Mac Pro? Mac Mini? iMac?

The iMac is good for almost anything, but is not exactly cheap. Its cheaper than the Mac Pro but more expensive than the Mac Mini. The iMac can do all of the following: Gaming, movies, photos, music and any casual things you might want to do like web browsing and word processing.

The iMac, although powerful, may get over-clocked on really CPU and graphic intensive applications. It is also not as fast or powerful as the Mac Pro, but is good for mostly anything a normal Mac user would want to do!

I have one, and its a nice computer if you can afford it! For a single person, or a family computer...

The Mac mini is the most affordable way to get a Mac. If you want a Mac but money is an issue then this may well be the Mac for you. To make the mini even more affordable it doesn't come with a keyboard, mouse or screen. So if you used to own a desktop PC or just have a keyboard, mouse and screen that aren't in use then you just need to buy the mini! Or if you don't, you can pick up some cheap ones from HP/Dell etc...

The Mini is not the most powerful Mac, but it should run fine with most things a normal Mac user would do (on the high end Mini). But if you do hardcore things, or even use things like X Plane, the Mini may lack a little. My 2007 intel iMac with max specs lags on X Plane, so there is a fair chance the mini might too...

So this Mac is good for almost any normal Mac user, and is affordable. (Even more so if you already have a screen, and or keyboard and mouse).

Good luck if you choose a Mac Mini!

The Mac Pro is the Apple desktop powerhouse. It has eight hard drives, and is the most powerful and fastest Apple computer on the market. The upside is that this computer is good for anything you'd ever want to do on a Mac desktop. Of course the downside is that this computer is very expensive. But, if you can afford it you'll find its a great machine!

The Mac Pro can run duel 30" or smaller monitors, so your not just limited to one monitor. This computer can't really be over-clocked unless you use a special program to do it. But there's no point in that is there?

So the Pro is a pricey machine, but well worth the money if you need that sort of speed and power...

Below is a chart of things you may want to do on your Mac, and what Mac desktop(s) are capable of doing it:

Casual Web Browsing: iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro
Word Processing: iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro
Gaming: iMac, Mac Mini (High end version recommended), Mac Pro
Video: iMac, High end Mini for best performance, Mac Pro
Music: iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro
Making Music: iMac, High end mini for best performance, Mac Pro
Graphical Design: iMac(high end), Mac Pro
X Plane/Simulators: High end iMac, Mac Pro
Hardcore Applications: High end iMac (May lack), Mac Pro
Very speed, graphic, and power intensive applications: Mac Pro

Decide which tasks you want your Mac to do, and choose the Mac (on the right of the tasks) that is listed next to every task you want your Mac to do. Generally this is the Mac you need. You can choose a Mac that isn't "as good" for your needs, but it may lack.

Good luck in choosing your Mac desktop, check the Apple website or if your in NZ check totallymac.com for prices. The prices are not listed here because they are changing all the time...