use my current computer quite a bit.

-Is 512mb of ram good enough to store/listen to my music and use the internet? That's really all I want out of my Mac. I'll likely never use apps like iMovie, and Garageband.

-Are the Minis more prone(then other Macs) to just crashing or not turning on one day or just gettting fryed internally or whatever else that's bad that could happen?

-How many years do you think I could get out of it if I take good care of it (which I will)?

Well to answer some of ur questions:

1. Yes it is safe to leave it on all day long, it wouldn't cause any issues. Mac OS X is built on Unix which make it stable and believe it or not it actually doesn't need shut down, a reboot will make it a happy camper.

2. How prone are the minis to crashing and all this stuff?! Well I don't have first hand experience, I am a recent switcher and I have a MacBook. But again Apple is infamous and notorious for paying attention to system stability, so I really doubt that they are prone to crashing or any of the other stuff u mentioned.

3. Unfortunately I can't answer the question of how long it will last, like I said I am a recent switcher with about 3 weeks of experience with Macs. But I have heard of folks out there that are still using their Macs 5+ years and loving it, so that should give u a clue.

Hope that helped

Cheers
 

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