[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by satan's_valet

Jaggu, A noob question. I have been using my MBP for over 2 years now and it has a 256GB hard disk. What you have mentioned here, is that a HD swap or adding an additional disk to the existing setup?

What i did was replace the old HDD with SDD, check the video for details.

If you want to retain both then you will have to remove the cd drive and get a attachment that will hold the additional HDD there. For me CD drive was more important so i did not follow through on that idea.

[dumdum]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

What i did was replace the old HDD with SDD, check the video for details.

If you want to retain both then you will have to remove the cd drive and get a attachment that will hold the additional HDD there. For me CD drive was more important so i did not follow through on that idea.

Considering that Jaggu's MBP has a 256 GB drive, in all likelihood it already is an SSD. Innit?

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by dumdum

Considering that Jaggu's MBP has a 256 GB drive, in all likelihood it already is an SSD. Innit?

No mine was HDD and i made it SSD.

[dumdum]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

No mine was HDD and i made it SSD.

Sorry, I meant Satan_Valet's... not you. You clearly did state that you changed your HDD to SSD. My bad.

[abs182]

I need advice from fellow Mac users. I want to get my first Mac just for a different experience and to try a different OS. But he Mac line up and its pricing in the India is a case of marketing genius because I am totally confused. I looked at the MBA 13 inch, Mac mini and iMac entry level models and they all are speced similarly i.e. with 1.4 processor and 4 GB RAM. I find them to be not enough as far a 'future proofing' is concerned and hence am confused. Another big confusion is that I'm a desktop person but am willing to go Laptop just to get my 1st experience with the Mac OS. So I need suggestions what is the best way out. I will us the computer for normal web surfing, word processing, youtubing and watching a lot of Videos of an External HDD. A big consideration would be for the computer to at least serve me for 5 years as that's what my record been for all my PCs. On phones I strictly prefer the Androids and hence don't think I'll shift to Iphones even in the future. Though I'm a regular Ipad user.

I'm super confused and hence need as much help as I can. Here is my shortlist:

1.) MacBook Air 13 inch - 128 GB
2.) MacBook Pro 13 Inch - 128 GB with Retina display
3.) Mac Mini 2.6 GHz processor: The Apple store guy was very discouraging for this saying I wont be getting the total Mac experience if I stick with by age old monitor, Keyboard and mouse.
4.) I am not sure if I want to go for the middle specs iMac.

Plus all these are just dual core processors and hence I need help because I can easily get a PC with quad core and be ok for atleast another 5+ years.

Thanks in advance for all the possible suggestions.

[Turbanator]

You have not mentioned budget & these things can get fairly expensive

Will suggest you to get 13inch - 5th Gen i5 with new force touch trackpad

https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT204352

https://www.apple.com/in/macbook-pro/

If you must need Quad core than probably you will have to go with 15 inch but that will be last Year models probably

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by abs182

I need advice from fellow Mac users.
I will us the computer for normal web surfing, word processing, Youtubing and watching a lot of Videos of an External HDD. A big consideration would be for the computer to at least serve me for 5 years as that's what my record been for all my PCs. On phones I strictly prefer the Androids and hence don't think I'll shift to Iphones even in the future. Though I'm a regular Ipad user.

First and foremost what is your budget?

Desktop or Laptop? you need to make up your mind. And mac mini without rest of hardware like monitor, keyboard will never give you that complete experience. So yes the mac guy is right about it.

Let us know, then can advise better

[Marauder]

Originally Posted by abs182

I need advice from fellow Mac users. I want to get my first Mac just for a different experience and to try a different OS.

I find them to be not enough as far a 'future proofing' is concerned and hence am confused. Another big confusion is that I'm a desktop person but am willing to go Laptop just to get my 1st experience with the Mac OS. So I need suggestions what is the best way out. I will us the computer for normal web surfing, word processing, Youtubing and watching a lot of Videos of an External HDD. A big consideration would be for the computer to at least serve me for 5 years as that's what my record been for all my PCs. On phones I strictly prefer the Androids and hence don't think I'll shift to Iphones even in the future. Though I'm a regular Ipad user.

