The Best Mac Value?

If you’re a current Windows user who’s been intrigued at all by all the press Apple’s getting, then you probably know about the Mac mini, the lowest price new Mac you can buy. A 1.25 Ghz G4 powered model with 256MB RAM, a 40GB hard drive, a combo (DVD reader/CD-RW burner) drive, a 56K modem, one 10/100 Base T Ethernet port, one Firewire 400 port, and two USB 2.0 ports will run you $499. The slightly faster 1.42 GHz version with an 80GB hard drive costs $100 more. Not bad. I’m tempted to buy one just to see what we can do with it. Some people are using them as servers, putting them in the kitchen to track recipes and check e-mail, or using them in their cars.

But are they the best Mac value? It’s all dependent on what’s important to you.

A refurbished 1.25 GHz eMac with 256MB RAM, a 40 GB hard drive, a combo drive, two Firewire 400 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, a modem, and one 10/100 base T Ethernet port will put you back $650. For the extra $150, you get a 17 inch CRT screen, an extra Firewire 400 port, one extra USB 2.0 port, and the ability to easily upgrade the memory and add an Airport card. Making the same upgrades to the mini requires prying the machine open, risking the machine’s health and its warranty. And the eMac will certainly outperform a mini running the same speed processor.

If you already have a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse; you want to drive a bigger-than-17-inch screen; or you want a super-portable desktop, then a mini makes sense. If you want to give Apple a shot but don’t have any of that, travel over to the nearest Apple Store, MicroCenter, CompUSA, or Fry’s, and take a look at an eMac. If you think you might like it, then prowl the Apple Store website’s refurbished section (e.g., “Apple Certified”—look for the red “SALE” label) and pounce on the eMac of your choice. You’ll get the same one year warranty you would if you bought one new.