Mac Mini, or other computer setup for writing, research, and web?
May 19, 2018 2:09 PM Subscribe
I have around $900 to spend on a new computer setup. It will be used primarily for writing, research (reading documents, etc), and normal, light web browsing (so like, Metafilter type stuff, youtube, etc., but no serious video tasks). Do I want a Mac Mini? I think I want a Mac Mini.
Hey people. I have about $900 to spend, and the money is from my university professional development fund, so 1.) I have to spend it soon, 2.) a computer is easily justified, and so it's a no-hassle way to spend it, and 3.) my current computers are feeling old.
Currently, at home I have a MacBook Air from 2014 and a 21 inch iMac desktop I got new in around 2012. At my office I have a MacBook of unknown age, but I really just use it for office tasks around campus, so it's fine. My desktop at home is showing its age some, and I think I need a new desktop setup for home. I will then move the current iMac to my office, so I will have a desktop and laptop there, and a desktop and laptop at home.
I know I want 2 monitors on the new desktop setup. I think I want one 24-27 inch, with a smaller one (17-19?) mounted sideways next to it. I used a setup like that recently and LOVED being able to have a document open to reference on the small screen while writing on the big screen. That's also, like, 80% of what my desktop is used for. I also surf the web a bit to kill time, but it's mostly email, writing, and research. So, in my initial looking-around-at-computers stage, the Mac Mini looks great.
I am thinking maybe I will pick up a new Mac Mini (the newest, which is late 2014). Options are as follows:
Option 1:
1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500GB hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 5000
Option 2:
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
8GB memory
1TB hard drive1
Intel Iris Graphics
Option 1 leaves me enough leftover money to get nearly all the peripherals (monitor/s, mount, keyboard and mouse, sound) without coming out of pocket much at all.
Option 2 is, obviously, a more robust machine, but would mean more out of pocket cost (I obviously want to avoid that!).
How will these 2 stack up next to my aging iMac, which is a 21 inch, 2.5 GHZ Intel i5 with 12GB of RAM and a 500GB SATA HD? It seems to me (pretty computer illiterate, really!) that even the lower tier Option 1 Mini will run smoother than my current iMac.
Another option is to get a Windows machine. But I don't really like that idea because I am so committed to the Mac ecosystem. Though I do really prefer the PC version of Word, which is where I do most of my work, and I do loathe the hassle of trying to functionally and efficiently transfer files between my phone (android) and my Mac(s). I also appreciate the reduced cost and increased specs of PC desktops similar to the Mac Mini. But, I am also weary of Windows (I don't like it, and I like the relative imperviousness of Macs to viruses...that really freaks me out about Windows, even though I don't do much online that presents risks)! Am I totally wrong here? If so, what Windows box might suit me (keep in mind I really do like the small form factor of the Mac Mini!)?
Other relevant info: I have 2 nice, newish 500 GB external drives, and I tend to store most stuff (documents, pictures, music, etc.) on those. I plan to clone the drives in my iMac and my Macbook Air and then restore both machines to original settings, just for a fresh start. I will then continue to run whatever desktop I get with those two external drives serving as primary storage.
Final tidbits: I know Mac has, for the time being, 'abandoned' the Mini. I get it. But please don't suggest I get another iMac or a Macbook. It's not happening!
Hey people. I have about $900 to spend, and the money is from my university professional development fund, so 1.) I have to spend it soon, 2.) a computer is easily justified, and so it's a no-hassle way to spend it, and 3.) my current computers are feeling old.
Currently, at home I have a MacBook Air from 2014 and a 21 inch iMac desktop I got new in around 2012. At my office I have a MacBook of unknown age, but I really just use it for office tasks around campus, so it's fine. My desktop at home is showing its age some, and I think I need a new desktop setup for home. I will then move the current iMac to my office, so I will have a desktop and laptop there, and a desktop and laptop at home.
