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Gordio · Mar 2, 2006, 02:03 AM

Well if you read another thread, you'll see that I got this cuz I couldn't take it anymore. I thought aobut it. I guess its not an impulse buy as I thought it was. I already have a powerbook. I want an intel mac. A macbook (too cheap), MBP (too expensive, and redudnant cuz of my pb), imac (my valuable dell 2405 would be a waste), and powermac (too big and powerful) are not options, so that would have left me for the mini anywya.

I got the unoptioned one. I plan to add two 1gb sticks later on. Things I noticed

1) rosetta unfortunatley is slow. Firefox is unusable. Also, I had logitec control panel for my mouse and keyboard, and it doesn't work. I have to use safari i guess. Also, i can't program my mouse.

2) i have yet to try out HD movies. something tells me 1080p will lag, cuz before I bought this, i tried the MBP 1.87 and 1080p lagged anyway.

3) I only used this for 30 min as of this writing. I'll update.

Andy8 · Mar 2, 2006, 02:36 AM

Originally Posted by Gordio

Well if you read another thread, you'll see that I got this cuz I couldn't take it anymore. I thought aobut it. I guess its not an impulse buy as I thought it was. I already have a powerbook. I want an intel mac. A macbook (too cheap), MBP (too expensive, and redudnant cuz of my pb), imac (my valuable dell 2405 would be a waste), and powermac (too big and powerful) are not options, so that would have left me for the mini anywya.

I got the unoptioned one. I plan to add two 1gb sticks later on. Things I noticed

1) rosetta unfortunatley is slow. Firefox is unusable. Also, I had logitec control panel for my mouse and keyboard, and it doesn't work. I have to use safari i guess. Also, i can't program my mouse.

2) i have yet to try out HD movies. something tells me 1080p will lag, cuz before I bought this, i tried the MBP 1.87 and 1080p lagged anyway.

3) I only used this for 30 min as of this writing. I'll update.

How is the Dell 2405 working with the new Mini? (what did you have it connected to before?)

Gordio · 03:09 AM

Update: i just ran 1080p trailer of V for Vendetta and it ran fast!

BTW it works fine. I don't see how it can't. DVI is digital, so id ont' think the video card affects how good it looks.

also a downside: i notice the mini spits out a lot of heat from behind, like my old dell laptop : \ It's quiet (doen't sound like a fan) but u can hear the current.

Front row is awesome. the logos look sooo good at 1920x1200! the font is clear too. I usually nap w/ mp3 on. now w/ the remote i can change songs when i nap ha. Also...does anyone know if the remote uses batteries, or does it regenerate on its own? I can't find a slot where the batteries can lie.

Andy8 · Mar 2, 2006, 03:08 AM

Originally Posted by Gordio

Update: i just ran 1080p trailer of V for Vendetta and it ran fast!

BTW it works fine. I don't see how it can't. DVI is digital, so id ont' think the video card affects how good it looks.

also a downside: i notice the mini spits out a lot of heat from behind, like my old dell laptop : \ It's quiet (doen't sound like a fan) but u can hear the current

Thanks for the update - I have a 2405 I am using with my old Powerbook, so was considering a new Mini to drive the 2405.

uicandrew · Mar 2, 2006, 03:19 AM

Originally Posted by Gordio

Also...does anyone know if the remote uses batteries, or does it regenerate on its own? I can't find a slot where the batteries can lie.

yeah, it uses batteries. it is uses a thin battery. the bottom edge (not the back) can slide out. it uses a circular flat battery like a watch battery but larger. somewhere in the documentation with your mac mini, it should have a diagram on how to remove and change the battery

Lacke · Mar 2, 2006, 03:29 AM

Originally Posted by Gordio

Update: i just ran 1080p trailer of V for Vendetta and it ran fast!

Do you mean fast as in "perfect without a glitch" or do you mean "better than you expected but not smooth"?

