Mac Mini + Dell 2005FPW? [Archive]

wa77ss

03-29-2007, 04:06 AM

CheatRZ

04-01-2007, 02:10 AM

I am thinking of getting a Mac Mini for a couple reasons.

- Windows is just aggravating, I have been using it for many years now
- I don't game hardly at all anymore, so Windows isn't even a neccessity
- From what I hear, the whole "Mac's just work" slogan isn't BS....its true!

I been building my own PC's for about two years now, and that has had its advantages, but building your own PC isn't even cost effective anymore....which defeats the purpose entirely IMO.

My PC specs, right before I sold (laptop currently in use)

Intel C2D E6700ES
2x1G Corsair Dominator PC2-9136 DDR2
X1900XT 512MB
Dell 2005FPW
2 x 80G Seagate SATA 2 (RAID 0, OS)
2 x 160GB Seagate, storage
Asus P5B Deluxe 965P

I got constant BSOD's from RAID issues.... all the way to ATI drivers. Plus having to defrag couple times a week was quite a PITA

As you can see, it was a beastly computer.....but I didn't use it as much it should have been....but who can really use such a high-end computer to its full potential anyhow? I ran SETI on it 24/7 ....

I am willing to pay 700-1200$ for a desktop Mac Mini....as long as it will last me a good 1-2 years.

What I REALLY use my computer for?

- AIM/IRC
- Web browsing (digg.com!)
- Movies...lots and lots of movies
- Music...mp3's of course
- Maybe WoW if my friends continue playing

What specs would you suggest for my purposes?

And also, the question that relates to the title of the thread....can a Mac Mini output DVI @ 1680 * 1050 so it will work natively with my 2005FPW?

Thanks :)

Just a suggestion, but if you're willing to pay $700-1200 for a Mac Mini, maybe you would consider getting the $1200 17" iMac? It'll take care of everything you listed, plus it'll have the RAM and video power to help WoW when you enter cities so you don't get a dreaded lag spike (I can't say the same for the Mini). It also has a DVI port and will power your other monitor at its native resolution. I have a MacBook Pro and I run my other 17" monitor as a second display, and I will say it is nice having the extra desktop space, not to mention, it's nice having a website open on one display while playing WoW with the other, that way if I need help, I can browse more quickly. I can also keep AIM convos going too this way =P. It also has nice enough specs to last you for a few years. One other advantage the iMac has over the Mac Mini is that is uses the Core 2 Duo processors, the Mac Mini still uses the old Core Duo processors.

If you really want to go with the Mac Mini, it will handle up to 1920 by 1200 resolution, so again, you could run your display at it's native resolution. I would recommend the 1.83ghz version with 2gb of ram. Because it uses an integrated Intel video chipset, it shares with the system memory.. even though it's only sharing 64mb, if you want the system to last you a year or two, you'll need the 2GB. If you order this system directly from Apple with the added 2GB over the standard 512mb, they're going to charge you $250 extra.. If you're computer savvy (or if you know how to follow videos from YouTube), I would tell you to order the 2gb of ram from somewhere else and put it in yourself.. it would be a lot cheaper.. otherwise the total system cost for the Mac Mini with the 2GB of ram directly from apple would be $1,049.. and you're not getting a display, keyboard, or a mouse out of the deal.

See why I would go with the iMac? =] Good luck with your purchase, but as you can see, I personally don't think the Mac Mini's are worth the money if you're looking for a long term machine. And aside from running OS X, I think a Mac Mini would be a step backwards from the machine you had *nods*