Buying a Mac Mini

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Abe

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Up the creek without a GB
Does anyone sell these for a price cheaper than the zastore?

Also, how much better is the R7799 one? It looks like the biggest differences are the RAM and graphics card. Is it not possible to just upgrade the RAM to 4GB after you buy it.
 
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Abe said:
Does anyone sell these for a price cheaper than the zastore?

Also, how much better is the R7799 one? It looks like the biggest differences are the RAM and graphics card. Is it not possible to just upgrade the RAM to 4GB after you buy it.
Click to expand...

Hey, dude!

Doubt you're gonna beat ZAStore prices at all.... those are pretty much Core Group prices and anyone else bringing them in cheaper probably aren't authorized dealers, which will cause you all kinds of warrantee issues later should something go wrong :(

As for the differences, it comes down to CPU clock speed and graphics.
RAM is pretty cheap nowadays and the Mac Mini's have one of the easiest memory upgrade procedures in the business.
However, be warned! The 2GB of RAM Mac Mini versions probably use 2x 1GB modules, which means both slots are occupied. Thus you're going to end up taking both of them out if you decide to go for an 8GB upgrade (i.e.. 2x 4GB modules).

The CPU clock speed is only a small bump up from the cheaper version, but you tend to pay for that kinda thing in computing terms.
If you're going to be converting video files or batch processing image files and such, that small difference in speed will go a long way.

But i reckon that the graphics card is where the extra cash REALLY comes in.
Intel HD Graphics is an onboard CPU-based graphics technology and is almost always trounced by dedicated (or discrete) graphics cards like those by ATI/AMD and nVidia – unless they're REALLY old or rubbish cards, that is.

It works the same with notebooks and laptops. Notebooks with Intel HD graphics are generally cheaper than same-specced notebooks with AMD or nVidia graphics. A quick Google search will put things in perspective. Just note that 'm' at the end of AMD Radeon 6630m, stands for 'Mobiity'. Mobility cards are found in notebooks and small form-factor computers and are distinctly different from their MUCH bigger PCIe Slot brethren...

For browsing the internet, playing music, managing your iPhone and plodding through some word documents you're not going to really notice too much of a difference between the two Mac Mini models.
However! Plug in your HD TV or Dosplay and throw in some serious gaming, HD movie watching or any graphics/video editing/converting and you're going to be begging for that AMD Radeon 6630m GPU!

These machines aren't very upgradable in the end. A slightly bigger HDD and some extra RAM at best. The REALLY adventurous might even be able to swap out the CPU at a later stage (bye-bye warrantee!). But there's almost NOTHING you can do about the graphics after purchasing your Mac Mini.
So my suggestion would be to throw in the extra cash (if you can afford it, that is!). That way you'll be extending the usability and lifespan of your investment down the line.
Trust me! In 2-5 years time the Mac Mini with the Intel HD Graphics (even with a RAM and HDD upgrade) is going to feel like an under-powered dinosaur limping along and waiting for it's inevitable extinction, while the Mac Mini with the dedicated AMD Radeon graphics should still be quite serviceable. Throw in an 8GB RAM upgrade (when you can afford it) and a bigger (or external) HDD later and you'l happy happier for a LOT longer :)

My old PowerMac G4 put in 10-years of exceptional service with only a small processor upgrade and GPU upgrade, before the power supply eventually died on me.

Hope this helps you on your path to purchasing your Mac!

j.
 
The processor speed increase is so minor you're not going to notice much difference unless you plan to do something that requires as much processing power as possible in real time. For something like video encoding it'll save you barely any time at all. Getting a custom one with the i7 option is probably a better bet.

The Intel GPU is probably fine for multimedia use, but not for games. I'd need to be convinced that HD movies, watching or encoding, require a more powerful GPU.

That ATI GPU isn't bad, but it's going to fall behind the latest games fairly quickly. However if you intend to play games on it, then you'll still want something better than the Intel processor.

Whether you care about having a warranty will depend on how much you're saving. If you pay Apple's RRP for the top Mini it's going to cost you about R6800 with VAT, but before shipping to SA, so hardly worth giving up the warranty.

What do you intend to do with the machine? If I was going to use it as a media player I'd get the cheaper one.
 
ponder said:
How is anything that depreciates in value an investment?
Click to expand...
So if I spend R20k on a camera and it generates R100k per year income is that not an investment, even though the camera itself will be next to worthless 5 years down the road?
 
ponder said:
How is anything that depreciates in value an investment?
Click to expand...

And that's your contribution to the topic? Wow! There's two cents well spent...

If you insist on being so technical about it, a 'Fixed Investment' is something that can, and in certain cases, does depreciate in value.
However, because these "investments" add to a person's or company's fixed assets or potential for profit further down the line, the term "investment" remains valid.

And if the item in question is used as a tool for work use and profit can be derived from using it as such, how could it NOT be considered an investment?

This also excludes the assumption that the OP isn't intending to sell the Mac Mini (he/she is intending to purchase) for profit. In that case, it can be considered to be an investment in the terms that you have specified above.

Yet all this would be making certain assumptions about the OP's intentions for purchasing either of the Mac Mini models in question.

Sooooooo, for the record. I was, in fact, using the term 'investment' figuratively and NOT literally, as most people browsing the topic would have noticed. We are (after all) advising the OP on purchasing an 'effing computer and not a friggin' Rembrandt.

Next time i try to help someone or offer any advice on these forums, i'll try and not use such a technical term in such a flippant manner! Especially if it's going to provoke such fastidiousness from Super Gandmasters. I didn't realize that the standards for posting at MyBroadband had reached such lofty levels, my deepest apologies!

I'll also try and remember to run a spell check (thanks @noxibox)! Eek!
 
bwana said:
So if I spend R20k on a camera and it generates R100k per year income is that not an investment, even though the camera itself will be next to worthless 5 years down the road?
Click to expand...

That would be an investment.
 
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