[msuper69]

This would be nice under my Apple 24' LED Display. I already have a nice display, bt kb and Magic Mouse. My only question is how hard will it be to upgrade the HD? I have a 1TB HD from a now defunct Time Capsule that I would love to replace the stock drive with.

[AKcrab]

Your Time Capsule has a 3.5" sata drive. The mini takes a 2.5" sata drive.

You could still put the 1TB in an enclosure and use it for backup/additional storage with the mini.

[ajprice]

Nice looking machine, an i5 would have been good though. Now that this is 7.7" square, bigger than the original and the same size as a Time Capsule drive, I'd expect the accessory makers to come up with matching cases to slot under or on top of it for hard drives, hubs etc. I've got a Belkin USB hub and a Mac mini shaped hard drive case, and I haven't even got a Mac Mini .

...wonders if you could get two 3.5" drives side by side in a 7.7" square case... storagetastic!

[msuper69]

Originally Posted by AKcrab 

Your Time Capsule has a 3.5" sata drive. The mini takes a 2.5" sata drive.

You could still put the 1TB in an enclosure and use it for backup/additional storage with the mini.

Well that is that. Can't fight the laws of physics!

What about upgrading the new Mac mini's HD? Anybody have any ideas on how hard that will be?

[amazing]

MacWorld has some minimal info on taking apart the Mini--it's a loaner so they're waiting to get their own before seeing how hard it is to replace the HD.

I'm wondering how HOT the Mini is going to get, what with the internal power supply?

[AKcrab]

Replacing the HD will not be fun. That's about all I can say, I'm sure iFixit will tear one down soon.

[msuper69]

I might just spring for the server version since I already have a MBA Superdrive that Apple says will work with the mini.

2x500gb 7200rpm hard drives vs. 1x5400rpm on the other model plus 500gb is an upgrade cost.

$499 unlimited client Snow Leopard Server. Not that I really need SL Server, this is a really good deal. I wonder if you can install Server on another Mac and install Client on the mini?

[Big Mac]

Why not? It's not like OS X has Windows style serial number verification. You bought your copies, you can do with them what you please, right?

[-Q-]

Originally Posted by msuper69 

I might just spring for the server version since I already have a MBA Superdrive that Apple says will work with the mini.

Now that's an interesting idea I hadn't thought of...we're phasing out the MBAs we use at the office...I wonder if we'll have a USB Superdrive lying around that would allow me to get the server version of the mini?

Thanks for the idea!

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by Doc HM 

OK So I specced up a mini. Upgraded the cpu to the faster option. Maxed out the RAM and added a bigger HD and a remote (you know because it's a media centre and media takes up loads of drive space). £1288. Shippings free though. Which is nice.

It's always free over $50.

[boy8cookie]

Originally Posted by Big Mac 

Why not? It's not like OS X has Windows style serial number verification. You bought your copies, you can do with them what you please, right?

Mac OS X Server does, in-fact, have a serial number verification.

[amazing]

Here's the cnet review, which brings up a valid point, namely that at Apple's price point you might expect blu-ray and also more storage.

Apple Mac Mini (Spring 2010) Desktop reviews - CNET Reviews

[boy8cookie]

Mac Mini teardown.

[amazing]

and it doesn't look too easy getting to the HD, but it's all doable...

[imitchellg5]

At least you don't nearly have to break the thing to get it open.

[macaddict0001]

Originally Posted by ajprice 

...wonders if you could get two 3.5" drives side by side in a 7.7" square case... storagetastic!

No, not quite.

[amazing]

Here's a question about the server Mini:

A regular Snow Leopard retail install disk probably won't install on the Mini server because it won't know anything about the new models just issued. Do I have that right?

[Demonhood]

I think it'll work just fine. I've used retail discs on machines that were announced afterwards.

[angelmb]

Why would that (to run Server) be an issue?. Is there any significant incompatibility software one should be aware of?.

