So it's been a bit over 5 years since the Linux box caught fire and I bought the iMac. The hard drive is full, even though all the ripped DVDs are saved to the external drive as are the iTunes videos. It takes a couple minutes to boot, so I assume /etc/rc.config (or whatever the Mac equivalent is) has gotten crufty. And it's so old it can't run the new Oh Sex Mounted Lyin OS. So time to upgrade.

I get a 10% discount on Macs through my employer, which helps... So I started looking a few months ago. I had decided on either a top-end 27" iMac, or a top end Mac Mini with a 27" Thunderbolt Monitor. The latter costs more, but is more flexible. Everything on my current iMac needs to be replaced or upgraded except for the monitor, so Mac Mini+monitor is, long term, less hideously expensive. Still not cheap, however.

But then I got an iPad. And now I fire up the iMac maybe once or twice a week. For most of my, if you will, content consumption needs the iPad is Good Enough. And portable. The iMac is, now, only used for things where I need computing power, or non Apple approved software, and for media management. So I rip DVDs with handbrake, manage ebooks with Calibre, and handle music and other video with iTunes. Do other light computing that a pad can't handle as well, or that I don't want to do on a mobile device, on the iMac.

So I don't really need that big, beautiful monitor, since I will only be looking at the screen for a few hours a week.

The new Mac Mini:

• 2.7 MHz Core i7 processor
• 8 Gb RAM (Only costs about $24 to have Apple upgrade from 4GB)
• 500 GB hard drive.

Costs about $1000, including tax.

Stopped by MicroCenter and got a 24" LG monitor on sale for $150, and a copy of Windows 7 Pro OEM (to install in a VM) for the same. Going to get the Seagate GoFlex 3TB and the Thunderbolt adapter for it, for about $500. Random cables, speakers, other stuff, will probably add another $100 or so.

So around $1750 for the hardware. Not too bad. For a Mac.