Design: We just had to make a quick comparison between these two models because they are currently some of the best-selling desktop models in the market. They also happen to have almost identical price tags, which makes it even easier to make a comparison. Both desktop models currently retails for just around 9 each.
To date, the Mac Mini has remained to be one of the most compact desktop models in the market and the new Apple Mac Mini MC238LL/A is of no exception. It is extremely tiny, measuring at just 6.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches. It also sports a very minimalist look where the only feature that is visible from the front is the DVD slot.
The Gateway SX2802-03 desktop model is also quite compact by normal desktop standards. It is a tower style desktop model and measures at 10.5 x 4 x 12.5 inches. It is by no means as compact as the Mac Mini but still quite small compared to other full-featured laptop.
Specs & Performance: Besides the design, one of the biggest differences between these two desktop models would have to be in its specs. Actually, calling it a big difference would be quite an understatement. The Apple Mac Mini MC238LL/A comes with a 2.26Ghz Core 2 Duo processor, 160GB for storage and 2GB of RAM. The Gateway SX2802-03 desktop on the other hand has the new 2.5Ghz Quad processor, 6GB of RAM and a huge 1TB hard drive (that is 1024GB for storage!).
Although Mac computers and the Mac OS are known to outperform Windows based computers, I highly doubt that the Apple Mac Mini MC238LL/A would outperform the Gateway SX2802-03 considering the big specs difference. Despite its very affordable price, this Gateway model currently has some of the most powerful specs that any consumer desktops can have! So is the Apple desktop model better than the Gateway model? Well, if the design and size of the desktop is more important than computing power and performance, then the Mac Mini may be an appealing choice for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a high-performance desktop with lots of storage and very powerful specs (not to mention great value for money), the Gateway SX2802-03 will be the perfect desktop for you!
