[harrisjamieh]

There have been reports of a G5 mini being announced at the Expo in September. I dont know what to do now because i was just about to buy a mini, but maybe i should wait until the expo announcements are out, but is there really much chance of a G5 mini?

[buggsuperstar]

why not just wait. it's only another 20 odd days more to go.

I'm waiting.

[Ozzpot]

Physically, I don't see why not. iMac G5s are very compact and don't have heating issues or anything like that, so it should be viable to make a G5 mini.

But the whole Intel switch thing makes me a little dubious. Would this be an Intel G5? I didn't think they'd still have names like that. Surely they wouldn't bring out a new IBM powered Mac model?

[Eriamjh]

iMac G5s are very compact and don't have heating issues or anything like that...

No, but they have bad capacitor issues and some massive reliability problems according to this survey.

There is no Intel G5. That's just being silly. No Intel Macs until mid-2006. Likely powerbooks first.

I'm sure Apple wants to give the mini a boost before it switches. It is probably the best selling Mac because of price. Giving it a 1.6 or 1.8GHz G5 would really make it shine. Especially if it got a Core Video supported video chip.

[JazzCatDRP]

Since I just purchased a mini, they'll probably will have a G5 mini. They'll also boost the stock RAM to a gig, and lower the price by half.

[southtdi]

I am starting to have this funny suspicion that the Pro line will not be the first to get the Intel chips. Since IBM just came out with the low power G5 chip that would work fine in a powerbook I would be surprised if Apple went that route and waited a year before making the move with pro machines.

My feeling is that teh consumer models may be the first since consumers typically are not as picky as pro users and since more consumer machines are sold it may help with getting more switchers since they will have the familar to them Intel chip in the machine.

I probably am way off but things are just starting to seem to head in that direction.

[kpne1home]

Originally Posted by JazzCatDRP

Since I just purchased a mini, they'll probably will have a G5 mini. They'll also boost the stock RAM to a gig, and lower the price by half.

ahmen

[WOPR]

Originally Posted by Ozzpot

iMac G5s are very compact and don't have heating issues or anything like that

LOL!!! I think you need to spend more time reading this forum...

[Ozzpot]

Originally Posted by WOPR

LOL!!! I think you need to spend more time reading this forum...

Yeah I know some people have reported issues, but I use 2 iMac G5s myself, one at work (a RevA) and one at home (a RevB), and aside from the CPUs being a little on the warm side, there have been no problems at all. And if I don't have problems, there are no problems.

*Reclines comfortabley in ivory tower*

[only120xs]

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

There have been reports of a G5 mini being announced at the Expo in September. I dont know what to do now because i was just about to buy a mini, but maybe i should wait until the expo announcements are out, but is there really much chance of a G5 mini?

Don't see this happening... cooling issues & cost being the biggest reason, also with the intel transition coming, that would mean 2 mobo changes in ~1yr.

Speed bump, yes (not in Sept. though), G5, no.

[harrisjamieh]

Originally Posted by JazzCatDRP

Since I just purchased a mini, they'll probably will have a G5 mini. They'll also boost the stock RAM to a gig, and lower the price by half.

I doubt very much they will put a gig RAM in it, even the top 2.7 powermac doesnt come with that much as standard, and lowering the price by half? You can bearly build a cheap PC for £179/$250! I guess i'll just have to wait it out to see what happens, and resist the temptation of buying a mini before the expo just because i want a mac

[turtle777]

BS ! It's not gonna happen. This rumor was spread by an investment bank. What farkin' clue do they have ?

If it was possible to squeeze in in a mini, then Apple also would be capable of putting in a PowerBook. I don't see why they would have the entry line Desktop go G5 and the professional line laptop remain G4.

-t

[cleanup]

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

I doubt very much they will put a gig RAM in it, even the top 2.7 powermac doesnt come with that much as standard, and lowering the price by half? You can bearly build a cheap PC for £179/$250! I guess i'll just have to wait it out to see what happens, and resist the temptation of buying a mini before the expo just because i want a mac

Harris, it was a joke. Think about a moment and try to figure out what it was joking about.

As for the Mac mini G5...

No.

If they packed a G5 into a mini, then they would also update PowerBooks and iBooks with G5s, which is even more unlikely. It won't happen any time soon, especially after recent iBook and Mac Mini updates.

[Edit] Ahhh, Turtle beat me to it.

[siMac]

Originally Posted by harrisjamieh

I doubt very much they will put a gig RAM in it, even the top 2.7 powermac doesnt come with that much as standard, and lowering the price by half? You can bearly build a cheap PC for £179/$250! I guess i'll just have to wait it out to see what happens, and resist the temptation of buying a mini before the expo just because i want a mac

I think you need to put your sarcasm detector in for servicing.

