looking into buying a mac...

phildaintith

phildaintith

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I've been using the college and friends macs and im starting to really like how they work, as my current computer is on its last legs im looking into buying a new one.Thing is im not too sure which one to look into as id rather not go all out and spend 2000 on a mac pro as i simply cannot afford it.
The main thing i would really use it for is phoshop and other similar packages allong with surfing the web and playing music.

What would you guys recomend, iv been looking at the mac mini (the 2.66 ghz one on the apple website) and one of the imacs (unsure which one)

what are your views on these? any recomendations/problems with yours etc?
 
I've just recently purchased the intel i3 3.2ghz iMac, runs final cut express, adobe bridge, photoshop cs5, toast, Steam - Counter Strike Source, dreamweaver with no problems at all..
 
you should be able to pick up a used mac at a reasonable price, but make sure it has the intel processor so you have an open-ended upgrade path
 
I might be wrong but I think at the current prices an iMac would be a better buy - the screen alone is worth the difference and they are more powerful. A Mac Mini is basically a MacBook in a small case - laptop hardware, always has been.
 
Mac mini is great for the price but you do have to buy keyboard mouse and a monitor. A mate of mine has one and loves it.

I have an imac for about 3 coming up 4 years and is still running great, goes a lil slow sometimes but that is because it HD is almost full and i leave it on for days on end.

Whatever you get iam sure you will enjoy, it maybe worth getting the imac saves you looking for a decent monitor but if you have one in mind already maybe the mini
 
The Mac Mini is not great for the price when you consider, as you have said, that you have to buy a keyboard, mouse and monitor on top of it. It costs £649.00 just now, and you're looking to take that up to at least £1000 by adding a good monitor, keyboard and mouse. Considering the fact that the iMac starts at £999, and has better hardware than the Mac Mini, it suddenly doesn't look so cheap afterall.

The Mac Mini as it is priced now is nothing more than a shameless con: You pay for a MacBook in a box (it is all laptop hardware) but without the bare necessities (screen, keyboard, mouse), and for almost as much as a MacBook. Back when the Mac Minis cost under £400, they were actually a decent buy!
 
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Have to agree with trencheel303 & Tyler128

27 inch iMac beefed as much as you can afford, you will NOT be unhappy in any way! ;)

If you have a look on ebay you might get a deal from someone who bought a 27inch before the spec jumped a month or so ago. Even the old spec's are still going to make you happy.
 
Tyler138 said:
Mac mini is great for the price but you do have to buy keyboard mouse and a monitor.
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Well, considering the OP's original thought was a Mac Pro, he'd be in pretty much the same situation with that. Granted, he'd get a keyboard and mouse, but no monitor. If the old PC he's thinking of replacing had a USB mouse, that's a small expense spared. If phildaintith's existing monitor has a DVI input, then it will just plug in.

That was the logic behind the launch of the Mac Mini - a small computer for people switching from a PC where they could use most of their existing peripherals.

At SRP, a basic MacBook will set you back about £200 more than the entry-level Mac Mini. An iMac about £300 more. An Apple keyboard is about £25-£30.

It certainly may be worth looking at an iMac if you're thinking of replacing the screen anyway, though £275 will go quite a way toward a decent, separate screen and it's a cost that may be deferred if an existing display will do the job with a Mac Mini for now.

It might be worth looking on Jigsaw's site for their Special Offers - they seem to be good at getting previous generation models at fairly keen pricing.

e.g. Last-gen Mac Mini - £495 + VAT.
 
I've also been pondering over buying an imac for some time now, I have recently come across the refurbed part of apple, you still get a years warranty on machines & you can buy the applecare, apologies if this has been added before.

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

One question though, will an imac make me look like a decent snapper ;)
 
Molly47 said:
One question though, will an imac make me look like a decent snapper ;)
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Well for that, you'd have to carry it about with you when you go anywhere to take photos. And that'd just make you look odd. :p :D
 
If you're a student then if you go into http://www.apple.com/uk/education and go into the education store link while you're within your institution's network you can get the education discounted prices. Think it is only 10-15% so not a mega amount.
 
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ive spent weeks looking etc etc and i have been getting a bit disheartend as i really dont know what to choose

Macbook/Macbook Pro

Pretty awesome - would of ordered the MBP but its alot of money for a decent sized screen. Handy to be able to carry it around but also its still only a laptop and i kind of what a desktop now.

iMac
Stunning. And thats about all i can say. Great spec look awesome and just wow. But its serious money again for a computer.

Mac Mini
RRP is £650 although they can be had brand new on ebay for £550 upwards still unboxed etc. Comes with 320GB and 2GB RAM. for an extra £100 you can make that 4GB RAM so pretty good spec if you can have one at £550.


I personally want one for internet surfing, photo editing and video editing.

I have decided to buy a mac mini. They are tiny. So if i want to take it to a mates or use it elsewhere its so small it will fit in my coat pocket! NOw how many desktop PCs can do that!!!! Its also easy to add a bigger hard drive or RAM making it decent spec.

