# New iMac versus Mac Mini for LR/PS work??



## Roscoe17 (Oct 27, 2012)

I'm considering trading in my PC for a Mac desktop, either a new iMac or a Mac Mini.  The Mini seems to be a better deal but it apparently has a mobile CPU vice a desktop and a weak graphics card with no GPU.  I say apparently because I can't confirm either (but suspect is true).

Will the Mini meet my needs for photo editing?  I don't game or anything like that...Lightroom and Photoshop are my biggest power programs.

Also, does anyone know if I can have Photoshop CS6 on more than one computer (from a single license)?

Thanks


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## Victoria Bampton (Oct 28, 2012)

We've been having the same debate on another forum.  I wouldn't worry too much about the CPU - the geekbench scores show that the new iMacs and Minis are outperforming slightly older Mac Pro's now.  

The graphics comment is true though - the Mini has integrated graphics (Intel HD Graphics 4000, which is very good, as far as integrated graphic go) whereas the iMac has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics processor too.  That one concerns me slightly more, particularly as PS is using the GPU more with each version.  That said, it depends on what your expectations are.  Reports are that CS6 runs nicely on that Intel 4000, although some things are faster with dedicated GPU, so it depends on how important future-proofing is for you, and how fast you actually need it to be.

Yes, you can have CS6 on 2 machines, but they have to be the same platform (either Mac or Windows) unless you're on a cloud subscription.


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## Roscoe17 (Oct 29, 2012)

Thanks!  Future proofing isn't that big a deal in this case...a Mac Mini is way cheaper to replace than a complete iMac.


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