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Cheap Mac for 24/7 usage: mini or macbook?

D

ddutta

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 7, 2008
Messages
168
I want to get a mac which will be my primary desktop for development and I will also run a web server. Should consume less energy. Already have a i7 920 system for heavy duty.

Should I get the mini or a cheap macbook (old model). I need one with a nvidia 9400.

Suggestions?
 
For one thing it is portable. For another it has a battery so a UPS. ;)
 
depends on what you mean by cheap. If you want <800 get a mini, if you want >800 get a macbook or a new Mac Mini w/OS X Server
 
Thanks .... I am hoping not to spend beyond 750-800. What benefits would I get out of the server edition (except for the 500GB extra space)? It seems that the 799 version has the same hw specs.
 
Can you wait until the end of the month? The Mini could get updated.
 
Hmmm maybe a Mini with H55 chipset and core i3 / i5 with integrated video?
 
450 said:
Can you wait until the end of the month? The Mini could get updated.
Click to expand...

Of course I can. But I wonder whether a mini with H55 is possible and if so the integrated graphics be as good as the Nvidia 9400. I am sure the CPU will be better (from the benchmarks posted already)
 
Mac... cheap? Huh? The two words do not belong in the same sentence. Get a decent laptop (Asus/HP/Toshiba) for under $500 and be happy. :cool:
 
xanvincent said:
Mac... cheap? Huh? The two words do not belong in the same sentence. Get a decent laptop (Asus/HP/Toshiba) for under $500 and be happy. :cool:
Click to expand...

cheap is relative and subjective. Expensive to you may be cheap to others.


A corvette is a cheap supercar, but it's still >$60k.
 
xanvincent said:
Mac... cheap? Huh? The two words do not belong in the same sentence. Get a decent laptop (Asus/HP/Toshiba) for under $500 and be happy. :cool:
Click to expand...

Nor do "Decent Laptop" and "under $500".. hell, even "Decent Netbook" and "under 500" only barely manage to go together.
 
Cheapest decent Asus I know of currently is almost 600.

You can get mac mini's used for 300.

Refurbed for 400-500, new for 700, thats not that bad for what your getting.
 
I think I am moving towards the mini. Another option is the mini server with osx server. As of now I dont see why I would need all the extra servers + GUI tools instead of using freeware MAMP.

Macbooks are 400 more than a mini. Maybe its not worth the extra dough.

Actually the windows laptops that are available for 600 are quite decent and powerful but they wont run osx (and the mini is similarly spec-ed)
 
Mini. If you can accomplish all of your tasks with freeware, go for it - since, after all, it won't move. The Mini Server might be cool if you need/want to run striped/mirrored discs, but other then that.....

Unless you need a UPS, in which case a Macbook would be good - UPS for a mini seems overkill, IMO.
 
Dr.Pants said:
Mini. If you can accomplish all of your tasks with freeware, go for it - since, after all, it won't move. The Mini Server might be cool if you need/want to run striped/mirrored discs, but other then that.....

Unless you need a UPS, in which case a Macbook would be good - UPS for a mini seems overkill, IMO.
Click to expand...

I am not sure what the server version would give in terms of software? I agree that the extra 500GB HDD is better than the optical drive which I wouldnt use (also I have a usb dvdrw). These days RAM is so expensive that adding 4GB RAM to the cheapest mini would bump the price by 100 bucks :(
 
Dr.Pants said:
Mini. If you can accomplish all of your tasks with freeware, go for it - since, after all, it won't move. The Mini Server might be cool if you need/want to run striped/mirrored discs, but other then that.....

Unless you need a UPS, in which case a Macbook would be good - UPS for a mini seems overkill, IMO.
Click to expand...

Unless you need the server software, the Mini Server is overpriced.

Upgrade the HDD yourself.

http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Repair/Mac-mini-Model-A1283-Terabyte-Drive/660/2
 
well, you would be stupid to buy a mini server and not use OS X server. Gives you a bunch of usable features to play with, but if that isn't what your looking for (wiki, ical, web, mail, VPN servers, ect) then just go with a regular mini.
 
jrdonnaruma said:
well, you would be stupid to buy a mini server and not use OS X server. Gives you a bunch of usable features to play with, but if that isn't what your looking for (wiki, ical, web, mail, VPN servers, ect) then just go with a regular mini.
Click to expand...

Exactly - buying a Mini Server merely for the extra storage space isn't a good idea.
 
AVT said:
Exactly - buying a Mini Server merely for the extra storage space isn't a good idea.
Click to expand...

