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Mac Mini - Worth Paying for OS X Server?

I am looking for a computer I can put in my family room for my three kids to use (second, fourth, fifth grades).

Primary uses will be homework and pre-teen computer activity.

I have been looking at Mac Minis, as we have moved our laptops over to the Mac platform and we have monitors and keyboards left over from now-retired PCs.

I am interested in opinions on which of the three mini options would make sense for my family:
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-mini

I can locate the computer near our TV, so it could double as an entertainment system as well.

My specific question is whether OS X server is something that is worth buying (the third option has OS X server, while the other two do not) - I have not used it personally and am not clear on the benefits for a home configuration.

My wife does also work from home, so if there are home office benefits to OS X Server we could leverage those for her business. She runs a photography business and tends to have large data management issues due to all of the picture files she deals with.

Any input would be much appreciated.

SOLUTION

Nathan P

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Eoin OSullivan

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Brian Clausen

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Thanks for the feedback.

We have numerous external storage devices on our home network, so we would use an external source for data backup vs needing to go down the raid array path (we have a 4TB and a 2TB external drive already on the local network).

It sounds like I can go for the low-level or mid-level version of the mini and then upgrade to OS X Server if I need to down the road, as the processor and the memory are the same between the $799 and $999 versions.

What is general opinion on spending the extra $200 to go from the $599 processor to the $799 quad-core Intel i7?

Eoin OSullivan

You'll not really see the benefits of the i5 vs i7 processor for normal home/Internet usage. RAM is more important and you can upgrade that yourself afterwards

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Eoin OSullivan

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SOLUTION

strung

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Brian Clausen

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Thanks for all of the feedback. The ability to do the RAM upgrade (and not the processor) makes sense.

I will keep the RAM upgrade option and the OS X Server upgrade option in my back pocket and save the $400 difference between the $599 and $999 versions.

This helped a bunch - thanks guys.

Brian Clausen

ASKER

The base Mac mini has worked out great - I got it at Best Buy for $529 on a Black Friday sale.

So far it has been very popular with the family - although it is getting mostly worked out on Minecraft, YouTube and web browsing. I hope to see it getting some homework action now that school is back in.

Thanks for the input on this one.

Eoin OSullivan

Glad it worked out for you