I'm considering buying a Mac Mini. I just came across VirtualPC 7 which lets you run pc programs on a Mac. Was wondering if anyone has successfuly burned dvd's using VirtualPC and programs like CLonedvd and DvdShrink? Would appreciate some feedback cuz it'll affect my decision on buying the Mac Mini or the newest Emachine that comes with Microsoft Media Center OS.
no never have used it to burn a dvd with, but have used it and it sucks. it is really slow, it needs a minimum of 512 ram, and it isn't worth your time if yuo plan to just use pc software on. the purpose of mac is to get away from the pc platform and never have have to worry about getting viruses and all that bad stuff that pc's get. i say get the Emachine if you want to be in a pc world or get a mac if you want to be safe from viruses, easy to use, and have a computer that never crashes and is no good;)
ps if you do buy a mac though it can still burn dvds with mac software called mactheripper, DVD2OneX, and toast to burn or disk utility within your mac.
i had a pc.. died.. got a mac mini as you can see by my sig.
i love this thing..
as macman said.. there is a whole way of doing the dvd back up on a mac.
when i had the dell.. using shrink and whatnot.. nothing compares to the quality i get now on mac mini. max out your ram.. its only 1gb.. save some money and just max it out.
just the base 1.42 model is good. upgrade ram.. and just get an external hd.
as for the e-machine.. i dont like pc.. i love mac.
so you know that.
it was about time. i know
"P"ieces O "C"rap get annoying, need to keep getting things for them.. after a while its would've just made more sense to get an imac or powermac...
the new powermac 2.7ghz machines.. 30 in apple cinema displays..
*drooling*
if I decide to buy a mac mini, what upgrades should I get? I found a site called fastmac that does it for a lot less than apple. I'm not sure whether to get 512 or 1 gb of ram. I will primarily burn dvd's and watch videos on it. No games. Also, is the stock hard drive ok or do I need something faster?
i checked that site out.. fastmac.
they look good.. i'm not sure about having a bigger hd put into it.
sometimes other hard drives may not work in the mini. the mini is very picky as the imac. the hard drive may give you some issues.. i suggest getting the 80gb and then getting an external hd on firewire.
as far as the superdrive..
i'm kinda torn with this one..
the drive they put it in is nice.. but check with them what mana. that is. i'd get the external lacie.. i'd rather have the option on using it on another machine as well.
here's the thing that trips me out...
that superdrive bundle is another 149.00.
then they charge you $99 for install and i guess shipping.
they give you the option of putting in there yourself.
saves you the install fee.. but you know what?
the mac mini is NOT USER INSTALLABLE.
you will need extra parts to do this. and apple will not sell it to you. and even if you have fastmac do it. they will charge you.. with install.. something like $250. the upgrade on ram is another $129 plus install. $99.
you get this..
Lacie LightScribe 16x FireWire & USB 2.0 DVD±RW Dual Layer
i chose the 594 model.. but that's just to show you the add-ons
ok.. some quick math
fastmac:
594 - mac mini
150 - superdrive bundle
99 - install -- *a must. u will need to take this 2 apple 2 install
30 - rounded off shipping
149 - "superdrive" upgrade
129 - ram
99 - ram install fee - way too damn much!
$1100 - with everything.
macmall:
594 - mac mini
30 - rounded off shipping
159 - lacie burner
140 - 1gb - ram
39.99 - install fee for ram
$962.99 - total
that's the basic rundown.. i know macmall charges more for the ram. but like i said.. you will not able to install anything into the machine yourself. and 99 install fee for ram is ridiculous. and macmall has free ground shipping. all them install fees are too much. that's really what it boils down to.. even if they only charge you one install fee it's still more money.
on top of that... depending on what state you're in... they may end up charging you tax. i'm not sure about fastmac. but macmall only charges tax to about 5 different states.
i'm not trying to sell you on macmall. but i'm just showing you that fastmac isnt that good priced.. granted they can install the stuff into your computer but them feesd are just ridiculous.
to answer your question though.
594 model - 1.42ghz, 80gb hard drive
upg. ram to 1gb
external dvd burner.
trust me.. 256mb... or 512mb for that matter will NOT be enough.. what happens.. (i'm sure ppl can back me up on this)
when you put too much stress on your machine with not enough ram.. they will run slow. dont do that to your machine.. not worth it.
stock hard drive is fine.. if you want more room.. you can check out the lacie drives..
ok.. i'm going to stop now.. hope i didnt ramble on for you..
check out other sites.. check out your options.. the big thing is those install fees. think that's it.
i'm out!
p.s: if fastmac is using the "apple superdrive"- those drives dont do dvdr+.. they only do dvdr-.