[ChasingApple]

I like the fact that the Mini only consumes 83w of power total. I am buying one this week because of this very fact, and I love the G4. I will never own a G5 Mac, but I will wait for a portable with an Intel CPU in it and see how they are.

Mac Mini = coolness, hehe.

[harrisjamieh]

I think im going to keep quiet now, im new to macs, hence some maybe dumb comments

[Link]

Originally Posted by ChasingApple

I like the fact that the Mini only consumes 83w of power total. I am buying one this week because of this very fact, and I love the G4. I will never own a G5 Mac, but I will wait for a portable with an Intel CPU in it and see how they are.

Mac Mini = coolness, hehe.

From what I heard, the mini only truly sucks ~20 watts max.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

No, but they have bad capacitor issues and some massive reliability problems according to this survey.

There is no Intel G5. That's just being silly. No Intel Macs until mid-2006. Likely powerbooks first.

I'm sure Apple wants to give the mini a boost before it switches. It is probably the best selling Mac because of price. Giving it a 1.6 or 1.8GHz G5 would really make it shine. Especially if it got a Core Video supported video chip.

Aren't all those capacitor problems in the iMac connected to the power supply? The Mini's power supply is a separate block, so if there do turn out to be problems, they could easily just send us new power supplies and minimize our downtime. (I'm including myself in the Mini world because I'm currently saving up for one. College student. Broke. You know how it is.)

[cleanup]

Originally Posted by ghporter

Aren't all those capacitor problems in the iMac connected to the power supply? The Mini's power supply is a separate block, so if there do turn out to be problems, they could easily just send us new power supplies and minimize our downtime. (I'm including myself in the Mini world because I'm currently saving up for one. College student. Broke. You know how it is.)

Indeed. I really think Apple should have made an external powerbrick for the iMac G5, too. the space could've been used for something more productive. And all these Rev. A iMac problems would pretty much be nonexistant. At most, you'd buy a new powerbrick and be on your way. I had to replace the powerbrick on my old Dell laptop once. I was without it for maybe a few days. And nothing in my laptop was damaged.

[Helmling]

All I know is that if they pop out a G5 mini, I will buy one in a heartbeat. I've wanted one for the living room to plug in and use at Tivo and Internet box for the living room, if they stuck in a G5 with enough horsepower to play Halo or something like that then I would jump at it.

Jump, I say!

[iDaver]

Since there is no power supply inside the Mac mini, and no battery, I suspect it would be a lot easier to put a low power G5 in one than it would a PowerBook. Will Apple do it? I suspect only if they plan not to put Intel processors in minis until 2007. That would be just fine with me. I'd buy a G5 mini as soon as it's announced, as long as it has at least 64MB of video memory.

[JazzCatDRP]

I've been wishing since they released the mini that they had a "headless iMac" version as well as the "headless iBook" version. A G5 mini could be just that, and would fill in the void between minis and PowerMacs (for those not needing a display built in.

[iDaver]

I think it would be very popular. I suppose Apple is worried it would kill Power Mac sales. It seems ridiculous that there's a $1300 price gap (headless Macs) between the mini and the low-end Power Mac. If I was a Windows user, thinking about switching, I'd be shaking my head in dismay over that fact.

[Will C]

Although I like the dea of Mini G5, I don't see it as much of a step up from the G4 model. As I understand it, the G5 cycle for cycle is not much faster than the G4 - though I suppose the FSB helps somewhat.

Now if Apple made a 'Midi' mac with a full size 3.5 inch drive (and space for another) with internal PSU, I would be tempted - I realise everyone will say get a powermac, but IMO they are overpirced for the middle ground.

[cc_foo]

Funny that: a G5 chip with a slow laptop drive just doesn’t do anything for me.

I’d prefer Apple make available a headless eMac. <-- unlikely.

Otherwise, I’m not expecting anything exciting from the product line until July 2006.

[elvis2000]

Originally Posted by Will C

Although I like the dea of Mini G5, I don't see it as much of a step up from the G4 model. As I understand it, the G5 cycle for cycle is not much faster than the G4 - though I suppose the FSB helps somewhat.

"Somewhat"? There is a reason the 1.6ghz G5 is as powerful as a dual 1GHZ G4. Bus speed can make a substantial difference for anything even slightly system intensive.

[elvis2000]

Originally Posted by cc_foo

Funny that: a G5 chip with a slow laptop drive just doesn’t do anything for me.

I’d prefer Apple make available a headless eMac. <-- unlikely.

It's called the Mac mini, no?

