Switcher trying to decide on which Mac

Hi

I am trying to decide which of these two choices
would be "better". For now and for the long haul.
I have used my last system for over 5 years, so
a hundred dollars or two is not the issue. I want
the best system and the most flexible one.

Also, is the screen in the iMac as good as the ViewSonic ?

My main uses are PhotoShop Elements 4, Word, and
using the internet.

Deal 1

Mac Mini refurb
Dual Core 1.66
1Gb ram
ViewSonic VG920 19 inch flatscreen
keyboard
mouse
$1225


Deal 2

iMac 20-inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo refurb
512 mg ram
$1399


thanks kindly for your input, Chris

I have a 20" iMac and 19" Viewsonic on a new Core Duo Mini. The mini CORE DUO is amazing for what it is. The iMac Core Duo is the same but even faster and the 20" monitor is beautifull. Like I said, I have a 19" almost brand new Viewsonic, Side by side I much prefer the 20" iMacs monitor. I got the Core Duo Mini for my home entertainment system to play 1080p video and that it does without a hitch. Since the prices of the two systems you have configured are so close, go with the iMac 20". I have a feeling you will be glad you did. I know I am!

My vote goes for the iMac, youll definitley get 5+ years out of it. Im still running a G3 iMac from way way way back in the day. If i had a pc that was that old it would be nothing more than a paper weight but the G3 still holds its own.

If you can get the iMac with 1GB—do it, as that will really help performance on these Intel machines emulating PowerPC code in non-Intel native apps (well until they are native, which will come) such as Word and P'Shop Elements.

I'm inclined at this stage to be devil's advocate and say the Mac Mini simply since it has 1GB RAM in your stated spec.

The iMac does have a splendid screen however.

Vicky

The RAM would be easier to upgrade in the iMac I would think, don't forget to consider that. As much as I like the mini (would be sweet for my TV) get the iMac.

I vote for the iMac--and I would also suggest upgrading the RAM to 1 GB

Thanks for your replies !

Are these issues here ? -- Service on the iMac. Let's say the screen goes out in
a year or two. (after warranty). What would that mean to replace the screen in
dollars? Would the faster rpm on the disk drive of the iMac make that much
difference ? 7200 vs 5400

Chris

Firstly to answer your two questions:

1) Although I can only offer you an educated guess, I think you'd be looking at around a few hundred dollars. As a further comment, if you could afford to take out the Applecare extension, that may ease your worries in that area. Although I would stress to you that I have literally never heard of an iMac screen actually breaking. Also remember that you can upgrade to Applecare anytime within your first year of standard warrenty, so you wouldn't have to purchase that right away.

2) I think the simple answer to the average consumer is no. Of course if you doing a lot of transfers or such, maybe it is something to consider. But personally I don't think you should worry about this too much.

My personal preference would be in favour of the iMac. With the iMac you will recieve a great computer, with a fantastic screen (something the Mini does not offer) and a pretty nice video card too (again, something the Mini does not offer).
Furthermore, if you wanted to you could consider upgrading your RAM to the 1gig or more after you've had the iMac for a while. Once you decided to do that, the RAM would be very easy to install and not too expensive either. These benifits tied to the slim (in my opinion) price margin between the two products, I think the iMac is the best choice.

Good luck with your choice and enjoy your new Mac

out of those, imac. look on ebay at the 2.0 powermacs, you can get them for about 1500 used.

The mini is a great computer for a first time mac user who doesn't want to invest a lot of money. By this I mean if you already have an Monitor, keyboard, and mouse sitting around the house, then the Mini is a great buy. If you plan on purchasing all of these things new, then your best bet is the iMac. I purchased a mini in January as my first Mac, and quickly outgrew it. I now have a 20" Intel iMac downstairs as my main Mac desktop. I know Lil recommended the Mini because it has more ram but honestly that is the one part that should have no bearing on your purchase as it is the easiest and cheapest thing to upgrade in a mac. If you spend $175 more for the iMac you get the following:

190GB more hard drive space (guessing the mini has a 60GB)
Radeon X1600 dedicated graphics card versus the onboard video in a mini
340mhz faster Dual core processor (you won't be able to upgrade this down the road at this price)
1" Bigger screen that I would put up against the Viewsonic any day of the week
Apple Keyboard and mouse included with the iMac
and lastly a much higher resale value if you decide to get rid of it.

To answer your question about the screen going out: If that happened I guarantee it is going to cost more than you want to spend to fix it. I think you have a better chance of the logic board or another part biting the dust before the screen does. To address these concerns, buy the Applecare warranty for another $160. It will give you piece of mind for not alot of cash.

Thanks to all who took the time to discusss their
views about this. This is a big step for my computer
life. It's very tempting to spend 1/2 as much and
get another Windows system. Or should I say Windoze?
But I feel it will be worth it to get away from Ad-ware,
Mal-ware, viruses, etc. ad infinitum, ad nauseaum.
But I spend a lot of time at the keyboard and almost
all the switchers I've read about say they are glad
they did it.

I just placed my order from the Apple Store online for
this refurbished system for $1399. I also ordered the
extended warranty for $169.

Refurbished iMac 20-inch 2GHz Intel Core Duo
512MB (single SO-DIMM) 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM
250GB Serial ATA hard drive
Slot-load 8x double-layer SuperDrive
ATI Radeon X1600 graphics with 128MB GDDR3 memory
Built-in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0

As one of my buddies says, "It only costs 50% more
to go first class !"



Chris

Congratulations on your purchase, you made the right decision. If you search the different mac forums online, you can usually find another stick of 512mb ram for your imac around $50 shipped. I did this when I purchased my 20" and it brought me up to 1GB, where you will want to be. I also see we subscribe to the same philosophy as my grandfather always said "it only costs a little more to go first class". (the man loved cadillacs)

Congratulations on your purchase I am sure it will last a long time, as I have a rev A iMac G5 working flawlessly after almost 2 years and I expect at least another 3 years out of it! :dummy:

Thanks !

I am looking forward to coming
into the light of the "Dark Side".

:mac:

Great deal and a good choice, welcome to the world of mac.

If i had a pc that was that old it would be nothing more than a paper weight

Click to expand...

Why didn't I think of that, I can use my PC as a paper weight!

I was struggling between Mini and iMac too, but decide that gaming is important enough to me to need a decent vid card.