Apple Mac mini MB138LL/A (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought this mini to replace a 1.42 GHz G4 mini that just couldn't handle my 6,000+ pictures in iPhoto anymore. It took 1-2 minutes before I could do anything in iPhoto after I opened it.
When I got this machine, I immediately replaced the two 512 MB sticks with two 1 GB sticks that I bought online for about $35 each (much cheaper than Apple). I also had an existing 200GB external drive which is the same form factor as the mini and sits underneath it in addition to a Belkin USB hub (same form factor as well), since you can never have enough USB 2.0 ports.
The machine is great and much faster than my old Power PC mini. iPhoto opens very quickly and I can immediately browse through all my film rolls, even with other programs, such as Safari and Eudora, running. I am glad I waited until Apple changed from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo, although I am not sure how much difference there is between the newer and older Intel mini.
I also love the included remote for iLife. It's nice to be able to browse through iTunes, iPhoto, etc. without the keyboard/mouse.
There are rumors that Apple will discontinue this little machine soon, but I hope they don't as it is a great buy for anyone who already has a nice monitor/LCD. I would like to get a 24" iMac but they are too expensive and I would much rather just buy a Mac mini and hook it up to a 20" or 24" external LCD since I don't like all-in-one devices (printers or computers).

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A great choice for home computing tasks and creating a digital media hub, Apple's Mac mini desktop PC combines design simplicity with powerful computing resources. Nicely compact at just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches high, the Mac mini offers an affordable avenue to dual-core processing power via the 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and Apple's latest suite of digital media applications--iLife '08. It also comes with the Apple Remote and Front Row media display software, which enables you to easily play your music, enjoy photo slideshows, and watch DVDs, iMovies, music videos and television shows from across the room.
This Mac mini also features 1 GB of installed RAM (with a 2 GB maximum capacity), 80 GB hard drive, a combo DVD-RAM/CD-RW drive for watching DVD movie discs and burning your own mixes to CD, Gigabit Ethernet wired networking and 802.11b/g wireless LAN, and the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system. You'll have to supply your own keyboard, mouse, and display.
Preinstalled with iLife '08 Every Mac mini includes iLife '08, the latest version of Apple's award-winning suite of digital media applications, with major upgrades to iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb, and GarageBand and a completely reinvented iMovie. iPhoto '08 now automatically organizes photo libraries into Events that let you more easily manage your growing photo collections, and iMovie '08 can import video from the latest AVCHD, HDV and DV camcorders, as well as from digital cameras, and displays your entire video library whether it's stored on internal or external drives. Both iPhoto and iMovie integrate seamlessly with the new .Mac Web Gallery, Apple's new service for .Mac members to instantly create and host websites for their photos and videos.
iLife '08 also features iWeb '08, with live web widgets such as Google Maps that let you create even more dynamic websites, and GarageBand '08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun and easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create great sounding songs.
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor The Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 processor has a 1.83 GHz processor speed, fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The Intel Core 2 Duo's 128-bit SSE3 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction to multiple data. And its two execution cores are designed to share resources and conserve power, helping it to achieve higher levels of performance since it uses fewer watts.
Wired and Wireless ConnectivityThe Mac mini gives you plenty of room to grow with four USB 2.0 ports on the back--for connecting devices such as cameras, iPod, printer, camcorder, or keyboard--as well as a FireWire 400 port, which enables super-fast connectivity to hard drives as well as digital video camcorders. Share files around your house with built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet as well as 54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g). The integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity--version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)--allows you to use a wireless keyboard or mouse, and synchronize peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs. Enjoy high-quality sound on almost any speaker system with double-duty analog/digital audio. Record digital and analog sources through audio line in, perfect for your latest podcast in GarageBand.
Graphics and Video The Mac mini has a DVI video output that supports digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels and is compatible with the 20-inch Apple Cinema Display and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display. It also supports coherent digital displays up to 154 MHz, and non-coherent digital displays up to 135 MHz. Using the included VGA video adapter, you can connect to analog displays at a resolution up to 1920 by 1080 pixels. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 64 MB of shared video memory.
Other Features
1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) on two SO-DIMM with a 2 GB maximum capacity
Slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW): reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed, and reads CDs at up to 24x speed
Built-in speaker
Meets ENERGY STAR requirements with maximum continuous power of 110 watts

