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Mac PC

Antibac

Hi All

I am looking for advice on a Mac to buy. It's an unexpected purchase so not a lot of budget.

It's main use will be as a family PC with the odd project and some podcasting involved.

I was wondering if the Mac Mini entry level would suffice for this?

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syklops

"Not a lot of budget" and Mac don't normally go together in the same sentence.

The Mac Mini would suffice for the various tasks you want to do, but remember you will still need to buy a compatible monitor keyboard and mouse. The basic Mac Mini starts at around 600 euro.

Graham

It should be more than adequate for general family use, web browsing, email, document creation etc.

Worth taking a look at the refurb store too, as good as new/same guarantee and you'll save a few quid.

http://www.apple.com/ie/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Antibac

Graham wrote: »

It should be more than adequate for general family use, web browsing, email, document creation etc.

Worth taking a look at the refurb store too, as good as new/same guarantee and you'll save a few quid.

http://www.apple.com/ie/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

Thank You I'll have a look here. Any tips on the keyboard and mouse? There seems to be a lot of variation or just stick with the offical ones

Graham

Antibac wrote: »

Thank You I'll have a look here. Any tips on the keyboard and mouse? There seems to be a lot of variation or just stick with the offical ones

That depends on your definition of 'family PC'. If you've got a particularly clumsy/dribbly/spilly family, get something you can replace cheaply.

Personally I use the wired Apple keyboard and the Super Magic Supreme TrackPad 2 thingy (whatever the latest Apple trackpad is called).

Antibac

Graham wrote: »

That depends on your definition of 'family PC'. If you've got a particularly clumsy/dribbly/spilly family, get something you can replace cheaply.

Personally I use the wired Apple keyboard and the Super Magic Supreme TrackPad 2 thingy (whatever the latest Apple trackpad is called).

Well at present its 2 adults. Kids won't be near it at all for the next few years anyway

FAILSAFE 00

I'd just buy a PC.

Better all round for your needs with budget restraints.

syklops

Antibac wrote: »

Well at present its 2 adults. Kids won't be near it at all for the next few years anyway

Why do you specifically want a Mac? Have you used one before?

Graham

Antibac wrote: »

Well at present its 2 adults. Kids won't be near it at all for the next few years anyway

I prefer the Apple keyboard and the new larger trackpad, it's really just a personal preference thing. If the budget is tight almost any keyboard/mouse combo will work quite happily with a mac.

waynegalway

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

I'd just buy a PC.

Better all round for your needs with budget restraints.

In my experience, without getting into anything technical or a PC versus MAC discussion, purely on economic grounds a MAC is better. Sure, a PC will be cheaper, but chances are it won't last as long, and if it does it will have become bogged down to the point of being unusable. It's a simple fact that you get what you pay for. I've had my Mac Mini since 2009, and I've never managed to make a PC last that long without having to replace it. Had I bought a PC back in 09, I am convinced I'd have had to replace it by now, and spent the same amount of money (or more) on 2 PCs for the price of one Mac Mini.

Back in 09 the Mini was about €550, and I had a decent keyboard and screen, so it wasn't much more than the price of a decent PC anyway.

TBH I did add more RAM and a solid state drive to it last Autumn, but these were "nice to have" rather than being absolutely necessary. I think the new ones come with SSD as standard now. I expect that my upgraded Mini will last me for another 5 years anyway.

FAILSAFE 00

waynegalway wrote: »

In my experience, without getting into anything technical or a PC versus MAC discussion, purely on economic grounds a MAC is better. Sure, a PC will be cheaper, but chances are it won't last as long, and if it does it will have become bogged down to the point of being unusable. It's a simple fact that you get what you pay for. I've had my Mac Mini since 2009, and I've never managed to make a PC last that long without having to replace it. Had I bought a PC back in 09, I am convinced I'd have had to replace it by now, and spent the same amount of money (or more) on 2 PCs for the price of one Mac Mini.

Back in 09 the Mini was about €550, and I had a decent keyboard and screen, so it wasn't much more than the price of a decent PC anyway.

TBH I did add more RAM and a solid state drive to it last Autumn, but these were "nice to have" rather than being absolutely necessary. I think the new ones come with SSD as standard now. I expect that my upgraded Mini will last me for another 5 years anyway.

Macs use the same components as PCs do nowadays. The only difference is the operating system and the way it's presented. A Mac lifespan has not been shown to be longer than a PC.

Graham

waynegalway wrote: »

without getting into anything technical or a PC versus MAC discussion

Unfortunately it's never been possible to have a thread about a Mac or iOS device without the inevitable Windows/PC/Android posts.

On purely economic grounds, Apple gear has a high up-front cost but also has a residual value of 50% - 70% in 3 years time.

I replace my desktop every 2 or 3 years so it costs me less to run a Mac over the longer term.

waynegalway

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

Macs use the same components as PCs do nowadays. The only difference is the operating system and the way it's presented. A Mac lifespan has not been shown to be longer than a PC.

Maybe so. It has been a while since I bought a computer, so perhaps PCs have caught up a bit.

