Give me a clue - upgrade worthwhile?
Howdy -
I'm trying to understand how the new iMac might change my working conditions in practical terms. My current set-up includes:
Mini 1.42GHz 1GB RAM with a 20" ACD (old style)
PB G4 1.25GHz 1.5GB RAM
I'm a consultant working from a home office, and use Office and some design/Web apps (Pshop, DW) all day long. I don't really notice too much of a difference between the two machines, and both get slower when I have a few large applications running. I use the Mini about 80% of the time, and primarily use the PB when I'm at client sites.
I'm not doing enough intense design work to justify a Mac Pro, so I'm thinking that an iMac would be more appropriate. If I were to upgrade the Mini+ACD setup to one of the new iMacs, what differences might I see in real-world terms? FWIW, most of the software I have is a few years old, so it's not native to the Intel processor. Does this move make sense? Or if I'm happy with my current ACD, would I get most of the same improvement simply by upgrading the Mini to one of the refreshed ones? Or should I just save my money and suck it up when things get a bit slow?
TIA for your insights,
SB
I'm trying to understand how the new iMac might change my working conditions in practical terms. My current set-up includes:
Mini 1.42GHz 1GB RAM with a 20" ACD (old style)
PB G4 1.25GHz 1.5GB RAM
I'm a consultant working from a home office, and use Office and some design/Web apps (Pshop, DW) all day long. I don't really notice too much of a difference between the two machines, and both get slower when I have a few large applications running. I use the Mini about 80% of the time, and primarily use the PB when I'm at client sites.
I'm not doing enough intense design work to justify a Mac Pro, so I'm thinking that an iMac would be more appropriate. If I were to upgrade the Mini+ACD setup to one of the new iMacs, what differences might I see in real-world terms? FWIW, most of the software I have is a few years old, so it's not native to the Intel processor. Does this move make sense? Or if I'm happy with my current ACD, would I get most of the same improvement simply by upgrading the Mini to one of the refreshed ones? Or should I just save my money and suck it up when things get a bit slow?
TIA for your insights,
SB
Comments
The MacBook Pro has built-in DVI out, to drive your ACD when at home. It has the same "oomph" as the iMac and is portable to boot. Granted, it's more expensive than an iMac, but you'd be selling two computers to help cover the cost, and the convenience of having one machine instead of two that you have to keep synchronised, is well worth it IMHO.
I think that you should keep your ACD, keyboard and mouse, sell the mini and the PowerBook, and get a 15" MacBook Pro.
Thanks, I have considered that before. During the last year, however, I've had a couple of instances in which having two machines saved me. When my PB's hard drive died, I kept working on the Mini. And when the power went out in my neighborhood, I was able to keep working at the local WIFI coffee shop. So while synching files is inconvenient at times, it's definitely outweighed by the security of having a backup machine.
Thanks, I have considered that before. During the last year, however, I've had a couple of instances in which having two machines saved me. When my PB's hard drive died, I kept working on the Mini. And when the power went out in my neighborhood, I was able to keep working at the local WIFI coffee shop. So while synching files is inconvenient at times, it's definitely outweighed by the security of having a backup machine.
Keep the mini then, just as a backup machine.