Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Mini Mac 24/7

M

Metalgator

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 27, 2016
20
1
I am fairly new to Mac's. I purchases my first Mac last July (13' MacBook Pro). I just ordered a Mac Mini to use as a "Sandbox" for testing purposes. I'd like to install either Parallels or Fusion and then install a couple of Windows Server 2012RS vms. I currently have several different OS's installed via Parallels on my MacBook (Win7, Win10, Ubuntu, etc). I'd like to keep the mini running 24/7 so I can log into the servers whenever I want. Is the cooling sufficient to keep it on all the time? I won't be doing anything heavy on the servers, just testing group policies, active directory changes, etc. No gaming or number crunching. The mini will also be running my weather station and my security camera system. The camera software just runs as a windows service and doesn't use much resources. Since this model is new to me, I'm just wondering about the durability. I don't want to burn it up after a few months of use if it's not intended to be run all the time. Any user experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Burch
 
Metalgator said:
I am fairly new to Mac's. I purchases my first Mac last July (13' MacBook Pro). I just ordered a Mac Mini to use as a "Sandbox" for testing purposes. I'd like to install either Parallels or Fusion and then install a couple of Windows Server 2012RS vms. I currently have several different OS's installed via Parallels on my MacBook (Win7, Win10, Ubuntu, etc). I'd like to keep the mini running 24/7 so I can log into the servers whenever I want. Is the cooling sufficient to keep it on all the time? I won't be doing anything heavy on the servers, just testing group policies, active directory changes, etc. No gaming or number crunching. The mini will also be running my weather station and my security camera system. The camera software just runs as a windows service and doesn't use much resources. Since this model is new to me, I'm just wondering about the durability. I don't want to burn it up after a few months of use if it's not intended to be run all the time. Any user experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Burch
Click to expand...


You haven't said which Mini you have but generally Minis will run 24/7 with no problems.
 
  • Like
Reactions: keysofanxiety
I've been running my 2007 and 2010 Minis 24/7 since I bought them (only giving them a break when performing upgrades or when the power goes out). So, 9 and 6 years respectively. No problems here. :)
 
Crosscreek said:
You haven't said which Mini you have but generally Minis will run 24/7 with no problems.
Click to expand...

I purchased the mid level Mini with the 2.6 processor and I upgraded the memory to 16GB so I can run a couple of virtual machines.
 
I've had my 2012 running for the last 2+ years 24/7 with no issues, and my 2009 ran 24/7 for around five years before that and is still going strong.
 
Going on 6 years as a home theater PC running 24x7 as I don't like sleep. Last few years running BOINC which is CPU intensive. If I keep it under 50% CPU I don't notice the fan. Go over and it starts heating up and fan get real noisy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back