DCapple · Mar 2, 2006, 03:34 AM

Well if you read another thread, you'll see that I got this cuz I couldn't take it anymore. I thought aobut it. I guess its not an impulse buy as I thought it was. I already have a powerbook. I want an intel mac. A macbook (too cheap), MBP (too expensive, and redudnant cuz of my pb), imac (my valuable dell 2405 would be a waste), and powermac (too big and powerful) are not options, so that would have left me for the mini anywya.

good for you!!! so how was Intel Mac mini's performance?

mduell · Mar 2, 2006, 04:17 AM

Originally Posted by Gordio

1) rosetta unfortunatley is slow. Firefox is unusable. Also, I had logitec control panel for my mouse and keyboard, and it doesn't work. I have to use safari i guess. Also, i can't program my mouse.

Firefox has always been a bit slow on Macs, but you'll have much better results with the Intel Firefox binary.

Gee4orce · Mar 2, 2006, 05:58 AM

That extra memory will definitely help Rosetta apps, as there's a lot of cacheing involved.

JKT · Mar 2, 2006, 06:38 AM

I thought LogiTech had released new drivers for their mice to make them compatible with the Intels? If not, USB overdrive is universal.

BWhaler · Mar 2, 2006, 08:14 AM

I bought one too.

Duo Core, 120mb HD, 2gigs of memory. Cost about 1,200 bucks.

This computer is for my wife to replace her current Mac mini.

I know there are a lot of people unhappy about the GPU--I am too--but I think people are missing the point here.

For many, many folks out there, my wife for example, the mini is going to be a huge hit. She will use iLife, Mail, Safari, iWork, and MS Office at much, much faster speeds.

On the old Mac mini, she continually complained about the speed.

This new Mac is going to fly and she is going to love it and the speed. It's going to be a huge hit with her.

Now, others who want to play Doom will disagree. But then the mini is not the right computer for you. But it doesn't make the mini bad unto itself.

rnb2 · Mar 2, 2006, 09:38 AM

Could someone who has a Core Duo mini run Cinebench (from the downloads section at http://www.maxon.net/ ) on it? We already have numbers from a Core Solo and a 1.5GHz PPC mini - it would be very informative for potential purchasers to know the performance of the Core Duo (and its graphics chipset).

Thanks!

JKT · Mar 2, 2006, 09:45 AM

...and if you do, can you post the results in this thread (as well) so that they are all in one location. Thanks.

Gordio · Mar 2, 2006, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by Lacke

Do you mean fast as in "perfect without a glitch" or do you mean "better than you expected but not smooth"?

it's not 100% smooth, but i'm guessing RAM can fix it. it looks like its slow only cuz it has a hard time streaming off the HD? thats what i *think* is why it isnt 100% perfect smooth. it lags every so often i admit, but it really looks like a memory thing.

Gordio · Mar 2, 2006, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by JKT

I thought LogiTech had released new drivers for their mice to make them compatible with the Intels? If not, USB overdrive is universal.

i hope so. i was too lazy to look for universal drivers. when i set this computer up, i just went to all the sites where i got my old drivers/softwares. I gotta work now, i'll look for them when i return from work.

Lacke · Mar 2, 2006, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by Gordio

it's not 100% smooth, but i'm guessing RAM can fix it. it looks like its slow only cuz it has a hard time streaming off the HD? thats what i *think* is why it isnt 100% perfect smooth. it lags every so often i admit, but it really looks like a memory thing.

Thanks, so there's no problems with 720p then? That should be enough for me anyway, because my projector can "only" handle 720p.

crackermun · Mar 2, 2006, 11:57 AM

I ordered the Core Duo w/1G RAM the day of the annoucement but it still hasn't shipped. Has anyone's CTO shipped yet?

-Paul

ururk · Mar 2, 2006, 02:33 PM

On a stock 1.67 core Duo... I was able to run the Vendetta 1080p as well, smoothly. I didn't check to see if it was dropping frames (how do I do this?). I'm starting to wish I had upgraded the RAM, but OWC has a decent price on 1 gig sticks (115.00) compared to Crucial (who I normally buy from).

