Upgrade Mini (Mid 2010) or replace?

[Altis]

I'd buy just the SSD, put it in your 2010 Mini and see how it is. It makes a world of difference.

If you still find it lacking, you can at least take the drive to the new Mini. It'd still work out cheaper than what Apple charges for it, so you don't really have anything to lose.

I'm not sure I'd bother buying what I assume is DDR2 RAM at this point. It isn't that cheap and won't transfer. 4GB isn't too bad for 2010, anyways.

I suspect that you'd be happy with the SSD in the 2010, ultimately. I've even put one in a 2008 Core 2 Duo PC laptop and it isn't half bad at standard stuff.

 

[xylitol]

I'm not sure I'd bother buying what I assume is DDR2 RAM at this point. It isn't that cheap and won't transfer. 4GB isn't too bad for 2010, anyways.

Given the specs on my current mini,
Processor: 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3
Mac Mini Mid 2010

4GB of compatible Crucial memory costs $38 (2x2GB) or $33 (1x4GB, giving a total of 5GB). 8GB kit is $66.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

I watch 1080p videos on YouTube regularly on my Mac mini 2009 mediacenter without problems. The 9400M is quite capable showing 1080p h.264. Propably depends on if you're running other applications at the same time. I don't when watching YouTube on TV.

try switching that same video to 60p, instead of 30p.

 

[Altis]

4GB of compatible Crucial memory costs $38 (2x2GB) or $33 (1x4GB, giving a total of 5GB). 8GB kit is $66.

That isn't too bad to go from 2-4, if it works out. My mistake, I thought OP had 4GB already for some reason, which would have probably been okay.

 

[Pieterr]

try switching that same video to 60p, instead of 30p.

60Hz is only recently available in YouTube. Most of the 1080p I've watched looked fine to me, be it not 60Hz.

I know game lovers love 60Hz videos, I am not.

http://kotaku.com/youtube-finally-supports-60fps-and-it-looks-awesome-1652460542

 

[scottsjack]

for making a strong argument for replacing. I wish there were some basic benchmark comparisons that were available.

The last Geekbench 2.2.3 on the 2009 and the first on the 2012;

Late 2009 mini 2.66GHz C2D, 8GB RAM, 7200 RPM WD Scorpio Black 750GB
2012 mini 2.3GHz quad, 4GB OEM RAM, 5400 RPM Hitachi 1 TB OEM HDD

The 2009 ran Mountain Lion 8.3 while the 2012 ran Mavericks 9.1

Geekbench 2.2.3 2009 2012

Geekbench Score 4029 12402
Proc Integer 3709 10650
Proc Fl. Point 5220 18429
Mem Performance 2708 7715

Oops, found a GB 3.1.2 for both, same hardware configuration;

GB Score Integer FP Perf. Mem Perf.
2009 Multi-Core 2881 3346 3444 828
2009 Single-Core 1598 1781 1798 832

2012 Multi-Core 11783 13300 14609 3101
2012 Single-Core 3024 2992 3197 2743

(and yes, formatting sucks)

 

[erraticity]

Thanks ScottsJack!

But what does it mean?!?
Just kidding, looks like the 2012 is consistently hitting about 3x the performance of the 2009...

I am going to see how much new macmini I can afford to buy, and see what I can get for the old one...

| 2009 v 2012
-----------------------------------
Geekbench Score | 4029 v 12402
Proc Integer | 3709 v 10650
Proc Fl. Point | 5220 v 18429
Mem Performance| 2708 v 7715

 

[California]

But what does it mean?!?
Just kidding, looks like the 2012 is consistently hitting about 3x the performance of the 2009...

