Desktop PC or Mac Mini

[Chris]

I've got a laptop, a tablet, my galaxy note 3 butbim hankering after a desktop. Something permanently on the desk with a proper keyboard & mouse. I can't decide on a PC or a Mac Mini. I fancy a Mac as I like the OS and they seem to run better than the equivilent PC. Has anyone got any views?

Uses will be iTunes, internet, backups of photos etc, a bit of web design and just general stuff.

I don't want to spend more than about £650 with a monitor etc. The Mac is expensive but I don't have to put up with windows 8.1 lol.

[Daz716]

A MAC is only worth the extra if you do graphics work... But overall... PC all the way ....for cost, and availability of stuff.

Windows 8 is great.. You just need to add a small extra that puts back the good old START button to access every thing the way you are used to.

Get yourself a copy of computer shopper.... Great choice and good advice at your price range.

[Auric Goldfinger]

Mac

 

 

 

The End

[Dean-]

Mac

 

 

 

The End

 

Explain?

[Chris]

The Mac mini appears to run Intel extreme integrated graphics..you say they are good for graphics work but surely a PC with a separate graphics card would be better? Or do apple do something to make the integrated graphics better?

[mannyo]

I transitioned to MAC four years ago, best thing I did. Yes things are more expensive but Apple aftercare is second to none. If your Mac mini fails, it will be replaced or repaired in store the same day. The stores hold spares for all common failures like HDD's, Memory, motherboards. I am on my second Macbook Pro, paid more than 2K for it and its still worth 80% of that 18 months later. Apple kit does not lose value like a PC, a 4 year old windows laptop is worth nothing, but a 4 year old iMac or Macbook or Mini is still worth a fair chunk of cash.

 

Unless you are playing the latest games integrated graphics are just fine, I like OSX because unlike Windows its still a very usable OS without the hideous tiles to select programs from.

 

Sadly I have to use Windows at work, so have to still battle along with Windows 8.1 in the office.

[Dr Zoidberg]

There's an apple event on the 16th where they may release new Macs, so don't make a decision till then

[Auric Goldfinger]

Mac

 

 

 

The End

 

 

Explain?

 

 

I transitioned to MAC four years ago, best thing I did. Yes things are more expensive but Apple aftercare is second to none. If your Mac mini fails, it will be replaced or repaired in store the same day. The stores hold spares for all common failures like HDD's, Memory, motherboards. I am on my second Macbook Pro, paid more than 2K for it and its still worth 80% of that 18 months later. Apple kit does not lose value like a PC, a 4 year old windows laptop is worth nothing, but a 4 year old iMac or Macbook or Mini is still worth a fair chunk of cash.

 

Unless you are playing the latest games integrated graphics are just fine, I like OSX because unlike Windows its still a very usable OS without the hideous tiles to select programs from.

 

Sadly I have to use Windows at work, so have to still battle along with Windows 8.1 in the office.

 

  ^^  This is why  ^^ 

 

  Good explanation Mannyo

[djswivel]

Do you have any other Apple kit? If the answer is yes then go mac.

 

I prefer Windows myself (built my desktop myself) but the wife seems to get on better with the Macbook Pro that we've got.

 

Macs don't date as easily as PC's as Apple support the new OS releases on older hardware with no issues, but it's a damn sight cheaper to upgrade a PC or buy a new one.

[gullyg]

Do you have any other Apple kit? If the answer is yes then go mac.

 

I prefer Windows myself (built my desktop myself) but the wife seems to get on better with the Macbook Pro that we've got.

 

Macs don't date as easily as PC's as Apple support the new OS releases on older hardware with no issues, but it's a damn sight cheaper to upgrade a PC or buy a new one.

 

 

Apart from the fact you can generally re-sell 2nd hand Macs at silly prices.  I just sold a 3yr old MacBook Pro which I paid £999 for new for £475, although I'd put a cheap SSD and some extra ram I had spare in it.  You're right about the OS as OSX is now free for upgrades, although the rumour is that Win 10 will be a free upgrade from 8.1.

 

Personally I use Macs / Unix at the house and Win 8 on my work laptop and don't mind either although I prefer OSX in the home.  I recently got rid of my last windows machine in the house ( a self built desktop that never really got used except for virtualisation).

 

The Mac Mini, it's a really nice machine although I'd recommend the base quad core version as a minimum.  Memory and HDD can be upgraded easily, if you get a single hdd model you can get the 2nd drive cable from ebay for about £10.  Best of all it's quiet and low power, ours runs 24/7 as an iTunes server for our Apple TVs.

 

If you're looking for Apple kit, check to see if your employer offers a discount deal with Apple or if you are a student you get even better deals. 

 

On the other hand there are some disadvantages with Apple kit, mainly that you can't upgrade the components like CPU, GPU or Motherboard easily (although it's pretty difficult to do that in SFF PCs as well) and there is the perceived "Apple Tax" although like for like there's probably not a huge difference just that Apple don't do cheap and nasty.

[Elysarian]

Unless I'm missing something the "apple tax" is real, I priced up two identical spec machines last year and the mac was almost twice the price of the windows one.

Don't like windows 8/8.1? Pick up a copy of 7 and use your downgrade rights or put a linux distro on there.

