Bit of advice needed - Mac Mini or PC?

[d_a_n1979]

I've recently sold my 2012 MacBook Pro as a) I was offered a price for it I couldnt refuse and b) it was overkill for what I need for personal & business use etc... My issue is having gone feom an iMac to MacBook Air to then a MAcBook Pro; I LOVE Apple and I'm not sure if going back to a Windows PC is right for me (just feel they're slow and notchy compared to the Mac's slickness and smoothness)

Basically I work & run my business from home

I need a compuer for emails (MS Outlook), sending & receivng various docs (MS Word, Excel and PDF's etc...); to browse the internet and use tools such as LinkedIn & other online job-boards and also to manage my iTunes & Apple TV account

I dont game; I dont store lots of pictures. It's basically just for work and for nosying around on the web when I'm not working...

I'm thinking of going down the 2nd hand Mac Mini (2010 to 2012 versions) and getting a 24" HDMI monitor to go with it as my office at home is also my man-cave so it's where I retreat to, to watch films in peace if the wife is on the phone or watching her cack on the TV

With the Mac Mini in mind I'd be looking at somewhere between £300 to £450 for the Mac Mini and a further £120-£140 on a HDMI monitor and then I'll need MS Office for Mac on top as I need MS Outlook and that'll be somewhere around the £100 mark also

I know very little any more re current PC's so wanted to see if anyone could offer some options of what might be worth looking at PC wise that could compete with what I'd get from the Mac Mini option but for less £££ if possible?

We've already got the full MS Office 2010 on disc for Windows as my wife works at the local Uni so they get it dirt cheap so that'd be a saving of £100 straight away

Any suggestions/advice is gratefully received

 

[professorhat]

Well, I also love Mac OS X, and I can tell you that, if you're used to it, Windows 8.1 isn't a patch on it. It's functional and it works, and I'm sure you'll get up and running for less money with Windows. But I smile when I use my Mac - I don't when I use the PC. Depends how much that's worth I guess...

Also, worth noting that you can get an Office 365 subscription - this is about £65 per year (link, although you can trial it for a month here) and gives you access to the latest versions of Office on Mac and PC for up to 5 devices. Definitely a cheaper way to go in the long run (since there will no doubt be a new version of Office for Mac and PC released in the next 2 years!).

 

[d_a_n1979]

Well, I also love Mac OS X, and I can tell you that, if you're used to it, Windows 8.1 isn't a patch on it. It's functional and it works, and I'm sure you'll get up and running for less money with Windows. But I smile when I use my Mac - I don't when I use the PC. Depends how much that's worth I guess...

Also, worth noting that you can get an Office 365 subscription - this is about £65 per year (link, although you can trial it for a month here) and gives you access to the latest versions of Office on Mac and PC for up to 5 devices. Definitely a cheaper way to go in the long run (since there will no doubt be a new version of Office for Mac and PC released in the next 2 years!).

Thanks for that (and for the MS Office updates; that's dirst cheap)!

Yeah; I do miss the easyness of using the Mac's whilst im using this ACER desktop. I think I'd find it hard to not go back to Mac; mainly because when I boot it up I know it'll work whereas with Windows PC's I'm always wary and permanently on the look out for viruses etc...

Never seem to have that 'doubt' with Macs!

 

[Paul.]

Are you VAT registered? Macs hold their value very well on the second hand market, so if you shop on the refurb store and can claim the VAT back, then you wont be far off the second hand value of a mac mini but you shall have a warranty. There currently aren't any minis on the refurb site, but keep an eye out it changes regularly. My 17" MBP should have been £2100, but I paid £1599 refurbed. Once I reclaimed the VAT, it was cheaper than eBay!

http://store.apple.com/uk/browse/home/specialdeals/mac

 

[fr0g]

Ok an alternate view.

I love Windows 8. And being used to it, I detest using the in-laws iMac.

If it was me I would get a cheap tower(Windows) from a reputable firm (Scan, Aria, etc) and use WIndows.

The advantage is that over the years you'll be able to upgrade far more easily. My current PC is essentially about 12 years old...It's gone through motherboard upgrades, HDD, memory, graphics cards, CPUs and even PSUs.