Considering your usage and requirements, I don't think you should get a Mac. I'd suggest buying a 30K windows laptop or desktop, and installing Linux if you want a new OS experience.
Otherwise, the entry level Macbook Air is one to go for if you really want to experience the Mac OS.

BTW, you would be the ideal user for a Chromebook

Hope I didn't further confuse you.

[abs182]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

First and foremost what is your budget?

Desktop or Laptop? you need to make up your mind. And mac mini without rest of hardware like monitor, keyboard will never give you that complete experience. So yes the mac guy is right about it.

Let us know, then can advise better

I can go till 1 lac. But please do also advise about the longevity of Macs as to how long will they last me. And honestly my lifestyle doesn't call for a laptop strictly but I can live with one if it meets my requirement.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by abs182

But please do also advise about the longevity of Macs as to how long will they last me.

Longevity is generally a non issue with Apple computers. However; to be safe, I still recommend a Apple Care plan before the standard warranty ends. It is not a lot to pay for peace of mind. I say this because if a part were to fail on a Mac, there is no concept of repair and parts are super expensive. Let this not deter you from buying a Mac though.

To give you an idea of life, I know someone who has a 7 year old iMac. It is now retired from use as he upgraded to the latest 27" iMac. In all of seven years, not a single part was replaced and it still works, albeit, a little slow.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by abs182

I can go till 1 lac. But please do also advise about the longevity of Macs as to how long will they last me. And honestly my lifestyle doesn't call for a laptop strictly but I can live with one if it meets my requirement.

Here is my take:

- Is laptop a must? If not I would say Mini is the best option out there.
- A perfect out of the box MAC experience.
- And you save on price. which you can use to get a very decent 24/26 inch monitor, a normal logitech keyboard/mouse.
- To me a MAC experience is not the wow factor of the hardware
- Its the complete all round eco-system that I get for my personal computing requirements out of the box.
- To that extent the Mini fits to my needs perfectly well.
- If you are looking at a laptop, then multiple equations come to the fore: Performance Vs Portability/Basic-functions.
- If performance is needed, you need to look at the Pro series and the 13 inch is a good place to start with.
- If mobility is important, and you don't need the performance, its the Air series is and you can decide on which version you need (11/13 Display etc).

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by ampere

- And you save on price. which you can use to get a very decent 24/26 inch monitor, a normal logitech keyboard/mouse.
- To me a MAC experience is not the wow factor of the hardware

For starters it may not, but soon you will get the itch coming. Mac is about the experience and the whole experience it is! Trust me on this. Without the complete hardware it just isn't... well complete.

Since you have the budget go for the iMac, you are good for next 5-7 years. Do opt for apple care for hardware.

[tilt]

Originally Posted by abs182

*SNIP* they all are speced similarly i.e. with 1.4 processor and 4 GB RAM.

*SNIP*

1.) MacBook Air 13 inch - 128 GB
2.) MacBook Pro 13 Inch - 128 GB with Retina display
3.) Mac Mini 2.6 GHz processor: The Apple store guy was very discouraging for this saying I wont be getting the total Mac experience if I stick with by age old monitor, Keyboard and mouse.
4.) I am not sure if I want to go for the middle specs iMac.

*SNIP*

1. Forget the Air 13". I am not sure if it has a Retina display.
2. 4 Gigs of RAM is way too little to run Yosemite (OS X 10.10) properly. You need a minimum of 8 Gigs of RAM for a decent experience.
3. The Mini is a fantastic machine. It can work with your existing PC display (maybe you might need to buy a dongle to convert Thunderbolt to HDMI tr something)

Originally Posted by Jaggu

*SNIP* And mac mini without rest of hardware like monitor, keyboard will never give you that complete experience. So yes the mac guy is right about it. *SNIP*

I am afraid I have the opposite opinion on this. The Mini as I said earlier is the perfect machine to get the Mac experience. It is cheap, it works beautifully. Get a proper Apple keyboard, do not settle for a PC keyboard. The Apple keyboard has functions that add to the Mac experience.

