- Aug 19, 2001
- 1,628
- 0
- 76
Cliffs:
- Need a new machine that runs OS X stably in the next week or two
- Use it mainly as a desktop
- Planning on getting the rMBP refresh this fall anyway, unless its abysmal
- Would prefer to not overspend for what is sure to be a stopgap machine
- Not too excited to void warrantees to get a SSD into a Mac Mini, but would do it after the warranty period
- Recommendations?
Details:
I still dabble in PC a bit, but my daily machine for the past 2 yrs or so has been my wife's old 2008 Macbook 13" Aluminum unibody (before they renamed it a MBP). I use it as a desktop though- the lid is always closed. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's on its last legs (random restarts, but especially when it's taxed hard enough to get pretty hot). So I need another machine ASAP.
99% of my usage is as a desktop, but for that 1% of the time I'm on the road, I really need to have access to my typical workspace. I can borrow the wife's rMBP, but she wouldn't be super happy.
What I really want is a rMBP 13" with TB3 to an external GPU docking station that can drive a 5k retina display. Clearly that doesn't exist. It sounds like TB3 is a given in this summer/fall's refresh, and maybe I can cobble together a hot-swappable eGPU in the future.
Alternatively, I would like a 27" 5k with TB3 and an easily swappable VESA mount, but that also doesn't exist. (My current LCD is on a VESA arm, and I couldn't go back)
So as a stopgap, I'm stuck. I don't want to spend more than necessary, but I want OS X. A NUC hackintosh is about $580. A miniITX hackintosh is about $600. Are these builds stable enough for work? If not, then I'm looking at a Mac Mini. I would want to buy one that I could repurpose later. So I'd want 16GB of RAM and ideally a PCIe SSD. Those options push me into the $1400-territory. A refurb 8GB/1TB Fusion would give me the option to upgrade to a PCIe SSD later for $850 if I can get over the 8GB RAM thing. Or a new 16GB/mechanical HD would allow me to upgrade to a 2.5" SSD later for $900.
- Need a new machine that runs OS X stably in the next week or two
- Use it mainly as a desktop
- Planning on getting the rMBP refresh this fall anyway, unless its abysmal
- Would prefer to not overspend for what is sure to be a stopgap machine
- Not too excited to void warrantees to get a SSD into a Mac Mini, but would do it after the warranty period
- Recommendations?
Details:
I still dabble in PC a bit, but my daily machine for the past 2 yrs or so has been my wife's old 2008 Macbook 13" Aluminum unibody (before they renamed it a MBP). I use it as a desktop though- the lid is always closed. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's on its last legs (random restarts, but especially when it's taxed hard enough to get pretty hot). So I need another machine ASAP.
99% of my usage is as a desktop, but for that 1% of the time I'm on the road, I really need to have access to my typical workspace. I can borrow the wife's rMBP, but she wouldn't be super happy.
What I really want is a rMBP 13" with TB3 to an external GPU docking station that can drive a 5k retina display. Clearly that doesn't exist. It sounds like TB3 is a given in this summer/fall's refresh, and maybe I can cobble together a hot-swappable eGPU in the future.
Alternatively, I would like a 27" 5k with TB3 and an easily swappable VESA mount, but that also doesn't exist. (My current LCD is on a VESA arm, and I couldn't go back)
So as a stopgap, I'm stuck. I don't want to spend more than necessary, but I want OS X. A NUC hackintosh is about $580. A miniITX hackintosh is about $600. Are these builds stable enough for work? If not, then I'm looking at a Mac Mini. I would want to buy one that I could repurpose later. So I'd want 16GB of RAM and ideally a PCIe SSD. Those options push me into the $1400-territory. A refurb 8GB/1TB Fusion would give me the option to upgrade to a PCIe SSD later for $850 if I can get over the 8GB RAM thing. Or a new 16GB/mechanical HD would allow me to upgrade to a 2.5" SSD later for $900.