Switcher: Mac Mini vs. Macbook

I'm thinking of making the switch, well to extent I already have. Let me give you guys a little background then I'd like an opinion on the best system for my situation.

I purchased an Ipad a few months ago and that really got me into looking harder at apple products. The quality and ease of use on it are just fantastic. This led me to dig my girlfriend's old macbook (first version with the intel chipset) out of the closet and start using it. After a couple weeks of using it I'm equally impressed with OS X. It just seems to work better. Of course this led to me picking up a magic mouse and then this past weekend the bluetooth keyboard.

Now the issue I have with the macbook is that it is older and it's superdrive is officially dead. The 1 gig of ram is not going to cover me for running autocad in parallels which I will need to do for a full switch. I usually use it closed and plugged into my 24" monitor. So it seems I need to upgrade my hardware to fully experience what the mac is all about.

I rarely travel and when I do it's usually for pleasure and not business so the ipad more than covers any connectivity I need on the road. I'd hate to waste money on a Imac given I just bought a nice big display and the keyboard and mouse. So that leaves me with the macbook vs macbook pro vs mac mini.

Pricing is a concern for me. Between the app store for the ipad and recent hardware purchases apple has been getting far to big a chunck of my paycheck.

So my question is what do you guys think is the best value for my money? Also do you think I may be in the mac honeymoon phase and should wait a bit longer before purchasing? Finally if recommending the mini which is the direction I'm leaning do you think it is viable as a true desktop replacement?

Sorry for the lengthy post I always have been rather long winded.

EricIN said:

So my question is what do you guys think is the best value for my money?

Finally if recommending the mini which is the direction I'm leaning do you think it is viable as a true desktop replacement?

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You almost always get a better value purchasing a desktop vs. a laptop.

Pretty hard to find a better value than $699 for the new Mac-mini (especially if you already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse).

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

You almost always get a better value purchasing a desktop vs. a laptop.

Pretty hard to find a better value than $699 for the new Mac-mini (especially if you already have a monitor, keyboard, and mouse).

- Nick

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That was along the lines of my initial thoughts as well. Then again isn't a mac mini essentially a screenless laptop? So I'm wondering if I'm getting any more upgradeability with it than a laptop.

I am currently using a Mac mini (previous generation) in conjunction with an iPad. In my opinion, it is a great combo. The mini serves as my full-fledged computer, while the iPad works as a fantastic portable device for web browsing, e-mail, and other general purposes on the go. This combo has proved to be so good that I let my wife have my old MacBook to use as her own personal computer. Maybe someday, I'll buy another laptop. At the moment though, I'm more than satisfied with what I have.

If you don't need the portability of the MacBook, and you already have all the peripherals you need (which it sounds like you do), I would not hesitate to get the new Mac mini. It is a great little computer and surprisingly robust given its size.

Oh, and don't worry about there being a "Mac honeymoon.". I've been a switcher for over two years and it just keeps getting better and better.

EricIN said:

That was along the lines of my initial thoughts as well. Then again isn't a mac mini essentially a screenless laptop? So I'm wondering if I'm getting any more upgradeability with it than a laptop.

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Yes I personally have described the Mac-Mini as a laptop without a display...but if you look at iMacs...they're sort of just a BIG laptop as well.

Mac Pro's are the only "traditional" desktop computer Apple sells.

The new Mac-Mini has come a long way since the first Mac-Mini's! Go with your budget. $699 for the entry level "new" Mac-Mini...or $1199 for the entry level iMac (or spend more if you want).

But please stop thinking about a MacBook or MacBook Pro vs. a Desktop. You either need portability or you don't! If you need portability...then get a laptop. If you don't need portability...then get a desktop!

It's really that simple. Laptops & desktops have different purposes in life!

Now if you said:

- Mac-Mini vs. iMac vs. MacPro

or...

- MacBook vs. MacBook Pro

Now we have something we can discuss. But when you're comparing laptops vs. desktops...you really need to decide which fits your lifestyle...then we can go from there.

HTH,

- Nick

Good point on portability. When it comes down to it I don't need travel with it so I'm looking for a desktop. Of those the mac pro is well out of my budget and buying the iMac after having just bought a monitor and the keyboard and mouse it comes with seems like a waste. So the clear option is the mini.

So my question now becomes about it's ability to function as a full desktop replacement. Do you think it has the horsepower to run parallels with windows 7 and autocad mechanical without any issue? This would be on a 24" display or occasionally to a 42" hdtv. Also I'm wondering if there is any real upgradibility with it beyond just the ram. If so it would really meet my hardware needs and we would have a clear winner.;D

and thanks for the advice so far. It's go me thinking about what I would like because it's shiny vs what I need!

I have an early 2009 Mac Mini that I had Windows Vista then Windows 7 installed with Boot Camp and it ran Windows with out any problems. Our little Mini has ran games, does Aperture 3 and anything else we have asked it to run with out a problem. I upgraded the ram to 4 GB and the HD to a 7200 RPM 320 GB drive. In the near future I hope to get another Mini to replaced my dying Dell XPS desktop.

I highly recommend the Mini to anyone needing a desktop computer. I like my Mini with the 24" monitor almost as much as I like my 27" iMac.........Note I said almost.

EricIN said:

Good point on portability. When it comes down to it I don't need travel with it so I'm looking for a desktop. Of those the mac pro is well out of my budget and buying the iMac after having just bought a monitor and the keyboard and mouse it comes with seems like a waste. So the clear option is the mini.

So my question now becomes about it's ability to function as a full desktop replacement.

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If you approach this question logically:

- you've eliminated the MacBook/MacBook Pro because you don't need portability
- you've eliminated a new Mac Pro due to cost
- you've eliminated the iMac since you just bought a monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

The only choice left (as far as getting a new computer) is a new Mac Mini. Whether the new Mac-mini is a satisfactory computer for your needs or not doesn't matter...since it's the only "new" computer" option left.

Other options would or could be:

- get a Windows computer
- get a used Macintosh computer
- keep using your current computer (assuming you have one)

You can get a used original "Quad-core" Mac Pro for around $1200 bucks.

But as far as a new computer from Apple...the only choice (based on the info above)...is the new Mac-mini.

Hope this helps,

- Nick

pigoo3 said:

But please stop thinking about a MacBook or MacBook Pro vs. a Desktop. You either need portability or you don't! If you need portability...then get a laptop. If you don't need portability...then get a desktop!

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That's a good point. Another thing I'd like to mention is that for all intents and purposes, the Mac mini and the current MacBook are the same computer. The processor is the same. The graphics chip is the same. The type of RAM used is the same. Like you said it is just a laptop without the screen (or trackpad, keyboard and battery for that matter). The only thing that is different is that the mini comes standard with a 320GB hard drive as opposed to the 250GB one on the MacBook.

If you think that the MacBook will be enough computer for you, then the Mac mini will be as well. You just lose out on the potability factor, which doesn't sound like it is a problem for the original poster.