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+--- Thread: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code (/showthread.php?tid=205242)
Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - pqrst - 05-24-2017
FYI todays frys promo code has a new 4gb i5 mac mini for $380 before taxes. Not a steal
But decent price. In store only
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - Lew Zealand - 05-24-2017
Factor in $ for the the aftermarket SSD needed to wrangle any decent performance out of it. I use an older, slower Mac for my portable uses (11" 2011 MBA, 4GB) but the SSD makes *all* the difference.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - michaelb - 05-24-2017
I will buy a new mac mini when we get new mac minis, but this has been a very, very long wait.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - jdc - 05-24-2017
Lew Zealand wrote:
Factor in $ for the the aftermarket SSD needed to wrangle any decent performance out of it.
Just a few years ago, no one said boo about not having a SSD or getting decent performance without one.
Easy enough to add one via USB 3.
Id be more put off by the 1.4 GHZ speed and 4 GB of ram, but for many peeps, more than enough.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - pqrst - 05-24-2017
jdc wrote:
[quote=Lew Zealand]
Factor in $ for the the aftermarket SSD needed to wrangle any decent performance out of it.
Just a few years ago, no one said boo about not having a SSD or getting decent performance without one.
Easy enough to add one via USB 3.
Id be more put off by the 1.4 GHZ speed and 4 GB of ram, but for many peeps, more than enough.
I agree. As the lowest cost entry into the Mac OS X world, it is fine for many people. Heck I use a core 2 duo mini for a music server (and occasional ripper using the built in cd drive!) and checkbook program.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - Lew Zealand - 05-24-2017
jdc wrote:
[quote=Lew Zealand]
Factor in $ for the the aftermarket SSD needed to wrangle any decent performance out of it.
Just a few years ago, no one said boo about not having a SSD or getting decent performance without one.
Easy enough to add one via USB 3.
Id be more put off by the 1.4 GHZ speed and 4 GB of ram, but for many peeps, more than enough.
As a counterpoint, I use a 4GB 1.6GHz system, 3 years older but with an SSD, and the performance is great, even when leveraging the SSD when RAM is tight (850EVO sequential R/W speed helps here). It's using 10.11.6 and the available RAM for App use is about 2GB. I wouldn't use it for production work of course but for casual use, it works smoothly.
Another real-world example: I have a 2014 1.4 Mini 4GB 500GB HDD here in by office because it was not up to the task of casual Adobe CC use mixed with the usual email/web use. The user replaced it with a 2014 2.6 Mini 8GB 1TB HDD with no useful improvement. Replacing the HDD with a 750GB Crucial SSD (cloned system HDD-->SSD) made it a great machine for her and I've heard no complaints in the following 5 months. Double RAM and faster processor made a minimal difference, the SSD made it a modern, fast machine.
IMO recent versions of MacOS have removed whatever optimizations were baked in to make HDDs work well. The performance degradation is pretty bad. Or we just don't remember how bad HDDs really were?? No, I don't think that's the case. I have a 2.53 C2D Mini here with a 320GB 7200RPM HDD and it works pretty well with OS 10.9.5. That 1.4 i5 Mini with 10.11.6 and 500GB 5400RPM HDD is very noticeably worse.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - jdc - 05-24-2017
Great info, thanks.
If I got one first thing I would add is the external USB 3 SSD. No brainer.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - AllGold - 05-24-2017
If I got one first thing I would add is the external USB 3 SSD. No brainer.
Call me crazy but I really don't want my boot drive hanging off the machine on a cable.
Re: Mac mini $380 with frys promo code - jdc - 05-24-2017
AllGold wrote:
Call me crazy but I really don't want my boot drive hanging off the machine on a cable.
Crazy.
Why would it matter? 2.5" SSD in a case is about 3/4s the size of an iPhone 5, and weighs nothing. 12" USB cable and done. Or, go with a m.2 drive, cost is about the same, and its even smaller. No power plug, no fan, nuthin but SSD speed.
