Proud Mac Mini owner!

[kazmac]

Congrats on your purchase! May it earn you enough money to get a Mac Pro or many more minis.

It's cool to see people praising the mini. At this point, I'm not sure what I'm going to get to replace the old iMac (Mini/MBP or entry-level Mac Pro if that will be a reality), but I'm glad to read the positive posts.

 

[voyager03]

At first I was thinking at getting the 2.26 version but 4GB were necessary and I thought what the heck more Ghz, more RAM more HDD space...I'm getting it.

In the UK Apple store (and I suspect in others too) if you spec up the 2.26 with 4Gb memory and the 320Gb drive that are standard on the 2.53 it is more expensive than a regular 2.53! And the 2.66 costs a bomb for a relatively small processor upgrade over the 2.53

The 2.53 is the current 'sweet spot' mini for sure.

(I got mine 'refurbished' and it was just £39 more than a new 2.26! )

 

[andrei.barbuta]

In the UK Apple store (and I suspect in others too) if you spec up the 2.26 with 4Gb memory and the 320Gb drive that are standard on the 2.53 it is more expensive than a regular 2.53! And the 2.66 costs a bomb for a relatively small processor upgrade over the 2.53

The 2.53 is the current 'sweet spot' mini for sure.

(I got mine 'refurbished' and it was just £39 more than a new 2.26! )

Indeed about the sweet spot.
I had some options about refurbished macs but to be hones this is my first owned mac so I thought it would more special to just get it all new and shinny.

 

[panamajack]

I'm considering replacing my geriatric 12" PB G4 with a Mini + an iPad. For mobility purposes I really think the iPad will be enough, and the Mini will be plenty powerful for what I do.

I've noticed a bit of a commonality: people who tend to bash the Mini haven't owned one, whereas every Mini owner I talk to - even power users who have other machines - rave about it and its "bang for its buck".

 

[Wheaty]

I've noticed a bit of a commonality: people who tend to bash the Mini haven't owned one, whereas every Mini owner I talk to - even power users who have other machines - rave about it and its "bang for its buck".

I think your quite right there...

<Sarcasm>
After all My Mini Is a whole YEAR OLD! only 2.0Ghz... Kriky, I bet tomorrow it will be so Underpowered that it wont even load web pages let alone YouTube!
</Sarcasm>

Not Likely! I think there are too many people wich are unfortunate enough to be persuaded by the hype that only the Absolute latest and best tech will do.

After all I would love an iMac/Power Mac but for me what would it do that my mini cant? Other than have More free momory than I have now?

Wheaty

Mind you, I definatly wouldnt mind a new monitor. I'm all for upgrades when the old one dies, but This HP 15"TFT just keeps going.

 

[andrei.barbuta]

I Got It!!!

So I got my Mac mini last night. It's awesome.
It's also faster then I thought and absolutely no sound, it's so silent that I can't even tell that it's on even when I did a Cinebench render.
I'm telling you now, anyone who has any doubt about the mini should just shut up. Stop the monologue in your heads you're wrong, get over it.

I kept trying to find a single word to describe it....and the single word that came to mind was: exquisite!

P.S. I look at it and it's gorgeous and then I look at the box and it's also a beauty. So glad I got it.

By the way, now after working a little with it I honestly can say that I would have been upset with my self if I have gotten the 2.26 version instead of the 2.53, it's just so much worth it!

 

[msjones]

I have not long since bought the 2.26. Running everything stock. I have yet to have a slow down. iDVD, Warcraft, Spotify and VMware all running. Sure there isn't much free memory from the 2GB but still, no slow downs.

Awesome little machine.

 

[wbe858]

I must say i was a bit sceptic when i bought my mini (2.0 ghz nvidia). I really didn't think it would be very good but i said hey what the heck why not. Well it turned out that it is my most used computer, i use it as an itunes server a file server, and i used it to encode my massive dvd library and it did in a decent time, just rip them all using my other computers, set a que in handbrake and let it go.

I've also had no problems with it yet and i have left it on non stop since i got which was when this model first came out. The only thing i wish was that the dvd drive was just a bit faster but now that I've ripped my library i guess it really doesn't matter anymore.

Oh i did upgrade the ram from the little 1gb mine came with to 4.

So congrats on your mini and yours is a bit faster than mine so only good things.

 

[mdewberry]

i totally agree with you

i previously had a high end macbook pro unibody, just sold it and got a mac mini 2.26 upgraded to 4 Gb of RAM & a Intel SSD

everything is amazingly fast, decoding HD videos is a piece of cake

and it's connected to an ACD 24"


when i will change to another machine a quite some time, i would have to change the mini only, not the whole unit like the imac...

but for the moment, no need to change, the mini is doing perfectly what i was doing with a MBP ! no noise, no heat...

I am getting ready to return i5 iMac #5, and am now focused (again) on the Mac Mini/24" ACD.

Are you still happy with this solution? Also, I was doing some research on the 24" ACD, and it sounds like some folks had some issues with a popping noise from the monitor (like the components in the monitor were expanding with the heat).. Have you encountered this? Also, how is the color uniformity on the ACD? After going through 5 terrible iMac screens, I am a bit nervous! Thanks for any info!

