Time To Upgrade The Home "Information Systems". Choices, Choices.

[jyl]

Well, we haven't spent much money on the home IT system in the last several years and it is getting creaky.

Desktop (iMac) is 8+ years old, won't run the current Mac OS, is slow as mud, despite maxing out on RAM and new HDD/ODD. Notebook (MacBook) is 4+ years old, but been used really hard, dropped, etc and is getting very flakey. Bought daughter a netbook (HP Mini) last year but she doesn't like it much as a homework machine.

So, time to get updated. Gonna need a new iMac, repair or replace the MacBook, already bought the wife an iPad as a cheap websurfer and might get one for daughter too.

Turns out kids - my kids anyway - no longer use nor care about running Office. They do everything "in the cloud" with Google Docs. Nor do they care about PC gaming in the classic sense, like I used to. The Wii and online games is their thing. Looks like we're simply going to have one reasonably capable desktop machine w/ a big drive plus a big backup drive and laser printer, a good wireless network (one thing I have kept up-to-date, the WLAN stuff is all "N" even if the clients have been "G"), and then a bunch of $500 web terminals scattered around.

Now I have to think about whether to connect the "computer system" to the "entertainment system"??? We stream music around the main floor using AirPort Expresses, and recently connected the Wii to NetFlix. I see various options for getting the TV "internetted" - AppleTV and the like - but so far don't really see the point of it. Anyone want to make a case for going that route?

I'm interested in other folks' approach to home computing and infotainment. What's your setup and why did you choose it?

[jyl]

Oh, here's the other question.

Instead of a 27" iMac, for about the same price I could get a Mac Mini with dual (non-Apple) monitors. Good idea?

Anyone have any experience with:
- The Mac Mini - is it slow? is the HDD easily upgradeable?
- How well OS X supports spanning the desktop across dual monitors? Does the Dock end up split in the middle, or other irritating problems?
- Will the Mac Mini drive dual monitors okay? I know it will do it, I just don't know how well.

[TheMentat]

I've been running a pc with bluray/hddvd hooked up to my tv for years. If I were to do it now, I'd probably use a Mac mini, provided it can play a bluray

[YTNUKLR]

1) The hard drive (or rather SSD) is the most critical element in the sensation of the speed of a computer, not CPU cache, RAM, or resource-hogging OS's.

2) The monitor is the most critical element for an aesthetically engaging user experience.

My set-up: the latest Mac Mini, 27" Apple Cinema monitor, 64GB Intel X25E SSD (Boot/OSX/Applications drive), 1TB-Firewire800 (media storage) standard HDD hard drive. This is connected to my TV through wireless, although I have not done the appleTV thing and gotten rid of cable (yet). However, I do stream Netflix to the TV.

Mac Mini...$600 (BH Photo Video)
Intel SSD 64GB...$445 (ebay, open box unit)
1TB HDD 7200rpm, Firewire800, $100 (BH Photo Video)
Apple Cinema Display 27"...$1000 (BH Photo Video)
RAM upgrade, (1) 4GB chip...$90 (now 5GB total) (NuRam)

=$2235 total. Fastest, most pleasant-to-use computer I have ever touched.

Although I love this thing, I did it a bit piecemeal. If I had a bit extra $$$ I would now do:
iMac 27" 2.93GHz quad-core i7 processor, with a 1TB drive...$2199
Intel X25E SSD, 64GB, for OSX/boot/applications...may vary up to $6xx.00

You would be absolutely stunned by this machine. No other modifications necessary, you will probably have it for 10+ years.

To answer your specific questions:
1) The standard Mac Mini HDD is a 320GB-5400rpm unit. It makes the computer slow. I couldn't stand the wait for my SSD after I got the computer. The drive is easily upgradable: you will need a Torx-20 driver and a set of allen keys. I obviously changed out mine so I can address the pitfalls if/when you get there.

