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Switcher Hangout (Windows to Mac)
A few pre-switch questions
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<blockquote data-quote="Zoolook" data-source="post: 820239" data-attributes="member: 21101"><p>1. I'm looking at a Mac mini, especially because of a)the price and b)I have a relatively new monitor, keyboard and mouse. I'm guessing that if my older PC can handle what I do, any new computer will, too. Right? I see that "New" mac minis have come out recently; what are any upgrades? Are the previous generation of Intel minis very different? <span style="color: Red">You can upgrade the RAM and possibly the HDD, but by and large Minis are like Laptops where they're a fixed configuration. However, a new mini is pretty powerful and should cover your needs.</span></p><p></p><p>2. I was planning on using my current HDD's as external drives, then was reading about different formatting systems. So, if I use my PC to convert the formats from NFTS (sp?) to FAT32 (after copying the files back and forth between the two drives), then pop them in external enclosures and hook em up to a mac via USB, they will work? I don't need to convert them to Mac's format system? <span style="color: Red">Macs can read/write FAT32 and also read NTFS most of the time, but not always. Apple offer a service to copy all your files over for free when you switch though, so you could just do this.</span></p><p></p><p>3. With Minis, if you want to add a new HDD, can you only replace your current one or use external? I imagine there isn't a whole lotta room for add-ons in the case, and I'm trying to determine what size HDD to get. <span style="color: red">External is the cheapest solution, but it adds to the clutter. Get the biggest you can afford from the start.</span></p><p></p><p>4. Is Mac RAM different from PC RAM? I was thinking of getting the base RAM then adding some from a secondary vendor for savings. Can you mix PC and MAC and DDR/DDR2/DDR3 and speeds? <span style="color: red">Mac RAM is exactly the same, although Apple will charge a premium if you get it from them. You can mix <strong>speeds</strong>, as long as the slowest one you install meets the minimum requirements. However, you're wasting your money getting faster RAM than the slowest in your system. BTW, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 are effectively different <strong>types </strong>of RAM and cannot be mixed. The new mini uses DDR3.</span></p><p></p><p>5. Does the Mini have a separate graphics card, or is it just integrated? Is there a DVI out? Is there any other video out for connecting to a TV? <span style="color: red">It's integrated, but it's quite good (9400m). It can decode 1080p and play last generation's games quite comfortably.</span></p><p>6. Is neoffice similar to Open Office? Is this what most people use as a free office suite?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Zoolook, post: 820239, member: 21101"] 1. I'm looking at a Mac mini, especially because of a)the price and b)I have a relatively new monitor, keyboard and mouse. I'm guessing that if my older PC can handle what I do, any new computer will, too. Right? I see that "New" mac minis have come out recently; what are any upgrades? Are the previous generation of Intel minis very different? [COLOR="Red"]You can upgrade the RAM and possibly the HDD, but by and large Minis are like Laptops where they're a fixed configuration. However, a new mini is pretty powerful and should cover your needs.[/COLOR] 2. I was planning on using my current HDD's as external drives, then was reading about different formatting systems. So, if I use my PC to convert the formats from NFTS (sp?) to FAT32 (after copying the files back and forth between the two drives), then pop them in external enclosures and hook em up to a mac via USB, they will work? I don't need to convert them to Mac's format system? [COLOR="Red"]Macs can read/write FAT32 and also read NTFS most of the time, but not always. Apple offer a service to copy all your files over for free when you switch though, so you could just do this.[/COLOR] 3. With Minis, if you want to add a new HDD, can you only replace your current one or use external? I imagine there isn't a whole lotta room for add-ons in the case, and I'm trying to determine what size HDD to get. [COLOR="red"]External is the cheapest solution, but it adds to the clutter. Get the biggest you can afford from the start.[/COLOR] 4. Is Mac RAM different from PC RAM? I was thinking of getting the base RAM then adding some from a secondary vendor for savings. Can you mix PC and MAC and DDR/DDR2/DDR3 and speeds? [COLOR="red"]Mac RAM is exactly the same, although Apple will charge a premium if you get it from them. You can mix [B]speeds[/B], as long as the slowest one you install meets the minimum requirements. However, you're wasting your money getting faster RAM than the slowest in your system. BTW, DDR, DDR2 and DDR3 are effectively different [B]types [/B]of RAM and cannot be mixed. The new mini uses DDR3.[/COLOR] 5. Does the Mini have a separate graphics card, or is it just integrated? Is there a DVI out? Is there any other video out for connecting to a TV? [COLOR="red"]It's integrated, but it's quite good (9400m). It can decode 1080p and play last generation's games quite comfortably.[/COLOR] 6. Is neoffice similar to Open Office? Is this what most people use as a free office suite? [/QUOTE]
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A few pre-switch questions
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