I've had my Mackie CR1604 VLZ since the 90's.  The pre's are very quiet and it is a very flexible board.  Also, go with a four buss board.

i've always had good luck with Mackie boards, and i used to use a small one (1202VLZ) for routing into my audio card. but once i got 4 inputs and real-time monitoring within the interface (saffire pro le) i stopped using it. i didn't want any unnecessary noise in the recording chain, and the pre's are supposed to be better than a standard mixing board.
 
i would bet that sound-wise, either one is going to be OK. i would look at warranty and features since both will probably be equally transparent (i.e., not-quite transparent, but in different ways). since you are not using outboard/internal FX, i would look at the manuals to see which one has better routing/monitoring options. for example, i would want a board where i can route individual channels out to an audio interface per channel (i believe Mackie boards have a half-insert option for this), multiple monitor mixes, and more busses.

I love my Panasonic DA7 the same as I love my 98 Volvo.
But, I never know if today is the day they don't work anymore.
 
Another vote for the Mackie 1202VLZ even though it's small. And, not so much the 1604.
To me, the pre's in the 1202 sound great.

quantumeffect
I've had my Mackie CR1604 VLZ since the 90's.  The pre's are very quiet and it is a very flexible board.  Also, go with a four buss board.

Yep - it's primarily their bussing structures that narrowed my choice down to these 2

Hi Bristol. I have just download the manual and had a look at the Yamaha mixer. (I assume you are not getting the USB model)
 
Couple of things. The 4 group outs will be handy for routing inputs to your audio interface. Also note that the insert points are after the compressor and EQ so if you use those for any recording duties they have to be factored in.
 
There are plenty of sends too for also feeding your audio interface. (They too are post EQ and compressor) You could also use the insert returns for connecting a high level input such a synth (OdBu) and patch/record that direct to a group or send. The advantage of this is that the insert returns do not go through any pre amp gain, compression or EQ. You will get the most pure sound that way. For some synths that can be desirable.

Hi Jeff!
 
Thanks for taking the time & trouble to do this for me.
 
Interesting set of routing options they've built into this little desk. Like I said, it's the 4-buss option that has me nearly sold on this one, but the other options might well be what swings it!
 
Thanks again mate.

A note about the Yamaha's simple compressor. Waste of time. I have tried it on a few different situations and find it next to useless. 
If I dial it in on my vocals, they just seem to get louder? It does not prevent an over???
On bass it trashes the sound into nasty distorted grunge. 
It does nothing for acoustic guitar, One would think you got a little sustain like with a Boss Pedal, nope.
 
So do not buy a Yamaha thinking your getting a handy dandy compressor too. 
 
I'm not sure if mine is broken or just a bad design. I would have expected better from Yamaha. 
They also built a similar compressor into the Stage Pass PA's which we used the other day. It's just a switch that only seems to give the vocals a boost. If you shout real loud you'll still drive the peak light Red and won't "hear" any compression. So I don't see it's function. One would think it's sole purpose was to prevent an over. All I can figure is it's wired in after the pre amp making it useless. 

Thanks Johnny.
 
To be honest, I'm not really interested in onboard dynamics (or onboard Fx come to that), so although their dubious functionality is a moot point, I don't really want to pay for features that I won't be using.
 
The hunt goes on!!

If you are looking for a "compact" 4-buss (to replace your 8-buss?),  you might also consider a s/h Spirit Folio 4 or Rac Pac.

FYI, Mackie's new VLZ4 have just been announced. 
 
I've been using a little Samson MDR for years - mainly as a patchbay, and sometimes to EQ certain things a bit on the way in. I don't particularly like it and mine is a bit noisy. I've had it for +10 years and never really took good care of it. I don't really need it anymore but I do want outboard EQ so I'm looking for something to replace the Samson and a little mixer is the least expensive option. 
 
Did I mention it was blue and I'm allergic to blue? ;)
 
I've pretty much narrowed it down to Yamaha and Mackie. Or then I'll grab a DBX graphic EQ and be done w/ it. I don't need preamps and effects or any such thing.
 
Anyway, interesting thread.