Mac Mini's, and then some.

[Kiester]

Ello ladies and gents, I have a problem and I need you to lend me your ears.

For the past few weeks, I have been considering getting a Mac Mini for my birthday. Mainly due to the fact that I have had my PC for about seven years and it is dying a slow and very painful death...it has around six or seven viruses on it which I cannot shift, but luckily don't do anything that serious. The graphics card is...well...really really bad. The sound card is the same....and I'm kinda getting bored of the run-of-the-mill PC's.

So, I was wondering what you guys think of Mac Mini's? I am thinking of getting the £499 version, but updating it myself with a RAM kit and an external firewire/USB hard drive.

But I want to know what you guys think. Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Kieran.

[BenPanced]

I got one back in April, and I absolutely love it (I'm a hardcore Mac head). Getting the external drive is a great idea; you never realize how quickly one fills up! I'd also recommend getting a hub of some sort to add extra USB/Firewire peripherals. After I connected all of the essentials (keyboard, monitor, printer), I ran out of available ports on the Mini. You can usually find one for US$50 or so, but it's worth the investment.

[KellyAssauer]

I'm not sure, but could he get the mini partitioned and "parralled" (excuse the verbing) so all his "prior" software is applicable (trying to use the nice words). I just don't know if that's an option on those, like it is on the imacs, and the more info you have going in, gives you a better consumer experience on the other side...

[Andreya]

Well, about the viruses - can't you just try a different antivirus? (people online say different antivirus programs work differently - it's important to uninstall the previous one though, so you just have one) Or erase everything & reload the system?

You can also just replace sound card & graphics card, & it would be cheaper :)

Is there a particular reason you want a Mac Mini? (except that they're gorgeous like all Macs!? ;) & I hear pretty silent/quiet too, like laptops.. do verify if this is an issue though) I have looked into them too, & considered buying one, then just couldn't justify the cost to myself :)

Maybe take a look if there are Mac experts in your area (last time I worked on a Mac I was told there's exactly one expert in my whole country! hm!) & if support is easily available?

From the environmental & repair aspect, I understand it's easier & cheaper to repair & replace parts on an 'ordinary' computer than on a laptop or a mini.. Maybe check these things out too..

Laptops also overheat quicker, & some iffy chemicals can get into the air (sometimes I could smell my sister's laptop) I'm not sure if minis are the same, you could check online or ask someone who has it, especially if you've ever been chemically sensitive or had health issues.. (There are Mac users forums where you can ask away)

Also maybe check how it is with sending files from a Mac to PCs, if your editors use PCs.. Years ago this could be sort of an issue sometimes, perhaps now it's been resolved..

[BenPanced]

I'm not sure, but could he get the mini partitioned and "parralled" (excuse the verbing) so all his "prior" software is applicable (trying to use the nice words). I just don't know if that's an option on those, like it is on the imacs, and the more info you have going in, gives you a better consumer experience on the other side...
Yeah, the Mini can be partioned so that Windows can be installed and run.
Well, about the viruses - can't you just try a different antivirus? (people online say different antivirus programs work differently - it's important to uninstall the previous one though, so you just have one) Or erase everything & reload the system?

You can also just replace sound card & graphics card, & it would be cheaper :)

Is there a particular reason you want a Mac Mini? (except that they're gorgeous like all Macs!? ;) & I hear pretty silent/quiet too, like laptops.. do verify if this is an issue though) I have looked into them too, & considered buying one, then just couldn't justify the cost to myself :)

Maybe take a look if there are Mac experts in your area (last time I worked on a Mac I was told there's exactly one expert in my whole country! hm!) & if support is easily available?

From the environmental & repair aspect, I understand it's easier & cheaper to repair & replace parts on an 'ordinary' computer than on a laptop or a mini.. Maybe check these things out too..

Laptops also overheat quicker, & some iffy chemicals can get into the air (sometimes I could smell my sister's laptop) I'm not sure if minis are the same, you could check online or ask someone who has it, especially if you've ever been chemically sensitive or had health issues.. (There are Mac users forums where you can ask away)

Also maybe check how it is with sending files from a Mac to PCs, if your editors use PCs.. Years ago this could be sort of an issue sometimes, perhaps now it's been resolved..
Microsoft's Office documents port back and forth between the two systems with almost no problems. In fact, Mac's iWork suite can handle Office docs.

[backslashbaby]

If anyone is just looking for portability, I love Asus' eeePC. The specs are hardly impressive, if you are doing serious gaming or anything - huh-uh!. But for writing, web, pics, etc. they are much cheaper and very portable. I use mine everywhere.

[Kiester]

Well, about the viruses - can't you just try a different antivirus? (people online say different antivirus programs work differently - it's important to uninstall the previous one though, so you just have one) Or erase everything & reload the system?

You can also just replace sound card & graphics card, & it would be cheaper :)

Is there a particular reason you want a Mac Mini? (except that they're gorgeous like all Macs!? ;) & I hear pretty silent/quiet too, like laptops.. do verify if this is an issue though) I have looked into them too, & considered buying one, then just couldn't justify the cost to myself :)

Maybe take a look if there are Mac experts in your area (last time I worked on a Mac I was told there's exactly one expert in my whole country! hm!) & if support is easily available?

From the environmental & repair aspect, I understand it's easier & cheaper to repair & replace parts on an 'ordinary' computer than on a laptop or a mini.. Maybe check these things out too..

Laptops also overheat quicker, & some iffy chemicals can get into the air (sometimes I could smell my sister's laptop) I'm not sure if minis are the same, you could check online or ask someone who has it, especially if you've ever been chemically sensitive or had health issues.. (There are Mac users forums where you can ask away)

Also maybe check how it is with sending files from a Mac to PCs, if your editors use PCs.. Years ago this could be sort of an issue sometimes, perhaps now it's been resolved..

