[hopes for the future] Mac (mini) questions

[X-Istence]

NickM, photoshop is a memory whore anyways .

Geffy: i work on a lot of Java project using Xcode, in the background i have MSN, Safari, Terminal, Mail, iChat, iTunes and possibly even Handbrake ripping a dvd.

O well, i guess it all depends on what you are used to. I am not used to much at all, considering my last PC was a piece of crap.

 

[Nick M]

Pfft, excuses, excuses! I'm used to 1.5GB of ram, and that Mac has an 1/6 of that! gre:

Really - I realize that PC vs Mac war will wage on forever or perhaps until Gates and Jobs are found in bed together and procreate - an impossible task! Both have their ups and downs - it just seems more or less like common sense to be set with 512 over 256, no matter what you use.

 

[NetRyder]

until Gates and Jobs are found in bed together and procreate - an impossible task!

And the result? A lanky geek with glasses, clad in a black turtleneck and blue jeans, blabbering on about "taste" and "culture."

 

[SPeedY_B]

I mentioned it earlier, but suggestion with regards to ram:

Buy it with the 256mb, it's going to be the cheapest solution completely regardless of how much ram you want in the machine, because buying memory with Mac's is a bad move, costs far too much, putting your own memory in at a later date is by far cheaper, and you're even left with an un-used dimm to eBay and make some money back.

If you feel the 256mb will suffice, you save money. If you want to whore it out and get the 1GB then do so from crucial/wherever and you still save money. I have 2GB in my PowerMac, which in total cost me around the £220 mark, to buy that with the PowerMac would of cost more than £400, plus I have a spare 256mb dimm that came with the machine which I can dump in one of my other machines, or sell on (If I could remember where it is.. )

So yeah, just stick with the 256mb, even if you know you'll need more.

 

[NetRyder]

Buy it with the 256mb, it's going to be the cheapest solution completely regardless of how much ram you want in the machine, because buying memory with Mac's is a bad move, costs far too much, putting your own memory in at a later date is by far cheaper
[...]
So yeah, just stick with the 256mb, even if you know you'll need more.

Agreed. Do as the man says.

 

[X-Istence]

One more thing, the blurb you picked from the article, is correct, it will suck up every bit of memory you have.

But that happens in general FreeBSD as well. Throw 1 GB at it, it will use all 95%, but in all actuallity most is just used for file cache, and if it is inactive, it will still seem like it is used, eventhough the kernel just pre-allocated it for the next big performance hit.

This server osnn has 1024 MB ram, at all times phpSysInfo, top, and all other utilities that tell you the amount of ram that is in use, will tell you that it is at 95% use, making you think that it is not enough, but if you then look carefully at top's output (The one taht comes on Mac OS X is modified), it will say that approx 250 MB is inactive.

So in reality it is not being used. FreeBSD pre-allocates ram, and does not de-allocate, so that the next time something has to go to ram, it can write it without having to allocate it first. Mac OS X does the same.

 

[Glaanieboy]

Gonna do that Thanks for all the replies (and discussion ) guys. The last Mac I have seen running BTW was the G4 iMac (with flatscreen), at the store (back in the days we sold i/eMacs), with 256 MB RAM installed in it. It was running nicely, but I was only playing with the Dock bar and the screensaver settings

 

[Glaanieboy]

One more question:
If I want to connect an USB/Firewire external soundcard for 5.1 DVD experience, what would I need? I have already looked at Creative.com, but all thingies they have are 'Windows compatible', so no Mac support there. Anyone?

 

[SPeedY_B]

http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/SonicaTheater-main-1.html

http://www.griffintechnology.com/products/firewave/index.php

 

[Glaanieboy]

Cool. Thanks SPeedY_B, now I now what to save for next

 

[X-Istence]

Hrm, i like the one from griffin. Might have to get one. At the Apple store they sell one from Bose as well though, dun know