If i cna buy one at £550 ive concidered myself a bargain. The new ones have HDMI ports so im plugging mine straight into my 42 HDTV

A Mouse and keyboard can be had for under £30 and if you want the brand new wireless versions i had the pair for £70 tonight :)
 
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A few years ago I would have said Mac Pro and at that time I bought one but at the moment the 27" iMacs are brilliant! Either spec is up to running what you want so it depends really on what you can afford or are willing to spend.
 
The Mac Mini is a nice computer and has decent specs but at the prices it sells for these days it's a little overpriced. When it was around £400 it was quite decent value but £650 ?

For the extra couple of hundred quid you would be better getting either the Macbook or iMac. The Mini has the same components and power of the basic Macbook so why not get one with a screen so you can use it anywhere ?

Get the Macbook if you need portability and get the iMac if you need more power and don't need to take the computer out of the house.
The iMac is a wonderful computer and the specs are good.

The refurbished store is fine and you can also buy Applecare for refurbished products.
 
Danny133 said:
I have decided to buy a mac mini. They are tiny. So if i want to take it to a mates or use it elsewhere its so small it will fit in my coat pocket! NOw how many desktop PCs can do that!!!! Its also easy to add a bigger hard drive or RAM making it decent spec.

If i cna buy one at £550 ive concidered myself a bargain. The new ones have HDMI ports so im plugging mine straight into my 42 HDTV
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Yep they're great. Love mine, no regrets, and I paid full price. Very quiet and energy efficient, and looks pretty nice. Nice to have the power supply built in to that tiny footprint as well.

The Macbook Pro i5 I just got is faster in Aperture definitely, but that's exactly what I bought it for. Just wish I had one with the matt screen.

I'd love a Mac Pro, but I'd also love a Leica M9 & S2 with all the lenses, several classic cars and a castle in Scotland etc etc :D
 
eos1 said:
The Mac Mini is a nice computer and has decent specs but at the prices it sells for these days it's a little overpriced. When it was around £400 it was quite decent value but £650 ?

For the extra couple of hundred quid you would be better getting either the Macbook or iMac. The Mini has the same components and power of the basic Macbook so why not get one with a screen so you can use it anywhere ?

Get the Macbook if you need portability and get the iMac if you need more power and don't need to take the computer out of the house.
The iMac is a wonderful computer and the specs are good.

The refurbished store is fine and you can also buy Applecare for refurbished products.
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I very much agree. I bought an intel mac mini as my entry into the mac world at a price of £399 minus student discount plus I bought an apple mouse and keyboard. This was all at a price that was reasonably affordable as a try it out thing. At £650 it is just too expensive, especially when you compare it in price to a £999 iMac or a Macbook.

I would like to see a Mac return. ie a smaller version of the Mac Pro! Just imagine .......

1 optical bay
2 HD bays
a 7/800w PSU instead of 1200w
smaller case
desktop class processor (still could be quad core)
desktop class memory
maybe 1 graphics PCI-E slot and a spare slot for USB3/RAID etc....

So i7 processor like the iMac with the same memory constraints etc......

I am sure that that would sell as the Mac Pro is just getting TOO expensive now. I really couldn't justify upgrading my Mac Pro to a newer model. Look at the 12 core models now with maybe 16Gb ram!! They are heading to car prices!
 
If you are thinking of buying from the Apple store itself, check out the Refurb section of the website. You can get between 15% and 25% off of some iMacs.
Don't worry about them being refurbs, they come with a full years warranty and you can also get Applecare to extend it to 3 years.
 
cowasaki said:
I am sure that that would sell as the Mac Pro is just getting TOO expensive now. I really couldn't justify upgrading my Mac Pro to a newer model. Look at the 12 core models now with maybe 16Gb ram!! They are heading to car prices!
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Well the Mac Pro is workstation class, and compared to a Dell of similar specs is reasonably priced. Those 6 core Xeons ain't cheap whoever you get them from. In fact the Mac Pro is probably the best value computer in Apple's lineup compared to the competition.
 
juno said:
Well the Mac Pro is workstation class, and compared to a Dell of similar specs is reasonably priced. Those 6 core Xeons ain't cheap whoever you get them from. In fact the Mac Pro is probably the best value computer in Apple's lineup compared to the competition.
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mmm xeons.. but yeah 2 of those make up a large wedge of the cost of a MAC pro.
 
When I bought my Mac Pro it would have cost over 2/3rds of the price of the Pro just for the processors and the only motherboard was another £400+ so yes the Mac Pro is surprisingly good value BUT don't overlook the iMac !!

I have already done a breakdown of the 27" iMac, the monitor alone would cost over £800 to replicate so less than £500 for everything else including the OS, keyboard and mouse!
 
If your at college dont forget your education discount up to 15% makes abig difference plus do it before Xmas when the VAT goes up
 
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