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2.26 or 2.53 Mac Mini For Plex Box???

D

Dapness

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 8, 2008
64
1
Ok, I'm over dealing with the PS3's unreliable media playback. Even with PS3 Media Server I can't play back half of my Blu-ray rips (Make MKV). Plex on the other hand has NO issues with any of my media.

I'm going to bite the bullet and drop the cheddar on a Mini. Considering I'm going to be watching Blu-ray rips is there any reason I would need the 2.53 Mini or will the entry level option provided me with a flawless presentation. I'm only going to be using it for a Plex box. I've got a Mac Pro to handle everything else.
 
The 2.26 should be more than adequate for playback of Blu-ray rips with Plex. You might encounter problems with a few scenes from a few very high bit rate videos. Where you'll take a hit is if you have to concurrently multitask video recording (e.g., Eye TV) or serving up another computer/ATV from it.
 
I just bit the bullet and got the 2.53 to have a plex box. It's working phenomenally and I'm finding myself being super lazy and using it for more than just an HTPC so I'm glad I have more ram and more speed as nominal as it might be.
 
urgh, I`ve been wrestling with this same question, should I grab the mini, and if I do should it be 2.26 or 2.53. I just picked up a 50inch Kuro and I`m so tempted to finish it off with a mac mini as a media centre.
 
I use the 2.0 GHZ from the initial 2009 refresh and I've had no problems with it so far with any of my media (do have some blue ray rips)

I suppose I might drop some frames on occasion but I don't ever notice

the 2.26 should be adequate, however if you're planning on running a lot of other apps or anything at the same time and you have $$$$ burning a hole in your pocket you could spring for the higher end, but I truly don't find it necessary

If you check the PLEX forums there are a lot of people happy with the 2.26 or 2.0 (2.0 core 2 duo seems to be the bottom end for satisfied customers though)
 
My 2.0ghz 09 mini is running plex, transmission, and my website along with a few other things and it never lags out or anything. I'd think if my 2.0 can do it, a 2.26 would certainly be sufficient.
 
I got the 2.26 and everything is working great. MKV Blu-ray rips are smooth as butter. I've seen X-Men, Gladiator, and Transformers via Plex and am thoroughly impressed. I'm streaming my media from my Mac Pro upstairs using gigabit ethernet and haven't had any hiccups. There's a learning curve involved with Plex but it's real slick once you get the basics down. I keep a Macbook Pro in the same room so screen sharing is a real treat. Hulu works 1000 times better than the Apple TV and Netflix is of course a hot app too. All in all, love it so far!!
 
Dapness said:
I got the 2.26 and everything is working great. MKV Blu-ray rips are smooth as butter. I've seen X-Men, Gladiator, and Transformers via Plex and am thoroughly impressed. I'm streaming my media from my Mac Pro upstairs using gigabit ethernet and haven't had any hiccups. There's a learning curve involved with Plex but it's real slick once you get the basics down. I keep a Macbook Pro in the same room so screen sharing is a real treat. Hulu works 1000 times better than the Apple TV and Netflix is of course a hot app too. All in all, love it so far!!
Click to expand...

Did you stick with the 2GB of RAM or up it to 4GB?
 
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