Mini beast?

Hey guys, for my desktop I am looking to buy a Mac Mini maybe..

would this be good for design software/programming?

* 1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2x512
* 80GB Serial ATA drive
* SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
* Mac OS X - U.S. English
* 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo
* Intel GMA950 graphics
* Accessory kit

Yeah, that's pretty good. Two questions:

1. What's your budget?
2. Are you good with hardware?

I ask because you can get more bang-for-your-buck by installing the hardware yourself. For example, MacMall has the basic Intel Mini for $574 after a $20 mail-in rebate:

http://www.macmall.com/macmall/families/macmini_intel/

The 2ghz T2500 Core Duo processor is $314.99:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16819111178

Some thermal paste to go with it for $5.99:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16835100007

Add in a speedy 7200rpm 100gb Hitachi hard drive for $159.99: (go with the Seagate equivalent if you want a silent machine)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16822146053

Toss in an 8x dual-layer DVD burner for $73.99:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16827129003

Add in two gigs of ram for $80.99 per stick (2 sticks required):

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820231069

That comes up to about $1,300. Apple wants $900 for your configuration. For $400 more, you get an extra 2x340mhz (680mhz speed boost together), an extra gig of ram, a faster hard drive with an extra 20 gigs of space, and a better DVD burner. Plus you get the satisfaction of having torn it apart and modded it yourself This may be overkill for a programming box, but there's a nice option for you!

The intel core duo with 1gb ram is all I could afford heh.

it's a programming machine? bleh, you can program on a piece of crap machine.
Just most programmers tend to use a lot of RAM from having a ton of apps open, so it's usually not wise to slack on the ram.

The whole massive super system seems like a waste of cash for just programming. You aint gonna type faster if your system is quicker... you may compile a second or two faster, but is that worth like 500 bucks?

Logan said:

it's a programming machine? bleh, you can program on a piece of crap machine.
Just most programmers tend to use a lot of RAM from having a ton of apps open, so it's usually not wise to slack on the ram.

The whole massive super system seems like a waste of cash for just programming. You aint gonna type faster if your system is quicker... you may compile a second or two faster, but is that worth like 500 bucks?

Click to expand...

My sentiments, exactly.

Logan said:

it's a programming machine? bleh, you can program on a piece of crap machine.
Just most programmers tend to use a lot of RAM from having a ton of apps open, so it's usually not wise to slack on the ram.

The whole massive super system seems like a waste of cash for just programming. You aint gonna type faster if your system is quicker... you may compile a second or two faster, but is that worth like 500 bucks?

Click to expand...

Exactly. Buying the ram from Apple is a little more pricey than installing it yourself, but then you don't have to open the case or void the warranty. I also would recommend not skimping on the ram.

Ok so if I get the base model for my processing/programming machine -- and use the powerbook for design, I'm all set?

Jonathan said:

Ok so if I get the base model for my processing/programming machine -- and use the powerbook for design, I'm all set?

Click to expand...

Should be. Get at least a gig of ram though. My Mini started life off as a 1.5ghz Core Solo and it was pretty snappy, suprisingly!