Tuishimi · Mar 2, 2006, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by Gordio

Well if you read another thread, you'll see that I got this cuz I couldn't take it anymore. I thought aobut it. I guess its not an impulse buy as I thought it was. I already have a powerbook. I want an intel mac. A macbook (too cheap), MBP (too expensive, and redudnant cuz of my pb), imac (my valuable dell 2405 would be a waste), and powermac (too big and powerful) are not options, so that would have left me for the mini anywya.

I got the unoptioned one. I plan to add two 1gb sticks later on. Things I noticed

1) rosetta unfortunatley is slow. Firefox is unusable. Also, I had logitec control panel for my mouse and keyboard, and it doesn't work. I have to use safari i guess. Also, i can't program my mouse.

2) i have yet to try out HD movies. something tells me 1080p will lag, cuz before I bought this, i tried the MBP 1.87 and 1080p lagged anyway.

3) I only used this for 30 min as of this writing. I'll update.

A very good option to Firefox is Camino. 1.0 is Universal. I use Camino only, and have for a couple of years. I also have Safari and Omniweb as backups, just in case.

Supposedly Omniweb will be using WebKit in a soon-to-be-released version and will be more usable. But, Camino is my hands down favorite.

I wish I had my new mini already.

bbales · Mar 2, 2006, 08:03 PM

So are you using this as a media center or as a computer? I'm in the market for a new desktop (mostly so I have some writeoffs for '06!) and am mulling my options. Do I wait for intel desktops? Get a G5 now? Get a new imac (but waste my new Dell 2005 monitor, similar to your situation)?

SO I'm interested in what you're doing with your new mini. Are you watching movies or are you computing?
Thanks.

Eug Wanker · Mar 2, 2006, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by ururk

On a stock 1.67 core Duo... I was able to run the Vendetta 1080p as well, smoothly. I didn't check to see if it was dropping frames (how do I do this?).

Command-I

One of the hardest 1080p video to decode is The Macaulay Library. It will drop frames at 1:03-1:15 (IIRC) on a Core Duo 2.0 iMac. Works fine on the Quad G5.

However, this one is full 1920x1080 and 30 fps.

Gordio · Mar 2, 2006, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by ururk

On a stock 1.67 core Duo... I was able to run the Vendetta 1080p as well, smoothly. I didn't check to see if it was dropping frames (how do I do this?). I'm starting to wish I had upgraded the RAM, but OWC has a decent price on 1 gig sticks (115.00) compared to Crucial (who I normally buy from).

I don't regret I chose that option, b/c they charge too much for RAM. Im planning to get 2 gigs off elsewhere like newegg.com or something.

Eug Wanker · Mar 2, 2006, 09:24 PM

The Mac mini RAM upgrade to 2 GB is only $300. That's more expensive, but not *that* much more expensive, and it's warrantied by Apple. Plus, you don't have to futz around with disassembling your beloved Mac mini either.

Gordio · Mar 2, 2006, 10:02 PM

http://www.apple.com/trailers/imax/imaxdeepsea3d/hd/

ooo nice : ) but not widescreen. Lags very minimally, but again, I think its a RAM issue.

doctre · Mar 2, 2006, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by crackermun

I ordered the Core Duo w/1G RAM the day of the annoucement but it still hasn't shipped. Has anyone's CTO shipped yet?

-Paul

Paul,
I got my shipping notice on my Core Duo w/1G RAM and 100G Hard Drive today.

MacOS-Fan · Mar 2, 2006, 10:16 PM

I ordered the exact same (1GB, CoreDuo) Mini as you on Tuesday (Feb. 28) and mine still says that it won't ship until tomorrow.

I am not a patient man!

ururk · Mar 2, 2006, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by Eug Wanker

Command-I

One of the hardest 1080p video to decode is The Macaulay Library. It will drop frames at 1:03-1:15 (IIRC) on a Core Duo 2.0 iMac. Works fine on the Quad G5.

However, this one is full 1920x1080 and 30 fps.