[P]

No, but if the mini comes with 10.6.4, it might not boot from 10.6.0. In this case it will probably work well enough to boot and download updates. Main issue is likely the GPU, and if the graphics driver is missing, you can usually boot with certain features disabled. More problematic is if the southbridge needs a newer driver to access the HD, but that seems unlikely.

[amazing]

Some updates:

here's endgadget's review, mostly citing lack of blu-ray, but with some interesting info on audio:

Mac mini (mid 2010) review -- Engadget

next, here's a great look at the mini server, from the Las Vegas colocation company. The first HD is easy to get to, the second HD has to have the logicboard removed to get to it.

Why wouldn't you get the mini server and an external blu-ray drive? Because OS X might not support blu-ray playback?

"You can watch ripped blu ray like .m2ts files using VLC or XMBC for Mac. You will not be able to play commercial blu ray from the drive itself because apple does not have license to decrypt it. Just rip on windows pc using anydvd and play the .m2ts file or convert to .mkv. m2ts files have a lot of overhead so you may want to decrease the bitrate by using handbrake or other encoding software."
Blu ray & 1TB - Mac Mini Mid 2010 - iFixit

Pretty clear that the HDs at 9.5 mm and that the 12.5 mm HDs wouldn't fit. The internal disk drive is 12.5 mm but I think you'd be better off with an external blu-ray drive, but we'll have to wait for an early adopter to try this to see if there are problems with commercial blu-ray disks.



Mac mini Hosting

[amazing]

here's a look at the temp sensors on the mini server:

2010 Mac Mini Server Drive Temperature Sensors Info/Pix and Dual SSD Swap

PS: in the above post, the colocation link is at the bottom of the post...

[angelmb]

"You can watch ripped blu ray like .m2ts files using VLC or XMBC for Mac."

Nitpicking but MPlayer OSX Extended plays m2ts files way better than VLC on my end. Less CPU usage as well.

[Doc HM]

Originally Posted by boy8cookie 

Mac OS X Server does, in-fact, have a serial number verification.

But it's not going to be machine specific is it? The copy of SL Server unlimited that comes with each mini should boot other intel macs. No?

[l008com]

I don't like this new mini. Most of the basic specs were just bumped to match all the other spec bumps. The only new stuff is the fancy new case, and an SD slot. And for that you pay $700. Now I have a 13" MacBook Pro because the unibody case for a laptop is totally worth the extra money. Its lighter, way more rigid, it just feels great when it's in your hands. But a mac mini isn't in your hands. You bury it on your desk and never touch it again. That SD slot will probably rarely get used. You're not going to dig out your CPU just to get at the SD slot. I don't understand who apple is marketing this thing to. A premium mac mini, when there is no entry level, just makes no sense. I was on the fence about getting two mac minis when the new ones came out. One to replace my current mini server, with a miniDP port that supported audio. And a second mac mini to replace my 1st gen mac pro... knowing I wouldn't get as much raw power, but still be able to hook up two large displays. But they put hdmi instead of two miniDP which is another thing that annoys me. miniDP to HDMI adapters cost $9 on monoprice. Just include one in the box of a mini with dual miniDP ports.

And regarding price, the issue isn't that people can't afford $100 more. The issue is that the old mini was over priced but bordering acceptable because it was a nice little mac. But now it's $100 more which is just absurd. Like others have said, you're better off just getting a macbook than this thing. If apple was really only after the set top box market, why not upgrade your set top box, instead of doing a cosmetic upgrade of your entry level mac, and pricing it firmly out of the entry level.

... it would be one thing if it had 4 GB of RAM, i5, and even a nice high end laptop graphics. But it's all apple base level everything. This is one of the more disappointing upgrades I've seen. I was hoping for a reasonably priced mid-level desktop between the mini and pro. But if they're bumping up the entry level instead of bumping it down.... I have no hope for apple filling in the biggest hole in their lineup. They'll drop the entry level mac pro by $200 and call it a huge bargain. UGH.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by l008com 

I don't like this new mini. Most of the basic specs were just bumped to match all the other spec bumps. The only new stuff is the fancy new case, and an SD slot.

and 8 GB RAM ceiling
and nvidia 320M
and about a quarter less power consumption.