So in the long run, it works out very cheap to own and there is never any need to worry about "trade-in value"

Also, software tends to be cheaper, and there is far more freeware available.

But in the end it's your choice. Neither is wrong, although you will pay more for the equivalent Apple machine.

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Had a mac for years. Only gets rebooted when we go on vacation. Our windoze PC usually gets a kick up its CPU one a week, plus a reinstall once a year when it grinds to a halt.

Up to you, mate!

 

[landzw]

i have gone back to Windows only so i can game

Trust me i would not have one otherwise

 

[professorhat]

But in the end it's your choice. Neither is wrong

Indeed, and would just want to clarify that my point was skewed based on the OPs own stated preference for Apple. I'm sure there are many people who grimace when using OS X and are much cheerier with Windows 8

 

[altruistic.lemon]

There are?

 

[ESLee]

I currently run a Mac Mini with Audirvana and it's immense. Use the remote app from my phone and iPad. It really couldnt be easier.

Ive got mine on 24/7 and always works flawlessly.

Used to run a shuttle PC a couple of years back but would never go back.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Thanks for all the thoughts/ideas fellas

Yes I'm VAT registered but I'll be buying this myself as I want to keep anything like this out of the company.

I do MUCH prefer the ease of use with Apple than you get with Windows (IMO) and having spent most of last night researching, looking at various options etc I'd say that a Mac Mini will be where I'm going...

There's still too many niggles and issues with Windows that puts me off. Constant rebooting/updating/reloading, even on Windows 8.

Had a natter with a few senior tech guys I've placed in various roles this year and they all work for ISP & Mobile Telco companies and even though they have a good mix of PC's and Macs they ALL prefer the Macs due to how much easier they are to work with and so on...

I'll be looking out for a decent Mac Mini soon enough so I'll keep this updated

 

[iMark]

I bought a Mac Mini earlier this year with Philips Monitor with HDMI. It works really well. I also run Windows 7 through Bootcamp. The last update of the Mac Mini was in 2012, so if you can get one second hand, just go for it.

I would prop it up with a minumum of 8GB RAM and an external DVD drive for importing CDs into iTunes.

It's actually quite a nice Windows Machine because you can just install Windows without any crapware.

 

[d_a_n1979]

Yeah I'll be going 2nd hand; after somewhere between a 2010 and 2012 model and will up RAM to 8 or 16GB dependent whats in it to begin with

Don't really need an external drive but will get one if necessary

Never understood why people use Windows on a MAC; why not just buy a PC in the first place?

 

[cheeseboy]

Never understood why people use Windows on a MAC; why not just buy a PC in the first place?

not all software is available for mac's, and also for testing purposes.

Also in a enterpirse environment, there is a big reason why people use windows over osx, mainly due to the amount of granular control and the fact that apple keep insisiting on using their own stupid standards for stuff.

Apple makes home consumer devices.

 

[professorhat]

Never understood why people use Windows on a MAC; why not just buy a PC in the first place?

For one, you can do pretty much anything with just one laptop. Running Windows in something like VMware Fusion means you can easily switch between PC and Mac apps (e.g. I personally prefer the Windows version of Office to the Mac version). It also lets you use all the standard Mac OS X gestures within Windows. Whenever I use a PC touchpad, I'm constantly tapping with two fingers to right click, using two fingers to try and scroll and other such things, before remembering this doesn't work!

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Thanks for all the thoughts/ideas fellas

Yes I'm VAT registered but I'll be buying this myself as I want to keep anything like this out of the company.

Buy it through the company, get the VAT back, write it off against depreciation in year 1, then have an "accident" with it, ahem, and sell it to "someone you know" for a Pound. Job done.

 

[mitoda]

Hi,

I recently sold my Macbook pro 2008 at Craigslist (US) and was stuck at a dilemma quite similar to yours. I thought buying an old mac mini (2009) for about 250 usd, but ended up with a Gigabyte BRIX GB XM12-3227, which is a mini PC about half the size of a mac mini. You will need to buy a tiny mini PCIe 128 GB SSD HD (refurbished crucial for about 70 usd) and memory. This particular model has been updated to the latest Haswell processors, but I would stay with this model, since the "updated" model is actually slower (BRIX BXi 4010). I got everything for about 400 USD and bought a cheap Dell 2340 23 inches monitor for 150 USD, which I absolutely love! it gives you a similar feel than an iMac with glossy screen.