2) OS X is very nice about spanning dual monitors. You can define which monitor the dock lives on, which monitor is left and which is right, and easily set it up to work seamlessly.

3) The Mac Mini drives dual monitors w/ no problems. Unless you are talking about Gears of War at 30fps or something, which is not what I do.

[GH85Carrera]

I bought a Apple TV setup for my MIL. I don't have one myself as yet. They are just 99 bucks. The part that my MIL will enjoy is a way to display all the photos. She has two grand kids and several great grand kids. She gets photos via email.

Also she can buy or rent movies with iTunes or Netflix. No more trips to the rental store.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

Oh, here's the other question.

Instead of a 27" iMac, for about the same price I could get a Mac Mini with dual (non-Apple) monitors. Good idea?

Anyone have any experience with:
- The Mac Mini - is it slow? is the HDD easily upgradeable?
It's basically a laptop so the typical thing to get it with or upgrade is the 7200 rpm drive.
- How well OS X supports spanning the desktop across dual monitors? Does the Dock end up split in the middle, or other irritating problems?
Run all my boxes Dual headed, no issues.
- Will the Mac Mini drive dual monitors okay? I know it will do it, I just don't know how well.
It'll be fine.

....

[jyl]

Thanks. I have no problem upgrading the HDD and RAM immediately upon purchase.

Can I get some advice on the choice of monitor?

An Apple Cinema Display 27" is $1,000. An AOC 27" widescreen monitor is $250. I could get two of the latter for 1/2 the price of the former.

What is the difference, for a user like me? Not a graphics pro, not a Photoshop user, not a Mac gamer, the kids watch YouTube and Hulu etc on the Mac sometimes, sometimes we rip and play DVDs, otherwise its just email and web and homework.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by jyl

Thanks. I have no problem upgrading the HDD and RAM immediately upon purchase.

Can I get some advice on the choice of monitor?

An Apple Cinema Display 27" is $1,000. An AOC 27" widescreen monitor is $250. I could get two of the latter for 1/2 the price of the former.

What is the difference, for a user like me? Not a graphics pro, not a Photoshop user, not a Mac gamer, the kids watch YouTube and Hulu etc on the Mac sometimes, sometimes we rip and play DVDs, otherwise its just email and web and homework.

I've run all manner of combinations from Cinema Displays to off brand no name 22' stuff that you can from Newegg for $150 per.

The main thing to consider is what max resolution do the monitors support.

Right now my 17" laptop has a 23" Acer as the second monitor. The laptop runs up to 1920 but the Acer only supports 1680. Everything on the Acer is a bit larger so even thought the 17 is smaller it yields more screen real estate.

So unless the bigger monitors support the full resolution of the Minis video card you might be better off with a smaller display with higher resolution.

[stomachmonkey]

You looking at these?

27" - 2770Vh1 - Monitor Display - AOC - North America: U.S.

Those will be nice. Have an Envision at home, it's not a Cinema Display but it's perfectly fine.

[HardDrive]

We not longer have a 'family' computer. We all have MacBooks.

[mikester]

You should outsource all of what you are talking about. It's what all the smart executives are doing.

[jyl]

My reason for keeping a central desktop is for media storage and backup.

I currently have a 500GB drive on the desktop, and am starting to need a 1TB drive. I upgrade the HDD every year or so. It is getting to be a PITA to keep opening up the MacBook and install new HDDs, has been much easier to open the iMac, and will be easier yet to plug in a FW HDD.

As for backup, the MacBook doesn't get backed up consistently, because it's usually not plugged in to an external HDD backup drive. The iMac is backed up automatically 2X day, and the plan is to start backing it up to two different backup HDDs for more redundancy.

I'm wanting to simplify my life, by only needing to "support" (upgrade, backup, maintain) one central machine. The rest of the machines are, hopefully, going to be cheap internet clients (iPads, other tablets, netbooks, etc) that won't need any "support" beyond discard/replace.