Mac Mini vs Custom PC desktop?

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mshannonjr7

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Jun 10, 2013
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I am looking to buy either a Mac Mini or build my own gaming pc. I really only play TF2, LoL, and Minecraft. I'm pretty sure that TF2 is on steam for Mac too and LoL and Minecraft are aswell. If I were to build a gaming pc, it would still only have the same i5 processor that's in the Mac Mini. My budget is leff than $700 and I think the mac mini is the better choice. Even if I wanted to play other games that aren't available for the Mac mini, I have an "okay" laptop( Asus k52f core i3 with 8gb ram, runs games at an okay fps, not crysis or skyrim though). Please let me know!
 
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envy14tpe
Mac mini has dual core i5 for $600. Quad core i7 for $800.
Here's a PC that is quad core and will game wayyyy better than the i7 even.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($75.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($139.65 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V /...
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ktolo

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Jul 19, 2012
457
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10,960
I recently built a mini ITX system using a AMD A10 6700.. got 8 GB 2400 MHz RAM (overkill - i'll explain) and housed it all in a (quite) small Silverstone Sugo SG 06 case.
It runs Skyrim and 1080p! - No graphics card, just the processor!
I couldn't be happier with it.
It's fast, responsive and does everything i want from it, streaming, gaming, browsing, downloading etc.
My only 1 regret is not going for the 6800k in order to take advantage of my fast RAM. I thought i could use some trickery to get the 6700 running with RAM @ 2144 or higher.. sadly this hasn't worked for me so far.
The whole system cost me less than $600..

 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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If you really want to play PC games then you have to build a desktop. My roommate has the Mac Mini and he uses my computer for gaming (when I let him..hehe). The Mac Mini has only the i5 HD4000 graphics. It's not made for real gaming. Even a $350 pc would play games at much higher settings than a $600 dual core Mac mini.

You gotta decide if you need Mac OS or if you want to game and multitask faster.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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For less than $500 builds (not counting OS) the A10 series is great. As long as you get fast RAM, which you did, and don't add a GPU cuz the A10 has a decent one for 720p and 900p gaming.

However, if the builder is willing to spend $800 then a i5 (quad core) + 7870 can meet his budget and it will smash all games at 1080p.
 
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mshannonjr7

Honorable
Jun 10, 2013
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Like I said, the only games I play on pc are available for Mac. Getting a Mac mini would save me time and hassle of trying to find which parts are better.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

Champion
Mar 3, 2012
9,574
14
56,665
Mac mini has dual core i5 for $600. Quad core i7 for $800.
Here's a PC that is quad core and will game wayyyy better than the i7 even.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H77M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($75.66 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($139.65 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill CHALLENGER ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $605.25
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-12 04:24 EDT-0400)
 
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