[Will C]

Originally Posted by elvis2000

It's called the Mac mini, no?

eMac has a few things over the Mac mini - audio in, dual IDE busses (though diffcult to use...), 3.5 inch HD (cheaper, bigger faster, though more power hungry) dual RAM slots, dual video output (with hack), 3 USB ports, 2 Firewire ports, internal PSU (matter of taste - I dislike power bricks) - of course on the downside, it is not as neat as the mini and has no DVI at all (I'm allowed to say that - I own an eMac)

[theTechyDork]

Yeah, but the eMac isn't good for somone not wanting an "All-In-One".

[Will C]

Originally Posted by theTechyDork

Yeah, but the eMac isn't good for somone not wanting an "All-In-One".

Agreed - I just think Apple could have something between the mini and a headless eMac

[seanc]

I don't think a G5 mini will ever happen. IMHO the exploding capacitors in the Imacs are caused by excessive heat.
If you've ever come accross the SFF Dell Optiplex SX270 and that range it seems that many of these units fail due to excessive heat and poor cooling. It can't be caused by heat from the power supplies since they are external. One review on zdnet

IMO if there was to be a fan constantly blowing on the capacitors in the Imac then there would be less problems as it would be sucking the cold air from the outside to cool them down.

This is just my opinion, it may be wrong but I wanted to say what I thought.

[Big Mac]

It could be an issue with excessive heat, seanc, but I believe the iMac has so many capacitors because it has to drive the LCD. Power Macs don't have iMac style capacitors, for instance. The mini is headless, so capacitors should be a non-issue. However, I too doubt that we'll ever see a G5 mini.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by seanc

I don't think a G5 mini will ever happen. IMHO the exploding capacitors in the Imacs are caused by excessive heat.
If you've ever come accross the SFF Dell Optiplex SX270 and that range it seems that many of these units fail due to excessive heat and poor cooling. It can't be caused by heat from the power supplies since they are external. One review on zdnet

IMO if there was to be a fan constantly blowing on the capacitors in the Imac then there would be less problems as it would be sucking the cold air from the outside to cool them down.

This is just my opinion, it may be wrong but I wanted to say what I thought.

You make some good points, but the processor in the Optiplex SX270 creates a LOT more heat than a G5 does. A LOT MORE. The Optlipex SX270's processor is a full-blown Pentium 4, not a low power model, and that case is tiny without enough room for good airflow for cooling.

Further, the capacitors in question are filters around the processor-I believe the iMac's problem capacitors have all been in the power supply. The difference is that Apple uses high quality parts around the CPU and seems less concerned about power filtering components.

The iMac capacitors weren't really overheating because of internal temperatures, but because of excessive current through them. They were rated for current higher than they were actually capable of handling-similar to the power supply capacitors in the original AirPort Base Station, except that those were called for because of their physical size and not because of the way the circuit would actually use them (bad engineer! NO coffee! NO doughnuts!).

You can blow up a capacitor inside a freezer by pushing too much current through it, so a cooling fan isn't the iMac answer. USING CAPACITORS THAT ARE ACTUALLY BUILT TO HANDLE THE AMOUNT OF CURRENT THAT WILL ACTUALLY GO THROUGH THEM is the answer, and it looks like Apple along with a lot of companies got bitten in the butt by poorly made capacitors. </electronics tech mode>

Plus I really, REALLY would like a G5 Mini!

[cc_foo]

Originally Posted by cc_foo

Funny that: a G5 chip with a slow laptop drive just doesn’t do anything for me.

I’d prefer Apple make available a headless eMac. <-- unlikely.

Originally Posted by elvis2000

It's called the Mac mini, no?

IMHO, the Mac mini is a headless, keyboardless iBook. Not that it’s a bad machine. My in-laws have one, and I would highly highly recommend one—to someone in the target audience (i.e. non-power user preferably able to BYODKM.)

My everyday computer is the Rev A 15" Aluminium PowerBook G4 (1.25MHz/1GB RAM/80GBHD). I used to think the computer was getting too slow for me, and then realised that the 4200RPM HD was the limiting factor. When I’m tied to the desk, I now use as my primary hard disk an external FireWire 800 hard disk, and the speed difference is phenomenal. (I also use a 24" DVI LCD when tied to the desk, which is nice.)

I routinely keep the external HD and the internal laptop HD in sync with SuperDuper—just in case I need to bring the PowerBook around.

So this is why I am not super-keen on a G5 mini—because IMHO the bottle neck as it is, is not so much the CPU.

[ghporter]

I just found a book about the Mini at Barnes and Noble. The author (I can't remember his name or the title right now...) uses a table of a variety of specs to show that the Mini and eMac are pretty much equal-same processor and speed, same number of ports, that sort of thing. The iBook has a significant advantage over the Mini in some of these areas, and of course the iMac beats the pants off of both of them. I think calling the Mini a "headless eMac" is pretty credible.

