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Fun Stuff => CLIKC => Topic started by: edscoble on 15 Mar 2006, 08:16

Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 15 Mar 2006, 08:16
what your opinion on this? there was mixed opinion on the G4 Mac Mini, but now it got an Intel Core Duo/Solo processor in it, it's a lots more bargain for your quid, thought it is a bit more expensive than the previous model, and it's graphic card shared the memory instead.

I'm seriously considering getting one since it's quite cheap for an Core Solo/Duo.

(http://images.apple.com/macmini/images/indexintelchip20060228.jpg)
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: Catfish_Man on 15 Mar 2006, 09:08
Upsides:
CoreDuo Mac mini, duh :P

Downsides:
You won't be playing any modern games on it (even more so than most macs). The integrated graphics they used are pretty good for video, but abysmal for 3D gaming.

Conclusion: I want a stack of them to do compiles on.

oh, and about the price increase: if you use wireless, it's the same price as the old one (the old base model didn't include wireless).
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 15 Mar 2006, 09:21
Quote from: Catfish_Man

You won't be playing any modern games on it (even more so than most macs). The integrated graphics they used are pretty good for video, but abysmal for 3D gaming.


I realise that the Intel graphic card aren't that bad really and it is better than the previous graphic card (32mb, ugh, how 1997)

it is Core image supported thought, and that's a bonus
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: Matteh99 on 16 Mar 2006, 19:31
Unless you have a keyboard mouse and monitor the mac mini isn't that great of a deal.  I personaly would rather get an iMac if I didn't have any extras.  Though if you arn't ever going to play games or store alot of movies or music the mini might be better.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 17 Mar 2006, 08:58
Quote from: Matteh99
Unless you have a keyboard mouse and monitor the mac mini isn't that great of a deal.  I personaly would rather get an iMac if I didn't have any extras.  Though if you arn't ever going to play games or store alot of movies or music the mini might be better.


that the beaut, need a major upgrade? go for the iMac, need a simple computer upgrade? go for the Mac Mini.

I'd says that DOOM III actually run rather well in the G4 Mac Mini (with some setting tweak to able to get it to 27 frame per second) so since the Intel version spec is better (2GB of RAM! finally) and the graphic card are actually better than the  G4 one not to mention it support Core image, thus game would run well, if it an X86 for the Mac.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: est on 17 Mar 2006, 18:03
Do you know for sure that Doom3 runs ok on a G4 Mac Mini?  If so, at what resolutions?  My Athlon XP 2500 + a 128mb Radeon 9800 Pro and 512mb ram had some troubles playing Doom3 at a reasonable resolution until I upped the ram to 1gb, then I could play it *ok*

The major stumbling block in my rig is the Radeon 9800, as even though it's the top of the line for its time it's still getting on in years.  I can't understand how an Intel integrated video solution that uses shared video ram could compete with even that.  Most recent FPS games actually specify an ATI or Nvidia graphics card as the minimum spec to run the game.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 17 Mar 2006, 19:02
Quote from: est
Do you know for sure that Doom3 runs ok on a G4 Mac Mini?  If so, at what resolutions?  My Athlon XP 2500 + a 128mb Radeon 9800 Pro and 512mb ram had some troubles playing Doom3 at a reasonable resolution until I upped the ram to 1gb, then I could play it *ok*


The resolution is 800x600 so it look kinda wonky on my LCD, but playing on a CRT make the game look crisper.

actually I'm surprised a G4 can run it because let fact it, the G4 is probably the slowest processor ever to be produced in the modern world.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: est on 17 Mar 2006, 19:55
That's pretty neat, then!  I guess that an Intel Mac Mini might be an even more capable gaming machine for the casual gamer.  It's not gonna satisfy the dudes who want their resolutions huge and all the effects turned way up, but for those people who want the Mac Mini mainly for productive uses I guessing that being able to play the odd game here & there would still be welcome.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 17 Mar 2006, 20:19
Quote from: est
That's pretty neat, then!  I guess that an Intel Mac Mini might be an even more capable gaming machine for the casual gamer.  It's not gonna satisfy the dudes who want their resolutions huge and all the effects turned way up, but for those people who want the Mac Mini mainly for productive uses I guessing that being able to play the odd game here & there would still be welcome.


you know the game XIII? it suppose to run on a Macintosh with 800MHz-1GHz, 512MB RAM and 64mb vram.

I brushed my old iBook out (G3 700Mhz, 384mb ram, 20GB, 16mb vram) and for some reason XIII actually run smoothly, unless you got too many baddie at once.

I'm still astounded.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 07 Apr 2006, 05:26
Finally! Boot Camp! now I can run Windows in a Mac! now the Mac don't seemed overpriced anymore considering you can boot both OS X/Windows XP natively legally, that's a dream come true, 3 years ago, that's would be unspeakable.

17inch Intel iMac coming on my way on the 20th April, and don't have to pay a grand for it!
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: nihilist on 07 Apr 2006, 14:59
I can see the whole 'boot camp' thing being cool for current Apple customers, but outside of that, not really hot.
Title: Intel Mac Mini
Post by: edscoble on 07 Apr 2006, 15:30
from the outside the iMac does seemed to make a decent gaming machine after the hardware has been tested under Windows XP, it's offer a good option for those who's not sure about the Macintosh OS but still have the option to actually used Windows without problem.