Included Software Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive; iWork (30-day trial); and Front Row
What's in the Box Mac mini, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation

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Gateway SX2800-07 Desktop PC (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I purchased this computer to act as my second webserver. I've got a Verizon FiOS business account with 35Mbps down/35Mbps up and 13 static IPs. I was going to build a computer myself, and the cost for similar specs to this one came to $650. That's over $100 MORE than what I paid.
The essentials to anyone who is considering buying this computer:
- It has HDMI and VGA ports. Yes, I'm serious. HDMI port on a $500 computer. Amazing.
- It has a quad core Q8300 processor that comes in SLIGHTLY slower than a quad Core i5 750. You could pay the premium to get a Core i5 750, but you would never see the difference.
- On that note, check out the speed of the FSB & memory. 4GB DDR3 @ 1333MHz ... that's simply amazing for this $500 price point.
- 620GB SATA hard drive. If you need more space, you can always get an external firewire, eSATA or usb hard drive and plug it in. Seeing as how I'm using this as a webserver, the space is far more than I would ever need.
- Gigabit ethernet port
- Super tiny, fits basically anywhere. The design was very well thought out, I love it.
Honestly I didn't even boot into Windows 7. I've got Windows 7 on my computer, and I use linux on my webservers. So as soon as I got this computer hooked up, I went straight into the BIOS and tweaked a few settings, then installed linux and completely removed the partition(s) that came on the drive.
I would highly recommend this to anyone who wants a low cost PC that outperforms high cost competitors. It's got EVERYTHING you could want at a price you can afford. And no, I don't work for Gateway.

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Gateway SX2800: Compact Entertainment CenterA third the size of normal desktops yet with full power for entertainment and gaming, the Gateway SX2800-07 desktop fits anywhere. If your available desk space is taken up by a large monitor for your movies and games, you'll appreciate the minimalist design of this compact entertainment center. Burn through the hottest new digital media, content creation and advanced 3D gaming with the breakthrough performance of the Intel Core 2 Quad processor. And the installed 4 GBof memory delivers ultra-fast system response to effortlessly multitask and run the latest multi-threaded applications.
Use the digital device deck, recessed into the SX's top, to hold your MP3 player, camera or other technology. And a photo frame button lets you quickly go through your digital pictures, and an eject button for the optical disk drive makes quick work of switching movies and games. At the bottom front is a multi-in-one media card reader for transferring files from your digital devices, plus USB and audio ports.
While small in size, the Gateway SX is chock full of external ports, including both FireWire and eSATA connections. Enjoy the next generation of video playback with the HDMI output, which allows a single cable to transmit uncompressed high-definition video and audio to your digital TV or capable external monitor.
Pre-installed with the Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium operating system (64-bit version), you'll be able to easily create a home network and share all of your favorite photos, videos, and music. Windows 7 is the easiest, fastest, and most engaging version of Windows yet. Better ways to find and manage files, like Jump Lists and improved taskbar previews, help you speed through everyday tasks. Windows 7 is designed for faster and more reliable performance, so your PC just works the way you want it to.

Key Features
2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Q8300 processor with ultra-fast 1333 MHz front-side bus and 4 MB L2 cache. With four execution cores, the 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q8300 blows through processor-intensive tasks in demanding multitasking environments and makes the most of highly threaded applications. It features hafnium-infused circuitry to reduce electrical current leakage in transistors and help this desktop run cooler. It also features Intel Trusted Execution Technology, which provides hardware-based mechanisms that help protect against software-based attacks and protects the confidentiality and integrity of data stored or created on the client PC.
640 GB SATA hard driveThe Gateway SX desktop PC offers a sleek, compact design that takes up very little desk space.

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