Hi all. First-time poster here.
I've always been a PC guy but have been thinking about switching to Mac for about a year now. At first I was looking at an iMac, but then I thought "nah, too pricey" and, because I wasn't ready to buy a whole new PC yet, I bought a new monitor: a 25.5-inch Samsung (very nice!).
I've been running Ubuntu on a 4-yr old Athlon XP 4400+ for about a year now (I had been waiting on Windows 7). But the HP i7 PC w/Blu-ray I'm looking at will set me back a little over $1100. I got to thinking, "Do I really need all this?" "Is it worth the money." I have really lost a lot of my enchantment with replacing hardware and "doing it myself." I keep finding myself wandering into Apple stores ...
Since I already have a monitor, an iMac is out. But I'm starting to really consider the 2.53 GHz Mini. I mean, it looks like almost everything I'll need, and I just want something dependable that works. As life is getting more and more "crowded," the size is also a factor. I've also got some Visa gift cards from Christmas as well as some Amazon credit, so it will only cost me about $500 out of pocket. But before I take the plunge, I wanted to talk to the experts (that's you) and see if it's really right for me. So, here's what I need:
1) Lots of multitasking. I sometimes have 10 to 15 browser tabs going at once.
2) While not exactly a "gamer," I have been waiting a LONG time for Starcraft II to come out. I want to be able to play it on the Mac Mini, should I buy one. Doesn't have to be "maxed out" settings, but decent. Aside from these occasional trips into Blizzard-land, I'm not much into video-intense gaming. I've got a Ps3 and a Wii if I want to play games.
3) There are probably at least a couple of Windows apps I'm going to need. One is Microsoft Money. I understand that there is really nothing equivalent for Mac. Besides, I have *years* of financial records in that format. I know I can dual-boot, but really I'd rather not. I've been hearing about this WineBottler thing. Do you know if it's possible to run MS Money '07 without booting up Windows?
4) Another app would be Newsbin, the binaries downloader. Anyone know if this can run in WineBottler? Also, QuickPar, and maybe WinRar. Alternatively, is there an equivalent for Mac that's as good Newsbin? (keep in mind, Newsbin is *very* good).
5) I used to do a lot of video encoding. Not so much anymore. I might want to encode to DivX/XviD format once in a while. Are there Mac tools for this? Or can the Windows tools be run on Mac? This is really a minor point.
6) I have always tried to get myself a new machine every 3 years. I'm more than a year overdue right now. I'd like to get at *least* 3 years out of this machine without it feeling "dated." Obviously a Mini isn't something I'll be able to pop the top off of and swap out hardware. But then, I'm just not the "semi-power user" I used to be.
7) I assume OS X has no problem reading ntfs drives? I have several external drives I'd be plugging in constantly. Also, SD media cards that I slip into a USB adaptor.
The only thing I guess I'll have to sacrifice for the meantime would be the Blu-Ray. But then ... why do I need that? I've got a PS3 and a standalone player for watching Blu-Ray, and I don't really want to "rip" them or burn them.
Well, I'm sure I have more questions but that's all I can think of for now. It's a big decision. What I really want to hear is "Yeah, man, get a Mini! You'll love it! You can't go wrong!." But don't just tell me what I want to hear!
All advice is appreciated!
I've always been a PC guy but have been thinking about switching to Mac for about a year now. At first I was looking at an iMac, but then I thought "nah, too pricey" and, because I wasn't ready to buy a whole new PC yet, I bought a new monitor: a 25.5-inch Samsung (very nice!).
I've been running Ubuntu on a 4-yr old Athlon XP 4400+ for about a year now (I had been waiting on Windows 7). But the HP i7 PC w/Blu-ray I'm looking at will set me back a little over $1100. I got to thinking, "Do I really need all this?" "Is it worth the money." I have really lost a lot of my enchantment with replacing hardware and "doing it myself." I keep finding myself wandering into Apple stores ...
Since I already have a monitor, an iMac is out. But I'm starting to really consider the 2.53 GHz Mini. I mean, it looks like almost everything I'll need, and I just want something dependable that works. As life is getting more and more "crowded," the size is also a factor. I've also got some Visa gift cards from Christmas as well as some Amazon credit, so it will only cost me about $500 out of pocket. But before I take the plunge, I wanted to talk to the experts (that's you) and see if it's really right for me. So, here's what I need:
1) Lots of multitasking. I sometimes have 10 to 15 browser tabs going at once.
2) While not exactly a "gamer," I have been waiting a LONG time for Starcraft II to come out. I want to be able to play it on the Mac Mini, should I buy one. Doesn't have to be "maxed out" settings, but decent. Aside from these occasional trips into Blizzard-land, I'm not much into video-intense gaming. I've got a Ps3 and a Wii if I want to play games.
3) There are probably at least a couple of Windows apps I'm going to need. One is Microsoft Money. I understand that there is really nothing equivalent for Mac. Besides, I have *years* of financial records in that format. I know I can dual-boot, but really I'd rather not. I've been hearing about this WineBottler thing. Do you know if it's possible to run MS Money '07 without booting up Windows?
4) Another app would be Newsbin, the binaries downloader. Anyone know if this can run in WineBottler? Also, QuickPar, and maybe WinRar. Alternatively, is there an equivalent for Mac that's as good Newsbin? (keep in mind, Newsbin is *very* good).
5) I used to do a lot of video encoding. Not so much anymore. I might want to encode to DivX/XviD format once in a while. Are there Mac tools for this? Or can the Windows tools be run on Mac? This is really a minor point.
6) I have always tried to get myself a new machine every 3 years. I'm more than a year overdue right now. I'd like to get at *least* 3 years out of this machine without it feeling "dated." Obviously a Mini isn't something I'll be able to pop the top off of and swap out hardware. But then, I'm just not the "semi-power user" I used to be.
7) I assume OS X has no problem reading ntfs drives? I have several external drives I'd be plugging in constantly. Also, SD media cards that I slip into a USB adaptor.
The only thing I guess I'll have to sacrifice for the meantime would be the Blu-Ray. But then ... why do I need that? I've got a PS3 and a standalone player for watching Blu-Ray, and I don't really want to "rip" them or burn them.
Well, I'm sure I have more questions but that's all I can think of for now. It's a big decision. What I really want to hear is "Yeah, man, get a Mini! You'll love it! You can't go wrong!." But don't just tell me what I want to hear!
All advice is appreciated!