I am going to see how much new macmini I can afford to buy, and see what I can get for the old one...

| 2009 v 2012
-----------------------------------
Geekbench Score | 4029 v 12402
Proc Integer | 3709 v 10650
Proc Fl. Point | 5220 v 18429
Mem Performance| 2708 v 7715

I agree that the 2012 is much better than the 2009. However, having been a long time owner of a 2.66ghz 2010 mac mini with the FULL 16gbs of ram -- yes your 2010 Mini takes 16gbs of ram, it was plenty fast. Plus, loved the DVD slot.

But the '12s are great. I'd go for the full upgrade to the 2010 before you sell it. The utility for me of being able to run Snow Leopard is still a plus for my older software.

 

[Micky Do]

I think I have the same exact machine, it's from 2009 but I'm not sure if it was the base model (although I'm fairly sure it is). However giving your usage, I don't see why you would have to get a new one. You mentioned that you have 4GB RAM in it already, you can easily make that into 8 GB, swap out the HDD for an MX500 SSD and you got your self a new machine.

Unless you are ready to throw down $900+ and you just want something new I think the 2009 mini runs just fine with some minor upgrade. I also run computational software on top of all the regular stuff.

Yes, some good ideas here for someone looking to get extra performance from an older computer. In use it would indeed seem like a new one by comparison….. as was my experience when I upgraded my early 2009 base model with 4 GB of RAM and Mountain Lion nearly 3 years ago, at a cost of about $140.

However, it would remain an older model in terms of support, and in a few years it will be effectively obsolete, as was my 2005 original when I replaced it rather than repairing the failed HDD and power supply.

Sure the early 2009 will run Yosemite, but without the connectivity benefits OS x 10.10 offers on newer hardware, which would be of little advantage to me. It is the most modern tech I own; I don't have a smart phone, tablet or any other modern paraphernalia, and am unlikely to do so any time soon, if ever.

Each to their own, but what I have now performs adequately for my humble needs. A $100 spent on a 500 GB hard drive replacement and a general clean out may not excite a grunt minded geek, but it should be a cost effective way of extending the useful life of my 2009 Mini for another couple or three years.

Then will be the time to replace it with whatever tech is current because at any point in time……

The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming: https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20902903#post20902903

 

[aajeevlin]

Yes, some good ideas here for someone looking to get extra performance from an older computer. In use it would indeed seem like a new one by comparison….. as was my experience when I upgraded my early 2009 base model with 4 GB of RAM and Mountain Lion nearly 3 years ago, at a cost of about $140.

However, it would remain an older model in terms of support, and in a few years it will be effectively obsolete, as was my 2005 original when I replaced it rather than repairing the failed HDD and power supply.

Sure the early 2009 will run Yosemite, but without the connectivity benefits OS x 10.10 offers on newer hardware, which would be of little advantage to me. It is the most modern tech I own; I don't have a smart phone, tablet or any other modern paraphernalia, and am unlikely to do so any time soon, if ever.

Each to their own, but what I have now performs adequately for my humble needs. A $100 spent on a 500 GB hard drive replacement and a general clean out may not excite a grunt minded geek, but it should be a cost effective way of extending the useful life of my 2009 Mini for another couple or three years.

Then will be the time to replace it with whatever tech is current because at any point in time……

The new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming: https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=20902903#post20902903

I completely agree with you. There are certainly benefit to getting a new machine, and I have a feeling that this might be the last OS X that the mini 2009 will support. However, I feel that most of the new benefit so far are not attractive enough for me to want to dump my mini just yet. I suppose the hardware upgrade is more attract (hearing many good things about USB 3).

My plan to to stay with it for as long as I can, as I current don't see any good buy from Apple. As a mini lover I think Apple really put us in a hard place in terms of new mini selection.

 

[erraticity]

I ended up buying a new mini

from BH - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086736-REG/apple_mgen2ll_a_mac_mini_2_6_ghz.html

$650 for the
2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core (Haswell)
8GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
1TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive

Not convinced it's the best option, and I don't appreciate Apple's move away from DIY upgrades, that's total BS. I really appreciated everyone's advice and information and contributions, it allowed me to make a much more informed choice.

