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Mac Mini 1.83, Tiger -> Leopard - good idea?

Stormz

Stormz

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 21, 2007
133
247
A friend of mine has a Mac Mini (Mid 2007)

1.83 GHz C2D
1Gb RAM
50GB free disk space

Currently running 10.4.11 but they have a Leopard up-to-date disc which hasn't yet been installed.

If anyone can offer advice on either of the following I'd appreciate it:

1) Do you think upgrading to Leopard would make the machine run faster, slower, or no noticeable difference? It's already quite sluggish (compared to what I'm used to) but I don't want to make it even more sluggish for them by upgrading to Leopard. Stuck with 1GB RAM for the time being.

2) Would using 'archive and install' mean having to enter network and Mail settings all over again?

TIA
 
I will get RAM upgraded at some point, but it won't be for a while, for some logistical reasons.

Just curious/concerned whether upgrading to Leopard in the meantime will make it slower than it was under Tiger?
 
cainnovacaine said:
That Mini only supports a max of 2 GB of RAM.

To answer your question, most people have reported it becoming slightly zippier with the upgrade to Leopard.
Click to expand...

Officially it only supports 2GB but I believe you can put in 4GB and it will read 3.3GB as useable. That is how it is on my 2.16 core 2 macbook.
 
cainnovacaine said:
To answer your question, most people have reported it becoming slightly zippier with the upgrade to Leopard.
Click to expand...
Thanks. That's encouraging if that's the case. I don't mind if it's the same speed as under Tiger even - was just hoping it doesn't make it run slower, with the 3d dock and new features.

Planning on doing archive and install rather than a bog standard 'upgrade' - not sure if that'll help at all?
 
I've got the exact same mini and just upgraded it two weeks ago from 2 GB to 4 GB. It will recognize all of the ram, and does run alot better with it. I can't give you a comparison to Tiger, since I didn't really use it any with Tiger installed, but it does run pretty snappy on Leopard. I noticed a decent difference with an upgrade to a 7200rpm HD as well.

Hope this is helpful, and good luck!

Tsiriel
 
Tsiriel said:
I've got the exact same mini and just upgraded it two weeks ago from 2 GB to 4 GB. It will recognize all of the ram, and does run alot better with it.
Click to expand...

But it can only use about 3.2 gb of that RAM. The advantage of 2x2gb sticks is preservation of dual-channel performance, which will give about 3-5% video performance boost with the gma950 over 2+1gb sticks.

I noticed a decent difference with an upgrade to a 7200rpm HD as well.
Click to expand...

That depends on the drive. Right now the "fastest" in terms of overall performance is the WD Scorpio Blue 500 gb, a 5400 rpm drive.
 
Well I upgraded to Leopard.

Works a bit faster under that than it did under Tiger, even with just the 1GB installed.

Still intend to bump up the RAM at some point, but for now, glad it's not made it slower.

Thanks for your input guys. :)
 
Yes upgrading to Leopard was the best choice because Leopard users get to buy Snow Leopard for $100 off ($30) when it gets released this Fall.:)
 
cainnovacaine said:
That Mini only supports a max of 2 GB of RAM.
Click to expand...

I have that Mini with 4GB. It is true, the officially declared max = 2GB, but Apple tends to only specify RAM in terms of sizes available at product launch.

My Mini has 2 x 2GB installed, it shows as "4GB" on "About this Mac" and, I believe, actually makes use of 3.3 GB.

mini_ram.gif


...errr... as others have said!
 
I have a 1.66 CD Mini and it's running 10.5.7, it actually runs Leopard prett good, I'd suggest upgrading you won't be disappointed!:D
 
I up'd my 1.66 Mini from 1GB to 2GB before I upgraded Tiger to Leopard, so I wasn't in the exact situation you are BUT I noticed a big boost in performance with the increased memory.

I wonder whether the streamlined SL will offer another such boost.
 
I have to gigs of DDR 3 from my new 13" MBP

does anyone know if the DDR3 from my 13"MBP will work in the DDR2 slots in the mac mini i have the 1.83 ghz 1gb 80g version and would like to upgrade ram 2gb would be fine and i have it just sitting there going to waist
 
Definitely upgrade to Leopard. I have an older mini (1.42 GHZ Power PC) and it runs just fine with Leopard.

I only have two gigs of RAM, and it does cause problems occasionally on certain graphics programs -- but it was the same problem under Tiger.

If you have only one gig the most important upgrade you can make will be to at least double this.

The only real issues I have had since moving to Leopard have been with browsers -- Safari was a disaster so I moved to Firefox, but now Firefox is iffy. But the newest Safari seems to perform just fine ... to my surprise.
 
Upgrade to Leopard then upgrade straight to Snow Leopard. Supposedly is much more efficient that Leopard :cool:
I used to own a 1.83GHz Mac Mini (upgraded to a 2009 2.23) that had 2GB RAM and I ran Leopard easily. Make sure to upgrade the hard drive to a faster 7200RPM drive (or better yet, a SSD) because this is where your computer will get its speed from.
You really need at least 2GB of RAM to use the computer to run anything more than two or three tabs in Safari and Mail without serious slowdowns.
 
I'm running Leopard on a G4 Mac Mini with 512MB of RAM and it is fine. I am using it as my main machine while my MacBook Pro is broken and it runs fine with light use.
 
Leopard on mini mac

I have a mini mac 1.1 Intel Core Solo 1.5Ghz. Can I install Leopard on it? Because I've tried that and I get an err: This OS can't be installed on this machine. It's from a DVD that came with another mini mac. Maybe it's built to work only for the original mini-mac? Any ideas?
 
Os X

You have to use a retail copy to upgrade. OS copies that come with computers are specific to that model and licensed for just the computer it came with.
 
raducosma said:
I have a mini mac 1.1 Intel Core Solo 1.5Ghz. Can I install Leopard on it? Because I've tried that and I get an err: This OS can't be installed on this machine. It's from a DVD that came with another mini mac. Maybe it's built to work only for the original mini-mac? Any ideas?
Click to expand...

Those are RESTORE DVDs and only work on the Mac they came with. Alternatively, you could clone the harddrive of that other mini to your mini - or just buy a retail copy of Leopard.
 
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