Mac Mini vs. PowerMac: advice, please?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Hi. As you might have guessed, I have nothing of value to contribute to this outstanding forum, but like any leech, I do need help, so I joined with an appropriate handle.



Now that I've introduced myself . . .



This question might be too low-ball for many of you--you all seem to be on some Planet Super Mac--but I've got a purchasing dilemma, and I'd really appreciate some help, if anyone would be kind enough to share.



First, I'm a cheapskate, which is a large part of my dilemma. Second, I have three old Macs, all of which are aging exponentially every day. The newest old Mac is a 5-year-old, first-generation G4 running a blazing 400 MHz, with a whopping 128 MB of RAM. (Hey, at one time, this machine was The Show.) But, with my kids running Instant Messenger, the darn machine unable to play all the neat news clips on the news sites, constant freezing, an ability to upgrade much beyond OS 9 and IE 5.1, and my Nano-enabled son wondering how he's ever going to use iTunes, we obviously have to upgrade.



Did I say I was a cheapskate?



So, my question, if I haven't bored or annoyed you to death yet, is this: If you can, please forget the kinds of systems you people run, and try to put yourselves in my simpleton's shoes. Can I get away with a Mac Mini, and for how long, in your opinion? The applications I use to create files are Word and occasionally Quark. I also have to, on occasion, read PhotoShop, Acrobat and Illustrator files, and I use Quicken once in a while.



I just wonder whether, in five years, it will have made a difference that I chose the 1.42 MHz Mini or the 1.8 Power Mac. I'm not a developer or a graphic designer, so do I really need that power? Will the Mini be obsolete faster than my G4?



Which brings me to my next (and last) question: I began salivating when Apple upgraded its machines, figuring that the older ones would be heavily discounted. I figured I could get an older Power Mac G5 much, much cheaper, but I haven't found that to be the case. Is there anyplace that sells slightly older (but unused) models that are now the last generation?



If you can answer any of my questions, I'd really appreciate it.



Thanks.



Doofie

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    I think you should be ok with mini. Five years is such along time in computer world that anything you buy now will be a relic then. If you are maybe willing to invest to G5? How about buying mini now and saving the extra money, with that you can still buy new mini after two or three years and you have still saved money.
  • Reply 2 of 7
    andersanders Posts: 6,523member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Project2501

    How about buying mini now and saving the extra money, with that you can still buy new mini after two or three years and you have still saved money.



    Thumbs up to that.



    If you buy a mini please get the new with twice the video memory than the old. Very importent.
  • Reply 3 of 7
    Thank you very much! It never occurred to me that I could buy two Minis in 5 years and still be money ahead; I really AM a doofus!



    And thanks for the recommendation on the extra memory. I'll definitely do that.



    Much appreciated . . .
  • Reply 4 of 7
    Definitely the Mini... doesn't sound like your usage requirements would justify a G5, and in 5 years, they'll all be intel inside anyway.



    The 1.42 isn't substantially faster than the 1.25 (less than 8% according to some sources), but you'll definitely want to get it up to 1GB RAM and make sure you've got the upgraded VRAM version to extend its lifespan a bit.



    If you're really serious about comparing previous generation machines that might still be under warranty, you could check out the refurbished specials at the apple store, but I think you'll be fine with the Mini.



    If all your software is running under 9.1, you may also need to budget for upgrades to OS X-savvy versions to get full performance boosts, but you may be able to run them under Classic (though the Mini won't boot into 9).



    For the price, the mini is a pretty painless option. My original 1.25 has been a joy so far.
  • Reply 5 of 7
    curiousuburb, thanks for your reply. Two questions, if you don't mind:



    1) You're saying that the extra RAM and upgraded VRAM will extend the life of the computer. Are the RAM and VRAM more important than the MHz? Why? Anders had said to get more VRAM, and I will.



    2) What do you mean when you say that the Mini won't boot into 9? Do you mean it boots into OS X first, and then you can get into 9? I'll definitely need the Classic environment, because to replace all the software I have (most of which I rarely use) would be awfully expensive. I don't want to spend any money at all, frankly, but this G4 and its 9.1 ain't cuttin' it for the family.



    Thanks for any light you can shed . . .



    Doofus
  • Reply 6 of 7
    Quote:

    Originally posted by doofus

    curiousuburb, thanks for your reply. Two questions, if you don't mind:



    1) You're saying that the extra RAM and upgraded VRAM will extend the life of the computer. Are the RAM and VRAM more important than the MHz? Why? Anders had said to get more VRAM, and I will.