And for those who feel I made the wrong call, please don't rub it in too hard!

Thanks again, MacRumors Hivemind!

 

[Celerondon]

Good Move!

I agree that the 2012 is much better than the 2009. However, having been a long time owner of a 2.66ghz 2010 mac mini with the FULL 16gbs of ram -- yes your 2010 Mini takes 16gbs of ram, it was plenty fast. Plus, loved the DVD slot.

But the '12s are great. I'd go for the full upgrade to the 2010 before you sell it. The utility for me of being able to run Snow Leopard is still a plus for my older software.

from BH - http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1086736-REG/apple_mgen2ll_a_mac_mini_2_6_ghz.html

$650 for the
2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Dual-Core (Haswell)
8GB of 1600 MHz LPDDR3 RAM
1TB 5400 RPM Hard Drive

Not convinced it's the best option, and I don't appreciate Apple's move away from DIY upgrades, that's total BS. I really appreciated everyone's advice and information and contributions, it allowed me to make a much more informed choice.

And for those who feel I made the wrong call, please don't rub it in too hard!

Thanks again, MacRumors Hivemind!

Let me be the first to pat you on the back. Welcome to the fast lane erraticity. It is hard not to be skeptical about that advice to upgrade an older machine before you sell it. I suppose California valued the ability to run Snow Leopard over more modern features and a warranty. I don't know if there was a right or wrong to this call but I expect that this 2014 will grow on you.

Now I wonder if you will be able to resist the urge to begin scanning Amazon and eBay for PCIe SSD offerings...

 

[California]

Let me be the first to pat you on the back. Welcome to the fast lane erraticity. It is hard not to be skeptical about that advice to upgrade an older machine before you sell it. I suppose California valued the ability to run Snow Leopard over more modern features and a warranty. I don't know if there was a right or wrong to this call but I expect that this 2014 will grow on you.

Now I wonder if you will be able to resist the urge to begin scanning Amazon and eBay for PCIe SSD offerings...

"Skeptical" about my advice? Not sure what that means. I have almost every family member on 2010 Mac Minis, btw; some have the 2.4, some have the 2.66ghz. It's a great, reliable and very upgradable machine. Same processor in my 2.66ghz MBP.

That said, I do understand the 2012, not so much the 2014 allure. Like I wrote. Not sure why you are "skeptical" about my friendly input, unless you don't know what "skeptical" means.

Weird.

 

[spatlese44]

Check your RAM usage. If 4GB is enough then just adding the SSD would be even a better deal. If 4GB isn't enough then you might as well...

4GB yes, but the OP has 2GB. It's no wonder he's having problems. He could add 2GB and be running reasonably well.

Yes, SSD is the way to go if you are going to keep it a long time, but C2D is getting old. Something else to consider is the resale values of your machine is shockingly high. I'm seeing them listed for $400. OK, that may be a little high, but $350 isn't unreasonable. Rather than buying memory, you could sell and get the refurbished base Mini for $419.

If I were to buy a new Mini, I'd buy the mid level with fusion drive. That's $800, which would be more like $450 with selling your old one.

 

[talmy]

4GB yes, but the OP has 2GB. It's no wonder he's having problems. He could add 2GB and be running reasonably well.

I missed that! No wonder, indeed!

Yes, SSD is the way to go if you are going to keep it a long time, but C2D is getting old. Something else to consider is the resale values of your machine is shockingly high.

Shockingly high because these systems are still shockingly useful.

 

[Celerondon]

"Skeptical" about my advice? Not sure what that means. I have almost every family member on 2010 Mac Minis, btw; some have the 2.4, some have the 2.66ghz. It's a great, reliable and very upgradable machine. Same processor in my 2.66ghz MBP.

That said, I do understand the 2012, not so much the 2014 allure. Like I wrote. Not sure why you are "skeptical" about my friendly input, unless you don't know what "skeptical" means.

Weird.

