How does the 1.83 model stack up?

Question

My uni has made it clear i need to be mobile and i need a powerful machine, hence my machine has to be a MacBook Pro not a Mac Pro. However i still miss having a real display and keyboard and mouse and would still want a desktop at home as i dont enjoy disconnecting and reconnecting cables anytime i leave or get back from school.
Can't get an iMac as im not a fan of the limited adjustability of the screen and i already own a Dell display which i love.
Sooo, i'm considering getting a meaty mini (1.83/2GB/120GB HDD) to serve as a desktop/backup system i can use when i get home. I was hoping Apple would allow a 2.0GHz chip but this didnt happen.
My question is this, what do you guys think of the 1.83 GHz Mini is it quick or somewhat lagging compared to a 2.16 processor i.e would i get a major performance hit when swithing between both systems. I view HD (720p) vids alot and do alot of multitasking in my leisure time. I know my major work will still be on the MBP but dont want the mini to be a major slouch either. Any thoughts

Answer 1

In terms of sheer power, the 1.83 mini has pretty much the same performance as the original dual processor G5 power mac - which was (and is still) a remarkably fast system capable of handling very intensive tasks.
Where the mini is let down in comparison is it's lack of internal expandability, and the relatively slow hard drive. These are by now means crippling however, and for many users would barely cause any problems. Expansion in the mini can be adequately catered for by external devices, and the worst aspects of the slower drive are overcome by maxing the RAM at 2Gb in order to reduce the performance hit caused by constant paging.
You WOULD notice the difference between a 1.83 mini and something like a 2.0 Mac Pro, as you would expect, but realistically these differences would not be marked or dramatic unless and until you were involved in complex multitasking involving high volume disk activity or pro-level application use.