If they come out with a G5 Mac Mini next month, I'd be all over it. I'd love to get rid of my noisy G4 MDD. I can't afford a tower G5 and I don't need the expandablity.

But we'll just have to wait and see if the rumors are true.

[MSean101]

Originally Posted by turtle777

BS ! It's not gonna happen. This rumor was spread by an investment bank. What farkin' clue do they have ?

If it was possible to squeeze in in a mini, then Apple also would be capable of putting in a PowerBook. I don't see why they would have the entry line Desktop go G5 and the professional line laptop remain G4.

-t

Maybe it's because I'm new to the issue, but I thought Apple's inability to put G5s in the PowerBook was more related to power consumption (i.e., significantly shortening expected battery life). Since the Mini is a desktop, I don't see any reason they couldn't do it.

(I don't think they *will* do it, but I think they have the ability...)

[goMac]

I doubt it. The Pro line will move last. The G5 still has advantages over the Pentium 4. They won't move the Pros over until the Pentium 5 comes.

However, in small form factor designs, it makes sense to move to the Pentium M.

[Eriamjh]

First, the caps are on the mobo (midplane) in the iMac G5, not the power supply. They are filtering caps.

Second, the caps are likely failing either due to being underrated for heat or voltage. Current is not likely the problem (although current may contribute to heat). Here's a pic. It has also been rumored that bad the bad caps are a result of a Stolen Formula. I haven't seen proof that this is Apple's problem, but I would not be surprised.

Third, I don't consider a bump from 256MB to 512MB of RAM for the mini an update. Apple should bump the mini to a G5. Sales would jump even more. Maybe I might buy one!

Fourth, the PowerMacs will be the LAST to get Intel processors. Apple has already said consumer Macs first, pro macs last. I think Apple will switch the powerbooks as soon as they can. Most likely, the iBooks and eMacs will be first, followed by Powerbooks and iMacs and minis, then PMs dead last. Will it happen starting in June 2006? Probably not exactly, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was moved up or back depending on Intel.

Fifth, I think a mini G5 is more likely than a G5 Powerbook because it does not run on batteries or have an internal power supply (as stated above). The new chips coming from IBM are supposedly cool enough for the mini enclosure. And a bump from 1.42GHz to 1.6-1.8GHz would serve the mini well.

And lastly, I think if Apple can get a G5 into a powerbook, they could do it in the 17". It could still happen, but I think it is not so likely. Imagine a 17" Powerbook G5 being the flagship. The others would still be G4s.

Prediction: New iPods at Paris Expo this month. New G5 Powermacs in January. And something else before Xmas.

[dannyillusion]

Originally Posted by JazzCatDRP

Since I just purchased a mini, they'll probably will have a G5 mini. They'll also boost the stock RAM to a gig, and lower the price by half.

I also bought a mini the other day and us being two and all I figuere we can close this thread.
Considering the facts I think it's safe to assume that there will be a Mini Intel G6 in a few days.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

First, the caps are on the mobo (midplane) in the iMac G5, not the power supply. They are filtering caps.

Actually, though they're not IN the power supply, the capactors in question ARE filtering power supply voltages, and so they're part of the power system. Electrolytic caps are either filters or storage devices, and here they are filtering the voltages used throughout the computer.

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Second, the caps are likely failing either due to being underrated for heat or voltage. Current is not likely the problem (although current may contribute to heat).

Current load is WHY capacitors get hot, particularly these. Like any other electronic component, the more current that goes through them, the hotter they get. Too much current for its construction will destroy any capacitor. This current comes from the amount of ripple that the caps are filtering off of the DC lines-the more ripple (an AC current on the DC voltage), the more current. Further, if a capacitor is improperly built-or rated for a higher voltage than it's built for-it will also not handle current efficiently, thus heating up more rapidly.

From what I've read, there was a huge batch of badly made electrolytic capacitors that got into the component channel and were used by many manufacturers. These caps were not made with the correct electrolyte formula, or with substandard plate materials, or both. Whatever the case, the numbers on the cases of the parts had very little to do with their actual electrical characteristics.

[JazzCatDRP]

Well dannyillusion, if there's two of us now, I'd say that all but assures the rumor to be true!

[iDaver]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh

Fourth, the PowerMacs will be the LAST to get Intel processors. Apple has already said consumer Macs first, pro macs last.

Apple has said nothing of the sort. I believe it was CNET that first hypothesized this to be the case and the rumor has spread like wildfire.

[curmi]

Getting back on the topic, when Apple announced the '30 day money back guarantee' a few days ago that pretty much said "no new Mac mini for 3 months at least". I mean, anyone who bought one now would just return it as soon as the new model was announced.

But now they've dropped that idea (MacNN reports). So maybe there is a new Mac mini coming out in September after all. And then Apple can reintroduce the '30 day money back guarantee'?