Question to the IT, computer savvy crowd here.

[r ! z]

So I am going to buy a new computer soon.

I'll get down to the nitty gritty. I won't be using it for extensive Adobe Photoshop use, I won't be editing videos. I'll be using it not only as the layman's computer (usual web browsing, etc), but I need it for voice recording and editing. Not singing or vocals, but voice oversm podcasts and the like.

Please give me all feed back, I need to make an educated purchase.

For starters I'm looking at the Mac Mini directly from apple, the upgraded version that costs $899:
Hardware
2.6GHz Dual-Core Intel Core i5 (Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz)
8GB 1600MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM
256GB PCIe-based Flash Storage
Intel Iris Graphics
User's Guide (English)
Accessory Kit

and also the Acer Veriton N4620g that costs $549 on Amazon (though it would really be a smidge over $600 since i would need to buy the additional ram to bring it up to 8gb):

Intel Core i3 3227U 1.9 GHz
4 GB DDR3
120 GB Solid-State Drive
Windows 7 Professional


Of course with either purchase, I need to get an LED monitor (price TBD) and a keyboard/mouse, which i found this on amazon, looks like a good deal @ $49
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Wirel...yboard+for+mac


Feedback, please.

[SlySlickSmooth]

As long as you don't intend on playing games, out of those two I would probably just get the Mac.

[r ! z]

As long as you don't intend on playing games, out of those two I would probably just get the Mac.

Also, from what I've read Macs tend to last a lot longer than comparable Windows based PCs.

And no, I do zero gaming.

[r ! z]

Do not pay double the price for an apple if you are doing some basic ****.

HP has one of the best bangs for your buck


They last just fine as long as you take care of them. I.e. don't load it up with a bunch of downloaded **** full of add-ons and spyware.

For what you're doing find something for 499.

What set up do you have?

[ИATAS]

Don't get an iMac mini bro. Like REED said you're paying double just for the Apple brand. Mini's suck ass. Get a PC for that price range you'll get better hardware.

[BodiesInFlight]

I've got a little bit of everything to be honest.

[r ! z]

alright natas & reed.

what would you recommend i get then in that price range? ive been told i can build my own pc for less money, but im not going to be ordering parts and dedicate my time to being a mad scientist lol. something that will be solid out of the box, and preferably with a solid state drive (i have an external drive that i can save a lot of **** to).

[Monaco Slim]

Unless you're really in to the sleek Mac look and the Apple name and can't build your own PC, then I wouldn't bother buying one, they're a rip off compared to building your own far more powerful and cheaper windows PC.

If you want to build your own PC, its not difficult at all. All you need to do is screw the motherboard and power supply in to your computer case, stick all the parts in to the motherboard, plug the parts and the motherboard in to the power supply, turn on the power supply, turn on the computer, install windows and then download and install the graphic and motherboard drivers. Any worries and you can just double check on YouTube.

[Suavecito80]

Do not pay double the price for an apple if you are doing some basic ****.

HP has one of the best bangs for your buck


They last just fine as long as you take care of them. I.e. don't load it up with a bunch of downloaded **** full of add-ons and spyware.

For what you're doing find something for 499.

Pretty much what Reed said. There is no point in shelling out that kind of dough when you can get a comparable laptop at half or even more than half the price. I have a toshiba that is at least five years old. It runs just as good as it did when I bought it.

[ИATAS]

alright natas & reed.

what would you recommend i get then in that price range? ive been told i can build my own pc for less money, but im not going to be ordering parts and dedicate my time to being a mad scientist lol. something that will be solid out of the box, and preferably with a solid state drive (i have an external drive that i can save a lot of **** to).

You're basically just looking for an everyday type of computer right? You don't need some super gaming computer or anything crazy. Don't want to waste time building your own so here:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpa...at212600050008

Take a look at those PC's. Look at the price range (very affordable). They are all very solid. First one listed 8GB Memory - 1TB Hard Drive for $449.99. That's all you need (I would recommend getting Windows 7 though not Windows 8.1 but that's my personal preference until Windows 10 comes out). That link is from best buy. If you like a PC on there, just search for the model on google and you'll probably be able to find even better deals elsewhere.

If you want something a little more heavy duty look here:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpa...at212600050008

Obviously the price goes up but not by much. For example the first HP - ENVY Desktop - Intel Core i5 - 12GB Memory - 2TB Hard Drive for $749.99. Like I said search for that model on google and you can probably find it for cheaper too.