Comments on: two purchases I wish I had waited on but couldn’t http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/ "The art of writing is the art of discovering what you believe."-- Gustave Flaubert Mon, 30 Aug 2010 15:16:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: paul http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/comment-page-1/#comment-12194 paul Sat, 04 Mar 2006 18:21:52 +0000 http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/index.php/archives/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/#comment-12194 The upside to this is that the Intel-based iBook, when it arrives, will crush the one I am using now like a bug. So waiting for that will pay off. June, most likely, December at the latest. The upside to this is that the Intel-based iBook, when it arrives, will crush the one I am using now like a bug. So waiting for that will pay off. June, most likely, December at the latest.

]]> By: paul http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/comment-page-1/#comment-12185 paul Sat, 04 Mar 2006 05:48:25 +0000 http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/index.php/archives/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/#comment-12185 <grumble> so the mini's resale value is . . . . <a href="http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?from=R40&satitle=mac+mini+1.42" rel="nofollow">not all that bad, actually</a>. Perhaps the new Intel ones aren't shipping in quantity yet? If you look over the specs at the Apple Store, the extra ports, a total of 2Gb RAM, and the remote (which I wouldn't necessarily use but hey, you gotta pay for it), there's not much to compare. The new ones are just a whole lot more box for the buck. But the magic $500 price point is a thing of the past . . . So sell the PPC one and get an Intel one in really fast before the prices drop? Or resign yourself to owning two, one of which will always be a lesser version (ideal backup server/file repository, I guess)?</grumble>

so the mini’s resale value is . . . . not all that bad, actually. Perhaps the new Intel ones aren’t shipping in quantity yet?

If you look over the specs at the Apple Store, the extra ports, a total of 2Gb RAM, and the remote (which I wouldn’t necessarily use but hey, you gotta pay for it), there’s not much to compare. The new ones are just a whole lot more box for the buck. But the magic $500 price point is a thing of the past . . .

So sell the PPC one and get an Intel one in really fast before the prices drop? Or resign yourself to owning two, one of which will always be a lesser version (ideal backup server/file repository, I guess)?

]]> By: Mark J. Reed http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/comment-page-1/#comment-12183 Mark J. Reed Sat, 04 Mar 2006 02:26:30 +0000 http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/index.php/archives/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/#comment-12183 Sigh. Just looked at the new Mini specs. The disk is faster (5400rpm vs 4200rpm; 28% faster), it's got a dual-core CPU (optionally, but when I bought this one I got the top-end model) I'm with you. I shoulda waited a year. Sigh. Just looked at the new Mini specs. The disk is faster
(5400rpm vs 4200rpm; 28% faster), it’s got a dual-core CPU
(optionally, but when I bought this one I got the top-end model)
I’m with you. I shoulda waited a year.

]]> By: paul http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/comment-page-1/#comment-12145 paul Thu, 02 Mar 2006 00:21:33 +0000 http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/index.php/archives/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/#comment-12145 I have 2 FireWire disks hooked up to mine, so it would be easy to test this. Yeah, the slow disks are a fetish of Steve's (due to their relative quietness) but it comes at a cost. I recall reading something about buying PowerBooks with optional larger drives and the larger drive being a surprisingly snappy 7200 RPM drive. I considered getting a 7200 drive for my iBook when the disk went south last year, but it was pretty pricey and installation was an addition charge (my days of cracking open these things are behind me: I haven't even been brave enough to crack open my mini). I could see dropping a faster drive in it though: I could swap either the 80 or 120 Gb outboard drive in and use the slow 80 that came with it as a backup (ie, used rarely and non-interactively). I have 2 FireWire disks hooked up to mine, so it would be easy to test this.

Yeah, the slow disks are a fetish of Steve’s (due to their relative quietness) but it comes at a cost. I recall reading something about buying PowerBooks with optional larger drives and the larger drive being a surprisingly snappy 7200 RPM drive. I considered getting a 7200 drive for my iBook when the disk went south last year, but it was pretty pricey and installation was an addition charge (my days of cracking open these things are behind me: I haven’t even been brave enough to crack open my mini).

I could see dropping a faster drive in it though: I could swap either the 80 or 120 Gb outboard drive in and use the slow 80 that came with it as a backup (ie, used rarely and non-interactively).

]]> By: Mark J. Reed http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/comment-page-1/#comment-12138 Mark J. Reed Wed, 01 Mar 2006 14:35:33 +0000 http://www.paulbeard.org/wordpress/index.php/archives/2006/02/28/two-purchases-i-wish-i-had-waited-on-but-couldnt/#comment-12138 My mini has as much RAM as I could get in it; that's not the problem either. Actually, most of the sluggishness is due to the crappy slow internal disk. I've heard, but not yet tried for myself, that if you install a speedy external Firewire disk and move the OS to it, you'll see a significant increase in performance. My mini has as much RAM as I could get in it; that’s not the problem either. Actually, most of the sluggishness is due to the crappy slow internal disk. I’ve heard, but not yet tried for myself, that if you install a speedy external Firewire disk and move the OS to it, you’ll see a significant increase in performance.

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