# PC version of Mac Mini?



## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

http://system76.com/index.php/cPath/2_52?osCsid=56c6a04ccc7513e441e0282a106c521f

What do you think?

Well, at least it is not running Windows.


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## Viro (Oct 24, 2006)

Why would you buy such a device? The $599 version costs just as much as the cheapest Mac Mini, but:

- 40 GB hard drive vs Mac Minis 60 GB
- 1.46 GHz Celeron vs 1.66 GHz Core Duo in Mac Mini (huge huge difference!)

Why would you buy that over the Mac Mini? You get inferior specs, lose the ability to run OS X and all its applications. It looks aesthetically worse than the mac Mini too, but that's rather subjective. Since the Intel switch, you can run Windows and Linux pretty painlessly on the Mac Mini too.

Why would you want to buy such a machine?


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## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

Umm... maybe that is the cheapest option if you want to to avoid proprietary software but have no skills to install Linux yourself?? But again if you care so much to avoid proprietary software then you are probably know-how enough to do it yourself anyway.

The CPU did caught me off guard, I have only looked at that^ page.

P.S. Calm down, the why why why why why thing isn't necessary.


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## Viro (Oct 24, 2006)

Dude, you need to calm down. You had more why's in a single sentence than I had in my entire post  .


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## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

Right...


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## nixgeek (Oct 24, 2006)

OK kids...let's keep it nice and friendly in here. 

Personally, I like the machine.  However, it's been done before and people have asked about it, and it's just passed along like any other PC out there.  I would get one, but considering that it's priced just about the same as the Mac mini doesn't make this an attractive solution.  Had it had Windows, I would understand the cost, but Ubuntu?  Maybe the extra cost is going to fund Canonical for developement of Ubuntu?

I've seen others that were cheaper than this and would actually justify buying, especially one without an OS (I wouldn't want to pay the Microsoft Tax anyways ).

Either way, it's too much.  As a matter of fact, AOpen is the company that manufactures the PC....system76 is just using them as an OEM for the hardware.  Here's AOpen's previous model that was around when the G4 Mac minis were available.


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## nixgeek (Oct 24, 2006)

To add, the specs for that $599 price on the system76 solutions are only with the Celeron M, so there's no benefit over the Intel Mac mini which at the very least used to have an Intel Core Solo processor, which still would have been better.  Now that all Intel Mac minis have Core Duo CPUs, that makes it an even better solution.


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## Viro (Oct 24, 2006)

I agree with what you've said, except that you forgot to add the "why why why why why" .


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## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

That AOpen one looks almost identical to the Mac Mini.

But yea, that system76 just have to put Core Duo and 599 that same page, and I did not bother to go into customise... f the false advertising!!!


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## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

Viro said:


> I agree with what you've said, except that you forgot to add the "why why why why why" .


In case you don't understand, the idea is to "not" to do it.


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## nixgeek (Oct 24, 2006)

Sunnz said:


> That AOpen one looks almost identical to the Mac Mini.
> 
> But yea, that system76 just have to put Core Duo and 599 that same page, and I did not bother to go into customise... f the false advertising!!!



It's not false advertising....they never said it was originally the price for a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo.  This isn't any different from when Dell or any other computer manufacturer shows a solution and states "*starting at* <insert-price-here>"  It's a marketing tactic to hook you in.  Once they get you to look at the solutions, they give you the prices for each build.


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## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

It does say 599 then have Core Duo after it... I mean, yea, maybe it is still acceptable if they have at least Centreno/Pentium... but Celeron...


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## nixgeek (Oct 24, 2006)

Sunnz said:


> It does say 599 then have Core Duo after it... I mean, yea, maybe it is still acceptable if they have at least Centreno/Pentium... but Celeron...



You know, you're right.  It says "Intel Core Duo Options".  That's still quite misleading. 

Maybe someone needs to contact them on that?  Or should we just leave it to the BBB?


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## Sunnz (Oct 24, 2006)

Umm... BBB?


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## nixgeek (Oct 24, 2006)

Sorry....Better Business Bureau.  I'm in the US.


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## Viro (Oct 25, 2006)

Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) in the UK. From what I know, the ASA in the UK will come down on them like a ton of bricks if a consumer complained about the misleading prices. They came down hard on Apple for their G5 adverts claiming to be the fastest computer on the planet.


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