Yeh. It is particularly confusing to blind people when I tell them that the 27 inch iMac is probably the best value for high performance. I know that they all think "but I don't need a 27 inch monitor." The thing is, though, they will need some sort of monitor , if not because a Mac won't run right without one, there is the benefit of making it possible for others in your session to see what you're doing. 27 inches seems a bit excessive, but, since Apple sells many of the exact same panels, rather than many different monitor options, they get the panels at a good price. The LED panels in the iMacs are extremely good quality. I wouldn't suggest that a blind person buy such a display separately, but, when included with an iMac, you're getting a really good deal.
Bryan -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of RvR Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 4:24 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Another stupid question...new Mac Mini capable Hi Brian, Also came to the conclusion that an iMac would be a better choice. I always refused to pay for a monitor thats attached to the iMac which I don't even use, but it's the best option I think now for all the reasons you have mentioned too. The new Mac Minis are more expensive than before. The cheapest is now 800 euro and the server even more than 1100 euro. That is even more dollars. Pretty hefty prices. Regards, Ronald -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Namens Bryan Smart Verzonden: woensdag 16 juni 2010 21:18 Aan: [email protected] Onderwerp: RE: Another stupid question...new Mac Mini capable Hi. I anticipate that many people will have this thought, wanting to use the Mini, since it seems like the most inexpensive Mac. It isn't a good idea, in most cases. Mostly, the cases where it is a good idea involve you already owning one. I wouldn't buy one new for the purpose of running Pro Tools. The Mini can be an inexpensive computer. You can get one for about $700. Just add your own keyboard, monitor, and, optionally, speakers, and you're ready to go with an inexpensive Mac. That's particularly a great deal if you already have an extra monitor, keyboard, and set of speakers. However, as has been pointed out, this is only the base model. It has limitations, such as only 2GB of memory, and a single laptop-type hard drive running at 5400 RPM. As has also been pointed out, you can upgrade the Mini. Apple has a second model, intended for use as a small server, that includes 2 7200 RPM hard drives. That would help a lot for our purposes. However, that model starts at $1,000. You'll need to buy your own copy of OS X, s adds about $30. In order to provide the second hard drive in this model, the optical drive has been removed. So, you'll need to purchase an external optical drive $50 to $100, depending on what you get. This Mini comes with 4GB of memory, which will be fine for tracking/mixing. If you plan to sequence a lot with softsynths, though, you'll want 8GB, which adds another $400 to the price. You still need a monitor, keyboard, and speakers. So, a Mini, with dual 7200 RPM drives, your own copy of OS X, external optical drive, a basic LCD monitor, full Apple keyboard (you won't want to use a PC keyboard with Pro Tools), and basic multimedia speakers will cost about $1,300. If you upgraded the memory to 8GB, that increases the price to about $1,700. What happened to that $700 computer? Upgrades. So, if you'd need to spend $1,700, to pimp your Mini, what else could you get for that price? For $1,700, you can get a 21 inch iMac. It still will use a Core Duo processor, but will run at 3Ghz, compared to 2.6Ghz in the Mini. It has 8GB of memory. It only has a single internal drive, but it is a full desktop hd running at 7200 RPM, and is 1TB, twice the size of the Mini's largest laptop drives. The monitor is built-in to every iMac, and you're getting an extremely high quality 21 inch LED display, not a cheesy $100 craptastic LCD from the local computer store. An Apple keyboard comes standard with the iMac, as does the built-in optical drive that you'd be purchasing separately for your Mini. If you want a semi-portable solution, an iMac is fairly good for that: computer guts and screen are built in to a single frame, so that cuts down on the components and cables to transport. If you want more from the Mini, you're out of luck. That $1,700 package is as far as you can upgrade your Mini. The iMac still has room, though. You can upgrade the 3Ghz processor to 3.3Ghz for another $200. You can upgrade the 1TB hard drive to 2TB for $250. So, the $700 Mini is a good deal, but only if you're planning to use the basic Mini as-is. The upgrades cost too much. If you plan to need an extremely high-end Mini, you'll get a better deal getting a lower end iMac. Since the basic Mini is not enough for any serious Pro Tools work, I'd suggest that people get iMacs, instead, and don't waste time upgrading the Mini. Bryan -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of RvR Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 12:36 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: Another stupid question...new Mac Mini capable Is the Mini Server usable as normal Mini? What are besides the missing dvd drive the other differences between the server and normal one? The two 500gb 7200rpm sound good. Need to get an external usb or firewire dvd-drive though. -----Oorspronkelijk bericht----- Van: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Namens Frank Carmickle Verzonden: woensdag 16 juni 2010 17:14 Aan: [email protected] Onderwerp: Re: Another stupid question...new Mac Mini capable On Jun 16, 2010, at 9:26 AM, Scott Chesworth wrote: > Hi Ronald, > > I've mixed 32 track sessions with a minimum of one plugin per track on > a Mac mini with worse specs than those, so yeah, it should serve you > well enough unless your needs are intensive. You'll want to work with > an HDD faster than 5400rpm though for multitracking, so either go for > a smaller capacity internal disk that runs at 7200rpm if Apple offer > such a package, or pick up an external drive to use during sessions. The mini server has two 7200 rpm disks and no dvd drive. I was disappointed that they didn't go to the i5 like the did in the MBP. I think having two 500 gb 7200 rpm disks would work out well for audio productions. > It's also worth keeping in mind that lately, there have been a lot of > reports of Mac minis not running well without a physical monitor > connected at all times, so if you're aiming for the mini as a > screenless ultra portable system that could be a snag in the plan. > Yeah. That was quite a hassle for me. I ended up getting a free monitor from a friend because it had a busted back light. Take care --FC > Hth > Scott > > On 6/16/10, RvR <[email protected]> wrote: >> Hello again, >> There is a new Mac Mini released, but doesn't seem to be much more >> powerful than last batch. The fastest model has an Intel Core 2 Duo >> at 2.66ghz, 4 or >> 8 gb of ram and a harddisk of max 500gb at 5400rpm. Firewire 800 is >> present though. Do you think such machine is capable of running PT properly? >> Thanks! >> Ronald >>