 

[andrei.barbuta]

I am getting ready to return i5 iMac #5, and am now focused (again) on the Mac Mini/24" ACD.

Are you still happy with this solution? Also, I was doing some research on the 24" ACD, and it sounds like some folks had some issues with a popping noise from the monitor (like the components in the monitor were expanding with the heat).. Have you encountered this? Also, how is the color uniformity on the ACD? After going through 5 terrible iMac screens, I am a bit nervous! Thanks for any info!

Personally I do not have a 24" Led Cinema Display so I can't answer your specific questions but I do have a Dell 24" display and I can say that it's fantastic with the Mini. The animations are fluid, no staggering. The combination is great.
Personally I am also hoping to get a 24" LED Cinema Display to run the Mini with dual displays.

 

[mdewberry]

Personally I do not have a 24" Led Cinema Display so I can't answer your specific questions but I do have a Dell 24" display and I can say that it's fantastic with the Mini. The animations are fluid, no staggering. The combination is great.
Personally I am also hoping to get a 24" LED Cinema Display to run the Mini with dual displays.

Thanks for your feedback! Glad to hear your thoughts on the mini.. Most folks who own them rave about them.. I am a bit concerned about the video card, but I will just be running iLife apps and watching iTunes/Hulu/DVD content, and I think those apps will be fine...

The 5400 RPM drive is a bit slow too, but I think I may get a faster external drive to keep a lot of iMovie stuff on to keep the mini hard drive free of space...

 

[Raje]

Awesome comments guys. This thread makes me want a mini even more I can't wait until the apple store gets a refurb 2.26/2.53 ghz mini in.

 

[Kalison]

Congrats! I just got my mini and I love it! It does everything I need just fine. I paired it with an ACD and I couldn't be happier.

I just got an SSD for it and an external 1TB FireWire 800 drive. I think I should be set for a while.

I hope you get many years out of the mini. I know I hope I do!

 

[andrei.barbuta]

Congrats! I just got my mini and I love it! It does everything I need just fine. I paired it with an ACD and I couldn't be happier.

I just got an SSD for it and an external 1TB FireWire 800 drive. I think I should be set for a while.

I hope you get many years out of the mini. I know I hope I do!

Mac mini, 24" LED Cinema Display, SSD and an external Firewire 800 drive. Dude I envy you!
Awesome setup! Congrats.

 

[Antiloop]

In September I got a 2.53gHz Macbook Pro, a 24" ACD, plus wireless mouse and keyboard. I wanted a laptop so that I could use it at school but also need a big monitor when I was doing GIS work. I have not regretted it in the slightest. It has work wonderfully for everything I have done.

And with regards to the 24" ACD, I highly recommend it. The colours are brilliant and crisp and working on it (in addition to watching movies and just doing general work) is a pleasure. I know some people dont like the glass front, but for me, that was a selling point.

Personally I am not sure why people knock the Mac Mini. When my girlfriend goes back to school in September I plan on getting a Mac Mini so I have a computer at home and she can replace her G4 with a nice, new laptop. If my Macbook Pro can handle what I am doing then I am sure a Mac Mini will have no problem doing the same. And personally, I am not a fan of how the iMacs look. I prefer the look of the 24" ACD and the Mac Mini has great design as well.

 

[Gordy]

I am getting ready to return i5 iMac #5, and am now focused (again) on the Mac Mini/24" ACD.

Are you still happy with this solution? Also, I was doing some research on the 24" ACD, and it sounds like some folks had some issues with a popping noise from the monitor (like the components in the monitor were expanding with the heat).. Have you encountered this? Also, how is the color uniformity on the ACD? After going through 5 terrible iMac screens, I am a bit nervous! Thanks for any info!

I've got the 2.53Ghz mac mini with the 24in ACD and for myself it's the perfect setup. I don't like the all in one approach and at the time the 27in iMac's weren't right anyway.

The only thing I want to change is to swap the hdd for a ssd when the prices come down. That will make far more difference than the change of cpu.

 

[Kalison]

I've got the 2.53Ghz mac mini with the 24in ACD and for myself it's the perfect setup. I don't like the all in one approach and at the time the 27in iMac's weren't right anyway.

The only thing I want to change is to swap the hdd for a ssd when the prices come down. That will make far more difference than the change of cpu.

I love the ACD! It's just beautiful! I actually just got done replacing the HDD for the SSD. Its only a 30gbt but that's by my design. My home folder is mapped to my external drive. The mini screeeeeeeams! I filmed the process I took through disassembly and posted it YouTube. I know lots of people problably have done that already but, i figured another one can't hurt.

Love love love the mini!

 

[Gordy]

I love the ACD! It's just beautiful! I actually just got done replacing the HDD for the SSD. Its only a 30gbt but that's by my design. My home folder is mapped to my external drive. The mini screeeeeeeams! I filmed the process I took through disassembly and posted it YouTube. I know lots of people problably have done that already but, i figured another one can't hurt.