I suppose the elimination of the power brick falls under "fancy new case".

[l008com]

Les power brick does fall under fancy new case. It's a desktop, you'll set it up once and never think about it again. And the other specs fall under "bringing it up to par with the rest of apple's lineup". None of those things should cause the price to go up. New MacBooks don't cost $100 more every time they come out. I fully understand that unibody cases are a lot more expensive to make. I'm thinking they are the wrong choice for a mini. Even if they look "really cool"

[Brien]

While you have a point, we're assuming Apple wants the low-end of the market in the first place.

[Spheric Harlot]

The current MacBook is €100 more expensive than the last.

Of course, the Mac Mini just got hiked by over 40%, and the Euro's in the shitter.

[mattyb]

£1288 !!! Thats horrible considering the iMac prices. Hope you get some KY with that.

[amazing]

The seductive part of considering the mini is how great it looks and how you can imagine using it in quite a number of situations. It grows on you the more you consider it.

The problems and doubts arise when you start considering what you're getting for the price and where it stands in the Apple lineup. For example, why wouldn't you consider the white MacBook? Just add a display port to HDMI converter...

Then you start thinking about how Apple owes you a reasonably priced computer and how the Constitution surely says something about how it's your inalienable right to have Apple products always available (with no ordering snafus and no activation snafus.) It's definitely your Constitutional Right! Finally, you start vaguely remembering from elementary school how some dude chopped down the Apple product line with a hatchet, and got into a lot of trouble for it!

I mean, come on! Apple really should be supremely benevolent company that delivers Apple products free of charge, just like the stork delivers babies! As a matter of fact, there should be Apple products delivered along with the diapers!

[Koralatov]

I like it, and the price isn’t that outrageous really (granted, I’d like it if they were cheaper, but then who wouldn’t?). The server edition seems pretty good value for money to my eyes — it has the faster processor, 4 GB of RAM, and dual 500 GB/7,200 RPM hard-drives. Now that it finally has HDMI, it is, effectively, the perfect HTPC.

A somewhat related gripe I have is that the Magic Mouse and Apple Keyboards still have white keys. Seeing as everything is now black-on-aluminium, isn’t it about time they switched over to black keys too? I mean, the original Apple Pro mouse was black and translucent, and it was gorgeous, so why the dogged insistence on white?

Edit: I should also have said that the elimination of the external power-brick is a massive net win.

[Wiskedjak]

I'm not certain I understand the logic behind jacking the price. desktop computers should be going down in price, not up.

[chabig]

It probably costs a bit more to produce, so it costs a bit more to buy.

[Big Mac]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

I'm not certain I understand the logic behind jacking the price. desktop computers should be going down in price, not up.

You should look at my post on the first page of this thread.

[imitchellg5]

I went to get one of these yesterday for my mom, but ended up getting a 21.5" iMac instead. I may still get a mini for myself though, and give my dad my MBP, since I rarely take mine off my desk.

[slugslugslug]

Originally Posted by Koralatov 

A somewhat related gripe I have is that the Magic Mouse and Apple Keyboards still have white keys. Seeing as everything is now black-on-aluminium, isn’t it about time they switched over to black keys too? I mean, the original Apple Pro mouse was black and translucent, and it was gorgeous, so why the dogged insistence on white?

Ah yes, this. I never got round to expressing the same sentiments in this thread, but yeah, the white pretty much no longer matches anything except maybe the white MacBook. OTOH it clashes with the iMac and Cinema display.

[P]

It has to be white so all the smudges and fingerprints show up. If they didn't show up, it wouldn't match the glossy screen on iMacs - the screen is always covered in fingerprints, at least around the edges.

