macro Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Yeah, I am just tired of everyone complaining about this one before anyone even has it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclingplatypus Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I think it's still a good buy, $100 more but you get 64MB instead of 32MB video, 60GB instead of 40GB HDD, bluetooth and airport card built in, and two RAM slots...up to 2GB of RAM, they made it better and faster and only bumped the price up $100. If you don't like it then don't buy it, but the fact remains there are some of us who don't want to drop a grand on a Mac and this fits the build. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macro Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I think it's still a good buy, $100 more but you get 64MB instead of 32MB video, 60GB instead of 40GB HDD, bluetooth and airport card built in, and two RAM slots...up to 2GB of RAM, they made it better and faster and only bumped the price up $100. If you don't like it then don't buy it, but the fact remains there are some of us who don't want to drop a grand on a Mac and this fits the build. :D exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougal.s Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 That was kinda mean. Warns have been issued for lesser offenses. :( Yeah, I was kinda mean, but at the time I was a bit peeved at what was basically a rant-thread started after 0 seconds research about the product in question. Once the extra features are factored in, the new mini isn't any more expensive, and 2 RAM slots means you can max it out at 4GB (You get 2GB DDR2 DIMMS). The Mini I have on my desk here spends all it's time encoding video with quicktime (I do a nice sideline encoding video for a friends production company), so the new mini would be an ace speedup for that at not much ?. I think I'll keep my moneys for a powermac though. Dougal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aristotle-dude Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I am trolling ? :huh: using this laptop ? I don't care what you are using. The fact remains that this chipset has better Open GL shader support and fully supports Core Image. There is also the fact that these machines support dual channel DDR2 so if you pair two 512MB sticks, you are less likely to get bandwidth conflicts between the CPU and GPU because they will each be able to use a separate channel. I may not buy such a low end machine but it is not that bad considering what is included and the form factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BajiRav Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I don't care what you are using. ... 1. The reply was not addressed to you :rolleyes: (unless you use 2 diff ids on Neowin :p ) 2. You're missing my point Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyj Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 :blush: I have a mac mini that I purchased last July 07, and I'm not disappointed at all. I wish I could afford one of those iMac but I can't so I may just get me another one of the mac mini for my photoshop and web design programs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
instant.human Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Probably heat and cost. Those are two logical reasons... heat is no issue in the macbook aswell and the mac mini is expensive enough now, putting a 50$ x600 in it wouldnt have made it too expensive imho anyways and the price could have been justified better. two logical contras against your "reasons". :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotdog666al Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Way too many of these threads. Request lock. Way too many of these complaints. Request post deletion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyrana Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I don't care what you are using. The fact remains that this chipset has better Open GL shader support and fully supports Core Image. There is also the fact that these machines support dual channel DDR2 so if you pair two 512MB sticks, you are less likely to get bandwidth conflicts between the CPU and GPU because they will each be able to use a separate channel. I may not buy such a low end machine but it is not that bad considering what is included and the form factor. I'm with you on this one. A definite improvement from the 9200 in the QE and CI arena. Not for gaming, but I don't think this box is meant for that, really. I bet they'd have used integrated on the G4 model if they could have, but no such solution exists. I'd love someone to point out a 6.5"x6.5" box that is 2" high that is better than this anyway. ;) Not that I'm buying one, but I think it looks decent for its intended use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shodan Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 For those griping about Apple not doing a DVR... Why the hell would they? They sell TV shows in the iTunes music store, if they added DVR functionality to their products no one would buy the shows... Becuase they don't sell any kind of video content in Italy :angry: !!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suntzu Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I am a co-owner of a computer store in Milwaukee, WI. I have countless computers laying around, and none have been more reliable than my 1.25ghz mac mini. this thing sits on my desk and i never hear it, barely see it, but mostly love it. So much so in fact, that I ordered my duo core version yesterday when the apple store came online. It will be here tomorrow (pics and reviews to come). Forget the graphics for a sec, because if you are a graphic designer this isn't a box for you in the first place, and if you want to "game" then a mac isn't for you at all, but lets just focus on the processor for a sec. The "yonah" or duo core is probably the best chip ever released by intel, the crate price (qty, 10,000) is like $230 or so per unit, plus the cost of the dvd burner, then the ram, SATA 2.5HD is about $80-100 in bulk if not more. There is not that much markup people. It is a great little box......period. If you don't like it don't buy it, but don't hate on us who do, or assume that we are idiots. It is a better unit, and worth the money period. And for the record I plan to hook it up to a 50" Panasonic LCD Projo. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoke Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 (edited) OSX doesn't need the same hardware as PC, so the hardware doesn't suck, it's just different. OSX can run nicely on less hardware. People that don't own Macs usually don't know that so they just look at the numbers and say it sucks before using it or knowing the real story. Not that you are doing that or anything but yeah. You are. I'm sorry but I say it "sucks" and I have a mac. =p If apple had put in a better video card people would have defended that decision too. Some might say that if you don't like it don't buy it but hell, that's exactly what I plan to do! Shame though because I absolutely love the mac mini's form factor and I was looking for a nice drop in upgrade for my current one. If this situation doesn't improve shuttle xpc here I come! Because what I want is a nice small computer that doesn't have integrated graphics which I would hook up to my chosen peripherals and while I would prefer it to be a mac *shrug* I'll go with something else if I have to. Edited March 1, 2006 by smoke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsolete_power Posted March 2, 2006 Author Share Posted March 2, 2006 What some of you have failed to understand is that I am not criticizing the mac mini as whole, just the new intel one. In fact I would love to have one or at least I did because I have been looking to get a desktop mac after I got my ibook and the mini got my attention. What I hate is that they have increased the price and they have not added any useful features besides the extra usb ports. I was really hoping that Apple would give the option of a 128 mb or 256 mb video card that did not share the system RAM. The integrated card just plain stinks and for the money it is not justified. An iMac is a much better bargain since you get a more powerful computer, a monitor and keyboard and mouse. If you were to get all that separately with a mini it would end up being much more expensive. It is too bad since I was really rooting for one. I guess the iMac it is, later when I will have the extra amount of money needed to get one :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spielo Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 The awesome part about all this bitching is that no one has even used it yet... My brother should get his tomorrow, or the day after; it has shipped in any case. I think he'll be pleased with it, he doesn't play games at all and just wanted something compact and easy to use... He went for the Core Duo model, I hope he likes it anyway, since I was the one who advised him to get it! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Decryptor Veteran Posted March 2, 2006 Veteran Share Posted March 2, 2006 Well, I'm not happy with the price increase (is anybody ever?), but for the price i do get a faster CPU, ability to add more RAM, bigger hard drive and a better graphics "card" (and other things), so i think it's worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsolete_power Posted March 2, 2006 Author Share Posted March 2, 2006 Yeah, I was kinda mean, but at the time I was a bit peeved at what was basically a rant-thread started after 0 seconds research about the product in question. Once the extra features are factored in, the new mini isn't any more expensive, and 2 RAM slots means you can max it out at 4GB (You get 2GB DDR2 DIMMS). The Mini I have on my desk here spends all it's time encoding video with quicktime (I do a nice sideline encoding video for a friends production company), so the new mini would be an ace speedup for that at not much ?. I think I'll keep my moneys for a powermac though. Dougal. I did do my goddamn reasearch on it!! Thats exactly when i decided to post. I expected the new mini to have certain things that I would have wanted such as TV out, more video ram, better standalone video card, keyboard/mouse included. I was really hoping for these because I wanted to buy one but now I cannot because it doesn't have what I need and frankly many people are dissapointed about Apple's bad choices. If you are gonna buy a mac, you might as well buy a 17" iMac since overall comparison of features and such will make the iMac a much better deal. How many people actually care about its size. It is a desktop mac and not a laptop so why the heck would it matter how small it is?? I don't care about its size and I do not want to pay for things I don't want. They should have at least offered the chance for people to customize it more. At least on the video card side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the evn show Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 What I hate is that they have increased the price and they have not added any useful features besides the extra usb ports. optical audio in/out, gigabit ethernet, dual channel memory, and dual core processors aren't useful? An iMac is a much better bargain since you get a more powerful computer, a monitor and keyboard and mouse. If you were to get all that separately with a mini it would end up being much more expensive. iPod shuffle's are only $50 less than an iPod nano, iPod nanos are only $500 less than iPods, G5 Quads are only $800 more than a Dual 2.3. Some people don't need, want, or can't afford the beefier options and for them there are the smaller, less costly, less feature rich devices. You can walk of a a Best Buy with a Mac Mini, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and 17" LCD for $850. If they were purchasing it to replace an old computer then they could forgo all those expenses and pay just the $599 for the mac. For those griping about Apple not doing a DVR...Why the hell would they? They sell TV shows