Performance of Mac mini vs iMac, Macbook Pro

The dual 1 G mirror door G4 in my office just blew up and I need to get my stuff off the drives and on to another Mac asap. For reasons of economy I'm tempted to go with a Mac mini (I have an unused monitor) but I'm not sure it's powerful enough. I will need it for some light (basically just adjustments and corrections) Photoshop image batch processing of CR2 files from a Canon 40D as well as email, database, web authoring and surfing. I'm also considering iMacs, Macbook Pros. Since I'm not familiar with the performance characteristics of the current crop of Macs I'd appreciate inputs from anyone who is. How would a (possibly beefed-up) Mac mini compare in speed and durability to an in-the- ball-park priced iMac or Macbook Pro. The Mac mini with 7200 rpm HD plus SSD with 8GB (max) RAM, with the SSD set as the boot drive ought to be quite fast, but would it be faster than the other choices, and would it be best bang for buck? Thanks for any insights.

See
For home use would you recommend the new mini server, the plain mini or the imac?
Not entirely the same discussion, but may help you

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How do I connect wirelessly to my new mac mini from my macbook pro

Hi, I've just bought a new mac mini, its connected to my HDTV via the HDMI cable....it is showing as it should on my tv screen....but my question is: how do I connect to the mac mini via my macbook pro? I want to be able to control the mac mini wirelessly from my laptop, as the mac mini is going to essentially run my home theatre.
Thanks in advance
Matt

Use Remote Desktop
https://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/
or by screen sharing
http://macs.about.com/od/usingyourmac/qt/Mac-Screen-Sharing.htm

No coverlow on iTunes 11, ugly and cheap feeling i phone 5 way to go apple i think samsung here i come have ipad mini,ipad4,iMac,macbook pro please dont mess theose up as well

no coverlow on iTunes 11, ugly and cheap feeling i phone 5 way to go apple i think samsung here i come have ipad mini,ipad4,iMac,macbook pro please dont mess theose up as well

Yeah . iTunes 11 is so ugly .

Running Mac Mini with a MacBook Pro?

Is it possible to run a Mac Mini using a MacBook Pro keyboard and display? Essentially using the keyboard and display of the MacBook to run the Mini as a normal desktop setup? I would be looking to use the Mini in Boot camp mode to run Windows and do not want to install Windows on my MacBook. Thanks for any tips.

You can remotely control most computers via software (generically) called VNC (Virtual Network Computing). The connection between the computers would preferably be via an ethernet cable.
While this can be easily set up in a Leopard-to-Leopard environment (in Leopard it is called "screen sharing"), it should also be possible in a Leopard (or Tiger) to Windows environment.
Using VNC, you should not expect the remote computer to be as responsive as using a real keyboard, mouse, and monitor directly connected to it.
You will also (temporarily) need a real keyboard, mouse, and monitor to configure the Mini initially.

Syncing an Mac Mini with a Macbook Pro Over Wifi

I'm setting up my new office and I've got a Mac Mini I've had for several years and a Macbook Pro that I use at home. I travel quite a bit and it would be really nice to have my Mac Mini and my Macbook synced.
I'd like to work all day on my Mac Mini, then when I get home, be able to experience the exact same desktop on my Macbook as I had on my Mac Mini.
Is there a way to get the two syncing to the same backup? That way if I edit a document at the office, I can back the computer up, go home, sync my Macbook and continue working on that same document. I could then back it up and in the morning, again continue my work on the Mac Mini.
Currently I'm taking my Macbook Pro back and forth. It's really getting worn out with all the travel.

Use SugarSync (you can sync any folders, or all of them)