The price issue has been an issue for me for some time, I have to say. I do think it is justified, though, mainly due to my PC crashing at imminent points. I would buy and build up my computer, but I have done it before to improve it, and it has made no difference; it still crashes and jutters.

As well as this, I need a mac mainly for my course. I do a Film Studies course, and it involves some practical work with making films and so forth, and this would be really helpful. I would also like to make my own film shorts, so a Mac would be good for this purpose. Some people would say that I should just get Adobe Premiere, but the fact is that Premiere isn't as good as Final Cut Pro, and a hell of a lot of editors use Macs for their films. It's a crappy fact, but very true.

I've read a few reviews, but I find most of them to be biased towards PC's. So I went for an equally biased but more reasonable review, from a person who is already using a mac. He says that a mac mini is perfect for switchers, lasts a long time and , more importantly for me, very easy to transport from place to place because of it's size. (I Commute regularly from Cheltenham to Sheffield - around 140 miles). My laptop experiences are bad, because I find them unreliable and very very easy to break.


But I am still up for suggestions. Yay suggestions! :D

[Ms Hollands]

My boss has had two Mac Minis for about three years now, and they've been fine apart from a problem with a USB port breaking when he wasn't there (ie, family member was a bit too harsh when removing or adding a USB key). All fixed now and running fine again.

Certainly it does not emit any smells when running (nor has my iMac or my MacBook Pro). Also don't worry about compatibility issues: files can generally be opened, saved and closed to and from a Mac from and to a PC - as long as you have the software of course.

I've owned both Macs and PCs, and I've used both at various jobs and degrees (including comp sci). Although there was a time when I preferred PCs, my preference has swung back to Macs, now that the operating system is Linux-based and much, much more stable. I also find it more intuitive, user-friendly, and usable. Also, less hassle with virus software updates (well, no hassle actually).

[Medievalist]

He says that a mac mini is perfect for switchers, lasts a long time and , more importantly for me, very easy to transport from place to place because of it's size. (I Commute regularly from Cheltenham to Sheffield - around 140 miles). My laptop experiences are bad, because I find them unreliable and very very easy to break.


But I am still up for suggestions. Yay suggestions! :D

You might check with Apple re: digital video on the mini; at the very least, I'd suggest getting an external hard drive meant for editing.

[Medievalist]

But I want to know what you guys think. Any suggestions?

Cheers,
Kieran.

Make sure that the RAM you buy is designed for the mini--not compatible alone; bad RAM can be very hard to diagnose.

Check that your monitor and keyboard and mouse will work; most will, but make sure.

[Kiester]

Yeah I have come to the conclusion that I am probably going to get an external hard drive for editing. Not only to save space but for security as well. I think around 600 to 750 GB would do me for the time being....although I have been told that there is a possibility that, with an external hard drive firewired into the system, it could surpass iMac in performance.....I doubt this claim, but still!

Anything else, at all?

[Adam Israel]

I kind of dig this for my old mac mini: The Ministack (http://www.newertech.com/products/ministackv2_5.php). It's aesthetically pleasing and, as the name might suggest, stacks underneath of the mac mini.

[Kiester]

Yeah they are pretty nice to look at, but they are damn expensive to have, so I've found a external hard drive which works for Macs which gives me a hell of a lot of space whilse having quite a low price. Yum.

[backslashbaby]

Fun stuff! I didn't say that it does sound like you need a Mac, so I will now :) Have fun :D

[Medievalist]

Yeah they are pretty nice to look at, but they are damn expensive to have, so I've found a external hard drive which works for Macs which gives me a hell of a lot of space whilse having quite a low price. Yum.

Again, with digital video editing you also need to worry about drive speed and the basic quality of the hardware--video and audio editing are brutal on drives.

[Kiester]

They're fairly harsh upon memory, I agree, so I am going to invest in a 750GB hard drive, possibly a 1TB to add on to it in th future. Apparently, acoording to some reviewers, adding an external hard drive to a Mac Mini with this much size would greatly improve the performance, and even surpass the iMac, which I can be smug because my mate just got a iMac.....so I can feel pretty smug LoL.

Any other suggestions?

[BenPanced]

Agreed on expanding the RAM. It's also easier to add an external hard drive, IMO, if you need the capacity.

[Kiester]

Righto, I am upgrading it to 2GB...think it is going to be enough?

[Folofop]

Righto, I am upgrading it to 2GB...think it is going to be enough?

Not for serious video editing, no.

Your system will crawl working with video.

[Williebee]

Kiester -

I've done a number of entries here on the 'Cooler re: netbooks and such. Currently I have a dozen or so out in my schools. Somewhere in the near future, we'll have schools including them in "one to one" programs for students. ("near", I hope.)

I also spend a portion of every year supporting week long Mac workshops. (I'm partial to the MacBook Pro, myself.)

If your primary focus is Video editing, do the Mac Mini. (It will support your writing, as well.)

Do AS MUCH RAM AS THE SYSTEM WILL TAKE AND YOU CAN AFFORD. (was that loud enough?)

Heed the Medi -- Make CERTAIN the RAM is for the Mac Mini, not just "compatible".

Do the external hard drive, again as big as you can afford. (Be patient on it and regularly check the online discount houses. Here in the states I'd send you to TigerDirect.com and Newegg.com. I don't know if they sell elsewhere in the world, sorry.

Do be sure you understand how Parallels (http://www.apple.com/downloads/macosx/system_disk_utilities/parallelsdesktopformac.html) works on the mini. It's a good option, and let's you have the stuff you're familiar with, as you learn the new keyboard and shortcuts.


The Mac Mini is a cool tool. ETA: Again, if video is your focus, be patient and shop for a large, quality, external monitor. It makes for happier editing experiences.