05-07-2013, 07:53 PM
I've mentioned before that my dual core i5 iMac doesn't deliver the performance that I would like. I ordered the SSD startup drive which I'm hoping will make it workable for the next 1-2 years but my mind is on the future.
I see there is a mini with a quad core i7. Would this offer significant speed improvement over my dual core i5 iMac? I'm mostly running handbrake, iTunes, Transmission (torrents), and Parallels. Jacking the memory up and switching to the ssd moves the price to $1500. That's still a grand under the base MacPro. Do you think it would be a significant jump from my iMac? It would be run headless so video performance is of no importance at all.
I'm not going to run out and buy this tomorrow, I'm just trying to learn what my options are for the future. The only other option I can think of would be a mackintosh but I like the form factor of the mini as it would stack with my other two MiniStack's from OWC.
Last, since all of my peripherals are firewire 800 I assume I would need a thunderbolt to firewire converter hub? That's another pretty expensive item but it may be cheaper in the timeframe that I'm considering.
I re-injured my back yesterday so if I'm rambling please give consideration to the medication I have to take.
I see there is a mini with a quad core i7. Would this offer significant speed improvement over my dual core i5 iMac? I'm mostly running handbrake, iTunes, Transmission (torrents), and Parallels. Jacking the memory up and switching to the ssd moves the price to $1500. That's still a grand under the base MacPro. Do you think it would be a significant jump from my iMac? It would be run headless so video performance is of no importance at all.
I'm not going to run out and buy this tomorrow, I'm just trying to learn what my options are for the future. The only other option I can think of would be a mackintosh but I like the form factor of the mini as it would stack with my other two MiniStack's from OWC.
Last, since all of my peripherals are firewire 800 I assume I would need a thunderbolt to firewire converter hub? That's another pretty expensive item but it may be cheaper in the timeframe that I'm considering.
I re-injured my back yesterday so if I'm rambling please give consideration to the medication I have to take.