No pal, I meant what I wrote. Your phrasing confused me. Perhaps I read "I'd go for the full install of Yosemite before you sell it" too literally.

Did you mean to suggest that the OP should first try Yosemite on that older Mac instead of purchasing a new one or did you really mean that erraticity should upgrade the old one prior to selling it?

Sorry California, I did not mean to offend. I can guess from your prickly response that you probably intended to convey the first meaning rather than the second one.

 

[California]

No pal, I meant what I wrote. Your phrasing confused me. Perhaps I read "I'd go for the full install of Yosemite before you sell it" too literally.

Did you mean to suggest that the OP should first try Yosemite on that older Mac instead of purchasing a new one or did you really mean that erraticity should upgrade the old one prior to selling it?

Sorry California, I did not mean to offend. I can guess from your prickly response that you probably intended to convey the first meaning rather than the second one.

It's fine, I did not read the thread thoroughly myself, so it was probably my post.

 

[Celerondon]

Righty-O

It's fine, I did not read the thread thoroughly myself, so it was probably my post.

Or my eyes!

Your avatar is great! Popeye and Felix the Cat were my two favorites back in the day. Popeye always had just enough ingenuity and strength to hang onto his girl and Felix kept that Magic Bag of Tricks!



Celerondon- On I-5 en route to Cupertino...

 

[California]

Or my eyes!

Your avatar is great! Popeye and Felix the Cat were my two favorites back in the day. Popeye always had just enough ingenuity and strength to hang onto his girl and Felix kept that Magic Bag of Tricks!



Celerondon- On I-5 en route to Cupertino...

 

[brdeveloper]

Hi all , my Mini (Mid 2010) is getting increasingly grindy. I was shopping out a replacement in the $700 range, but couldn't decide on a basic Mini with a Fusion Drive, or better memory/CPU with a standard drive. Cost is a big factor - I'm doing this because I'm getting very sick of beachballs.

According to Crucial.com, I could max the memory on my current mini to 8 gig and get a 500 gig SSD for under $300, which is a very attractive alternative. I'm comfortable installing these myself.

Given the specs on my current mini,
Processor: 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3
Mac Mini Mid 2010

Would I get better value from
1-Upgrading my current 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo mini to 8 gig of memory and an SSD drive, ($300)

2- Buying a new 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 mini + 4GB memory + Fusion Drive ($750)

3- Buying a new 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 mini + 8GB memory with a standard drive? ($700)

Thanks all!

Definitely worth upgrading RAM and HDD to a SSD if you don't need wifi ac, continuity or other improvements like USB3 and Thunderbolt. The 2010 Mini still has a firewire 800 port, and fw800 hdd cases are pretty inexpensive these days. You can attach an external backup HDD which will perform at nearly full speed under firewire.

I always used my Mini as a "home computing hub". It's connected to my TV set, so I watch netflix through it while it also serves as a backup/file sharing unit. Its 320M GPU is on par with an HD4000 in most cases, so a 2012 Mini wouldn't give any perceptible video improvement.

I dropped 16GB of RAM on it (1333MHz downrated to 1066MHz via a Windows app called Thaiphoon Burner) and there's no sign that it's becoming obsolete. 4K TV sets are still a niche product. There isn't data plans or even servers capable of providing reliable 4K bandwidth (try accessing youtube at 4K with your 100Mbps broadband... it will probably lag or stutter during longer movies).

A new Mini is a good option if you don't have a Mini or you have a very obsolete one like the pre-2009 ones (which came with those older Intel video adapters).

 

[tigres]

2010 mini server

Hey guys, good thread.

I have a Mini server used for home use, iTunes server, plex, etc.

It's getting long in the tooth, so I was just thinking of putting in 16GB ram, and a couple of 512 SSD's.

I figure the upgrade will cost me 500-550.
Thoughts on this?

 

[brdeveloper]

Hey guys, good thread.

I have a Mini server used for home use, iTunes server, plex, etc.

