Alright. So, as I said before, I have decided to get the Mac Mini for $799. Now, I have a couple of questions regarding the computer itself, as well as the payment. 01 :: The Mac Mini has a 1.66 GHz Intel Core Duo Processor. Is that fast, slow, or decent? According to the site, all Macs are pretty fast, so I should have nothing to worry about with its performance and speed, but I would like to make sure because my brother has an Intel Processor on his computer (I'm pretty sure it isn't Core Duo or anything) and it's 1.8, and he says 1.66 isn't very fast. So, if anybody has info about that, please tell me. 02 :: The Mac Mini is $799, but I can pay it monthly for $19 bucks a month. If I went with the monthly payments, would it cost interest along with the payment? And here are some other questions. Not exactly necessary, but I would like an answer for those who do live in the United States. 01 :: Where can I get a decently priced keyboard and mouse that are compatible with Macs? 02: Where can I get a decently priced monitor that is compatible with Macs? Thanks.
All 1.66 is telling you is the clock speed. Clock speed, contrary to popular belief is not a good indicator of how fast a processor is. (That's why many AMD chips get performance ratings instead.) The speed of a processor depends mainly on a good balance between clock speed, word size, bus size and architecture. The fact is it's dual core and that in itself means it'll be fast. It's not really $19 per month. That's where they trick you. It's $19 per month if you get the basic system AND set up an Apple Credit Account. It will give you 90 days interest free and then a 13.74% rate which depending on circumstances could rise to 22.74% Can't really answer your other questions. I wouldn't be seen dead using a Mac so i'll be damned if i'm gonna know where to find a good keyboard and mouse for one.
Any keyboard/mouse will work fine. It's just confusing sometimes because the keyboard layout is slightly different, but still works fine.
Honestly, I don't recommend financing anything except a house and a car. It's a really bad idea to get into debt for a computer. But, if you must finance it, get a credit card. You can find several of them with 0% APR (interest) for the first 12 months (I have an HSBC mastercard with that deal, so you may want to check them out). As stated, any keyboard and mouse are compatible with Macs. I have a Logitech S530 cordless keyboard/mouse combo on the way (should be here Tuesday) and it seems like a nice set. It's Mac-specific. White to match the design of Macs, and has Apple keys instead of Windows keys. I played around with the PC equivalent of it at Circuit City and it was very nice. A bit pricey though (cost me $88 and change on Amazon with 2 day shipping) Any DVI or VGA monitor will do. I have a 20" Dell widescreen hooked up to my G5, it works great.
Damn, that looks like a nice set. I didn't know companies actually made Mac-specific sets. Awesome...
Yeah, Logitech was the first. And believe it or not, Microsoft is coming out with a Mac keyboard/mouse set, but the thing that made me choose the Logitech over the MS one is the MS mouse has fewer buttons and it's one of those god awful wavy/curvy keyboards.