mac mini

[Avid6eek]

I am a gamer at heart...that's for sure. I love gaming on my PC, although if I could find some good titles that I liked on a Mac, I'd have no problems switching. I have multiple PCs, and spend around $6,000/year on hardware. Even though a Mac is more expensive inititally, the hardware doesn't evolve as rapidly, so the final costs would be around the same.

I keep looking at the G5 systems.....perferably a dual 2.0Ghz with a GeForce 6800 Ultra card, and I'd buy a gig of Corsiar XMS PC3200 seperately for it. It's a really nice system...but I just can't afford 3G all at once. My g/f is more worried about getting an engagement ring

I guess I'll have to see just how much I like the OS for day to day activities. I'm really interested in iWork ($79) as well. The Mini Mac comes with iLife ($79). I think you should have the option of one or the other. I don't really want the iLife software. I could care less about playing with photos or making movies...but productivity software always helps out for school. I can get free copies of photoshop through work, so iWork would be of much more value to me.

 

[Amen-Moses]

I guess I'll have to see just how much I like the OS for day to day activities. I'm really interested in iWork ($79) as well. The Mini Mac comes with iLife ($79). I think you should have the option of one or the other. I don't really want the iLife software. I could care less about playing with photos or making movies...but productivity software always helps out for school. I can get free copies of photoshop through work, so iWork would be of much more value to me.

Don't forget that OSX is unix based so you can use all the masses of Linux software out there, i.e Gimp, FilmGimp, OpenOffice etc. It take a bit more effort to install it all but is worth it in the long run.

I got a reduced cost copy of MacOffice with my iMac and I prefer it to OfficeXP although it must be said that it is the flakiest software on any of my Mac systems it still crashes less than any of my PC Office suites.

I have settled into the following usage pattern:

Games - PS2 & PC except for the odd Myst session on Mac. (although the twin G5 PowerMac plays games wonderfully especially Halo, UT 2004 & Army Ops, I just wish ther was a Far Cry port for it)
Simulations - Mac & PC in that order.
Software development Mac & PC (linux based) equally, I use gcc on both but have Ada installed on the Mac systems for commercial use.
Email & Internet - Mac.
Film (DV) - Mac with Final Cut.
DVD production - Mac.
Music - Mac.
Web production - PC (Linux).
Printing - PC (WinXP Pro - It has the best printer drivers!)
Photo Editing - Mac & PC equally, I have Adobe Photoshop on all machines.

Personally I can't imagine not having both platforms.

Twin SATA drives combined with Airport Extreme and twin 1Ghx i/o buses on the beasty Mac also means that it is my main file server, it does stuff like streaming video so well it just beggars belief.

Amen-Moses

 

[mangoSharingan]

The graphical performance on the Mac Mini is basically the same on the iBook, which isn't a bad thing because I'm able to play games like Football Manager 2005, Warcraft III and Sim City 4 on my iBook (specs below) at the same speed as on my PC (XP 2400+, 512MB PC3200 DDR and GeForce FX5200 DDR). So the Mac Mini should be able to handle a game or two, although obviously not HL2 or Doom 3-type games!

Btw, what are the chances of a G5 Mac Mini in just under a year and a half's time, since I want to buy one then to take abroad for a year. I also hope that it will come in many different colours (like the iPod Mini although the usual platinum/white look will always rule!) and faster CPU and graphics, maybe around the same performance as today's iMacs. Dunno about heat-issues, though it seems fine on my iBook.

 

[Avid6eek]

I would assume that when the G6 processor is released, if one even exists, the the Mac Mini would inherit the G5 processor.

Is there a good place to get information on future Mac products...like the next processors/systems?

 

[Amen-Moses]

I would assume that when the G6 processor is released, if one even exists, the the Mac Mini would inherit the G5 processor.

Is there a good place to get information on future Mac products...like the next processors/systems?

Look up the PowerPC range on the IBM website to get some idea of what comes next.

The G5 is a high power beast so don't expect to see it in something as small as the Mac Mini, it is at the limits of cooling in the new iMac design.

The next big thing will be the G7, IBM have some tricks up their sleeves to reduce power consumption and heat output which will benefit from the fact that Sony are using the chips in the PS3 (along with the latest Nvidia graphics chips).

Put me down for the first twin 4 Ghz G7 PowerMac.

Amen-Moses

 

[Avid6eek]

Are you refering to the PowerPC 750 processor? Is there an estimate of when you could expect these processors to come to life in a new Mac? In general, does Apple only launch products once a year at the Mac Expo?

 

[flonejek]

A few pproducts also get released at the WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference), apart from that its just upgrades. As for the 970+ well probably see em in powermacs as soon as IBM starts mass producing them though that estimate is beyond me...

 

[Avid6eek]

The main reason I ask, is there is nothing worse than buying a system and then having a replacement system launched a few months later. I think I will just go with the Mini Mac for now, and wait until the next Power PC launch before making any large purchases.

 

[technologist]

Are you refering to the PowerPC 750 processor? Is there an estimate of when you could expect these processors to come to life in a new Mac? In general, does Apple only launch products once a year at the Mac Expo?

The PowerPC 750 is the G3.

FYI:
601 -> "G1" (1994)
603 & 604 -> "G2" (1995)
750 -> G3 (1997)
7400 -> G4 (1999)
970 - > G5 (2003)

The next PowerPC from IBM will probably be the 980

 

[Avid6eek]

Thanks for the info. It helps me to do research a little better.