It's cycling between 15 and 30 (ie, 16, 30, 18.5, 15, 30, 25, 24, 30, etc...), but really difficult to tell visually if it's dropping or not. The highest my display goes to is 1280x1024, so I hope it's a fair test. I don't have a better display to test it on.

However... around 1:00~1:03 when the yellow leaved tree comes up, the zooming and panning feels a bit choppy.

I don't have a HD TV, and rarely watch TV (I do watch DVD's a lot though), so I'm not terribly concerned about HD capabilities as of yet.

John

Tuishimi · Mar 3, 2006, 01:31 AM

Originally Posted by MacOS-Fan

I ordered the exact same (1GB, CoreDuo) Mini as you on Tuesday (Feb. 28) and mine still says that it won't ship until tomorrow.

I am not a patient man!

Me too! Poor us.

e:leaf · Mar 3, 2006, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by mduell

Firefox has always been a bit slow on Macs, but you'll have much better results with the Intel Firefox binary.

You'll be even better off using Camino if you don't rely on FF extensions. Camino uses the same Gecko engine (so it renders the same as FF), is built for OS X, and has a universal binary ready to go. It is also sexy and fast. It's only downside is no RSS functions, although that is reportedly coming in v 1.1. It also has some really great features including ad blocking right out of the box.

For RSS I use RSS Menu which sits in the menubar and informs you when there are new feeds. You can use Camino as your default reader. It works great. In fact, I never used RSS with Safari 2.0, but since I have switched to Camino, I use it all of the time. Although it is not integrated into Camino, it seems it.

You'll want Camitools to go with it.

All 3 are free and available as universal apps.

memory-minus · Mar 3, 2006, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by crackermun

I ordered the Core Duo w/1G RAM the day of the annoucement but it still hasn't shipped. Has anyone's CTO shipped yet?

-Paul

My Duo 1.6/1GB/100GB shipped today.

crackermun · Mar 3, 2006, 11:03 AM

Mine shipped today as well...from freakin China. Oh well I guess I'll get it next week

.

-Paul

sniffer · Mar 3, 2006, 11:19 AM

Mine is estimated to ship in three weeks. Wonder why I haven't heard any scandinavian getting it early when many American citizens have already recieved it. Oh well. Congratulation to all you new mini (intel) owners.

Tuishimi · Mar 3, 2006, 11:20 AM

Mine shipped!

Yay! They estimate I will have it by Wednesday.

Tuishimi · Mar 3, 2006, 11:20 AM

...and my "DKM" will be here and waiting...

ururk · Mar 3, 2006, 11:52 AM

And I've had mine since the 2nd

.

However, the wireless card in the mini isn't getting an IP from my wireless router, so I have to figure out what the heck is going on.

Otherwise, it's a zippy little machine! I wish I had ordered more RAM, but will add more later on (probably from OWC).

monkeybrain · Mar 3, 2006, 12:13 PM

Is the remote IR or does it use Bluetooth? Just asking because I didn't notice where they put an IR receiver.

doctre · Mar 3, 2006, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by monkeybrain

Is the remote IR or does it use Bluetooth? Just asking because I didn't notice where they put an IR receiver.

If you look to the right of the DVD slot you'll see some extra black space. Thats the IR receiver.

ApeInTheShell · Mar 3, 2006, 12:24 PM

All that cost you $1200? I think you are being ripped off. A 120mb HD should be a $1 by now

Andy8 · Mar 4, 2006, 10:35 PM

Originally Posted by crackermun

Mine shipped today as well...from freakin China. Oh well I guess I'll get it next week

.

-Paul

Where else would they be shipping from?

The USA?

Tuishimi · Mar 5, 2006, 12:32 AM

My Monitor arrives on Monday... I am hoping Apple's guess is correct and my mini arrives on Wednesday!

memory-minus · Mar 5, 2006, 09:29 AM

My local Apple Store (Southpoint) has stock of both configurations plus an "Ultimate" (1 GB RAM and 100GB hard drive) -- now I'm sorry I actually ordered mine CTO because that is the exact configuration I bought!

