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| Mac or ? - Page 1 | |
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| Posted: Sun Jul 1st, 2012 14:47 |
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1st Post |
Ed Hutchinson
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Hi there I have been having sooooo much fun using the new macro lens I have not been here for a time. But now I have another issue my aging pc is getting sloooow. I an considering replacement, and Mac comes to mind  I know most of you use them so what do you think of the Mac Mini, please remember I am working with limited funds.What about the basic one with a 8gig ram upgrade? Thanks in advance for your help!!!!!  be well! and have a happy and safe holiday, (those of you here in uncle sam country) LOL Ed 
____________________ R.O.C.E.D. retired old cranky extremely dangerous! |
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| Posted: Sun Jul 1st, 2012 16:35 |
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2nd Post |
Robert
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Well Ed, I have three, they do what is says on the can, and some. The first one failed in two days and was immediately replaced. No trouble since and it's had some very hard use. I came from a dual core Mac G5 2.7 Ghz liquid cooled tower (£2,000 in 2005) which was quick but tired. The first Mac mini (2009) was at least as fast, the second (2010) a bit faster but my i7 four core is very quick indeed. There are a couple of things to consider, the current and next OS work much better with a trackpad, even if you don't like the idea (which I didn't) you will be surprised how well it works with the OS after a few days. The other thing is, buy any extra memory from Crucial or some other reputable supplier, the Apple memory upgrade is a rip off. Extra RAM is very easy to fit, but please take proper anti static precautions, the damaged caused by short cutting this may not be immediately apparent but it can affect performance and reliability. This is one reason why the current range of laptops are not upgradable for RAM. Equally, because of the way the OS balances RAM usage, if you are prepared for a tiny speed impact you can manage very well with the standard RAM configuration. I have done tests with and without the upgrades and the difference is negligible, especially if you don't have multiple major applications running simultaneously. I find the Apple keyboard is best because of the placement of the option, control and command keys, they are more logically placed to enable single hand use but not essential to use for a start.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Sun Jul 1st, 2012 17:39 |
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3rd Post |
Doug
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I, of course, agree with everything Robert has said but would like to add that the trackpad as a replacement for the mouse didn't work for me (I suppose it might have, had I placed it in front if the keyboard like a laptop) What I have ended up doing though is placing the trackpad to the left and mouse to the right (keyboard in the centre) and this is by far the best combination with easy access to all the gestures available using my left hand while clicking and precise pointing is done with my right hand using the mouse I would be unwilling to give up either device (although things do get a little tricky when I use my Wacom)
____________________ Recent & Popular posts ProCapture | Genius on Demand Blog |
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| Posted: Sun Jul 1st, 2012 17:40 |
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4th Post |
TomOC
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Ed- It was with GREAT trepidation that I quit windows for Mac about 5 years ago... I have never regretted it. Most apps you own can be tranferred to mac at no charge. As of today, everything that I did on windows, I have the same or a better app on the mac for it. The mac mini is the buy of the marketplace - I have a macbook pro and an imac right now, but many of my friends say I'm crazy, i should have gotten a mini. I say go for it! Tom
____________________ Tom O'Connell -Lots of people talk to animals.... Not very many listen, though.... That's the problem. Benjamin Hoff, The Tao of Pooh |
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| Posted: Mon Jul 2nd, 2012 02:34 |
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5th Post |
Ed Hutchinson
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THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!! I really thought that would be your answer. I knew about the ram upgrade 8gig from crucial is $50.00 I got started on this quest because I got an iphone and I can't believe the difference compared to an droid If the mini is anywhere as good at what it does it will be awesome. Thanks one more time, I am sure I will have more questions getting setup but I look forward to the challenge. PC  Ed
____________________ R.O.C.E.D. retired old cranky extremely dangerous! |
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| Posted: Mon Jul 2nd, 2012 02:45 |
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6th Post |
Robert
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Perhaps I should have added I use the MTP in addition to the mouse, just as Doug describes, mainly for swiping pages with two fingers and scrolling, I don't do any of the other gestures or tapping. I found touching the pad was often misinterpreted as a tap, causing annoyance when unexpected things happen! It was Doug's suggestion of using the MTP to the left which transformed my use of the Mac. It's so natural, I find it works perfectly. When I occasionally have to use an earlier Mac I am lost, keep trying to use a non existent trackpad! I find page swiping so natural and convenient, I am bewildered why it isn't implemented on the iPad. I have one of my Mac mini's screwed to the wall, it's so neat! Tom, I don't think you are crazy at all, the iMac is a great solution, if it suits your needs, it's very neat and still packs the same power or more, as the equivalent Mac mini in a single unit with an added advantage, it runs a full sized 3.5" HD, and some models (I think) have two Firewire ports, which is about the only thing I miss with the Mac mini. To me the advantage of the Mac mini is portability and flexibility. I move between two locations all the time, I can pick up the Mac mini and my main Hard drive, slip them in a small case, and carry them easily anywhere, I have screens set up at both locations and simply plug in wherever I am, giving me the portability of the laptop with the functionality of a desktop. It also means upgrading regularly is relatively inexpensive, so I can keep on top of the hardware improvements which are coming along. Although in reality a four or five year cycle is quite OK to remain reasonably up to date.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Mon Jul 2nd, 2012 02:56 |
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7th Post |
Robert
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Ed, you will find the integration with the iPhone will be amazing. The iCloud a so smooth, you simply won't notice it but things like calendars, notes, bookmarks and photo's will be synchronised perfectly.
____________________ Robert. |
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| Posted: Mon Jul 2nd, 2012 07:02 |
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8th Post |
jk
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I would recommend a Mac Mini to anyone. If you get the latest Mac Mini Server then you have the fastest Mac available almost for almost no cost. You can upgrade the RAM to 16GB yourself if you really want but 8GB is what I have and it is wonderful. Get yourself a Thunderbolt screen as well if you can but it is a huge extra chunk of money. I keep promising myself one but instead got myself a MacBook Air 13 in April. I love it but the mac Mini server is a great little desktop.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Mon Jul 2nd, 2012 07:07 |
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9th Post |
jk
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Doug wrote: I, of course, agree with everything Robert has said but would like to add that the trackpad as a replacement for the mouse didn't work for me (I suppose it might have, had I placed it in front if the keyboard like a laptop) I use a Magic Trackpad with a (non Apple) three button mouse and a Mac keyboard with my Mac Mini it works really well. I have my trackpad to the right of my mouse which is on the right of my keyboard. I use the trackpad for browsing and the mouse for editing. I still havent hooked my Wacom into the Mac Mini. I really must but I would really prefer a Wacom Cintiq.  Lots of money.
____________________ Still learning after all these years! https://nikondslr.uk/gallery_view.php?user=2&folderid=none |
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| Posted: Mon Jul 2nd, 2012 07:51 |
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10th Post |
Robert
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I haven't used the Wacom Intuos with the i7 Mac mini yet, I have only just loaded Photoshop onto it... I expect it will be central, simply pushing the keyboard back on the desk. I tend to use the Intuos two handed, using the modifier and control buttons with my left hand and the pen with my right. I doubt the MTP will be used in combination with the Intuos but I do often use the mouse with the intuos, because I find it easier to navigate menus with the mouse. No doubt Eric will scoff at that but I regularly find I select the wrong item from menus when I use a tablet. More practice needed...
____________________ Robert. |
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