Apple II to PC (Dos - Win7) to iPad 3/Mac Mini

[STL Mark]

Apple II to PC (Dos - Win7) to iPad 3/Mac Mini

It has been awhile but I'm on my way back to Apple where I started in computers. For those of you that have a few gray hairs, what was that Western Union network called that preceded CompuServe as a bulletin board system across the US?

I'm retired now and find my days of fiddling with PCs need to come to a close. My budget will allow me to order a Mac Mini in mid February. My usage will be for web browsing, email, light photo editing (150 pics per year) and entertainment including determining if I can develop iOS apps. I'm considering the below configuration and would appreciate thoughts on if it is overkill or if I'm missing out on a major upgrade that I should consider. My current plan is to purchase from MacMall to avoid tax ($100) and save about $20 in cost. If there is another vendor I should consider please enlighten me.

I would also like suggestions or known limitations for the Parallels Desktop 8 software.

Source MacMall:
Mac Mini 2.3GHz, 4GB, 1 TB Fusion
Apple Wireless Keyboard
Apple Magic Trackpad

Source Amazon:
Corsair 16GB (8GB x 2) PC3 12800 memory

Source InertialDesign:
aTrackt Go! Mk II - Portable Aluminum Tray

[Brendan]

I avoid macmall. I used to use them as a source at work - they never got an order right. I am guessing you would go with them since they had the Fusion option. If you are handy, I would roll your own Fusion drive. You can match the setup Apple provides for about 150 USD (~110 for drive, 35 for data doubler from OWC). For what Apple charges, you could set up Fusion drive with a 256G SSD drive instead of the 128G. You can watch the teardown video at OWC. I have that exact memory. I use Fusion since we run VMWare at work. I use it at work to run various flavors of OSes and browsers for compatibility tests on applications. That keyboard/trackpad holder is a neat idea. Don't forget to consider an external backup drive.

Brendan

[STL Mark]

Thank you for your thoughts. Regarding MacMall, is there another tax free shipping free vendor that carries Fusion Drive minis? I didn't see the fusion models on Amazon. Does MacMall resolve their issues with customers and correct their errors? Didn't know if it was a scam where customer was stuck with what they shipped.

I watched the video and I think the bottom line is, I don't want the responsibility of tearing down the system that far. I built my last two PCs but I think I will pay to avoid the frustration of dealing with that this time. I'll take on the memory challenge for a $200 savings, and leave the drives to you younger folks. Although if the drive dies 5 years from now off warranty I may tackle it instead of throwing the mini in the trash.

Glad to hear you have the same memory I'm considering. Everyone seems to have there favorite vendor but I wanted to avoid any known problems or compatibility issues.

If I decide to run Parallels do I need to have the 2.6 processor?

[Brendan]

[Brendan]

Speaking of Parallels
http://www.mactech.com/2013-01/virtualization-benchmarks

[STL Mark]