mac mini or imac?

not really a switcher but ?

Hey,

I use to post here like a year ago but my username no longer works. I owned a powerbook G4 that I used for school. Dont really use it much anymore sadly because its not fast enough for me. lol I always will probably not just switch to Apple but I love them and will always use Apple's and PC's. Anyways I am getting a job soon and hope to start makin some money. I would like to buy a reasonable priced new mac. Mac mini? What are your thoughts? Or maybe a refurbished imac G5. Powermac G5 might be out of my price range. When is intelmacs going to start coming out? Worth waiting for?

Matt

I believe the intelmacs are coming out in 2007 for consumers (I think I read that) no need to wait in my opinion.... good luck with the job!

iNAP said:

I believe the intelmacs are coming out in 2007 for consumers (I think I read that) no need to wait in my opinion.... good luck with the job!

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Agreed. I wouldn't wait either. Get one now and benefit from a tried and tested system. If you wait for the intel mac, prices will probably be on the high end since its new technology. It's also a first generation. I've had MUCH better performance experiences with subsequent generations. That's just me. There are a lot of benefits to getting a product hot off the press, as long as you don't mind wearing the guinea pig hat once and a while.
Good luck. :yinyang:

I wouldnt get a mini. If the g4 power wasnt enough the mini won't be much faster. I would look into an imac g5 or MAYBE an emac. Don't wiat for the mactels. It shoudnt make a huge difference. Good luck

I think the best deal right now is the refurb iMac 17in for $900.

mynameis said:

I think the best deal right now is the refurb iMac 17in for $900.

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Thought that was great deal also. Probably not buying for several months though. FYI: my powerbook G4 is actually only 867 mhz so not fast really. Dont know what I will get. Probably cant afford PM G5

Matt

mynameis said:

I think the best deal right now is the refurb iMac 17in for $900.

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Its now like 1100 now, what happen?

Matt

I cant decide which is better for me. I own a powerbook g4 867mhz that I dont really use now. Sister really uses. I love mac so I want a new mac I can use along with my pc's. Mostly is will be used for internet/word processing and some digital camera and possibly video work for just some fun. Maybe some gaming but I never have done whole lot of gaming on a mac. How much better/faster would a 1.42 ghz mini be to my powerbook? Also what is that equivilent to in P4? Mini is really nice. But I love imac because of the powerful g5 1.8 with built in 17 inch lcd, speakers, keyboard,mouse and all that. Truthfully, do I need all that power? Probably not but it would be nice to have to be able to play with. Basically an imac will just take me longer to pay off and more of my job money will go towards it. Whats your advice?

Sorry for long post
Matt

I would go for the refurbed iMac. Cheaper than a Power Mac, and would be a big improvement over your PowerBook.

Go for the mini...
if you're getting something on credit, don't splurge.
Get the mini, you'll be fine with it.

Now I can reply since its unlocked. I just love how compact the imac is but it comes with screen and built in speakers. I figured also if I am going to spend the money I should spend it on a good imac but I guess mini wouldnt be bad either. I would really not be getting a credit card for this. Just loan through my dad with some sorta downpayment. I am 16 and interviewing for my first job tomorrow and I am pretty confident I will get it. I will be making around 400 a month. So 3 months I will have 1200 but will put downpayment at first and pay 100 month for 12 months sorta. So do you guys probably think I would just be more happy with a Imac? Keep in mind I have a P4 2.6 ghz laptop and P4 3.4 GHZ desktop so I dont want to be dissapointed with speed so thinkin Imac would be better.

Matt

msett said:

Now I can reply since its unlocked. I just love how compact the imac is but it comes with screen and built in speakers. I figured also if I am going to spend the money I should spend it on a good imac but I guess mini wouldnt be bad either. I would really not be getting a credit card for this. Just loan through my dad with some sorta downpayment. I am 16 and interviewing for my first job tomorrow and I am pretty confident I will get it. I will be making around 400 a month. So 3 months I will have 1200 but will put downpayment at first and pay 100 month for 12 months sorta. So do you guys probably think I would just be more happy with a Imac? Keep in mind I have a P4 2.6 ghz laptop and P4 3.4 GHZ desktop so I dont want to be dissapointed with speed so thinkin Imac would be better.

Matt

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Save up and get the 20" imac. Having a big screeen rocks.

Now I would beg to differ on this one. I got a 17 inch because I did not like how big the 20 inches were. Plus if you have a second monitor, it's the bigger. Also, it's exactly the same (processor, ram, hdd) just bigger. I thought the 20 inche was clunkier, plus i take my imac between my garage and bedroom sometimes. so, that's my 2 cents. yeah. its cheaper too. you dont need a monitor that big. atleast i dont. and i'd prefer 2 smaller monitors over 1 bigger one (only by 3 inches) ANYDAY.

What is 1.8 G5 equivilent to for Pentium 4? Dont be bias because I am buying mac either, just want you opinion. Is 1.8 to 2.0 worth the extra 200? I am tight on cash.

Matt

msett said:

What is 1.8 G5 equivilent to for Pentium 4?

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There is no equivalent or way to compare them. They are two completely different chips running completely different operating systems.

oh thats not what I am told.

Matt

The two chips really are not easily comparable- the Pentium 4 is better at certain things, and the PowerPC is better at others. That's partly why lots of people say Intel machines are better for games and network servers, but macs are used for a lot of multimedia stuff like photo/video/audio editing and rendering, etc. Plus they are running completely different code, which makes the comparison even more subjective. If you are referring to benchmarks, remember that they generally take every aspect of performance into account, so your perceived performance will vary according to the type of application you are using.

Performance is largely SUBJECTIVE, meaning just about every Intel/PPC comparison you find is biased, ESPECIALLY THOSE ON THE APPLE WEBSITE.


That said, if you can afford the 2.0 Ghz iMac, then go for it. You just have to weigh how much cash you have minus the cost of each system and see if you can still afford the upgrades (RAM, HD space) that you will probably want.

I dont truly know what I will be doing with my mac truthfully. Some photoshop fun and maybe manageing some digital pictures. Nothing big. Mostly internet surfing and some games. Mostly this MAC will be a toy. I guess anything will be better then my 867 mhz powerbook I often actually dont use now days. I am just use to fast pc's with 1.8 Pentium m and 3.4 Pentium 4. Buying a 1.8 ghz G5, is that going to be a middle of the line mac? Or low end or even high but not quite power book. Yea I know I only need so much power but I just like buying a computer that will run efficently and quickly when I need it. Then I go back to wondering if I only need mac mini but that says its only about 1.8 pentium 4 which might be to slow. I dont know. Any more advice.

Matt

Also dont plan many upgrades from what the basic models are. Also DVD burning might not be entirely important since my dell pc can do that.

Matt