    The default machine now ships with 512MB RAM, which is better than the original machine which shipped with a barely adequate 256MB.



    The performance gain you'll get from going to 1GB is probably greater than the performance gain you'll get from the extra .17GHz of CPU speed.



    And while you can upgrade the RAM yourself, in the mini it will require special care and tools (plastic putty knife, etc), and you've only got one slot, so to go to 1GB, you'll be left with a 512MB which isn't worth much in resale and won't work in your old G4.



    Better to get the RAM maxxed at the factory (although Apple charges a premium, it isn't as gouging as it used to be), and in the case of the mini, the d.i.y. process is a bit more difficult than in most other Macs because of the very compact size of the unit. There are videos and descriptions if you want to go the d.i.y. way.



    You cannot upgrade VRAM. No user option. Because this is fixed at the factory, your machine will always have VRAM as a 'limiting performance factor' for some visual effects, monitor resolutions, and games performance (although this may not matter to you, it might hurt its later resale value as newer software demands a higher minimum spec VRAM).



    Apple recently bumped up the VRAM on selected models of the Mini without official announcement. There are no models which officially list the new 64MB VRAM configuration, but if you read the linked thread you'll see some model numbers which apparently contain the new specs. Bit of a surprise "open box and see if you're a winner of an unexpected upgrade" game. Some users have received 64MB VRAM Minis.



    It's worth trying to see if you can get the dealer to inform you of the serial # prior to your purchase, or to get a guarantee that you can get one of the "new" units which in fact does come with double the VRAM, or get a swap policy that allows you to preserve your investment.



    Even the 'old' mini with 32MB VRAM is probably a great machine for your needs, but given that a heftier one is in the wild, if just unlabelled, it's a bit silly not to try and get the free bump for the same bucks.



    Quote:

    2) What do you mean when you say that the Mini won't boot into 9? Do you mean it boots into OS X first, and then you can get into 9? I'll definitely need the Classic environment, because to replace all the software I have (most of which I rarely use) would be awfully expensive. I don't want to spend any money at all, frankly, but this G4 and its 9.1 ain't cuttin' it for the family.



    Thanks for any light you can shed . . .



    Doofus [/B]



    Classic is still supported on the Mini, and it seems snappier under Tiger (which all minis now ship with). You should have no problem running your OS 9 apps within the Classic emulation environment. However, since the last generation of G4 towers (the MDD 1.42 I think), no newer Mac will actually boot into OS 9 anymore. They'll run Classic mode for backwards compatibility with legacy applications, but they no longer contain the system enabler to actually start up in pure OS 9 mode... emulation only.



    There are a few apps, such as Photoshop, whose native OS 9 versions were crufty in Classic/OS X and provided a free x.0.1 update to allow them to run "semi-natively" in Classic/OS X (until the next version was fully compiled for OS X). If your PS runs like BS in Classic, you might want to look for such an incremental upgrade on their support site and see if it helps.



    There are other apps, such as Quark, whose OS 9 versions were stable, but run like frozen molasses in Classic, and who took a few versions to get anywhere close to the same functionality in OS X. This is one of the main reasons many professionals switched to Adobe InDesign... far better if you're in OS X (faster, better use of OS X native features, etc).



    You should be fine with most of your legacy apps under Classic (don't want to terrify you... that's why Classic exists), but sooner or later you'll want versions which were specifically compiled to take advantage of things OS X can leverage, like services, system-wide spell check, typography features, universal palettes for font, colour, etc. Your software upgrade path should be in the back of your mind as a factor in your budget and as you evaluate whether OS X is a 'impressive' as you expect if you're testing it with legacy tools running in emulation.



    One last plus... there actually are some Mac viruses that can affect you in OS 9... about 50 in all... mostly Word Macro viruses, but it is true that there are real world vulnerabilities in that world (though nothing like the 90,000+ viruses in the PC world.)

    After more than four years in the wild, there are still zero viruses for OS X. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

    Add a bit of peace of mind to your plus/minus list when you debate upgrading to OS X.



    plink plink go the pennies
  • Reply 7 of 7
    WOW. Thanks for that extraordinarily detailed response! I really, REALLY appreciate it. You've been extremely helpful. Ah, the kindness of strangers . . .
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