Need help on "un-selling" the mini mac at work

[justiceischeap]

I work for a non-profit, so it's rare when we get new equipment. I am currently working on a G4 350 mHz and have upgraded to flash mx 2004 which says it requires 500 at the least. The IT folks, who don't know squat about Macs (I think I know more than they do honestly) are trying to push a Mini mac. Don't get me wrong, I think they're cute and all but it just doesn't seem like the best investment for a non-profit who keeps computers until they're on their last legs.

I've already told them that if anything goes wrong, they'd have to send it to Apple and that it isn't upgradeable and that the graphics card probably wouldn't be the best for design purposes. Can anyone else think of any other reasons I could give these IT guys that a Mini Mac is not the answer to our woes?

[Poiuyt]

1. Check out barefeats.com

http://www.barefeats.com/mini01b.html

They also have pages with tests running Photoshop, etc.

Flash requires a G3 running at 500mhz. The mini's are G4's running at 1.25 and 1.42 mhz, so they should have more than enough power. You might want to put in more RAM though. That isn't too hard to do yourself. There are ways for users to open the case.

Are the IT people primarily concerned about cost? That's the best selling point for the mini. The G5 Powermacs would be better, but if all they can afford is $500, then that's all they can afford. I think you should just be happy they aren't trying to push a PC.

[justiceischeap]

2. They can either buy me a mini mac

Or put in a Sonnet Encore 1.0 gHz card (for less money actually) than being a new mini mac.

Plus it's not so much about money for them. They get on something sometimes and just kinda rail on it. I had a hard time convincing the IT guy that it was a faster processor I needed and not more ram.

[alfredo]

3. They just want to play with the mini. They are nerds, they

can't help themselves. Do push for more RAM.

[justiceischeap]

4. I currently have 576mb of ram

and 350 mHz of processing speed... More ram than processing speed equal very slow Flash MX 2004.

[alfredo]

8. I was saying if they insist on the Mini

push them to add more RAM. Lobby for a G5 iMac or PowerMac.

[justiceischeap]

10. Ahh gotcha!

Thanks for clarifying.

[LifeDuringWartime]

6. from what ive heard/read

those upgrade cards are always slow, because the system bus speed/ram speeds arent fast enough to make it worthwhile.

[rocktivity]

7. The $500 Mac Mini has only 256K of RAM in it, Poiuyt

That's less than TheCorrection has now, LOL!

:headbang:
rocknation

[Poiuyt]

9. That's why I suggested adding more

On the other hand, macsonly.com did a review and found that 256k of RAM was actually adequate for most everyday computing needs. They looked at the the target audience for the mini and determined that adding more RAM didn't help with most tasks. They found that switching to a faster hard drive improved speed more than adding more RAM, but then you'd be losing much of the cost savings. The mini isn't meant to be used for serious graphics work, that's the job of the Powermac.

The mini might be faster than the old G4 that TheCorrection is now using even with processor upgrades, because of the better architecture of the newer computer. There's more to computing speed than the speed of the processor. I don't know about here, but that's often the case.

[rocktivity]

5. You're absolutely right--buying a Mini would be downright irresponsible

not so much because it's not cost-efficient, but because your G4 is so upgradeable. If they insist on the Mini, insist on the 1G RAM model.

Mac Mini with 1G processor and 1G RAM: $825
Mac Mini with 1G processor and 512K RAM: $575
Number of RAM slots in Mac Mini: 1
Maximum RAM a Mini can hold: 1G

G4 350 PCI model with 1G processor card and 256K* RAM: $470
G4 350 AGP model with 1G processor card and 256K* RAM: $475
*Total RAM in your machine: 832K
Number of RAM slots in a G4 PCI or AGP model: 4
Maximum RAM a G4 PCI or AGP can hold: 2G

Being smarter about Macs than your entire IT department: priceless

Sources: Apple.com and OtherWorld Computing.com

:headbang:
rocknation

[bullimiami]

11. youre stuck with the graphics

and basically stuck with however it comes. no bigger drives, nothing.

as far as sending it back. typically when a mac is out of warranty, almost anything that breaks is as or more expensive than a new one by that time.

i agree that for a designer a desktop unit is the way to go.

[justiceischeap]

12. Just wanted to report that I have successfully "UNSOLD" the mini

It was a week long battle, they think I'm wrong but I'm getting the processor upgrade. Let's hope it doesn't bite me in the ass!

Thanks all!

[Poiuyt]

13. How much of a processor do you want?

Be aware that not all older G4's can take a dual processor upgrade. I wanted to put a dual in my G4 because I work in video editing. I discovered that there are some G4's that will not take upgrades past a certain point. I did put a 1ghz processor in it, but I wasn't really happy until last year when I got a dual G5. I know that's not in the cards for you this year, but just be careful that the upgrade you buy is compatible with your computer.

[rocktivity]

14. As Howard Dean would say, "YEEEEEAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

They think you're wrong (because a Mac Mini is so "cute?" Because it costs "only" five hundred dollars?), but you're the one who actually KNOWS something about the machine and uses it, LOL! Congrats--and I hope you can get that extra 256K RAM chip!

:headbang:
rocknation