by James Klann  |    James@fndtn.com

A couple weeks back Apple went about upgrading their entire line of desktop machines. The Mac Mini,  iMac, and MacPros all received significant hardware upgrades that may make it worth your time and hard earned money to junk the old machine and start 2009 with a bigger, better, faster  and dare we say sexier Mac.

Mac Mini:  The processor has been upgraded to 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. Its RAM capacity has been bumped up to a healthy 4 GB. The wireless protocol is now 802.11n, instead of the older, slower 802.11g. There is also a beefier video card for the high end model with a respectable 256 MB of RAM. The hard drive, while still only 5400 RPM, has been expanded to either 120 GB or 320 GB, depending on the model you decide to go with.

iMac:  Given the specs on the newer models, it appears Apple is nudging folks to the 24-inch models. There is one single 20-inch version you could purchase, but given the cost difference between the 20-inch and its bigger sisters, it really doesn’t make sense to go that route. The most significant differences between the newer models and the olds, are the processor speeds (up to 3.06 GHz), drive size (anywhere from 320 GB to 1 TB) and the video card (either 256 MB or 512 MB configurations).

MacPro: These now ship in two configurations: the Quad-Core and the 8-Core. Both have the new Intel Nehalem processor, with speeds ranging from 2.26 GHz to 2.93 GHz.  The Nehalem processor is about 15-20% faster than the previous generation and consumes 30% less power, making the new MacPro a pretty mean, green machine. The Quad Core ships with 3GB RAM - upgradable to 8 GB, while the 8-Core ships with 6 GB and is upgradable to an astounding 32 GB.

So there you have it, a quick overview on the new machines Apple released in early March. If, after reading this over, you’re considering investing in a new desktop, feel free to give us a call. We’ll be more than happy to sit down and discuss which machine would best fit your needs.