We just bought a Mac Mini. It cost more and supposedly is slower. We bought it because it was the cheapest way to get a Mac desktop. I love my Macbook. Every Windows update tries too hard and end up being clunky and infuriating.
Actually the cheapest way to get to a desktop and a Mac is to buy a used one through
OWC (MacSales), as long as you do not mind running an older OS. I use 10.68 (Snow Leopard) and it does everything I need. They are also the best place to order memory, drives, and other stuff - very good company.