Mac Mini as media server - how much Ram?

[spyrelx]

Hi all,

I'm planning on getting a Mac Mini as a dedicated media server - what that means to me is that I will play mostly music but some video from the mini through a wired connection to my receiver.

I won't be doing any gaming. I may use it to rip music cds, though I might continue to do that with my macbook. It's possible at some time in the future I might want to rip a movie, but that's never going to be a frequent occurrence and again, my macbook could probably handle it. So, again, the mini is primarily as a server for iTunes music and movie files.

Standard mini comes with 4 gigs RAM. I intend to get 8 gigs just for good measure. Is there any reason I should be looking at 16 gigs in light of my intended use?

Oh, I expect to get the standard 5400 RPM drive, if that matters.

Thanks,

 

[Intell]

For your needs, 4GB will be sufficient.

 

[Agent47]

Your intended use is mostly I/O heavy and does not need much RAM. Just shuttling data from storage devices to network devices really. Ripping discs is a little more memory intensive but 4GB is plenty. I would agree 8GB is a good place to start, in case you repurpose this machine as a full time desktop.

Hi all,

I'm planning on getting a Mac Mini as a dedicated media server - what that means to me is that I will play mostly music but some video from the mini through a wired connection to my receiver.

I won't be doing any gaming. I may use it to rip music cds, though I might continue to do that with my macbook. It's possible at some time in the future I might want to rip a movie, but that's never going to be a frequent occurrence and again, my macbook could probably handle it. So, again, the mini is primarily as a server for iTunes music and movie files.

Standard mini comes with 4 gigs RAM. I intend to get 8 gigs just for good measure. Is there any reason I should be looking at 16 gigs in light of my intended use?

Oh, I expect to get the standard 5400 RPM drive, if that matters.

Thanks,

 

[cinealta]

4 Gb

 

[spyrelx]

thanks all.

 

[dazed]

I've had my 2007era mini running a media server for many years. It's only got 4gb and runs fine.

I agree that maybe 8gb is a good starting point these days as the modern os's are a bit more memory intensive, and maybe one day you'll want to use the mini for more than just a media server.

Enjoy.