Help - Advise needed

[bulldoguk]

Ok i'm in the market for a new computer. I want a new computer to replace my old (PC) one and i've decided on a Mac - which Mac is the question though.
Now price is obviously a factor so I want to keep costs down but get the best I can afford. Been reading a lot on this forum about people should wait until next year before buying a Mac Mini as this current model is a cosmetic upgrade rather than an internal spec upgrade. Although to me (who knows very little) the spec on paper looks very similar to the 13" MacBook Pro and out performs the Air and the MacBook. So is it really such a bad spec for the price?
I will be using the Mac to get back into Music Production and Video. This is my train of thought so far.
Mac Mini - 2.4 Ghz 2GB of Ram Model - ie the cheapest - £599
Then from a third party buy 8Gb of Ram - £130
£200 on a functional monitor, keyboard and mouse.
Total - say £1000 (my budget) we are working in pounds sterling here. But by some comparison the i-Mac and MacBook Pro both start at £1000.
I will be using the computer for some mobile work, i.e djing, vjing and showing film. But I don't see the mini as a problem here as I will just mount it in a flight case and probably buy at a later date when they come slightly more affordable (next year) a touch screen 10 inch battery monitor.

So I suppose I have a few questions that need answering - do i plunge in now and buy a Mac mini, or wait until next year for the next refresh? (Although you can spend your life waiting for the next model and never actually buying anything).
Would the above system i have discribed out proform any other Mac for its price? (Bar the I-Mac as I need it to be semi portable at least)
Should I seriously consider the MacBook Pro 13" for £1000 instead?

[Fox]

The portability is the issue here. Otherwise, for the money, the iMac is by far the best deal because of the faster processor, larger, faster drive and the excellent monitor that come attached. Unfortunately, you're pretty much stuck with the 5200 rpm drive in the current mini unless you're experienced at opening up and changing computer components. It can be done in the new mini (Other World Computing will be coming out with a video on how to do it this week), but it won't be easy. Even with an upgraded drive in the mini, it will still be slower than the iMac, and at any rate, is it really portable? Yes you can move it easily, but you would have to have another monitor wherever you're going to move it to; otherwise it's less portable than an iMac.

But if you truly need portability, I think you're best off with a MacBook Pro. It has good specs but for the drive, but its drive can be easily replaced. Furthermore, if you have need for a larger monitor, you can buy one and hook the MacBook Pro up to it when you're at home. I did this with a PowerBook G4 for awhile, and the combo worked very well. And I've noticed that several grad students at my university do the same thing, using the extra monitor to provide a dual display.
_________________
Mini 1: 2.3 ghz Core i5; 8 gb RAM, Corsair 240gb SSD, 500 gb Seagate XT
Mini 2: 2.26 ghz Core 2 duo, 8 gb RAM, 500 gb Seagate
Also a Cube, 13" MacBook Air, 20" 2.66 ghz iMac & 11.6" Acer 1810TZ running Ubuntu, Mint & openSuse

[bulldoguk]

thanks for the reply Fox. Portability isn't really the big issue here as it will only be once in a blue moon and more often than not I will be hooking the Mac up to a LED T.V or projector when showing film. As for when DJing I'm planning on intergrating the Mini (if I get on) into a rack mount or a flightcase. With an old LED PC monitor on the side for gigs. Don't really like the idea of lugging around the i-Mac. Think it would be harder to transport securely and wouldn't like to see it perched on the edge of a cramped desk.

I think value for money and spec it fore front in my mind. So its a two horse race. Mac mini or MacBook Pro 13" with portability an added bonus rather than the deal breaker.