SaltLife Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Well as the title suggests I'm looking into purchasing my first mac. I think that I want to purchase a mac mini for starters. My main machine now is an hp dv8000 17' laptop intel core duo 1.8ghz 2gb ram 80gb hdd Obviously I'm not the hardcore pc enthusiasts I once was ;), with kids I just don't have the time to care. First let me explain the type of end-user I am. 1. I do not play games on pc/mac (console gamer) 2. I play around with photoshop and dreamweaver 3. I love to work with bash script 4. Kids for web browsing 5. School work My overall concern is speed and parental controls. My second concern is if I'm not satisfied with OSX will windows 7 run ok on the hardware? I think it should be fine for what I do, but I would like to hear from an actual mac/osx user. You may wonder why I just don't run *nix on a cheapier home made pc..... well... Don't have the time to build it Want to be able to run ms office natively (kids) yes I know open office is available, but office is easier as that's what the kids use at school 1 simple hardware/software warranty. Well why not windows 7? Been there done that. I don't mind windows, but I love linux. I will keep 7 on the laptop dual booted with Ubuntu as it does what I need. we just need a new family computer. Thaks guys.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+jamesyfx Subscriber² Posted February 2, 2010 Subscriber² Share Posted February 2, 2010 OS X has built in Parental Controls. You can pretty much control most general aspects of the system. Like what Apps they can use, internet settings and whatnot. As for Photoshop/Office - you'll need to buy the OS X editions of these software packages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 OS X has built in Parental Controls. You can pretty much control most general aspects of the system. Like what Apps they can use, internet settings and whatnot. As for Photoshop/Office - you'll need to buy the OS X editions of these software packages. Do you feel a mac mini would be sufficient? I've read a lot of posts claiming its slow and only useful as a hub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REM2000 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Do you feel a mac mini would be sufficient? I've read a lot of posts claiming its slow and only useful as a hub The mac mini is a fast machine, it can easil handle quite a few tasks, especially if you upgrade to a 7200RPM HDD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 The mac mini is a fast machine, it can easil handle quite a few tasks, especially if you upgrade to a 7200RPM HDD. Just went to determine the price difference and it doesn't appear a 7200 is available. So, I'd assume you mean a down and dirty upgrade ;0) Have you taken one apart? Are they easily disassembled? I'm using good ol'google now to see... Direct from apple: "All Mac mini models include standard Serial ATA hard drives with data transfers up to 300 megabytes per second. All hard drives run at 5400 revolutions per minute (rpm). Your hard drive will come already formatted with the Mac OS Extended file format for efficient storage of your data." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 One more question... Has anyone used a magic mouse? Would a child have problems with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 3, 2010 Author Share Posted February 3, 2010 Headed to the apple store tomorrow to pick it up.... guess we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 Headed to the apple store tomorrow to pick it up.... guess we'll see. Post pictures of that thing too. and let us know how it is. I was thinking of picking up one sometime soon to go along with the macbook pro. I had an older mac mini but took it back. at the time i used my windows pc alot more and used the money for something else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 I am officially an Apple OSX user. I went to the Apple store and purchased the mini, I decided on the mid-class model. I opted out of the magic-mouse because the sales guy said that he didn't feel it would be "sturdy" enough for kids... I'm just using my HP wireless keyboard and mouse.. lol Dane, I've taken some pictures of the unwrapping I just have to load them up. Probably won't happen until tomorrow as I have a paper to write tonight... Thanks everyone for the help! --ps this baby looks sweet on my 1080 monitor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I am officially an Apple OSX user. I went to the Apple store and purchased the mini, I decided on the mid-class model. I opted out of the magic-mouse because the sales guy said that he didn't feel it would be "sturdy" enough for kids... I'm just using my HP wireless keyboard and mouse.. lol Dane, I've taken some pictures of the unwrapping I just have to load them up. Probably won't happen until tomorrow as I have a paper to write tonight... Thanks everyone for the help! --ps this baby looks sweet on my 1080 monitor! Sweet thanks!! I'll keep checking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Would it make that big of a difference between a 7200rpm and 5400rpm? I've read some stories saying it will, and then others that say it's hardly noticeable and not worth the extra noise/heat that is produced by a 7200rpm. I bought a new Mini this past summer and maxed out the RAM to 4gb and it's fast and handles all the games I can throw at it, but if there is a legit case of a 7200rpm being much faster, I'd consider it. :) Are SSD's compatible by any chance? Just curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam14160 Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Good purchase. You will find that Microsoft