My plan was to buy a cheap Windows PC in addition to a Macbook, but I feel I don't need a Macbook pro any more, I can basically do everything with a PC, I might still buy the MBP, but I don't urgently need it since I work mostly with desktops.

Hope this helps!

is the best bang for the buck,

 

[mitoda]

Hi,

I recently sold my Macbook pro 2008 at Craigslist (US) and was stuck at a dilemma quite similar to yours. I thought buying an old mac mini (2009) for about 250 usd, but ended up with a Gigabyte BRIX GB XM12-3227, which is a mini PC about half the size of a mac mini. You will need to buy a tiny mini PCIe 128 GB SSD HD (refurbished crucial for about 70 usd) and memory. This particular model has been updated to the latest Haswell processors, but I would stay with this model, since the "updated" model is actually slower (BRIX BXi 4010). I got everything for about 400 USD and bought a cheap Dell 2340 23 inches monitor for 150 USD, which I absolutely love! it gives you a similar feel than an iMac with glossy screen.

My plan was to buy a cheap Windows PC in addition to a Macbook, but I feel I don't need a Macbook pro any more, I can basically do everything with a PC, I might still buy the MBP, but I don't urgently need it since I work mostly with desktops.

Hope this helps!

 

[Paul.]

Apple makes home consumer devices.

the MacBook Pro is a very robust bit of kit, takes a pounding and keeps kicking. Without going up to something daft like a tough book you can't beat them for field work. I used to quite litteraly use them in a field...

 

[cheeseboy]

Apple makes home consumer devices.

the MacBook Pro is a very robust bit of kit, takes a pounding and keeps kicking. Without going up to something daft like a tough book you can't beat them for field work. I used to quite litteraly use them in a field...

granted they are a very nice bit of kit. However, Apple do and still market themselves a single person home consumer device producer. they have no interest in the field of enterprise kit or helping people get their kit orking on enterprise networks. That's not to say you can't use them in that scenario, as your example has just proven, but apple's stance is always, you use our kit how we want you to, not the other way round. Not having a go when I say it, it's just the way it is. Now if somebody in apple changed that stance, I think they'd be pleasantly surprised as to just how much extra business they could get.

 

[d_a_n1979]

**Update**

Bought myself a Mac Mini from someone local'ish to me over the weekend - 2012 model with a 128GB SSD and 8GB RAM for £400 so cant complain

It's 'just' in warranty so I've ordered AppleCare via eBay.com today and just got it all registered so I'm a happy bunny now...

Specs: https://www.apple.com/uk/mac-mini/specs.html

Ordered 8GB more Ram via Crucial also to up it to 16GB

Just using a Samsung monitor currently with the DVI adapter but want to sort a HDMI monitor out ASAP and currently looking at these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-S240HLbid-widescreen-monitor-Backlight/dp/B005QVZ79C/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3DTRR9QJAYDDQ&coliid=IGOBLO7OO4L5E

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-S22C300HS-Monitor-250cd-1920x1080/dp/B00BFTRSXW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3DTRR9QJAYDDQ&coliid=I2LJIP3MH31E83

What are your thoughts and is there another that I should look at; max budget is £150!

Just ordered MS Office 365 also via Amazon which comes at a great price : http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Office-Premium-Licence-subscription/dp/B00A2ILUZO/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=3DTRR9QJAYDDQ&coliid=IT8YHCSDK2R9D

About to get it updated to OS Mavericks too so will let that run while I have my lunch

 

[iMark]

I have been using Macs for over 15 years now. However, I do need Windows for software that I work with. Rather than buying a PC, it's much handier to have Windows 7 o my Mac Mini. The Mini turns out to be quite a good Windows machine and the biggest advantage is that through Bootcamp you get a clean partition without any crapware, which makes the Windows experience quite a bit better.