As I said, my post was "in my experience" and I stand by that. The main reason that any PC I had over the years (going back to around 1999 when I first set up my business) failed or became unusable was because of software.....bugs, viruses, updates slowing things down. The main reason I went with PCs (and I must have owned about 5 of them between 1999 and 2009) was that they were affordable. Every time I had to buy a new machine, I'd be looking at the Macs and saying "but I just can't afford one". Looking back, that was completely false economy on my part.

Maybe Windows has improved, and if it has, fair enough.

Graham

waynegalway wrote: »

without getting into anything technical or a PC versus MAC discussion

waynegalway

Graham wrote: »

Unfortunately it's never been possible to have a thread about a Mac or iOS device without the inevitable Windows/PC/Android posts.

On purely economic grounds, Apple gear has a high up-front cost but also has a residual value of 50% - 70% in 3 years time.

Yeah. I'd say I'd still get about 50% of what I paid for my Mini, even though it's nearly 7 years old. Fitting more RAM and the SSD would probably make mine worth a bit more than a bog standard one from 09. No way you'd get that for a PC.

FAILSAFE 00

I'd never in a million years call a Mac an economical purchase in comparison to a PC. That's ludicrous.

It's a luxury product that you pay a premium for. I feel it's important to let the OP know that they can get way more bang for their buck with a PC. Especially since the OP is on a budget.

waynegalway

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

I'd never in a million years call a Mac an economical purchase in comparison to a PC. That's ludicrous.

It's a luxury product that you pay a premium for. I feel it's important to let the OP know that they can get way more bang for their buck with a PC. Especially since the OP is on a budget.

Fair enough. We have no idea what the OP budget is. If its a couple of hundred euro, then they're almost certainly going to have to go for a PC. However,they give the impression that they have enough for a Mac Mini, given the way they phrased the question, and by virtue of the fact they've posted here in the first place. I assume they've checked the price of the Mini online before asking for opinions here.

The Mac Mini starts at 569. You can get a keyboard an mouse for about 20, and a half way decent screen for 150. So, you're looking at about 740 all-in.

Could you get a high spec PC for that price? I'd definitely say you'd get a good PC for that, but I'm no expert.

But if the OP only has a few hundred, would they be better off getting a low spec PC or a 2nd hand Mini? Tough call.

From my experience, based on how well my Mini has lasted compared to my PCs, I'd have a hard time telling someone to buy a cheap PC. That's just my opinion, of course! It's not an OS debate, it's a value for money (when taking a longer term view) issue.

Antibac

My budget would be the price of an entry level mini and the reason why I am looking at Apple is that everything else we have is apple and I like the system.

I've had Windows PC's and laptops in the past and I just don't like them

I don't need a Screen as I have a TV with HDMI that I can use

waynegalway

Antibac wrote: »

My budget would be the price of an entry level mini and the reason why I am looking at Apple is that everything else we have is apple and I like the system.

I've had Windows PC's and laptops in the past and I just don't like them

There you go then. If you LIKE Apple and you can AFFORD one, then just go for it.

What's the alternative? Spend your hard earned cash on something you don't like that may not last you as long? No brainer. Go and buy it and enjoy it.

Graham

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

I feel it's important to let the OP know that they can get way more bang for their buck with a PC. Especially since the OP is on a budget.

You appear to be working on the assumption that the OP has been living under a rock for the last 20 years and isn't already aware that the up-front cost of a Mac is higher than that of a PC.

For the avoidance of doubt.

A PC will be cheaper up-front.
On the downside, it will come with Windows, it will be a grey plastic box and it will have a value equal to a 2nd hand bag of Taytos approximately twenty-four and a half minutes after you take it out of the box.

FAILSAFE 00

The spec is very poor on the Mac mini. It's massively over priced and is limited in what upgrades it can recieve going forward.

I would argue it won't hold much value in the coming years either given that Apple release newer versions of their products very frequently nowadays.

waynegalway

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

The spec is very poor on the Mac mini. It's massively over priced and is limited in what upgrades it can recieve going forward.

I would argue it won't hold much value in the coming years either given that Apple release newer versions of their products very frequently nowadays.

The spec is fine for what the OP needs, and they have cleared stated "entry level" in the first post. It looks like they know what they're getting into.

Here's one from adverts. Seems to be holding value well. Mine has 5GB RAM and SSD, so I'd be asking a bit more for mine if it was for sale. I'd say I'd get 250 for mine in a heartbeat. IMO that is excellent residual value for a 7 year old "entry level" computer.

Graham

FAILSAFE 00 wrote: »

I would argue it won't hold much value in the coming years either given that Apple release newer versions of their products very frequently nowadays.

That argument just doesn't hold up given the longevity and continuing high residual value of the iMac and the Mac Mini, both of which have had regular upgrades over the years.

Antibac

waynegalway wrote: »

There you go then. If you LIKE Apple and you can AFFORD one, then just go for it.

What's the alternative? Spend your hard earned cash on something you don't like that may not last you as long? No brainer. Go and buy it and enjoy it.

I suppose my reluctance is for what I needed it for. I am happy enough that it does. Thank You all for your help!