Office for the Mac is quite a bit different; there will be a little bit of a learning curb. Also sit down and read up on Boot Camp. It works great if you want to run any one of the Windows OS (Seven, Vista, or XP). Welcome to the Mac Community. :yes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Would it make that big of a difference between a 7200rpm and 5400rpm? I've read some stories saying it will, and then others that say it's hardly noticeable and not worth the extra noise/heat that is produced by a 7200rpm. I bought a new Mini this past summer and maxed out the RAM to 4gb and it's fast and handles all the games I can throw at it, but if there is a legit case of a 7200rpm being much faster, I'd consider it. :) Are SSD's compatible by any chance? Just curious. Anytime access times are reduced there will be improvements.... However, do you feel like dealing with taking this little sucker apart! I personally can not justify the time it takes and/or the patience it would take (for any speed/size drive)-I would assume it's on par with a laptop. Plus not only is it a price I pay for the new drive, but as I stated I have to factor in the the time it would take to replace... Which is irreplaceable and I would rather spend it with my family. Dane, expect it tomorrow... Maybe a lil-review too To Pam14160, Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Anytime access times are reduced there will be improvements.... However, do you feel like dealing with taking this little sucker apart! I personally can not justify the time it takes and/or the patience it would take (for any speed/size drive)-I would assume it's on par with a laptop. Plus not only is it a price I pay for the new drive, but as I stated I have to factor in the the time it would take to replace... Which is irreplaceable and I would rather spend it with my family. Dane, expect it tomorrow... Maybe a lil-review too To Pam14160, Thanks! Yeah it really is a pain in the ass to open it up, but it honestly only takes 3 minutes to replace anything once you get it open. A putty knife is all you need, or a pocket knife if you don't care about knicking up the bottom. In the time it takes you to post up a new message on here, you could have it all done and running. ;) Also, fyi, you want at least 2GB in RAM in the Mini or you won't be able to take full advantage of the graphics card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dane Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I'm still curious with these little machines. I kind of wish I would have bought one instead of my HP that I have now. I was poking around youtube, they do good with a full HD monitor...hmmm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingv84 Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 A Mac Mini would be best for your needs if you are not intending in traveling or a Macbook if you want it to be portable. I use a Mac mini as my media center using Remote Buddy software to access other programs such as Plex, Boxee and Front Row works great. So a Mac mini has a enough power for all of your needs. Welcome to the Mac! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Yeah, I've been more then satisfied with the results of this machine. I purchased the $799 mini that comes with 4GB of RAM. Plays HD content to my TV (dvi-hdmi) flawlessly. Has the parental controls I needed for the family. I just installed fusion this morning to see how well it can handle running virtual machines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 Here is a pix of my lil baby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltLife Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 I'm not the best person to gear that question to . Personally I've become a huge fan of linux. However, with my kids getting older and their school requirements I needed something similar but would allow me to have support for high end commercial apps natively. Do both have their strong and week points? Hell Yes! Windows 7 blew me away when it was released! It is a magnificent operating system. I played with each public beta that was released and purchased a copy once it was on pre-sale. I also love to get dirty and build a custom machine. And not just to save HUGE amounts of $$$ but because it's a passion of mine... But sadly no mater what I have always found myself dual booting with some flavor of linux. Mainly because I love to write code and keep up with my server management skills/techniques (configuring/running web servers, run/edit cron jobs.. bla bla bla). Something windows just isn't as good at (bash, perl, php)... One advantage IMO that Apple has over Microsoft (at least until Apple grows [a LOT]) is that their OS is very uniformed. From preinstalled editions of iLife, built-in mail client, iTunes, everything just works well and plays nice together out the box. Of course once they get that first anti-trust/monopoly suit thrown against them like MS has I'm sure that'll change **And I'm in no way implying that Microsoft doesn't have option(s) or is incapable of providing the same level of unity. It's just that Apple has their hand on a lot of applications and have them all tied nicely into the OS** I'll never completely leave either operating system... my career depends on my understanding of each, but having a true Apple (not a hackintosh) allows me to at least enjoy them all in one small neat pretty little package. Enough rambling... Simply put, I don't regret my purchase. It's a great machine that does what I need. And if I want to run Windows I can, easily (unlike if I had gone the other way around). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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