Of course, if you're after easy connectivity with other apple devices and are willing to pay the premium by all means go with the mac

There are fanboys in both camps who will point out the perceived benefits of their platform but it really boils down to personal preference these days.

[gullyg]

Unless I'm missing something the "apple tax" is real, I priced up two identical spec machines last year and the mac was almost twice the price of the windows one.

Don't like windows 8/8.1? Pick up a copy of 7 and use your downgrade rights or put a linux distro on there.

Of course, if you're after easy connectivity with other apple devices and are willing to pay the premium by all means go with the mac

There are fanboys in both camps who will point out the perceived benefits of their platform but it really boils down to personal preference these days.

 

 

Interesting, Was that just spec for spec or on build quality and similar form factor? 

 

I've seen a lot of machines which were "spec for spec" better than Macs used as comparison but it's not exactly fair comparing a full sized desktop to a Mac Mini for example.  Also there's a lot of really nicely spec'd laptops for example that are actually plasticy garbage.

 

When I looked for my mother the machines in her price range were pretty much all the same spec/quality.  The Tosh Portage that I got here was pretty much identical pricing to an Air - but she prefers windows.  The Portages are lovely machines btw.

 

As you say - you pays your money and takes your choice.  Personally I'm lucky enough to be able to afford to buy the systems I want (within reason - unfortunately a Mac Pro is somewhat out of budget )

[Chris]

I do use iTunes, although not as much now I have spotify. I don't have any other Mac products.

A little bit of me just wants it because it is Apple..and I like their products.

Thanks for the opinions so far, I've got a PC I built but never really finished so maybe I'll breathe life into that for now.

[GentleGiant]

DO you need it, or do you just want to use a proper keyboard??

 

Because you can plug a normal usb keyboard into the laptop you know, and a lot of them also have VGA outputs for a full sized monitor.

 

I would chose the desktop system purely for the upgradabilty; I still use the cases, fans, PSUs, and FDD drives from my first PC build, back in 1998; in fact, only one of the 4 PCs currently in use in my house has a case less than 10 years old, and that was to replace a PC taken by the Rozzers (and not returned for nearly a year).

[Chronicbint]

Get whichever, both do a great job these days. Windows 8.1 is also excellent.

[Chris]

I'm running Windows 8.1 and I just don't gel with it. I also dislike the fact that even using compatability mode a lot of my old games don't work. Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 for example.

I'm going to try and get a copy of XP and try installing it on my almost built PC..

[Chronicbint]

Gel with that exactly? 8.1 is even easier to use than 7.....

[Dean-]

Anyone seen videos on Windows 10? 

 

You may not need to get used to 8.1 layout soon

[Gizmo]

I would never go back to a PC, I don’t like the Apple lack of customisability ... but then it just works, so I don’t need to modify it.

[giandougl]

I've run an imac since 2007 and struggled to find my way around apple, still do up to a point, (age related).LOL

Had a partition put into the 250GB hard-drive for Windows XP Home Edition, as I've have/got programs that require it.

So (to me) the best of both worlds still.

Apple OS is a free download I hear, as to the likes of 'Maverick' and the OS 'Snow Leopard' were fairly cheap when I first bought.

 

As with everything different strokes for different folks, it boils down to what you really want/need to do what..

Good luck 'chris_1d' on your deciding factor.

[Dr Zoidberg]

but then it just works

No, they really don't just work.

[Macdemon]

Explain?

 

Now we all know you're a Windoze user

[djswivel]

Anyone seen videos on Windows 10? 

 

You may not need to get used to 8.1 layout soon

 

I've installed the preview on my test laptop.

 

It's basically Win 8.1 with a start menu again. But not a normal start menu, it's "traditional" on the left hand side with live tiles on the right. Takes up a fair amount of screen space when open but is customisable as to what tiles are on it, much like the start screen of a Win Phone 8.1

[mdon]

I'd go for a Mac mini, That's what I'm going to be getting next year. before joining the boys in blue I worked in ICT as support. Windows will inherently suffer registry problems and malicious software that will slow down the machine until it eventually stops working, this is true even if you don't install dodgy 3rd party software. How many times have you had Java or Adobe issues where the updates just won't work or install? My wife's laptop which is 2 1/2 years old now takes over 7 minutes just to boot up windows 7 so that you can load ie or Firefox, she has never installed anything else as she only uses it for facebook, ebay and doing word documents for her OU. I find Macs suffer these problems a lot less.

[lfc958]

I am not one of the applefans, i use doze for work, does what it is supposed to do - just- with all the scareware that work insist it has.

 

I have android (kit kat) phone.

Android tablet

 

Now here is the surprise - I have a macbook, i ditched my PC which i had built myself & upgraded components regularly to allow doze to continue to run, switched to a laptop & after 18 month ownership, with all  the updates along with some scareware it had slowed right down.

After looking around at chromebook, other laptops of similar spec, the macbook was only a couple of hunderd pound more.  

I have had a complete OSX upgrade without any deterement to performance, along with quite a few updates. It was well worth paying the extra, for a well built solid & reliable piece of kit that I do not have to upgrade every so often to keep it running.