Please help me decide on a Mac mini server or MacBook Pro i7 for Logic

Hi folks,
I've really taxed my brain trying to figure out what's the smartest way to go. I'd love to know what any of you think I should do.
My current setup:
2007 MacBook Pro 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo
2GB Ram
FSB 667 MHz
M-Audio ProFire 610
WD-Passport external drive for samples and audio files
Logic 8 (looking to upgrade to 9)
Record 1.5
Various AU plugins including Omnisphere, Miroslav Philharmonic, Amplitude 2, FM-8, BFD 2 and Korg Legacy Analogue
Final Cut Studio (latest version) for modest HD editing but sometimes multiclips as well
I tend to use lots of tracks - around 10 vocals, 4 guitars and lots of software instruments.
As you can imagine, Omnisphere runs like a dog past 2 instances and BFD practically makes everything grind to a halt.
Since going to Record 1.5, rewiring also seems to be unusably slow.
I'd love a new iMac or Mac Pro but I make several plane journeys to visit my Mum in another country. My solution has to be mobile, although I have got monitors, a keyboard and mouse that I can use at my Mum's.
As far as I can see, there are 2 options:
1
A new MacBook Pro 2.66 Ghz i7
2
A Mac Mini Server 2.66 Ghz Core 2 Duo
Physically, the Mac Mini is the better option:
- much lighter in my hand luggage so I could take it in addition to my existing MacBook Pro.
- more USB ports
My worries with getting a Mac Mini are:
- Is it powerful enough or at least significantly better than my MacBook Pro?
- Will it run the latest version of Final Cut Studio (a little off-topic, I know but I couldn't seem to find any straight answers elsewhere).
- Is it noisy when under a heavy workload?
- There is no Superdrive so can I use my MacBook Pro to install the software DVDs across a network?
Thanks for reading this. Let me know what you think.
Kind regards,
Steve

The mini will be about as powerful as your current MBP. You could have more RAM in the mini, 2 GB is certainly not enough for any serious work.
People on this list were initially(LP 9.0.0) underwhelmed by the MBP i7 dual core, it is a step up from your older MBP, but don't expect miracles. Get lots of RAM/a SSD for optimum performance.
9.1.3 may have improved performance, not sure,
Fast and relatively cheap: iMac i7 quad core. Not very portable, though.
Not ideal either is your M-audio interface, its drivers are below par making your Mac sweat more than necessary.
My 2c,
Zip

Can mac mini connect to macbook pro?

can i conncet mac mini to macbook pro?using macbook pro monitor and mac mini hardware?

The only way to do what you want is over a network
using Screen Sharing, Apple Remote Desktop, or
some other VNC client.
There is no other way to use a Macbook Pro as a monitor.

HT4796 Transfer files from older mac mini to new macbook pro: incompatible ports

I have an older Mac Mini with only USB ports. I just bought a MacBook Pro with thunderbolt and USB 3 ports. I need to transfer my data to my new MacBook Pro using the Migration Assistant but the direct connection ports are not compatible. How can I do this?

Use FireWire, Ethernet, or wireless. The first two can be adapted to a Thunderbolt port.
(99278)

Viewing an Mac Mini Via my Macbook Pro

Hi guys
I have a piece of software installed on a mac Mini with NO screen, its running constantly and produces certain reports, is there a way I can access the Mac Mini without having to plug in a screen?
Someone told me I could do it via Bonjour or Share screen?
I currently have the following Equipment: MACBOOK PRO (bought last week) and 5 Mac Minis (again bought Last week)

System prefs > sharing > screen sharing should give you what you want...!
More details here: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?path=Mac/10.5/en/14066.html
Message was edited by: Woggledog

How to transfer iTunes library from Mac Mini to New Macbook Pro?

I have my wife's iPad and iPhone synced to our Mac Mini. I purchased a new Macbook Pro for her. I want to have her iPhone and iPad now sync to the Macbook Pro and not lose any apps or data along the way. Both machines are running iTunes 11.2.1. I have read other tutorials about transfering but they are off old versions of iTunes. The new iTunes doesn't allow you to right click the device and "Transfer Purchases" manually any more. I have home share turned on and have already transfered all the music to the new Macbook.
Can someone write up a quick step by step that would allow me to sync to her new Pro without losing her app data and contacts?
I also manually sync devices on all machines instead of auto sync on plugin.
Thanks.

I think the method for transferring libraries hasn't changed since the very first version of iTunes.
Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the option (alt) key (shift on Windows) so you get a prompt to select a library, then guide it to the 'iTunes Library.itl' file in the moved iTunes folder.
If you put the copied iTunes folder in the default location of Macintosh HD > Users > *User Name* > Music then you don't even need to start with the option key held down, iTunes will automatically look for it there. (Make sure there isn't anything already in the iTunes folder there that you want to keep since you will be replacing it with the one you are moving.)

