Should I buy an iMac or a Mac mini?

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Level 1

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Should I buy an iMac or a Mac mini?

HI everyone! Can't decide which one to purchase! I quite like the idea of the portability of the Mac mini and would probably use it alot with my tv for entertainment, but was looking to get the new mid range model for additional space, better specs etc. But the price would be edging near iMac territor, plus I'd probably also need a new monitor for the Mac mini. Just wondering how people have found there experiences with the Mac mini, would they recommend it or just recommend on iMac instead? Especially since the price differenice not bring too different including the external monitor 😟 Just to note, Ive heard about the lack of being able to modify the new Mac minis, this isent a problem for me as I'm not big into tech and wouldnt even know where to start on doing something like that! 🙂 thanks in advane for your advice! 🙂

Posted on Dec 13, 2014 2:58 PM

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Answer 1

Dec 13, 2014 3:40 PM in response to mooose201

I have a Mac mini, late 2012 model, that I purchased 6 months ago and am extremely happy with it. I've been through Mavericks and Yosemite on this machine and it continues to amaze me - I've not had any problems with it. I highly recommend this machine.

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Answer 2

Dec 13, 2014 6:20 PM in response to mooose201

Hi - just joined this forum. I have a Mac Min - love it. I self upgraded the memory. I'm using two monitors. Love the small size and the fact I could reuse my existing monitors, keyboard and mouse. System has been rock solid and takes up no space.

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Answer 3

kahjot

Level 4

2,469 points

Dec 13, 2014 7:40 PM in response to mooose201

I'd get the 2012 Mini, if you can find one. You don't have to be a techie to install more RAM in one of these.

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Answer 4

Dec 13, 2014 7:40 PM in response to mooose201

I’m a recent iMac-to-mini convert. I’ve had two iMacs since 2006. Both served me well, but I use my computer mostly for editing text, and when the ultrawide monitors came out, I realised that having two documents or windows open side by side would be very handy for me. So I bought one, used it with my iMac until the new minis arrived, and then bought the mid-range i5 with a 256 GB SSD and 16 GB of RAM (needed for running Windows in a virtual machine). A big improvement from my old (2009) iMac. If you don’t need higher-range graphics or four cores, a mini will be fine. You can pick and choose the size and quality of monitor that best suits your needs and budget. The upgradeability of the new minis isn’t great, but then neither is it for the iMacs. I liked my iMacs, but I will never buy another.

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Answer 5

mooose201 Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 14, 2014 12:40 AM in response to mooose201

Thanks for the replys everyone! Cool think I'll go ahead with the Mac mini, good to hear such positive reviews! Plus the additional cash saved will be very nice as I would probably have to wait a bit longer to save up for an iMac! 🙂

Just in relation to comments about the 2012 Mac mini, would it really be worth buying over the new models? As in performance wise there wouldn't be much difference?

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