Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I have always owned a PC and ready to make the change to Apple, since we have iPhones and iPads.
Here's a list of what we would use the computer for:
- basic Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, etc)
- browsing
- storing files (ITunes movies and music)
- storing photos
- streaming video
- recording music via pro tools (demo versions)
Thanks for the help; very unfamiliar with Apple desktops.
It would work just fine for all those things. Make sure you get at least 8GB of RAM installed. The newer OSXs like plenty of RAM.
An internal SSD wouldn't be a bad investment either, as well as an external hard drive for backing up and perhaps another for your multi-media files.
dwb wrote:
An internal SSD wouldn't be a bad investment either, as well as an external hard drive for backing up and perhaps another for your multi-media files.
SSD or Fusion are options, but push up the price quite a bit. A refurb 2012 would be easier and cheaper to upgrade than the new models.
Rather than going for an SSD internal, maybe it makes sense to get an external SSD and boot from it using USB3 or Thunderbolt?
Depends on how many wires the user wants on and under the desk. I’ve related a number of times my own experience with a base 2012 mini which I found frustrating to use until I upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD. I started with a quality USB 3 enclosure - not all enclosures are created equal - and that was significant but an SSD in a Thunderbolt enclosure tested as fast as when I installed it internally. One thing is certain - for the 2012 with Yosemite, the SSD made a bigger difference than the 8GB RAM in my usage tests and both upgrades created a very enjoyable computer. One thing is certain - Apple did us no favors by making the new mini basically unupgradeable.
Thanks for the input and the time! Looks like a good choice!
dwb wrote:
Depends on how many wires the user wants on and under the desk. I’ve related a number of times my own experience with a base 2012 mini which I found frustrating to use until I upgraded the RAM and installed an SSD. I started with a quality USB 3 enclosure - not all enclosures are created equal - and that was significant but an SSD in a Thunderbolt enclosure tested as fast as when I installed it internally. One thing is certain - for the 2012 with Yosemite, the SSD made a bigger difference than the 8GB RAM in my usage tests and both upgrades created a very enjoyable computer. One thing is certain - Apple did us no favors by making the new mini basically unupgradeable.
I hear ya. My 2012 Mini's HD is quite a bottleneck, but fortunately, I don't think that matters for my intended use. I found that even running it from a 7200 rpm HD in an external FW800 enclosure was zippier than running off the internal drive. Thunderbolt must make a huge difference. Apparently you can get at the HD in the new model, but you need a TR6 Torx Security screwdriver to get into the Mini. The iFixit teardown does not look like fun.
According to a someone I know who does certified repairs on Macs, improperly-installed and/or incorrect RAM accounts for quite a few problems, so the move to soldered RAM will eliminate that possibility. But it's disappointing to those of us who are careful about such things.
Is the Mac Mini for me ? (used for basic operation and recording)
