Please note that the iMac comes with the bluetooth keyboard without the numpad.
Pro Tools relies heavily on the numpad for editing and transport functions.
It's advisable to grab the wired aluminum keyboard.
On Jun 16, 2010, at 3:38 PM, clarence griffin wrote:
very nice brake down.
GF
On Jun 16, 2010, at 3:17 PM, Bryan Smart wrote:
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: ptaccess@googlegroups.com [mailto:ptacc...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf
Of RvR
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2010 12:36 PM
To: ptaccess@googlegroups.com
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: ptaccess@googlegroups.com [mailto:ptacc...@googlegroups.com] Namens
Frank Carmickle
Verzonden: woensdag 16 juni 2010 17:14
Aan: ptaccess@googlegroups.com
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