I want to migrate from using 2 computers (a mac mini and a macbook pro) to only the macbook

I currently use both a MacMini at home and a MacBook Pro while I'm on the road.
My email is sync'd via Google Mail, but I have photo's and documents (for my projects) that are not sync'd between the two computers.
I use Time Machine with difference external drives to backup each computer.
I would like to migrate to using only the MacBook but I need to make sure that both machines are sync'd and my photo's and documents are the same on both.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
The Mac Mini is running OSX 10.7.5 and the Mac Book is runing OSX 10.8.3
Thanks in advance
S4Ducati

You could try using sync/backup software that could do that automatically. You have several from which to choose that might work best:
Suggested Backup Software
1. Carbon Copy Cloner
2. Data Backup
3. Deja Vu
4. SuperDuper!
5. Synk Pro
6. Tri-Backup
7. Sync Folders Pro 2.9.3
8. Folder Sync v1.4.4
9. SyncTwoFolders 1.8.4
Others may be found at VersionTracker or MacUpdate.
Visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on backup and restore. Also read How to Back Up and Restore Your Files.

Transferring from Mac mini (Bootcamp) to Macbook Pro

I purchased a Mac mini earlier this year, and while it is an amazing machine, I think a Macbook is something I will need at the moment as I am traveling a bit. Now my issue is that I run windows via Bootcamp on my Mac mini and would still like to do so on a Macbook. How difficult is it to transfer from one to the other? I imagine that the Mountain Lion OS makes it easy to do so, but I want to make sure. I also don't want to lose the $200 that I spent on the Windows 7 key.
(I would like to mention that I am not worried about losing any data on Mountain Lion OS as everything is on some sort of cloud, same is to say for the Windows side.)

See if this can help: http://twocanoes.com/winclone/
(Note: Only for NTFS, if your BooCamp partition is FAT32, this will not work)
Boot Camp to Image to Boot Camp
The most common imaging scenario is to create a Winclone image of Boot Camp as part of a backup strategy or to use as a source for Boot Camp migration. This scenario is a two-step operation.
First, select the Boot Camp partition in the Sources column, then select Save Image in the Destination window, then click the Save Image... button.
After creating the image, it may be restored to Boot Camp, shared on the network to restore to other Mac hosts, copied as a file to another Mac to migrate Boot Camp or deployed to multiple remote Mac systems using mass deployment applications.

Not able to browse my mac mini since my macbook pro is upgraded to mountain lion

I have a macmini (running Lion with all updates) and a macbook pro(with Mountain lion all updates) connected to my home network (wifi)
A few weeks ago I had macmini(Lion) and macbook pro had Snow leopard. I enabled file sharing between these two computers and
I could browse these computers from one another via Finder.
Since I upgraded macbook pro to Mountain lion, though I get the foreign computer icon in Finder, I can not browse one from another.
I click on the foreign computer icon, but nothing happens and it reports connection failed. Note there was no password change or
any other configuration change in between.
Have you seen this problem? Is this a bug introduced via Mountain Lion ? Anyone has any fix ?

For who ever is struggling with this issue - following is helpful
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3213194?start=0&tstart=0
http://www.macworld.com/article/1164672/bugs_and_fixes_solving_a_strange_file_sh aring_error.html

Mac Mini vs. iMac vs Macbook Pro

We are trying to replace our MacBook Pro that was recently stolen, and I am having trouble deciding what the best option would be for us between the following:
purchase a new Macbook Pro to replace the one that was stolen
purchase a Mac Mini to use with an external monitor AND a macbook air for portable use
purchase an iMac and a macbook air for portable use
I am a writer, and I use our computer for writing, editing, photo editing, etc (using photoshop)
We also use our computer frequently for watching movies and video.
I like the idea of getting the Mac Mini and the Macbook Air but am worried about the processing speed in the Air being able to keep up with lots of video watching... any thoughts?

Every one of these models will be fine for watching video, the MB Air included.
If you consistently use Photoshop, then I'd lean toward an iMac, MBP or Mac Mini, in every case with at least 8GB RAM, preferably 16GB.

Getting error "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer." on mac mini and imac but it works on old macbook pro

Please help! My hard drives work on all other computers except new imac and macmini.

Both the mac mini and imac do not have cd drives. The trouble is why should I repair the external HDs when they work fine on other computers? I'm running OS X 10.8.4. I feel like its an OS X problem but I cant say. I will try the suggestion but I absolutely cannot reformat these drives right now becuae it would be way too time consuming to recover all the files on them

Performance of Mac mini vs iMac, Macbook Pro

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