Love love love the mini!

Out of interest do you store things like iPhoto data on the external drive? If so does that fly when viewing tons of images/loading etc?

 

[Kalison]

Out of interest do you store things like iPhoto data on the external drive? If so does that fly when viewing tons of images/loading etc?

Yes, there is nothing on my mini but the OS and the apps I want to use. Everything has been moved to my external drive.

As far as speed, apps load instantly... and I do mean instantly!

When I open iMovie, where I have many, many projects. I do wait for a few seconds while it loads up all my projects and clips... but its not exactly slow. In fact I only think it only has that appearance because the SSD launches iMovie instantly while the firewire drive loads in the data.

iPhoto and iTunes are non issues, when I launch those everything is there waiting for me.

 

[Gordy]

Yes, there is nothing on my mini but the OS and the apps I want to use. Everything has been moved to my external drive.

As far as speed, apps load instantly... and I do mean instantly!

When I open iMovie, where I have many, many projects. I do wait for a few seconds while it loads up all my projects and clips... but its not exactly slow. In fact I only think it only has that appearance because the SSD launches iMovie instantly while the firewire drive loads in the data.

iPhoto and iTunes are non issues, when I launch those everything is there waiting for me.

Thanks that's great to hear. I'm waiting to get a 64gb drive for under £100 which doesn't suck then I will bite the bullet!

 

[Max(IT)]

You should've bought an i7. So much more bang for buck.

There's always next time, I suppose.

I can't find any i7 BTO options in the Apple's Mini web page ...
Are you serious, or are you just trolling around ?

 

[Harrold]

I only recently bought a Mac Mini too and I'm not one bit disappointed with it's performance. Everything loads instantly, the only thing my Mini lacks in HDD space but I'm considering upgrading to a 320gb HDD.

The only thing to purchase next is the Apple 24" Display.

 

[.Andy]

I got my mini about a month ago. Use it with my 20" ACD and love it to pieces. Fantastic little machine. I mostly surf, email, video, itunes, wordprocess, read pdfs, and do powerpoints. No complaints about speed at all.

Edit: It's been over ten years since I last had a desktop. It's wonderfully luxurious to not have to continuously plug in devices and monitors .

 

[mdewberry]

Yes, there is nothing on my mini but the OS and the apps I want to use. Everything has been moved to my external drive.

As far as speed, apps load instantly... and I do mean instantly!

When I open iMovie, where I have many, many projects. I do wait for a few seconds while it loads up all my projects and clips... but its not exactly slow. In fact I only think it only has that appearance because the SSD launches iMovie instantly while the firewire drive loads in the data.

iPhoto and iTunes are non issues, when I launch those everything is there waiting for me.

This is interesting and good to hear.. I was at the Apple store the other night (returning iMac #5) and discussing mini configurations.. So, just so I understand.. A 1tb external drive connected via firewire 800 to the mini would be a more efficient way to store/access data than on the internal 5400rpm drive in the mini? I was thinking of doing this for iMovie stuff (as each videotape takes up about 20gb of data), but was not sure if it would be a faster solution?

In talking to a few of the Specialists at the Apple Store, everyone felt that the mini is a great solution, however there was some concern with iMovie performance and doing effects on movies..

So I would love to know:
1) External 800 firewire drive a fast (maybe faster) way to store/access data than using the mini internal drive?
2) iMovie runs pretty efficiently with mini's Nvidia 9400m card?

As always, thanks for your feedback as I ponder this decision! (-:

(truthfully the ONLY thing holding me back from buying a mini today is the video card..)

 

[Kalison]

This is interesting and good to hear.. I was at the Apple store the other night (returning iMac #5) and discussing mini configurations.. So, just so I understand.. A 1tb external drive connected via firewire 800 to the mini would be a more efficient way to store/access data than on the internal 5400rpm drive in the mini? I was thinking of doing this for iMovie stuff (as each videotape takes up about 20gb of data), but was not sure if it would be a faster solution?

In talking to a few of the Specialists at the Apple Store, everyone felt that the mini is a great solution, however there was some concern with iMovie performance and doing effects on movies..

So I would love to know:
1) External 800 firewire drive a fast (maybe faster) way to store/access data than using the mini internal drive?
2) iMovie runs pretty efficiently with mini's Nvidia 9400m card?

As always, thanks for your feedback as I ponder this decision! (-:

(truthfully the ONLY thing holding me back from buying a mini today is the video card..)

1. I don't think its any slower than what it would be like on the slow notebook drive thats stock on the Mini. I notice nothing slow about my Firewire 800 drive.

2. iMovie, like many programs for photo editing and movie editing are heavily CPU intensive. There isn't much your 9400 is going to be doing when you are encoding/exporting a movie. So if you want more performance in that department. Get the faster C2D.

I know with Snow Leopard the GPU is supposed to make up some time by using its cycles with programs, but the only thing that has ever made my iMovie videos encode or export faster has been the CPU.

Your 9400 isn't going to do much but sit there most of the time, so don't worry about that. You should be more worried it can't play all your games Where the GPU is actually used.