Hmmm .... I wasnt going to get the mini server only for the storage space. I am trying to find out whats so great about the server offering. I am used to running Ubuntu and its trivial to run wikis, webservers etc. Granted I wont be able to run iCal and iChat servers but I am not sure I would need that. I just need a personal webserver. And want to get a mac for home :)
 
You would really be much better off going with a typical mac Mini and running xAMP on it if you want to use it as a web server. Unless you need or want the additional server and easy to configure services of OS X Server, the Mini Server is a complete waste. (Oh and you can run iCal server on Linux.. its just called Calendar and Contacts Server (MacOS Forge))
 
jrdonnaruma said:
You would really be much better off going with a typical mac Mini and running xAMP on it if you want to use it as a web server. Unless you need or want the additional server and easy to configure services of OS X Server, the Mini Server is a complete waste. (Oh and you can run iCal server on Linux.. its just called Calendar and Contacts Server (MacOS Forge))
Click to expand...

Thanks. I am almost sure I will get the cheapest mini. I am just waiting for Jan 26 (not very far away) before making the final call, just in case there is a new development with the Arrandales :)

The effective cost of my mini is with 4GB and a decent 7200rpm HDD (320GB+).
 
You can pick up a MacBook for $899 with a student discount or $849 if you find one in the Apple refurb store...
 
I've been quite happy with the mini (other than a known usb audio issue with a VM).

It gets used for email, surfing, webcasting (through a vm of xp), music, movies, chat . . .

So far, other than the copy of Fusion, all software is freeware (open office, colluquy for example).
 
ddutta said:
Actually the windows laptops that are available for 600 are quite decent and powerful but they wont run osx (and the mini is similarly spec-ed)
Click to expand...

actually, most will run osx just fine as long as it's running an intel processor :)

I had osx running on my dell mini-9 (no hacked kernel or anything like that) for software development.

worked great
 
Wrathh said:
I've been quite happy with the mini (other than a known usb audio issue with a VM).

It gets used for email, surfing, webcasting (through a vm of xp), music, movies, chat . . .

So far, other than the copy of Fusion, all software is freeware (open office, colluquy for example).
Click to expand...

Use Neo Office (http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php) instead of Open Office. It's got a native Mac interface and integration but based on Open Office
 
I don't think I'd want to run any laptop 24/7. Either build yourself a small generic box or buy the Mini, though with the small form factor I'd still be a little worried about it dying prematurely if used 24/7.
 
dr.stevil said:
actually, most will run osx just fine as long as it's running an intel processor :)

I had osx running on my dell mini-9 (no hacked kernel or anything like that) for software development.

worked great
Click to expand...

O please I have 2 dell vostro a90's (twin brother to the mini 9) and yah i'll admit it's pretty damn cool too run OS X on one of these little guys but I feel as if your only telling half the story. Purchase a mac and you don't have to deal with upgrades and the headaches that go along with running OS X on something other than a qualified apple computer. They're is also some limitations such as one that I ran into and found to be a total buzz kill, I couldn't do screen spanning with 10.5.8 or 10.6.2 on my vostro a90, the screen would do funky things and then I'd have to do some trick to get everything to show back up. Also the the mini 9's resolution is very small since it's a 8.9" screen some apps would need more space and I wasn't able to see all the stuff such as next or the button to run what the app was meant to do.
 
The main difference with the mini server (other than OS X Server) is the lack of a DVD drive, which has been replaced with a second 2.5" hard drive. Aftermarket brackets are available for the regular mini ($50) which do the same thing.

The mini was recently updated, so I doubt it will be again anytime soon.
A 13" Macbook does have a display and battery, but the mini runs cool and quiet. Unless you need the system to be mobile, I'd recommend getting the cheapest mini, upgrading the drive and ram, and call it a day. I picked the cheap one up last week for development work, and I couldn't be happier. I also recommend getting a magic mouse - it's fucking fantastic.
 
snsr said:
The main difference with the mini server (other than OS X Server) is the lack of a DVD drive, which has been replaced with a second 2.5" hard drive. Aftermarket brackets are available for the regular mini ($50) which do the same thing.
...
Click to expand...


If he wants OS X Snow Leopard Server on the Mini, then it is cheaper to just get the Mini Server, rather than buy a Mac Mini, mod it, and put Server on it (OS X Server costs 499).

Baseline mini server is 999.
Baseline Mini is 599. You save 100 dollars going with the mini server, at minimum, if you actually want OS X server.

Say he bought a used one for even 400, it would still be cheaper to just buy a Mini server. Unless he can find one for around 300, Mini Server is the cheapest way to get OS X Server in anything.
 
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