mac mini

[lmyers]

We want to replace our dual G4 before it dies. I want a Pro, my husband thinks a mini would be fine. I run DP and use a saffire LE. Will the mid range mini handle audio recording ?

[MIDI Life Crisis]

A little like the difference between a VW bug and a turbo charged Thunderbird. They should both get you where you're going. One might even save you gas (electric bills). For me, time is worth more than gas and the mini will take more time, give you less options to expand and be simply adequate at best.

The Pro will get you to your destination faster, leaving more time for refining things along the way. Also, graphics on the mini will be sluggish by comparison.

If your computer work is a hobby, then Mr. may have a good case. If you are at all serious about your work, the Pro is the only way to go. I wouldn't even opt for a Macbook Pro in that regard for some of the same reasons - but even the laptop pro would be a better choice than a mini.

(Written from my MINI which is my internet only machine - otherwise I'm on a G5. But Christmas is coming and damn it, I deserve it!)

[martian]

i have a white imc - 2.16 Ghz - i think thats the one without a graphics card...

seems to run DP pretty well 60-70 tracks audio in 5p1 with out too much sweating..

also records all day long in my dubbing room without missing a beat..

infact we even run 2 apps recording simultaneously on it ( a WAV recording in case of file lose)

dont run too many VI's tho

YMMV

[lmyers]

Thanks for the advice. This is strictly hobby, fun stuff. Since our daughter went on her way to college, I've not done any work on Final Cut Pro which is why we got the machine we have now. I really don't like working with a bottom end machine, but the hubby only uses it for the net and a few other non demanding things. Maybe he should get a cheap HP for his stuff and the net and I'll get a refurb mac book pro for mine.

[MIDI Life Crisis]

OK, so that said, I would go with a new iMac (as mentioned above). They're awesome and the feature I'm working on now (HD/surround) is being edited on one. Very impressive.

[lmyers]

Thank you, for making me look at the Mac again. As an all in one, I could take it to church for recording without too much trouble.

[mhschmieder]

In case you didn't see the posts in the main DP forum (I know some people here are not DP users but follow DP as potential buyers or to learn other stuff, or use other MOTU hardware and/or software products):

The i5 iMac is being discounted by $180 (including rebates) as part of the extended Black Friday through Cyber Monday sale. The i7 is out of stock most places and not on sale. Other iMac models are also on sale, and a few other Mac models as well.

Some of these sources support PayPal, eBillMe, BillMe Later, and other options that make it easier to sneak in for the weekend special without actually incurring a traditional credit card long-term interest penalty.

I may take advantage of this before midnight myself, if I can convince myself that anything other than a currently-unavailable i7 iMac or soon-to-be-released MBP or MacPro update will be a no-regrets purchase (and in that category is included any computer that might serve as a Vienna Ensemble farm for a main computer that is purchased later).

Maybe these sales are traditional this time of year, but normally I am gone and away from the internet during Thanksgiving week so I didn't even know about Black Friday until last year!

[mhschmieder]

I read through all the material on hacking the Mac Mini last night -- several times to really soak it in. I think for many people this would be a great way to go. And maybe even the Server edition (maybe first look to see who they are using for the two 500 GB drives), if you reload it with the Mac OS X client edition.

I threw all the material out afterwards, as I have made a 100% definite decision to never get a Mac Mini, just as I will never get a laptop. It seems too risky to try to put a 3.5" hard disc in there as a hack, even though it's fine to put two 2.5" 10,000 or 7500 rpm drives inside. And 2.5" discs are more prone to failure, so I'm unwilling to risk that.

For those who don't mind spending on AppleCare in case of disc failure, a dual-drive Mac Mini would be a super setup. Two 10,000 rpm drives, for streaming sample libraries on one and the system on the other. This could also serve well as a Vienna Ensemble Pro server.

As it turns out, a two-drive Mac Mini should be way more reliable than a one-drive Mac Mini, as the Superdrive is what puts out all the heat. Remove that from the picture, and you have a cool-running machine. Just buy the MacBook Air Superdrive for $100 and hook it up via USB2.