I know I want 2 monitors on the new desktop setup. I think I want one 24-27 inch, with a smaller one (17-19?) mounted sideways next to it. I used a setup like that recently and LOVED being able to have a document open to reference on the small screen while writing on the big screen. That's also, like, 80% of what my desktop is used for. I also surf the web a bit to kill time, but it's mostly email, writing, and research. So, in my initial looking-around-at-computers stage, the Mac Mini looks great.
I am thinking maybe I will pick up a new Mac Mini (the newest, which is late 2014). Options are as follows:
Option 1:
1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
4GB memory
500GB hard drive1
Intel HD Graphics 5000
Option 2:
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
8GB memory
1TB hard drive1
Intel Iris Graphics
Option 1 leaves me enough leftover money to get nearly all the peripherals (monitor/s, mount, keyboard and mouse, sound) without coming out of pocket much at all.
Option 2 is, obviously, a more robust machine, but would mean more out of pocket cost (I obviously want to avoid that!).
How will these 2 stack up next to my aging iMac, which is a 21 inch, 2.5 GHZ Intel i5 with 12GB of RAM and a 500GB SATA HD? It seems to me (pretty computer illiterate, really!) that even the lower tier Option 1 Mini will run smoother than my current iMac.
Another option is to get a Windows machine. But I don't really like that idea because I am so committed to the Mac ecosystem. Though I do really prefer the PC version of Word, which is where I do most of my work, and I do loathe the hassle of trying to functionally and efficiently transfer files between my phone (android) and my Mac(s). I also appreciate the reduced cost and increased specs of PC desktops similar to the Mac Mini. But, I am also weary of Windows (I don't like it, and I like the relative imperviousness of Macs to viruses...that really freaks me out about Windows, even though I don't do much online that presents risks)! Am I totally wrong here? If so, what Windows box might suit me (keep in mind I really do like the small form factor of the Mac Mini!)?
Other relevant info: I have 2 nice, newish 500 GB external drives, and I tend to store most stuff (documents, pictures, music, etc.) on those. I plan to clone the drives in my iMac and my Macbook Air and then restore both machines to original settings, just for a fresh start. I will then continue to run whatever desktop I get with those two external drives serving as primary storage.
Final tidbits: I know Mac has, for the time being, 'abandoned' the Mini. I get it. But please don't suggest I get another iMac or a Macbook. It's not happening!
Both of those options have spinning hard drives, which will feel old even for less intensive tasks. It's a bad idea to use a spinning HD for your OS drive these days.
Jason Snell wrote recently about using a NUC as a Hackintosh: I'm not inclined to recommend that, given the technical faff involved and the things that probably won't work even after that faff, but it's more computer for considerably less money spent on the right things (a SSD; plenty of RAM) than the moribund Mac Mini options.
posted by holgate at 2:41 PM on May 19, 2018
Jason Snell wrote recently about using a NUC as a Hackintosh: I'm not inclined to recommend that, given the technical faff involved and the things that probably won't work even after that faff, but it's more computer for considerably less money spent on the right things (a SSD; plenty of RAM) than the moribund Mac Mini options.
posted by holgate at 2:41 PM on May 19, 2018
Response by poster: Should've mentioned the SSD thing: I considered getting the Mini, and upgrading it (maybe not right off the bat, but soon) to an SSD. Seems simple and affordable enough, and probably better than the Fusion option!
posted by still bill at 2:43 PM on May 19, 2018
posted by still bill at 2:43 PM on May 19, 2018
Best answer: Avoid the Mac Mini at all costs. I see someone beat me to just how slow the low-end one is, but even the "fast" one was not very fast when it was released four years ago. It's borderline criminal that Apple still sells these.
