Imac vs Mac mini which would you get

[elec999]

I am curious to see which intel mac would you guys choose. Imac, or mac mini. Know mac mini uses 2.5 hard drive, sodimm ddram2. Not sure if the Imac uses full size ddr2.
Thanks

[boshi]

Seems this particular forum is going a bit slow. The iMac would be considerably faster for video related applications as it uses a real dedicated videocard, while the mini simply uses the intel onboard video.

[Chr0n1c]

the imac would be a better choice. iirc it also uses sodimms though.

the iMac has: built in iSight, faster HD (7200rpm vs 5400rpm in the mini), 256MB X1600 and the display of course.

I am going to get a mac mini core duo myself with 2Gb. All I play is wow so it is a gamble none the less. It is said iMacs with bootcamp to win xp play games much better than in OSX. The GMA 950 in the mac mini while is a decent onboard chipset, lacks in bandwidth. It is only 10Gbs bandwidth :| and it has 64MB shared vmem.

So if size isn't an issue and the rest sounds good to you, get the iMac. I would get an iMac myself but I can't justify the cost. My mini will come to just under 1K.

[ZX7891]

imo a mac mini would be fun to mess around with...but its your call

[sauria]

I love my new minis

[antipop]

The imac has a faster cpu, hdd and video card.
If you want to game with your mac, go with the imac without any doubt. However if you have already a nice screen and want to use the mac for the daily task (mail, web, music and watching movies) then go with a mini.
In both cases put at least 1gb of ram

[BadlyDrawnBoy]

as said above, id go for the imac. it's easier to add ram, it uses full-size ram, better video card, bigger hard drive, etc.

have fun with either, as they're both good computers.

[Vapor]

I'd get a Mac Mini and put it in my PC case...but if I couldn't put it into my PC case, I'd get an iMac (so, if you're not interested in putting it in your case, just get the iMac.

[ShaneHm2]

what are using this mac for ?

[elec999]

what are using this mac for ?

i like its small design, low power usage, low noise. I dont play games. Therefore I dont need a good video card at all.
Thanks

[^s3]

I have an Intel iMac, and I would definitely suggest the Mini overall, especially if you want to upgrade. The iMac is a pain in the ass to open up, and I'm not sure if it's even worth voiding your warranty with an all-in-one just to upgrade the hard drive... It does have a solid screen, ableit the res could stand to be a little higher [I have the 20in, which has the same max res as the 17in, 1680x1050; I hope they change it to 1920x1200 next time around]. Really, most of what would seem to be "pros" for the iMac turn into cons if you're a hardware enthusiast. I love my iMac, but I definitely like my G5 more, and I think that the option to change certain parts if the need should arise without too much hassle is a a major plus. Go with a Core Solo and upgrade to Merom in July. I definitely plan to get a Mini sooner or later, too. I will say that if you want the complete package, and don't mind any of those things, such as not being able to easily go in and out of the chassis, then I would say look into the 17in iMac [the 20in screen is nice, but you could just as easily get a second 17in monitor with the 17in iMac and have a dual monitor setup with the difference in price]. The price difference does cover the larger HD, as well as the extra 1.7GHz, but I prefer the smaller screen now anyways due to the res stretching.

-- ^s3