I agree completely about the key color. The mouse I don't care about - I always use a third-party mouse (a Logitech MX510 that replaced an old Mouseman Wheel a while back) that has survived several computers by now - but the new keyboard is otherwise excellent, and I don't want to replace it.

[ajprice]

A black Magic Mouse would look brilliant! (goes off to muck about with the colorware site...)

ColorWare - Magic Mouse

[P]

BTW, I'd love to see if DDR3-1333 improves graphics performance any. The 320M tripled the shader power but left the memory bandwidth the same, so there ought to be some possible gains there. Only issue is that DD3-1333 SO-DIMMs are still rather expensive.

[slugslugslug]

Originally Posted by P 

It has to be white so all the smudges and fingerprints show up.

But:

If they didn't show up, it wouldn't match the glossy screen on iMacs - the screen is always covered in fingerprints, at least around the edges.

Why are you touching your screen so much? Do you have one of those top secret iOS Macs?

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by Wiskedjak 

I'm not certain I understand the logic behind jacking the price. desktop computers should be going down in price, not up.

hint: Operating Margin. Economics are not my thing but I guess it is reliable evidence.

[imitchellg5]

Originally Posted by slugslugslug 

Why are you touching your screen so much? Do you have one of those top secret iOS Macs?

I've already cleaned my iMac's screen edges three times, my parents keep fooling around with it and touching the sides.

[P]

Originally Posted by slugslugslug 

Why are you touching your screen so much? Do you have one of those top secret iOS Macs?

Ooops...

Ah well. I'm sure that bit in the NDA about the ninjas was just hyperbole.

(No, I adjust the screen all the time for all sorts of reasons. I move around a bit - sitting at the desk, working with something somewhere else in that room, exercising - and I need to see without reflections in the glossy screen. The 27" has no real frame to hold on, so I naturally put a big thumb on the glass just outside the display proper when turning it)

[l008com]

I don't care that the keyboard is white, I just want it to glow like macbook pro keyboards. Especially if they make it black, but even if they keep it white. Glowing keyboards are so great to use.

[hyteckit]

Love the new mac mini. Too bad the price is $100 too much.

[msuper69]

My Mac mini server arrived today.

Hooked it up with the Apple 24" LED Display, MBA Superdrive, Apple Wireless KB and Magic Mouse.

I had to scrounge up a wired kb and mouse to do the initial setup; I could not get the Wireless KB to pair although the Magic Mouse paired automatically. I had to power cycle the mini due to the non-working kb. When it came back up, BT was turned off. If I hadn't found a now-yellowed old Apple wired kb, I would have been screwed. Why would BT be turned off by default? Especially on a mini where it would not be deemed unusual for the kb and mouse to be wireless. That was odd.

It came with SL Server 10.6.3 installed. I'm downloading 10.6.4 via SU. This seems wrong:



A negative time to download. Wow.

At any rate, the mini is very, very quiet and that's good.
Now to install the iOS SDK and work on my iPad project.

[Brien]

Good to hear. After all the thinking and looking at my needs, I think I'll be getting a mini server in the next 6 months, once I've finished moving and am all settled in.

[Waragainstsleep]

The real beauty of this Mac Mini is the power consumption. 10W on idle!
This makes the Mac Mini server ideal for a home or home office. Most PC servers may be cheap, but an ATX typically packs a 500W PSU. These Minis could pay for themselves in electricity savings over a few years.

[P]

You're comparing apples and oranges. Many newer computers have a very low idle power, thanks to the ability of especially the latest mobile Core CPUs to disable parts of the CPU at idle. Newer GPUs also decrease idle power, and DDR3 is more frugal. While 10W is exceptionally good, it's not an huge decrease from the last mini (it had 13W, IIRC) and you can get a modern PC with an idle power at 20-30W with a full size HD or 3.