I'm not sure what's keeping you from buying another iMac, but it might help us suggest something you will like to know why it's not happening. (I ran a dual-monitor setup with my 2007 iMac—the built-in display and a big vertical-oriented display—for years.)
posted by Polycarp at 2:46 PM on May 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm not sure what's keeping you from buying another iMac, but it might help us suggest something you will like to know why it's not happening. (I ran a dual-monitor setup with my 2007 iMac—the built-in display and a big vertical-oriented display—for years.)
posted by Polycarp at 2:46 PM on May 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Upgrading the Mac Mini's hard drive is not as straightforward as you would hope.
I would not buy a Mac Mini right now. First, because it's four years old, and costs what it would cost if it was just released today. For the same price or lower, you can get a pretty decent small Windows box, with up-to-date specs and components. I know: I also much prefer MacOS, but the Mac Mini is not the thing to buy now. You can get a much better refurb iMac for the price (which I would still hesitate, but that's just me). Just no, no Mac Mini.
Polycarp: It's borderline criminal that Apple still sells these.
I almost typed this verbatim.
posted by General Malaise at 2:48 PM on May 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
I would not buy a Mac Mini right now. First, because it's four years old, and costs what it would cost if it was just released today. For the same price or lower, you can get a pretty decent small Windows box, with up-to-date specs and components. I know: I also much prefer MacOS, but the Mac Mini is not the thing to buy now. You can get a much better refurb iMac for the price (which I would still hesitate, but that's just me). Just no, no Mac Mini.
Polycarp: It's borderline criminal that Apple still sells these.
I almost typed this verbatim.
posted by General Malaise at 2:48 PM on May 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
Response by poster: Not buying a new iMac because I am not willing to spend out of pocket for one. I have to spend my money quickly, and can't toss in the extra cash out of pocket in time to cover the additional cost of the iMac.
posted by still bill at 2:48 PM on May 19, 2018
posted by still bill at 2:48 PM on May 19, 2018
The Mac Mini RAM is also not upgradable. If you're running two monitors and keeping more applications open, those 4GB of RAM on the base model may not be enough, which will cause it to access the slow hard drive more often. You can probably run Activity Monitor on your current system and switch to the Memory tab, which will tell you how much RAM the system is using.
posted by meowzilla at 2:53 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by meowzilla at 2:53 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
If the money's burning a hole in your professional development fund, you can't buy a used machine (I would buy any iMac from 2014 forward first), and the cheapest option in Apple's refurb store would be too much out-of-pocket after tax etc. (looks like you can get an iMac for $929), I guess I would do the faster one. Definitely don't get the slow one—4 GB of RAM is, unfortunately, not enough to do much these days. Even 8 GB is pushing it (I use a 2014 MacBook Pro every day with 8—two monitor set-up, nothing too intense, lots of writing—and I feel it).
If a used or refurb option is at all possible given your situation—I haven't been in academia in a while—do it; if you can move some of the other peripherals you want around to fit an SSD into your budget from the beginning, do that. The Mac Minis are crappy machines, and you will resent how indistinguishably slow they are from your 6-year-old iMac even if you're not paying for them out of pocket.
posted by Polycarp at 3:03 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
If a used or refurb option is at all possible given your situation—I haven't been in academia in a while—do it; if you can move some of the other peripherals you want around to fit an SSD into your budget from the beginning, do that. The Mac Minis are crappy machines, and you will resent how indistinguishably slow they are from your 6-year-old iMac even if you're not paying for them out of pocket.
posted by Polycarp at 3:03 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: OK, I'm feeling sold against the Mini, which is basically what I anticipated in the back of my mind. Thanks!
