So I'm at a bit of a loss. I managed to score a brand new Late 2012 2.3 i7 for an incredibly good price. I think I picked it up more for the deal than out of an actual need for the machine. So now that's it's sitting on my desk unopened, what can I do with it? I already have a tricked out late 2011 macbook pro, an apple tv that talks to my itunes to stream all the kids movies, and the wife has her MBA. The mini just sitting there kinda not doing much of anything at the moment so I'm looking for suggestions on what I can do with it. Help?
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What can you do with a Mac Mini?
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Not to be a jerk here, but if you didn't have a plan for it.... why did you buy it? We can all tell you what we do with OUR Mini's, but those are particular use cases for our situations. If you didn't have a use case for yourself in buying it, then I would just return it if you can or sell it on eBay.
With all that said, here are some of my use cases:
1. Centralized Time Machine
2. Web Server
3. VM Box
4. iTunes and Plex Server
5. File Server
Hope this helps....
I've got four in active use currently. The first is the hub of my entertainment center, and holds my iTunes library. An older model that previously served that function is now in my wife's exercise room, and holds all her fitness DVDs. A third is in a home recording studio, and a fourth is attached to an old scanner.
Where is your iTunes library currently? Is it on your MBP, or in the Cloud? If it's on your laptop, I would consider moving it to the Mini, to use as a dedicated entertainment server.
Where is your iTunes library currently? Is it on your MBP, or in the Cloud? If it's on your laptop, I would consider moving it to the Mini, to use as a dedicated entertainment server.
Flip it. It's going to waste if it's not be used.
-or-
Gut the innards and use it for a really cool cig/joint ash tray. It would be large enough to burn incense in it as well.
Seriously, I understand the excitement of finding a great deal. How about use it to drive a big monitor on a wall to scroll continuous news and weather? Or for a security video setup? Or participate in a grid computing project?
-or-
Gut the innards and use it for a really cool cig/joint ash tray. It would be large enough to burn incense in it as well.
Seriously, I understand the excitement of finding a great deal. How about use it to drive a big monitor on a wall to scroll continuous news and weather? Or for a security video setup? Or participate in a grid computing project?
Good stuff. Some others to think about:
- Move your iTunes library to it and relieve the job from your tricked out 2011. Also, give you a central server for media... (#4 above)
- Adding the Server pack to it (from apps store for $20), give you the ability to host a central time machine (#1 above)... also, you can set up a personal blog with it (sort of #2)
- It can be an update server for your other macs (included in the server pack)
- Register it with SETI's massive parallel project, check out the thread here on macrumors
Your Apple TV talks to your iTunes via home sharing-- meaning you need your Macbook Pro to be running all the time, or whenever they want to stream, right?
If only you had a dedicated machine that would be running all the time, using very little power, serving up content from an iTunes library....
Also, attach a USB blu-ray drive to it, and rip blu-rays for your library as well. MakeMKV and then Handbrake to convert them to iTunes format.
Or replace your Apple TV with the Mini completely.
get it off your desk so you won't have to look at it and stick it in a closet. you'll find a use for it someday. or someone else will when you die. i've got a couple of working macs in my closet that i just don't have any use for right now except to replace macs i use if i can no longer get parts for them. fixing to get a couple more next year also.
If you are going to be a hoarder, you'd never have to worry about replacing those Macs if you'd just throw a couple of Apple shares in that closet
.Use it as a space heater! LOL
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2030897/Screen Shot 2014-11-21 at 1.13.03 pm.png
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/2030897/Screen Shot 2014-11-21 at 1.13.03 pm.png
Never open it, the last untouched quad four mini
Over 20 years it will be worth a fortune. Keep the invoice
They are hitting $1000 on ebay now, and I expect will keep rising, so you might want to flip it at some point if not using it.
First time I've ever seen a computer *appreciate* in value!
First time I've ever seen a computer *appreciate* in value!
Hey, since it's on your desk unopened, it'll make a great paperweight. Or, even a great doorstop. How many other people have paperweights and doorstops that can suddenly take the place of a computer that randomly died in the middle of a project?
There are easier ways to get your movies onto ATV
But seriously, pop that puppy under your tv with a decent amount of storage and it can be the household hub for Time Machine backups, iTunes server and Spotify client at the very least.
Or just give to someone in more need. Like me...
There are easier ways to get your movies onto ATV
But seriously, pop that puppy under your tv with a decent amount of storage and it can be the household hub for Time Machine backups, iTunes server and Spotify client at the very least.
Or just give to someone in more need. Like me...
naaah, he'd better give it to me. You are way too rich, I however am poor!
Similar to my situation but here's what I did with it. Runs headless with the fit-headless dongle (its fantastic!). Bought a Samsung 250GB SSD and made it the main drive with the OS, the 1TB HDD is the secondary drive for media storage.
Moved my 250GB iPhoto library from my aging 2008 unibody MB to the mac mini. With Screen Sharing, the library can be accessed via my MB and wife's MBA. This was the most important use case for me. This will allow me buy any low storage (256GB) MBP or MBA in the future for consumption purposes. No need to buy large storage laptops any more.
The mini is the hub. I can grow my family picture and video library by adding external hard drives/NAS. They are cheaper than Apple's internal flash drives.
Moved my movie library to the mini as well.
Runs Plex Media Server. Serves movies/videos to the Apple TV2 and Amazon Fire TV to be played in the family room TV.
These were more than enough reason for me to decide for the 2012 i7 mini a couple of weeks ago.
Moved my 250GB iPhoto library from my aging 2008 unibody MB to the mac mini. With Screen Sharing, the library can be accessed via my MB and wife's MBA. This was the most important use case for me. This will allow me buy any low storage (256GB) MBP or MBA in the future for consumption purposes. No need to buy large storage laptops any more.
The mini is the hub. I can grow my family picture and video library by adding external hard drives/NAS. They are cheaper than Apple's internal flash drives.
Moved my movie library to the mini as well.
Runs Plex Media Server. Serves movies/videos to the Apple TV2 and Amazon Fire TV to be played in the family room TV.
These were more than enough reason for me to decide for the 2012 i7 mini a couple of weeks ago.
Go to your nearest doughnut shop and call out all the boys in blue for what they are...
overweight, out of condition, doughnut stuffed servants of the establishment, all the while madly waving your new Late 2012 2.3 i7 mac mini in the air.
Mind you, there are other less destructive things you could do with your new mini.
overweight, out of condition, doughnut stuffed servants of the establishment, all the while madly waving your new Late 2012 2.3 i7 mac mini in the air.
Mind you, there are other less destructive things you could do with your new mini.