 

[Amen-Moses]

The PowerPC 750 is the G3.
The next PowerPC from IBM will probably be the 980

Yep, they are running out of numbers.

The "G6" will be the 980 & 985 which will be unlikely to be seen outside of IBM equipment. The "G7" will be the 990 *maybe*, it all depends on whether it lives up to the promises.

I haven't got a clue where the IBM numbering system goes from there, hex maybe?

Amen-Moses

 

[johnnyluu]

The only real downside I see with the Mac Mini is the lack of serious graphics RAM. Surely they could put 128Mb DDR in it, 32 will cripple it when playing high end games!

That's just like saying, "Why didn't they make it a G5?".

Having 128Mb of graphics ram would push the price up by at least £100($187): seeing as their aren't any games not 1 - 2 years old that wouldn't work better on a cheaper PC anyway, would the extra graphics ram and cost be worth it?

The point of the Mac mini is general everyday use, maybe some light graphics work, but most definitely not for playing games (they're not even the recommended spec required for most games worth playing today). Anyone wanting to play games should get a PC, a G5, maybe even a Powerbook, otherwise, there's not really any point.

Generally Low-mid range Mac's are for improving your general computing experience and mid-high end Mac's are for creative people making movies, animations, graphics etc.

Don't buy a Mac if you intend on serious gaming, certainly not a Mac Mini!

 

[Avid6eek]

Don't buy a Mac if you intend on serious gaming.

Actually...I do plan to do quite a bit of gaming on a G5 system if I purchase one. Although PCs offer ultimate gaming performance, Dual G5 2.5Ghz with a 6800 Ultra will be a pretty bad @ss system. So far the system I am most interested in is:

Power Mac Dual 2.5Ghz G5
1024MB PC3200 (Corsiar XMS - Gonna sell the crap that comes in the system)
2 x 160GB HDs (? - Instead of purchasing a second 160GB, I may use a 73GB 10000rpm Western Digital Raptor as my primary drive)
nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra
CD-RW Drive (Already have Dual Layer 16X DVD-RW's in my 3 PCs...No point in paying so much for an 8X drive)

The total cost of the Mac with the education discount is $2998. A tricked out PC would cost a little less, but then again, it would be a PC, and not a Mac.

 

[johnnyluu]

Actually...I do plan to do quite a bit of gaming on a G5 system if I purchase one.

But, as I've said before, what games are you going to play on it that aren't 1 or more years old that wouldn't run much better on a PC costing half of what a G5 does?

I'm not saying that you can't game with a Mac, I'm saying that there is a distinct lack of support for games development on the Mac. My friends are still, rightly so, smug about the fact that I'll never get to play Half Life 2 any time soon, if at all, on my G5. They have outright slammed Doom 3 for being nothing but a graphical showcase with virtually no involving gameplay, and all I've read on various Mac Game Site's is the excitement of it being ported, "Yay, finally a crap PC game is going to be ported that's only worth getting to see how well my graphics card will run it!".

I did read somewhere that a bit of software was being developed, the Mac equivilant of DirectX, that significantly reduced the time involved in porting games over from PC to Mac. Not sure whats happened to that project though. Anyone out there know any more about it?

 

[Amen-Moses]

I'm not saying that you can't game with a Mac, I'm saying that there is a distinct lack of support for games development on the Mac.

That's not the problem (Halo was developed on Mac first btw) the problem is that the games market is aimed at the lowest common denominator, my twin G5 plays games just fine and I reckon far better for some (like Halo, UT, Medal of Honour, Army Ops, the Myst series etc. In fact all the games I have on my G5 system play better than they do on any of my PC's).

If they were willing I'm sure the companies concerned could easily port their engines to the Mac, i.e the Far Cry engine or the Half Life engines could be ported, if they thought they'd make enough money to make it worthwhile.

Amen-Moses

 

[mynameis]

Power Mac Dual 2.5Ghz G5
1024MB PC3200 (Corsiar XMS - Gonna sell the crap that comes in the system)
2 x 160GB HDs (? - Instead of purchasing a second 160GB, I may use a 73GB 10000rpm Western Digital Raptor as my primary drive)
nVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra
CD-RW Drive (Already have Dual Layer 16X DVD-RW's in my 3 PCs...No point in paying so much for an 8X drive)

The total cost of the Mac with the education discount is $2998.

I thought all education discounts were the same, A Powermac dual 2.5Ghz G5 w/ 6800 Ultra would cost me over $3100, with every other option set to its lowest.

 

[Avid6eek]

I just ordered my Dual 2.5Ghz G5 system. The only options I changed are I added the GeForce 6800 Ultra, and I removed the modem. The total came to $2988. I will be ordering a gig of memory from NewEgg for it when the system ships in a couple weeks.

 

[mynameis]

I just ordered my Dual 2.5Ghz G5 system. The only options I changed are I added the GeForce 6800 Ultra, and I removed the modem. The total came to $2988. I will be ordering a gig of memory from NewEgg for it when the system ships in a couple weeks.

Ahh ok, I thought you added the price of the aftermarket ram and the extra HD into the price, that price makes sense now.

 

[Avid6eek]

Ahh ok, I thought you added the price of the aftermarket ram and the extra HD into the price, that price makes sense now.

I kinda did...they are both free. I'm using Christmas gift certificates to get it

 

[mynameis]

I kinda did...they are both free. I'm using Christmas gift certificates to get it

Lucky you