in the iTunes music store, if they added DVR functionality to their products no one would buy the shows... Apple gives away iTunes which will let you rip CDs even though they have a music store so that's partial-precedent but I still don't see it happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Decryptor Veteran Posted March 2, 2006 Veteran Share Posted March 2, 2006 ... I expected the new mini to have certain things that I would have wanted such as TV out, more video ram, better standalone video card, keyboard/mouse included...Well, it has TV out in the form of DVI, it does have more video ram (only it's shared), it has a better video "card" (but not an actual card, just like the other mac mini's), and i don't really know what to say about the keyboard and mouse, that's not a "deal breaker" thing IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macro Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 I'm sorry but I say it "sucks" and I have a mac. =p If apple had put in a better video card people would have defended that decision too. Some might say that if you don't like it don't buy it but hell, that's exactly what I plan to do! Shame though because I absolutely love the mac mini's form factor and I was looking for a nice drop in upgrade for my current one. If this situation doesn't improve shuttle xpc here I come! Because what I want is a nice small computer that doesn't have integrated graphics which I would hook up to my chosen peripherals and while I would prefer it to be a mac *shrug* I'll go with something else if I have to. Yeah, if you don't care about OSX and Apple software there is no reason to pay more, but everyone has different needs. But if you doubt the graphics card, fair enough, but talk to me again after you have used one, then we will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsolete_power Posted March 2, 2006 Author Share Posted March 2, 2006 optical audio in/out, gigabit ethernet, dual channel memory, and dual core processors aren't useful? iPod shuffle's are only $50 less than an iPod nano, iPod nanos are only $500 less than iPods, G5 Quads are only $800 more than a Dual 2.3. Some people don't need, want, or can't afford the beefier options and for them there are the smaller, less costly, less feature rich devices. You can walk of a a Best Buy with a Mac Mini, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and 17" LCD for $850. If they were purchasing it to replace an old computer then they could forgo all those expenses and pay just the $599 for the mac. Apple gives away iTunes which will let you rip CDs even though they have a music store so that's partial-precedent but I still don't see it happening. About your price comparisson. The iMac is only about $400 more but it packs more power, better ram, better video card, a monitor, iSight. All this equates for much more than the imac costs. The mini is only $400 less but it has so much less. If you go to Best Buy, the core solo mini costs $599, a 17" LCD monitor equivalent to the iMac's is about $250, the keyboard and mouse are about $80, all this equates to about $930 USD. The iMac is $1299 USD. About a $360 difference. Need i say more? If you are saying that people cannot afford it, to save an additional $360 to get so much more is not so bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sn00pie Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 The single-core Mini makes sense, but the dual-core is overpriced... I may consider the base Mini for a next computer. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougal.s Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 If you are saying that people cannot afford it, to save an additional $360 to get so much more is not so bad. Maybe you just have too much money to spend. I'm a student, and to wait while I save ?200 ($360) might lose me a job, which will cost me more than what it was worth waiting for. I can't even guess at your situation, but for me, living on ~?8k a year, at Uni, supporting a career in mountain biking, and buying nice toys on top of that, takes some doing! As you can see, my server is hardly top-spec. I would love a dual-opteron beast churning away, but right now, I can't afford it! Read the evn show's reply again, he's right with everything he says! And....OH LOOK!!! TV OUT ADAPTORS!!!. I'm waiting for you whining about the extra cost...... Dougal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsolete_power Posted March 2, 2006 Author Share Posted March 2, 2006 By the way I congratulate you for your career in mountain biking and i wish you the best of luck with it! I am a student as well in my first year of university and believe it or not I am on a limited budget too just like you. I was not necessarily referring to budget. What I meant is that it would be worth saving an extra $360 if you were going to get the mac mini with a monitor, keyboard, mouse and whatever else the iMac has. If you were going to try to match the mini to the iMac, it would make much more sense to get an iMac. As of now I am still feeling the iBook i purchased in September for school so I dont have enough for an iMac. This is why I was rooting for the mini and was hoping that it would be at least close to the iMac so I could get it instead. Instead I was dissapointed with the mini so now I cannot get a mac because I cannot get an iMac quite yet (about $700 CDN away from the 20" iMac) and the mac mini doesn't satisfy my needs so I am stuck, thanx to Apple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betasp Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 "I just ran XBench on my new stock standard Core Duo Mac Mini and uploaded the stats to XBench. The new model destroys the old one, and OpenGL performance is over 2x better than the G4 Mac Mini. Maybe the Intel GMA950 Is not so bad? 1080P trailers from trailers.apple.com run without dropping any frames also." slow link... http://db.xbench.com/merge.xhtml?doc1=158732&doc2=146457 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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