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Thoughts on the 2011 Mac Mini

Kaido

Kaido

Elite Member & Kitchen Overlord
I've been an avid Mac Mini fan since their initial release and have done a lot of modding and upgrading throughout the years. I posted a little writeup on my new site if you're interested in some of the more technical details on the new model:

http://www.appleknacks.com/archives/25

Some key points that are really interesting:

* $100 less than the previous model (starts at $599 now)
* Available with an i5 or i7 mobile CPU (no cheapo i3's!)
* All chips feature Turbo Boost 2.0 (auto-overclocking) & Hyperthreading (minimum of 4 threads on all models)
* Lion Server gives you the option for Quad-core 2.0GHz (2.9GHz Turbo) i7 CPU with 6MB L3 cache (8 threads in Activity Monitor)
* From what I've read, the Intel HD3000 integrated GPU is a little faster than an Nvidia 8400GS and beats out the Radeon HD 6310
* Optional 256mb Radeon 6630M GPU (50FPS HL2, 60FPS Portal 2 @ 1080p)
* Max 16 Gigs of RAM ($$$ though!)
* Dual 6Gb/s SATA ports = 1000 MB/s of SSD RAID 0

So you can buy a Quad-core Mini (8 cores usable w/ HT) and upgrade it with 16 gigs of RAM and a 1Gb/s SSD array. Yowza! That's a pretty huge performance leap for Apple to make. Also, 1.0TB drives are now available in 9.5mm heights and can fit inside the Minis, so you can pop one (or two!) inside. Western Digital and Samsung both have models out for under $130. Pretty awesome revison overall :thumbsup:
 
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I had a mini a few years ago.... loved it!

I would love a current gen mini but I just can't find a reason to have one 😱.... although it would make a nice HTPC 😀....
 
KH85 said:
I had a mini a few years ago.... loved it!

I would love a current gen mini but I just can't find a reason to have one 😱.... although it would make a nice HTPC 😀....
Click to expand...

Yeah, me too - I actually like the smaller, cuter size of the older models more than the current chassis - it looks like it melted down lower and spread out some 😀

I think it's the perfect HTPC, but since the cheapest is $599...well, that's the price for 2 Hackintosh HTPC's, so it's hard to justify the small size (other than the power savings, but it hurts more to pay more now lol).
 
Also, iFixit has a real nice kit for adding a second hard drive. It's a bit pricey at $70, but they include everything you need. The cheapest dual-drive Mini from Apple is $999, so even at $70 + a second hard drive, you're still saving a ton of money (base model is $599, so that'd be $600 + $70 = $670, plus say a 1.0TB drive for $130 = $800, which is $200 less than Apple charges for more storage!). Here's the link:

http://www.ifixit.com/blog/blog/2011/08/12/mac-mini-dual-hard-drive-kit/
 
I would love to get one as HTPC device but it's just too expensive. With AppleTV and GoogleTV at $99, it's hard to justify spending $700 for this device after adding extra RAM and keyboard.
 
That 2nd drive kit is slick as heck...

Someone needs to make an optical drive that sits underneath the MM that looks like Apple built it that way...
 
Naustica said:
I would love to get one as HTPC device but it's just too expensive. With AppleTV and GoogleTV at $99, it's hard to justify spending $700 for this device after adding extra RAM and keyboard.
Click to expand...

That's really it, especially since you can load up the ATV with XBMC.
 
I have an '09 Mini that I use for HTPC stuff; I'd love to upgrade, but I can't justify it since the current Mini does everything fine already.
 
I just bought a new mini for an HTPC, just the base model, and it's working great.

Got it to replace my apple tv and consolidate everything into one, was tired of switching devices depending on what type of media I was watching and always relying on my laptop in the other room to be on. Now it's all on one machine, and plex makes everything a dream.
 
I just recently purchased the $799 Mac Mini and stuck Lion Server on it. Runs like a champ and it also functions as our HTPC. I am pretty dang close to purchasing that Second hard drive kit from iFixit...has anyone tried it yet?
 
Like others here, I'd love to get a new Mini but my current one does just fine.

It'd be snappier for sure but I don't do much CPU power task with mine.
 
onlyCOpunk said:
I just bought a new mini for an HTPC, just the base model, and it's working great.

Got it to replace my apple tv and consolidate everything into one, was tired of switching devices depending on what type of media I was watching and always relying on my laptop in the other room to be on. Now it's all on one machine, and plex makes everything a dream.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's my issue as well - I have an AppleTV 2, a Roku, a Patriot Box Office, an Asus Oplay, etc. etc. etc. Consolidation ftw!
 
Kaido said:
Yeah, that's my issue as well - I have an AppleTV 2, a Roku, a Patriot Box Office, an Asus Oplay, etc. etc. etc. Consolidation ftw!
Click to expand...

I bought a computer with the intention of turning into HTPC but my AppleTV /w XBMC along with GoogleTV can do just about everything I want. Both devices put together takes up less room than the Mini. Really the only thing missing from AppleTV are Flash and a browser and GoogleTV has that covered. And with GoogleTV I now have kickass wireless keyboard/trackpad for universal remote. All for $200 total.
 
Naustica said:
I bought a computer with the intention of turning into HTPC but my AppleTV /w XBMC along with GoogleTV can do just about everything I want. Both devices put together takes up less room than the Mini. Really the only thing missing from AppleTV are Flash and a browser and GoogleTV has that covered. And with GoogleTV I now have kickass wireless keyboard/trackpad for universal remote. All for $200 total.
Click to expand...

we're still in the no hulu boat correct?

also I hated netflix integration with the aTV
 
Ns1 said:
also I hated netflix integration with the aTV
Click to expand...

Really? I think the ATV2's implementation of Netflix is the best out of all of my devices - pretty nice to click down to split the timeline into chunks & jump through, or do a 1-2-3 FF/Rewind. I do like the panel cells that the Roku does though, although Apple's system is sooo much faster.
 
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Ns1 said:
we're still in the no hulu boat correct?

also I hated netflix integration with the aTV
Click to expand...

Hulu works with AppleTV. And you don't get ads like you get with PC. So it's better than HTPC. Porn also works with AppleTV.

I always thought the AppleTV Netflix interface was one of the better ones out there. But it doesn't matter to me. I canceled Netflix when they raised the price.
 
everything works on a htpc win7 - hardware acceleration 🙂 if you have a video card you can transcode h.264 on the hd3000 so fast it's not funny. the hd3000 can transcode as fast as 16 nvidia 580's 🙂 no joke! it's stupid fast. but you can't use it for video to use it for transcode.
 
Ns1 said:
(is there a PSU/HD there!?)
Click to expand...

TBA. Tweaking things out now - ideally I'd like to do a PicoPSU & USB stick for booting (streaming Plex rig), but it depends on how performance turns out. Still in development. Start counting down to a new thread... 😉
 
Ns1 said:
build one that can fit in this space:

Height: 1.4 inches (3.6 cm)
Width: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm)
Depth: 7.7 inches (19.7 cm)
Weight: 2.7 pounds (1.22kg)
Click to expand...

I don't live on ISS or Japan, don't mind using more space for extra power AND better price. 🙂

Hackintosh FTW
 
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