The more I consider it, the more I think it might be kind of handy to have a Windows setup (considering I have my 2 Mac laptops). Any ideas on specific Windows boxes that scratch the same itch as the Mini (small, not a tower) with better functionality?
posted by still bill at 3:38 PM on May 19, 2018
The more I consider it, the more I think it might be kind of handy to have a Windows setup (considering I have my 2 Mac laptops). Any ideas on specific Windows boxes that scratch the same itch as the Mini (small, not a tower) with better functionality?
posted by still bill at 3:38 PM on May 19, 2018
Best answer: My office is outfitted with Dell Optiplex 7050 Micros, which I've been impressed with, for a start. I know HP and Lenovo have similar office-oriented machines in similar form factors that are also good.
posted by General Malaise at 3:43 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by General Malaise at 3:43 PM on May 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
In addition (so as not to abuse the edit button): My home machine is an aging MacBook Air (which is still newer than four years old and better specced than the Minis you mentioned), and coming home to use it feels like mousing and typing through molasses compared to my up-to-date office Dell/Windows computer mentioned above.
posted by General Malaise at 3:45 PM on May 19, 2018
posted by General Malaise at 3:45 PM on May 19, 2018
Response by poster: Looking at the Dell OptiPlex 3050 now, and it looks great: SSD, 8GB RAM (upgrade capable, it seems, to 32GB). I think running this with my external HD for primary storage would be a good way to go. Any thoughts? (This'll be my last thread-sitting post here, promise!)
Thanks again for all the insights!
posted by still bill at 3:57 PM on May 19, 2018
Thanks again for all the insights!
posted by still bill at 3:57 PM on May 19, 2018
Do you have a local IT person? Talk to them about whether there's any special pricing for going through a university contract.
posted by zamboni at 4:11 PM on May 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by zamboni at 4:11 PM on May 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'd probably recommend a refurb Mac OS device for you just based on the cost of context switching between Mac OS and Windows. If you do I go to Windows, I'd recommend sticking with the business lines of computers (Dell Optiplex being one). They have less crap than retail Windows machines, will be much, much faster than the old Mac Mini, and it's not hard to get a three year warranty. Avoiding Windows malware is mostly about being careful online and keeping your applications up to date - specifically, Windows itself, your browser(s) and anything made by Adobe. Most of that is done automatically.
posted by cnc at 4:20 PM on May 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by cnc at 4:20 PM on May 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Mac Mini RAM is also not upgradable.
Not true, you can easily go from 4GB to 8 ot 16GB. Mine has 16GB. I installed it myself.
posted by zadcat at 8:12 PM on May 19, 2018
Not true, you can easily go from 4GB to 8 ot 16GB. Mine has 16GB. I installed it myself.
posted by zadcat at 8:12 PM on May 19, 2018
Have you considered just setting things up to be able to dock your laptop at your desk when you want the extra screen? I don't even have a real dock, just a cheap stand and the cables in a little organizer thingy so they stay close at hand to plug in. The laptop itself then gives you the smaller second screen.
posted by Sequence at 9:10 PM on May 19, 2018
posted by Sequence at 9:10 PM on May 19, 2018
Best answer: I'm using a Mac Mini 2.6GHz with 8GB. It's horrible - slow to the point of uselessness, unresponsive, underpowered and overpriced. It takes about 5 minutes just to switch users.
As other people have said, it was a bad computer four years ago. Today, it's terrible.
Do not buy a Mac Mini.
posted by Combat Wombat at 2:07 AM on May 20, 2018
As other people have said, it was a bad computer four years ago. Today, it's terrible.
Do not buy a Mac Mini.
posted by Combat Wombat at 2:07 AM on May 20, 2018
Best answer: Not true, you can easily go from 4GB to 8 ot 16GB. Mine has 16GB. I installed it myself
If you just removed the bottom and popped it in, you have a 2012 or earlier. The 2014 has the RAM physically soldered to the board. Here's the iFixit teardown.
posted by zamboni at 6:08 AM on May 20, 2018
If you just removed the bottom and popped it in, you have a 2012 or earlier. The 2014 has the RAM physically soldered to the board. Here's the iFixit teardown.
