What should I buy? iMac or Mac mini + 20" cinema display

G

Garage81

Mac Daddy
Joined
Jun 9, 2003
Messages
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Theyre about the same price.

17" tricked out iMac, or a Mac mini and a 20" ACD.

Right now I'm leaning towards the 17" iMac, seems like a better value.

I'm just going to use it as a download / torrent / jukebox machine.
 
i would get the imac. i almost got one. i would however put a little more ram in there. apple like other pc makers chinch on the ram. i would say 512 is min. even for apple os.i know the imac mini is extremely sluggish with 256. i saw micro center had them they put a gig in there and it was alot better. both are nice machines i just prefer the imac.
 
if i got the imac, id get the pimped 17" with the wireless keyboard and mouse, the 250gig drive, and id add another gig of ram myself.

i just bought my mom a mini. the slow harddrive would be fine for me, but capacity is kind of a bitch.

leaning towards that, my desk looks a little sad and empty. my birthday is coming up, last year i bought myself a bmw, gonna be a hard act to follow :cool:
 
iMac for sure. The new 20' iMac's are so sweet. They totally loaded them up too
 
get the mini, if you still have the PB in your sig, then the 20" will be a nice addition to the family.

plus, the 20" will long outlive the iMac as a useable component to future setups you may have.
 
20" imac, why go for another g4? I had both, kinda pointless really, two G4's just sitting there with almost identical specs... so i dropped them both for a g5 and never looked back.

-esr
 
I would also say go for the iMac since it will have a G5 as well as a better video card than the mini...if you already had a display you were going to use I would say snag the mini up and you will be happy

 
the 20" current iMac is the best bang for buck Mac today I think, including the mini.
 
im gonna goto the store and play around with both this weekend.

after seeing the new iTunes album artwok screensaver, i just want that thing going nonstop, its a piece of art ;)

pretty stupid reason to buy a computer, but whatever. :p
 
I would agree with the mini and the 20" screen...because for usability the screen will always be there, separate for use on other furture (Apple;) ) systems.
 
I would get the seperate screen.

Reasons:
- will still be a top-of-the line screen when your CPU is obsolete
- if your screen breaks in warranty you don't have to send in your whole computer including your data for repair
- if you screen breaks out-of-warranty you just get a new one and don't have to pay ninja bucks for the repair
- if you computer breaks out-of-warranty you just get a new one and reuse the screen

Personally I would get a 20" Dell screen, it is much cheaper for IIRC the same LCD, plus it has video in and a few other goodies missing in the Apple screen.

None of that is of any concern if you have enough money. I agree that the 20" or 23" inch Imacs are just cool.
 
my vote is for the iMac - preferably the 20inch. Go for it. You know you can sell it in 3 years for a nice price. Keep the box and everything intact. Better Video, G5 64bit cpu, and more for your money (especially if you can swing the educational discount) especially after the recent update to the iMac line. It's what I am wanting to get as soon as I get my new laptop at work - I'm gonna try to sell my G4 and Game PC and get a pimped out 20inch iMac
 
I would definatley buy the mini and the 20 lcd. Or just buy a dual 1.8 and a dell lcd :D
 
Screw the apple cinema display. While nice it is way overpriced. Get the 20" Dell. Just as good and goes for around $350.

Anandtech.com did a comparison of the Apple and Dell displays. It's an intresting read.
 
I have a 17" G5 iMac, but the original ones...I'm so jealous of the newer iMacs... Totally better components... but mine is still awesome...

I'd get the iMac, as the components are better than the mac mini, and better cooling issues... I notice my fans work a bit more with azureus running...
 
My vote would be iMac. G5 Proc, 512MB standard now (on newest iMacs). Get the 20" version.

If I went with a seperate display, I'd go with a cheap PowerMac (I know, oxymoron). I have a 12" 1.2ghz iBook and know that if I stepped up to a desktop Mac, it would HAVE a G5.

I've personally been debating between getting a 20" iMac and a dual-proc PowerMac with a seperate display (most likely Samsung or Dell). The one thing I do know is that I want something with more of everything than the mini. :D

Mr.Dearthian
 
dual powermac with at least a gig of ram, you'll be very happy with it :D

-esr
 
The 20" Cinema will be better for your next PC but the iMac would preform alot better then the Mini. Personaly I would get the iMac
 
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