It's getting long in the tooth, so I was just thinking of putting in 16GB ram, and a couple of 512 SSD's.

I figure the upgrade will cost me 500-550.
Thoughts on this?

2x8GB DDR3 1066MHz is pretty difficult to find these days. When you find it, it's rather expensive. You can buy a couple of Corsair Value 1x8GB 1333MHz modules and make it work in your Mini. To achieve this, you have to buy a Windows app called Thaiphoon Burner and drop just one of the modules in the machine where the app will be installed (it can be the Mini, if it has a Bootcamp Windows installation). Then you can change the module descriptor so it magically a 1066 module. Only one module needs to be changed.

Now, regarding the dual SSDs, I don't know if you'll get any advantage in terms of speed. Theoretically you could get SATA-III speeds with a RAID-0 configuration, but I think it's better using a big HDD (a 2TB one) plus a 250GB SSD. You will get the best of the both worlds.

 

[Cloudsurfer]

Hey guys, good thread.

I have a Mini server used for home use, iTunes server, plex, etc.

It's getting long in the tooth, so I was just thinking of putting in 16GB ram, and a couple of 512 SSD's.

I figure the upgrade will cost me 500-550.
Thoughts on this?

Personally, I would put those 500 dollars into a new machine and maybe put the old machine on eBay.

I've just upgraded my 2010 to a 2014 and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Even with a crappy SDD (by PCI standards), the speed gain combined with Haswell is very impressive.

Judging by your post, I would not even bother with 16GB unless by home use you mean heavy photo and video editing.

 

[tigres]

2x8GB DDR3 1066MHz is pretty difficult to find these days. When you find it, it's rather expensive. You can buy a couple of Corsair Value 1x8GB 1333MHz modules and make it work in your Mini. To achieve this, you have to buy a Windows app called Thaiphoon Burner and drop just one of the modules in the machine where the app will be installed (it can be the Mini, if it has a Bootcamp Windows installation). Then you can change the module descriptor so it magically a 1066 module. Only one module needs to be changed.

Now, regarding the dual SSDs, I don't know if you'll get any advantage in terms of speed. Theoretically you could get SATA-III speeds with a RAID-0 configuration, but I think it's better using a big HDD (a 2TB one) plus a 250GB SSD. You will get the best of the both worlds.

Personally, I would put those 500 dollars into a new machine and maybe put the old machine on eBay.

I've just upgraded my 2010 to a 2014 and my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner. Even with a crappy SDD (by PCI standards), the speed gain combined with Haswell is very impressive.

Judging by your post, I would not even bother with 16GB unless by home use you mean heavy photo and video editing.

Thanks for the input, I appreciate it very much.
I suppose I will just sell it, and move on to either a 21.5 iMac, or get another Mini.
Any clue as to what it's worth?
2010 Server, with restore disks etc. box, and all.

 

[dogslobber]

Hi all , my Mini (Mid 2010) is getting increasingly grindy. I was shopping out a replacement in the $700 range, but couldn't decide on a basic Mini with a Fusion Drive, or better memory/CPU with a standard drive. Cost is a big factor - I'm doing this because I'm getting very sick of beachballs.

According to Crucial.com, I could max the memory on my current mini to 8 gig and get a 500 gig SSD for under $300, which is a very attractive alternative. I'm comfortable installing these myself.

Given the specs on my current mini,
Processor: 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
Memory: 2 GB 1067 Mhz DDR3
Mac Mini Mid 2010

Would I get better value from
1-Upgrading my current 2.4 ghz Intel Core 2 Duo mini to 8 gig of memory and an SSD drive, ($300)

2- Buying a new 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 mini + 4GB memory + Fusion Drive ($750)

3- Buying a new 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 mini + 8GB memory with a standard drive? ($700)

Thanks all!

2010 Mini can take 16gb. Shove in an SSD too and it'll fly until the end of the decade!