Tuishimi · Mar 6, 2006, 02:42 AM

My mini is in Phoenix Fed Ex facility! I live on the outskirts of Phoenix!!! My monitor and mini "should" arrive tomorrow.

Tuishimi · Mar 6, 2006, 03:41 PM

Got it!! But now my monitor has not yet arrived via UPS. :/ It was supposed to have been here Friday, but the driver left it off the truck. Now one UPS delivery arrived already today, still no monitor. The driver claims there are a couple other trucks in the area, one of them might have it and bring it later in the afternoon.

Ahh well.

TheTraveller · Mar 7, 2006, 02:16 AM

I went to the San Jose Apple Store today and played with a Mini Duo with 512 MB of RAM. The Finder was damn snappy, and so was Camino...much, much snappier than Safari, that's for sure! They didn't have hardly anything installed on it, not even QuickTime Pro so I couldn't download some 1080p movies from Apple's site to test.

However, even with what I was playing with - almost all of it pure Apple apps and so therefore Intel native...there were quite a few beach balls. Sigh.

Tuishimi · Mar 7, 2006, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by TheTraveller

I went to the San Jose Apple Store today and played with a Mini Duo with 512 MB of RAM. The Finder was damn snappy, and so was Camino...much, much snappier than Safari, that's for sure! They didn't have hardly anything installed on it, not even QuickTime Pro so I couldn't download some 1080p movies from Apple's site to test.

However, even with what I was playing with - almost all of it pure Apple apps and so therefore Intel native...there were quite a few beach balls. Sigh.

Hmmmm. I am not suffering that problem at all. No beachballs.

TheTraveller · Mar 8, 2006, 04:19 PM

Yeah, well, even with the beachballs I was gonna buy one, anyway....but I wanted 2 gigs of RAM and all they had in stock were 512 MB systems...and they wanted to charge me SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS (yes, $600 USD) to upgrade it to 2 Gigs. Oh, and they didn't even have the RAM in stock. What's more, the guy I talked to was kind of an idiot. He asked me why I wanted so much RAM (kind of a dumb question, doesn't everyone know that Mac OS X LOVES RAM?), and then I told him how apparently the Mini prefers to have RAM installed in pairs (because of the dual channel architecture) and he said "No it doesn't!" and then wanted, for some reason, to start running XBench tests on the MacMinis they had right there - even though both minis they had were identical units both with 2 256 MB sticks - so not quite sure what that would have proved, but anyway...

But I way seriously digress. I ordered a 2 Gig Core Duo from the Apple Store, and it arrives in a week or so, I guess. Let's hope the beachballs fail to make a regular appearance.

Tuishimi · Mar 8, 2006, 04:56 PM

re: TheTraveller...

Yeah, I've seen a few now. Seems to be rosetta related. The only Rosetta app I *need* to use is RemoteDesktop (and that will likely never change, altho' I could use VNC I suppose).

Ah well.

Otherwise it is zippy.

ururk · Mar 8, 2006, 07:04 PM

512MB Core Duo here... If I'm running a rosetta App I tend to get beachballs in any application. When not running Rosetta, I cannot say I get any except when I first set mail.app up (it had to cache 500+ messages ~ 300 MB). Oh, yeah, I set up a ssh tunnel to afp and it did beachball a few times in Finder. But that's more or less expected.

John

Lava Lamp Freak · Mar 10, 2006, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by ururk

512MB Core Duo here... If I'm running a rosetta App I tend to get beachballs in any application. When not running Rosetta, I cannot say I get any except when I first set mail.app up (it had to cache 500+ messages ~ 300 MB). Oh, yeah, I set up a ssh tunnel to afp and it did beachball a few times in Finder. But that's more or less expected.

John

I have the same problem. Not only does the app running with Rosetta run slow, but it slows down the whole system. Will upgrading to 1GB make a noticable performance difference; ie. get rid of the beachballs?

ururk · Mar 10, 2006, 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by Lava Lamp Freak

Will upgrading to 1GB make a noticable performance difference; ie. get rid of the beachballs?

I'd love to know the answer to this question as well.

John