posted by zamboni at 6:08 AM on May 20, 2018
Is a used IMac out of the question? I recently got an extremely good deal on a 2011 iMac and you can get them from macSales:
here’s a filtered link for you
posted by nikaspark at 6:40 AM on May 20, 2018
here’s a filtered link for you
posted by nikaspark at 6:40 AM on May 20, 2018
Response by poster: Yep, used is mostly not an option (I think I can talk them into getting me something from the official refurbished store from Apple, but that's probably the only not-new option I have).
posted by still bill at 7:01 AM on May 20, 2018
posted by still bill at 7:01 AM on May 20, 2018
In a somewhat similar quandary as you (but for a laptop, to replace my 2010 MacBook Air that I'd been keeping at work to use there - no work doesn't give me one and I need one, yes, I teach in public school). I went for a Microsoft Surface Pro (so hoped to sort of double up on the switch to Windows, adding a touch screen that couldn't be had on a Mac).
It had an SSD and plenty of storage for my intended purpose. But I ended up re selling it. I do sometimes use Windows machines at work and they're all right. But for a personal computer that is mine for constant use, I realized that it's worth the money. So now I got a new battery to extend the life of my 'middle' laptop (2013 maxed out MacBook Air that I bought from eBay a couple of years ago, that is still working great) and saving until I either find another great eBay deal or can afford to upgrade to a new (refurbished) mac and toggle my computers down.
In your shoes, I would find an alternate use for the money (dock+new battery+extra monitor+???), or get the refurbished iMac from Apple and pitch in the rest. (also I prefer buying from Apple directly but sometimes Best Buy or other retailers have better prices).
posted by Salamandrous at 9:42 AM on May 21, 2018
It had an SSD and plenty of storage for my intended purpose. But I ended up re selling it. I do sometimes use Windows machines at work and they're all right. But for a personal computer that is mine for constant use, I realized that it's worth the money. So now I got a new battery to extend the life of my 'middle' laptop (2013 maxed out MacBook Air that I bought from eBay a couple of years ago, that is still working great) and saving until I either find another great eBay deal or can afford to upgrade to a new (refurbished) mac and toggle my computers down.
In your shoes, I would find an alternate use for the money (dock+new battery+extra monitor+???), or get the refurbished iMac from Apple and pitch in the rest. (also I prefer buying from Apple directly but sometimes Best Buy or other retailers have better prices).
posted by Salamandrous at 9:42 AM on May 21, 2018
Given your needs I would actually just see if you can get a big, fast SSD for the older Desktop, and blow the rest on a badass monitor. Swapping out the drive in a 2012 MBpro made the thing zip along.
It's not like you're rendering video or something; from what you've written there's really no benefit to getting a new machine.
And there are some decent arguments for keeping the older, more user-serviceable device. The last generation of Apple's increasingly locked-down hardware was enough to drive me off them entirely; I still need OSx for a couple things, but I'm running it on its own drive in a Hackintosh and I've never looked back.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:45 AM on May 25, 2018
It's not like you're rendering video or something; from what you've written there's really no benefit to getting a new machine.
And there are some decent arguments for keeping the older, more user-serviceable device. The last generation of Apple's increasingly locked-down hardware was enough to drive me off them entirely; I still need OSx for a couple things, but I'm running it on its own drive in a Hackintosh and I've never looked back.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:45 AM on May 25, 2018
This thread is closed to new comments.
iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011) Benchmarks - Single core 3128, multi 7833
Mac Mini 1.4 GHz - Single core 3021, multi 5401
Mac Mini 2.6 Ghz - Single core 3404, multi 6478
Keep in mind the Mac Mini design is designed to run even slower since it is put into such a small space and it has to get rid of the same heat as the iMac.
I wouldn't really consider any computer without an SSD in 2018. The speed difference is incredible. You'd really have to upgrade the Mac Mini to a Fusion Drive (+$250) to make it reasonable, and that's not really an SSD but a hybrid of a traditional hard drive and SSD.
posted by meowzilla at 2:40 PM on May 19, 2018 [2 favorites]