2009 Macbook Pro C2D 2.66 Ghz or 2011 MacMini i5 2.3?

[johnnyTheMac]

Hello,

 

First off, I would like to apologize in advance if this is the wrong thread to post this in. Anyhow, I am looking to pick up either a MacBook Pro or a MacMini. Here is how it is going to go down:

 

I can trade my Xbox One w/Kinect + $100 for this:

MacBook Pro

Model Identifier: MacbookPro 5,1 - A1286

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 Ghz

STORAGE: 1TB HSSD

L2 CACHE: 6MB

RAM: 4GB 1066 MHz

 

or

 

I can trade a custom PC (i5 4570/8GB 1600 MHz RAM) for this:

MacMini

Model Identifier: MC815LL/A

CPU: i5 2.3 GHz

STORAGE: 500 GB HDD 5400 rpm

RAM: 8GB 1333 MHz

 

I was looking for portability, but it doesn't really matter now. I guess my concern is how much faster will the i5 be compared to the Core 2 Duo. I will be playing no games. It will be strictly used for school and work. The applications that I will be using are Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Garageband.

 

I am stuck because I think that it would be a great straight trade for the custom PC, but I do like the idea of the portability factor with the MacBook.

 

What do you guys think is a better trade/deal?

 

Thank you in advance for your response!

 

Johnny

 

[Katsu-K1L]

Get the mac mini its better.

[terrytek]

Hello,

 

First off, I would like to apologize in advance if this is the wrong thread to post this in. Anyhow, I am looking to pick up either a MacBook Pro or a MacMini. Here is how it is going to go down:

 

I can trade my Xbox One w/Kinect + $100 for this:

MacBook Pro

Model Identifier: MacbookPro 5,1 - A1286

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 2.66 Ghz

STORAGE: 1TB HSSD

L2 CACHE: 6MB

RAM: 4GB 1066 MHz

 

or

 

I can trade a custom PC (i5 4570/8GB 1600 MHz RAM) for this:

MacMini

Model Identifier: MC815LL/A

CPU: i5 2.3 GHz

STORAGE: 500 GB HDD 5400 rpm

RAM: 8GB 1333 MHz

 

I was looking for portability, but it doesn't really matter now. I guess my concern is how much faster will the i5 be compared to the Core 2 Duo. I will be playing no games. It will be strictly used for school and work. The applications that I will be using are Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and Garageband.

 

I am stuck because I think that it would be a great straight trade for the custom PC, but I do like the idea of the portability factor with the MacBook.

 

What do you guys think is a better trade/deal?

 

Thank you in advance for your response!

 

Johnny

If you can upgrade the RAM, maybe go for the Book. If you plan to only use it for school and work, it probably shouldn't be so intensive. If storage is a factor, the Macbook Pro. Plus, portability IMO takes priority over power.

[AMICLG]

Neither are worth it in my opinion as the Macbook is old, pretty slow and severely over priced and the Mac Mini much slower than the PC you have now but if you really want one get the Mac Mini.

[RatedBlam]

Well looking at the specs, this custom PC is the most capable.

But it won't be running garageband. Are OSx only programs the reason for this?

[APrettyCoolWalrus]

Well the mac mini is obviously superior to the 2009 Mac but do you have to sell your custom PC? I mean....that's a bad trade.

[johnnyTheMac]

Thanks for the speedy responses!

 

Well looking at the specs, this custom PC is the most capable.
But it won't be running garageband. Are OSx only programs the reason for this?

 

Yeah, I actually built that custom PC to, how should I say...install the "alternative" to Mac OSX on it. I figured it would serve as my work, school and HTPC machine. However, I soon realized that there are too many kext and driver issues with going that route and I decided to just get the real deal.

 

So, to answer your question, those programs would be the only reason for OSX. I have a gaming rig that I use for everything else, but I really need a Mac for work and especially school.

 

Well the mac mini is obviously superior to the 2009 Mac but do you have to sell your custom PC? I mean....that's a bad trade.

 

Yeah, the only way I am able to even entertain the thought of a Mac, I have to trade or sell the custom PC...or the Xbox One for the MacBook Pro.

[johnnyTheMac]

It's upto you, any choice won't make much of a difference as you are not gaming and probably not video editing. But i would personally go with macbook pro as you would not suffer much loss, you don't game so there is not to be cautious about losing xbox one but pc's are miracle and you already have a decent one.

Here is the thing about the Xbox One...I have a gaming rig and an PS4. I bought the XBOX One for the exclusives, but I figured between the PC and the PS4, I would not really miss the XBOX One too much. I need to get rid of the custom PC or the Xbox. So, I am stuck between the two and how much power and performance I would be sacrificing picking one over the other. How much of a difference is there between the Macbook Pro and the MacMini?

[heavygrounds]

Here is the thing about the Xbox One...I have a gaming rig and an PS4. I bought the XBOX One for the exclusives, but I figured between the PC and the PS4, I would not really miss the XBOX One too much. I need to get rid of the custom PC or the Xbox. So, I am stuck between the two and how much power and performance I would be sacrificing picking one over the other. How much of a difference is there between the Macbook Pro and the MacMini?

In my opinion, since you already have a current gen console (PS4), keep your PC and trade the XBOX for the Macbook. You can always upgrade the ram and swap out the HDD for an SDD in the future, so while it wont be the fastest thing in the world, it should be good enough for web browsing and school/work related stuff. Plus you have the advantage of the macbook being portable. It just doesn't make any sense (at least in my mind) for you to trade a fast PC for a much slower Mac Mini.

 

But then again, that's just my opinion; hope it helps.

