New Computer question

So I've decided I want a new computer having had 5 laptops in 6 years running windows it's time for me to try a Mac
Not interested in a Mac vs PC argument.

I'm looking at the Mac minis
https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs.html

I'm going to get a wireless keyboard/mouse and use my tv as a monitor
Basically I surf forums, download music and maybe 1 movie a month
No games or anything

I will be buying a go pro when biking season starts back up but will also purchase an external HD
Basically since I know nothing about computer specs is the extra $200 for the bigger HD and quad core worth it or would the $599 one be good?
Cheers
Kent

wow i expected atleast 7200 rpm for the HDD.

FOr what you are going to use it for

Basically I surf forums, download music and maybe 1 movie a month
No games or anything

.

you can stick with the 599 one.

The $599 one should be fine, but for an extra $200, you get the i7 which will help with editing your go pro videos.

The i7 will help, and you could add a fusion drive to have SSD and SATA in the machine... Just a thought.

Max out the ram after you get it to 16GB and order it with a remote. You can use front row and browse your music/movies/etc and control it with the remote. It's $20 so why not.

Originally Posted by kaput

The i7 will help, and you could add a fusion drive to have SSD and SATA in the machine... Just a thought.

Max out the ram after you get it to 16GB and order it with a remote.

2.3GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x8GB
1TB Fusion Drive
User's Guide
Apple Remote
Accessory Kit

$1,368.00

ouch

Originally Posted by MachRc

2.3GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
16GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x8GB
1TB Fusion Drive
User's Guide
Apple Remote
Accessory Kit

$1,368.00

ouch

NEVER buy ram from apple.

2.6GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7
4GB 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM - 2x2GB
1TB Fusion Drive
User's Guide (English)
Apple Remote
Accessory Kit

$1,168.00

If you got this route, the machine will be 4 to 5 year future proof, in the sense that as long as nothing breaks, you can upgrade the OS and what not for the next 5 years, and it'll still run great. Get ram from Crucial or the other ram companies out there. Upgraded processor and fusion drive and it will be snappy and quick.

Hmmm that was all French to me....
Sounds like the $599 will work the $799 one won't be dated so quickly??

Essentially, if you go with the $599 one, you may have issues doing video editing, rendering, etc which you will have if you edit video from your go pro.

More ram will "help" but I'll give you an idea what things look like in the video world.

Right now, I am exporting a video I made for my youtube channel. Nothing really crazy, just compression and formatting. I am running a Mac Pro with 8 processors, 16GB of ram and 3.4 TB of hard drive space. As the project is being rendered... I have 10.14GB of ram that is not in use and I am running at 75% processor load.

So in reality, the slower processor with more ram might handle some things, if not all, the quad core i7 will handle more, faster. Add more ram and things get snappier.

Also, my mac pro is the highest rated pro of the year it was made (2008) and it can still run the latest OS, accept all upgrades I can throw at it, and runs like the day it was new.

I understand you are not well versed in computer tech, but think of it this way...

A little more invested in parts you cannot change (processor) while upgrading what you can later (ram/Hard drive) would be more beneficial in the long run. If you just want to try a mac out, with minimal investment the $599 will do everything you need. If you think you might upgrade to something like an iMac in a year if you like it, get the $599 one. If you are set on not buying another for 3 to 5 years, spend a little more and get the i7 and upgrade it further to the highest spec i7.

5 laptops in 6 years means one of two things: you either beat the hell out of your computer and you will do the same to a Mac, or you are completely clueless on the running of a computer.

These are literally the only two options. Obviously, do what you want, but I can guarantee that the computer (nor Windows) is the problem.

Hate to say it, but I actually think that OSX will fix his problem, especially if he gets a little randy on his searches, or downloads... And especially if he does not do any maintenance.

Just FYI the "basic" 599 will do video editing and stuff via go pro perfectly fine. It will encode and export those with no problems.

You can even do large scale batch processing via Adobe with no problems either.

It will just be a few seconds slower to a few minutes depending on how large of a scale projects are if you do need to do them at all

For example . A quad will encode a Dvd video via dvdflick in like twenty five minutes. A core duo at that clock speed will do the same in thirty five Real world difference when using it for what you will be using ... nil as the slow spinning hdd will probably be your bottleneck on both machines.

For the money Apple is never real value but the 599 will work great for you out of the box if you're sure set on mac.

I would even say that you can build a shuttle pc that's faster and better with quad core and solid state for that price but it would not be an Apple.

I can agree to that, however...

If you get the higher end one, end up hating it and want it to die in a fire, you could pretty much sell it for the price you paid months later... Just a thought.

Originally Posted by kaput

Hate to say it, but I actually think that OSX will fix his problem, especially if he gets a little randy on his searches, or downloads... And especially if he does not do any maintenance.

Couldn't agree more. One of the big reasons why I prefer OSX and recommend it. I always kept on the maintenance on my various PCs, but not having to do so at all is excellent.

Originally Posted by kaput

NEVER buy ram from apple.

Solid advice once again. Although I consider myself to be a hardcore Apple product consumer, RAM is one thing I will buy aftermarket. Corsair, Crucial and numerous other brands make exactly what you need for a great price. I upgraded the ram in my mid 2010 macbook pro and it's excellent. Crucial even replaced my modules when one went bad for free under warranty, no questions asked.

I could agree I'm "hard" on computers but they were all laptops and they were moved around alot 1 screen 1 keyboard 2 hard drives and 1 just totally died hence why I'm looking at a desktop Mac now
Thanks for the input everyone I'm gonna grab the quad core

Originally Posted by Maniac

I could agree I'm "hard" on computers but they were all laptops and they were moved around alot 1 screen 1 keyboard 2 hard drives and 1 just totally died hence why I'm looking at a desktop Mac now
Thanks for the input everyone I'm gonna grab the quad core

Just a warning...a hard drive is a hard drive...Mac or pc. Treat your computer with some care and you'll be fine either way. Or buy a warranty with accidental damage coverage...

Id stick with the basic if you want to enter the mac world on the cheap. You can upgrade later if/when needed.

Originally Posted by morningisbad

Just a warning...a hard drive is a hard drive...Mac or pc. Treat your computer with some care and you'll be fine either way. Or buy a warranty with accidental damage coverage...

Yea I know a hd is a hd which is the main reason I'm going with a desktop now
I never threw my laptops around or anything just moving from room to room in my house going on holidays with me to put pics on so I could clear cards ect. Gonna take some getting used to not having a portable computer but something I'm willing to give up to not replace them yearly

Originally Posted by Solo118

Id stick with the basic if you want to enter the mac world on the cheap. You can upgrade later if/when needed.

Not the processor... well, not easily.

Just grab the stock quad, and do what you want to it later. Best compromise.