Mac Mini

MStele

Senior member
Sep 14, 2009
410
0
0
I'm primarily a Windows user (gotta have the games) but i'm debating on getting a Mac Mini for my day to day stuff and just dedicate my Windows rig to gaming. Does anyone here have any experience with the Mini? Is it a decent machine?

I realize that it primarily uses macbook parts so i'm sure its not the fastest machine around. I'm mainly attracted to its minimalist design and low power usage.

Thanks in advance.
 

lokiju

Lifer
May 29, 2003
18,526
5
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I have one. Not sure what you're looking for as far as input goes but it's small and does the trick.

I dual boot it actually with Win 7 and OSX and have had no issues.

A few nice features are built in wifi and bluetooth. I wish it had more USB ports but a USB hub does the trick.
 

mugs

Lifer
Apr 29, 2003
48,920
46
91
I have one, and I love it. I love that it is tiny, silent, and consumes very ilttle power. It's not the fastest computer, but my last computer was 3 years old so it's good enough for me.

You'll want to put 4 GB of memory in it; paying Apple for that is much more expensive than getting the memory at Newegg. Just make sure you're comfortable with opening the case, because everything is jammed in there like a laptop. The memory is underneath everything, so it takes some time effort to get to it. For me the biggest pain was putting it all back together, because there are some really tiny connectors in there that are difficult to reconnect, and some are in tight spaces. There are videos that show you how to replace the memory. If you're going to replace the hard drive, do it at the same time.
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,134
2,449
126
You're a gamer, the Mac Mini really isn't for you... the integrated video card on those models is still pretty anemic. That said, it's better than the Integrated Intel crap that you get on most laptops.
 

Ka0t1x

Golden Member
Jan 23, 2004
1,724
0
71
I think you misread the post.. any rate..

Mac Mini is great for day-to-day stuff. And for most people, it will actually improve workflow, if you can get accustomed to the OS. Last time I checked the memory is the same price as the upgrade cost.. at least for my MBP, which essentially uses the same memory, except you don't get to keep the stock 2GB.
 

MStele

Senior member
Sep 14, 2009
410
0
0
You're a gamer, the Mac Mini really isn't for you... the integrated video card on those models is still pretty anemic. That said, it's better than the Integrated Intel crap that you get on most laptops.

As I said i would use the mini only for everyday things like web browsing and word processing. For gaming I would continue to use my Windows machine. Thanks for the response though :)
 

tonyyy

Member
Nov 10, 2009
75
0
0
I have a mac mini and I just use it for movies/music/web browsing thats all. Dont expect to run any hard core gaming... it can prolly get by with WOW but don't expect to run high end graphic settings.

for a HTPC it works good but your TV could have some resolutions problems. 1080i doesn't fit to scale on my TV.

also for power it avgs around 30 WATTS
 

KeypoX

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2003
3,655
0
71
As I said i would use the mini only for everyday things like web browsing and word processing. For gaming I would continue to use my Windows machine. Thanks for the response though :)

web browsing, great. Word processing, not so much :(
 

Kadarin

Lifer
Nov 23, 2001
44,296
16
81
I have a Mini hooked up to my tv. I haven't done much with it yet, but using it to play iTunes on my HT with the tv set to display the visualizer at fullscreen is really nice.
 

VinylxScratches

Golden Member
Feb 2, 2009
1,666
0
0
I had a 1.83 GHz Mini with 4GB of Ram and it ran just fine. I wish I kept it. It was great, I used it with Vista for the most part.
 

alm99

Diamond Member
Apr 16, 2000
4,560
0
0
Mac Mini here used mainly as a HTPC. Hooked up to a 37" LCD. Works great. Eye TV installed with an HD Homerun.
 

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,123
12
81
I have a 2.0 ghz version as my main computer at home. I just bought a 1.83 ghz version for my kids. Both have 4 gb RAM, which I think is a must.

I love them. Does what I need (including 2 monitors and Windows(parallels)), is fast enough, small, low power and really pretty.

MotionMan
 

SnottyScotty

Junior Member
Dec 11, 2009
10
0
0
snottyscottysjourney.blogspot.com
My Mac-mini (2 GHz) is what I use for all my day to day stuff. I have Windows XP loaded and when i need to do pc work I reboot using bootcamp.
I bought it last year and for the first few months I had problems with it not sleeping and other times it didn't want to boot up. Apple finally had a firmware update and now it sleeps most of the time I want it to. I do find that it likes to be restarted every couple of weeks.

I use Mac's professionally doing graphics, I haven't tried anything high end on the Mac mini but I don't see speed as being an issue.

The only other issue I've run into is my HP printer/scanner can print but it can't scan in the current OS so when I need to scan I launch windows and do my scan work.