[johnnyTheMac]

In my opinion, since you already have a current gen console (PS4), keep your PC and trade the XBOX for the Macbook. You can always upgrade the ram and swap out the HDD for an SDD in the future, so while it wont be the fastest thing in the world, it should be good enough for web browsing and school/work related stuff. Plus you have the advantage of the macbook being portable. It just doesn't make any sense (at least in my mind) for you to trade a fast PC for a much slower Mac Mini.

 

But then again, that's just my opinion; hope it helps.

Thanks!

 

No, that makes sense. I was thinking that I can upgrade the RAM immediately and the storage in the Macbook Pro is a 1TB HSSD (HDD - SSD Hybrid), so it should be pretty fast. 

 

The machine I have at work now is really slow. I need to be able to have many web tabs open, as well as Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver open, and often at the same time. As far as Garageband goes, I will need it for loops, vocals, guitar and bass. I don't see it going over 20-25 tracks at a time. Will that be a problem with the Macbook Pro? Will i experience lag and bad performance based on that info?

[heavygrounds]

Thanks!

 

No, that makes sense. I was thinking that I can upgrade the RAM immediately and the storage in the Macbook Pro is a 1TB HSSD (HDD - SSD Hybrid), so it should be pretty fast. 

 

The machine I have at work now is really slow. I need to be able to have many web tabs open, as well as Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver open, and often at the same time. As far as Garageband goes, I will need it for loops, vocals, guitar and bass. I don't see it going over 20-25 tracks at a time. Will that be a problem with the Macbook Pro? Will i experience lag and bad performance based on that info?

Aside from my main rig I own a 2010 Macbook PRO, with basic specs (4GB of ram, core 2 duo 2.66GHz and a 5400rpm [Worse specs than the 2009 macbook]), yet I can still run photoshop just fine. I tried running Dreamweaver and Photoshop at the same time and it worked fine. Working with Garageband should also be no problem for you, as I can run Ableton Live 9 (a music recording program, however much more CPU intensive than Garageband) on my Mac decently. I kind of lost track of what I'm saying so I'll put it easy, yes, you might experience minor lag at some point, however if you upgrade to 8 gigs of ram, that lag will be minor and will not occur very often.

 

From looking at the specs, the MacBook pro (once upgraded to 8gb of RAM) has slightly better specs than the MAC mini. So there's no reason for going for a Mac Mini as far as I see it.

[johnnyTheMac]

Aside from my main rig I own a 2010 Macbook PRO, with basic specs (4GB of ram, core 2 duo 2.66GHz and a 5400rpm [Worse specs than the 2009 macbook]), yet I can still run photoshop just fine. I tried running Dreamweaver and Photoshop at the same time and it worked fine. Working with Garageband should also be no problem for you, as I can run Ableton Live 9 (a music recording program, however much more CPU intensive than Garageband) on my Mac decently. I kind of lost track of what I'm saying so I'll put it easy, yes, you might experience minor lag at some point, however if you upgrade to 8 gigs of ram, that lag will be minor and will not occur very often.

 

From looking at the specs, the MacBook pro (once upgraded to 8gb of RAM) has slightly better specs than the MAC mini. So there's no reason for going for a Mac Mini as far as I see it.

Thank you for your response.

 

I think I feel better about trading away the XBOX One, rather than the PC. Although, I do know why I feel a little bad about getting rid of the XBOX . I suppose I don't really need it since I have the other gaming devices.

[heavygrounds]

Thank you for your response.

 

I think I feel better about trading away the XBOX One, rather than the PC. Although, I do know why I feel a little bad about getting rid of the XBOX . I suppose I don't really need it since I have the other gaming devices.

You have a great PC, it would be traumatic to trade it for a Mac Mini, at least for me it would 

[johnnyTheMac]

You have a great PC, it would be traumatic to trade it for a Mac Mini, at least for me it would 

Yeah, thinking about it, I don't want to get rid of the PC. It is a pretty powerful little rig. 

[Nuluvius]

Don't do it. Don't be that person who goes and buys a Mac. I will cry  :unsure:

[terrytek]

Don't do it. Don't be that person who goes and buys a Mac. I will cry  :unsure:

I was actually thinking of buying a Mac to do some video and music editing.

[Nuluvius]

I was actually thinking of buying a Mac to do some video and music editing.

 

Noooooooooooooooo! 

[terrytek]

Noooooooooooooooo! 

What? Mac isn't so bad. Once you get over the fact it's overpriced, it's actually decent.

[Nuluvius]

What? Mac isn't so bad. Once you get over the fact it's overpriced, it's actually decent.

 

[heavygrounds]

I was actually thinking of buying a Mac to do some video and music editing.

You can do music and video editing on a PC too..................

[ducecake]

I would say the Mac Mini for sure. It has a much newer processor and the MBP is getting outdated and only has a C2D in it which I think you would not like because it would be slower unless you upgrade the RAM and also the HDD to a SSD. 

[johnnyTheMac]

Thanks for the input!

 

I went ahead and traded my XBOX One for the C2D 2.66 GHz. I didn't see the point in having a PS3, PS4, XBOX One and a gaming PC. So, I got rid of the Xbox. Plus, I didn't want to trade my i5 4570/8GB RAM HTPC for a MacMini. I figured I can use the Core 2 Duo for what I need for the next couple of years. I mean, I am not gaming or benchmarking on it, so I think it will make it that long.

 

So far, the Macbook Pro (C2D) is not bad, at all. It is in really great condition. He upgraded it with a 1TB HDD/SDD Hybrid. I think it will fit my needs nicely for now.