Just stick with your existing Display or spend the money you save (from buying a Mini vs. a laptop or iMac) on upping the RAM and a new keyboard and maybe a new display. Trust me, it's worth it.

Originally Posted by abs182

*SNIP* But please do also advise about the longevity of Macs as to how long will they last me. And honestly my lifestyle doesn't call for a laptop strictly but I can live with one if it meets my requirement.

My PowerPC Mini (the very first Mini Apple ever introduced) was bought in 2003 and it worked absolutely perfectly (with no loss in speed or anything or any repairs) until a year ago when I sold it to someone who wanted a cheap entry-level Mac.

My first Macbook (the White one, and the first ever MacBook Apple introduced) with a Core Duo processor is still going strong. I bought it in 2006. I still have it and use it in the living room when I am not on my iMac in my "office".

So, you don't have to worry about longevity.

Originally Posted by ampere

*SNIP*

- Is laptop a must? If not I would say Mini is the best option out there.
- A perfect out of the box MAC experience.
- And you save on price. which you can use to get a very decent 24/26 inch monitor, a normal logitech keyboard/mouse.
- To me a MAC experience is not the wow factor of the hardware
- Its the complete all round eco-system that I get for my personal computing requirements out of the box.
- To that extent the Mini fits to my needs perfectly well.
- If you are looking at a laptop, then multiple equations come to the fore: Performance Vs Portability/Basic-functions.
- If performance is needed, you need to look at the Pro series and the 13 inch is a good place to start with.
- If mobility is important, and you don't need the performance, its the Air series is and you can decide on which version you need (11/13 Display etc).

I have nothing to add to Ampere's post. I just wanted to say I completely agree with everything he said except for the suggestion of a Logitech keyboard. Spend the extra and buy an Apple keyboard. You won't be disappointed.

However, like I said, up the RAM to at least 8 gigs.

Cheers and good luck.

[ampere]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

For starters it may not, but soon you will get the itch coming. Mac is about the experience and the whole experience it is! Trust me on this. Without the complete hardware it just isn't... well complete.

If you have the budget, nothing like it. All I meant was I would still go with Mini, just to support my home computing requirements for the basic requirements. No itch for me to upgrade as long as the compute does not falter. I am on my Snow Leopard based white Macbook for the last 8+ years and the Mini for the last 4+.

Originally Posted by tilt

I have nothing to add to Ampere's post. I just wanted to say I completely agree with everything he said except for the suggestion of a Logitech keyboard. Spend the extra and buy an Apple keyboard. You won't be disappointed.

The current Mini I think does not support user RAM upgrade. Its now fused on the board. The point on Logitech keyboard was about the fact that even a cheaper one will work. In my case I multiplex the keyboard between MAC and windows at the same time via a KVM switch. Hence I have no choice but to use a windows compatible keyboard.

[abs182]

Originally Posted by tilt

However, like I said, up the RAM to at least 8 gigs.

Well if 8 GB RAM is must than the choice narrows down to"
1.) MacBook Pro - 13 inch with Retina Display
2.) Mac Mini - 2.6 GHz
3.) iMac- 1.4 GHz

But I need help to ascertain whether 1.4 GHz iMac even if its paired with 8 GB RAM will be enough to 'Future Proof' it. I mean that's what I'm finding confusing because all entry level Macs are for 1.4 GHz. Now being a PC user I know this processor speed will not be enough to last 5+ years but I need help from others whether the Mac OS will at least run respectably on this clock speed after a couple of updates spanning 5 years.