Yeah its really versatile. Not a workhorse, but at least it gets the job done no matter what without any complaints. And the super silent form factor, a vast difference from my previous DIY computer which i had. Suddenly i could hear my ceiling fan softly whirring above me and thats about the only background noise i could here in my room.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
What do you guys think of the Mac Mini (Late 2009)
- Thread starter Kobe24Life
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yeah its really versatile. Not a workhorse, but at least it gets the job done no matter what without any complaints. And the super silent form factor, a vast difference from my previous DIY computer which i had. Suddenly i could hear my ceiling fan softly whirring above me and thats about the only background noise i could here in my room.
Actually it can handle 8GB. Not 4GB. The mac mini with the 2.53 and the 500GB I thought would not be bad at all. I was thinking about getting one with the 24 Cinema display. The 24 cinema display looks, real nice. Nicer than the imacs in my opinion, no chin. That way you can keep the display and upgrade more often without breaking the bank.
Apple needs to drop the mac mini by at least a hundred dollars before I do anything like that. I don't really like the 27 inch too big for my tastes. The 21.5 is nice but a little too small, 24 would be just right. Why they went from 21.5 directly to 27 is baffling. Why not a mid level 24's model 16"9 imac. That would be ideal. I was considering the 24 last model and still might. but the design of the new models is far nicer with the all aluminum enclosure and reduced chin.
Mac mini 2.53Ghz
The Mac mini has its merits, especially if you have an existing setup and want to keep your keyboard and display. I had a 23" ACD, external firewire iSight, and a new aluminium keyboard that I used with a PowerBook, so for me getting a 2.53Ghz Mac mini was a good choice. I would rather they put a 3.06Ghz C2D in there, and the price of the 2.66Ghz Mac mini is plain silly (don't do it - its a rip off!)
Check out my vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN4VvyorLKw&fmt=18
The 9400M isn't a bad GPU. I've played a few games on it and its not too bad. I've also run two displays with Win7 on one and Snow Leopard on the other. Check this out here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU2veq0SQaM&fmt=18
If you have the extra cash, I'd get a iMac.
The Mac mini has its merits, especially if you have an existing setup and want to keep your keyboard and display. I had a 23" ACD, external firewire iSight, and a new aluminium keyboard that I used with a PowerBook, so for me getting a 2.53Ghz Mac mini was a good choice. I would rather they put a 3.06Ghz C2D in there, and the price of the 2.66Ghz Mac mini is plain silly (don't do it - its a rip off!)
Check out my vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN4VvyorLKw&fmt=18
The 9400M isn't a bad GPU. I've played a few games on it and its not too bad. I've also run two displays with Win7 on one and Snow Leopard on the other. Check this out here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU2veq0SQaM&fmt=18
If you have the extra cash, I'd get a iMac.
I doubt Apple will drop prices on their cheapest computer than on 2499 ones
However you always have to look at the mac mini as they advertise it, "use your own keyboard, mouse........" It's a good deal, for a Mac, the software it includes is worth more than 599$ on a PC
I'm thinking of getting a refurbished iMac, just hope BestBuy will Return the Mac Mini without problems.
How's Apple with Refurbs?
How's Apple with Refurbs?
I just replaced my older iMac with the 2.53Ghz Mac mini... you aren't kidding about it being silent. I'm running it with an LG display that runs louder than the computer. I thought it was the Mac mini, but you turn off the display and there's just silence!
I'm no game player, but the performance of the Mac mini has been really impressive. Very happy with it.
They're great. I bought a refurbished iMac from them in December, it got here in five days, and looks like it's brand new.
Apples refurb's are top notch.I've bought an iMac and a couple of minis without any problems. Well I take that back I did have one small problem with one of the infrared remote being just plain nasty looking.I didn't even go through the trouble of returning it,I just tossed it and bought another one at Best Buy.
I love my mini C2D 2.53,but if I had it to do over I would go with the iMac with the Intel i7 processor. That one is on me though.I'm a "newbie" who just started video editing with Final Cut Express a few weeks after I had bought the mini,and I had know idea how hard rendering was on a processor.The Core i7 just blows C2D away in that department.Oh well you live and learn.
Man, they will sure spoil you on the noise factor.I have an older Dell 2400 machine that I can't stand to even use anymore because it seems so loud compared to the mini.
Could not agree more with what was written.
I dumped my Apple TV in favor of a Mac Mini and now all of my media (video and podcasts) are run from the Mini to my Sony TV. The quality is great, the noise level does not exist and my Logitech Harmony One remote controls everything. I am a happy camper.
I dumped my Apple TV in favor of a Mac Mini and now all of my media (video and podcasts) are run from the Mini to my Sony TV. The quality is great, the noise level does not exist and my Logitech Harmony One remote controls everything. I am a happy camper.
I picked up the base model 2.26 on Friday with the intent to use the machine for xcode and web development, and I have to say I'm impressed.
I fully expected it to be a dog, but even with the 5400 rpm drive and only 2gigs of ram the machine is snappy for most things and more than capable.
I fully expected it to be a dog, but even with the 5400 rpm drive and only 2gigs of ram the machine is snappy for most things and more than capable.
New 2.5 Macmini
I have the new 2.5ghz mini with the 24" cinema display. I prefer this arrangement to the new iMacs. The machine seems quite fast (I put a 500gb 7200 rpm drive in it) and runs VMware fusion or Parallels along with 4 or 5 other programs without a problem. It's nice to have such a small machine, as it can be moved easily. I also appreciate the 5 USB ports.
I have the new 2.5ghz mini with the 24" cinema display. I prefer this arrangement to the new iMacs. The machine seems quite fast (I put a 500gb 7200 rpm drive in it) and runs VMware fusion or Parallels along with 4 or 5 other programs without a problem. It's nice to have such a small machine, as it can be moved easily. I also appreciate the 5 USB ports.
Where are you getting this idea? The Mini will definitely be upgraded this spring (April/May) and get the same innards as the upcoming refresh of the Macbook Pros. Likely a Core i5 with 2, 4 and 8GB memory options and max 650GB HDD.
The one question remains....what GPU will it be getting. AMD's new mobile 5000 series or somehow Nvidia's ION2 (GT320) will get paired with a Core i5? I doubt the latter.
Are you sure it will "definitely be upgraded this spring"? The "buyer's guide" on this site mentions nothing at all about any upcoming changes to the Mini.
Very nice video demo and review of the Mac Mini 2.53. But not sure I agree with a couple assumptions.
The iMac would not be preferable in my opinion, as it doesn't give flexibility of choosing monitors, and it tethers the user to the default monitor in perpetuity along with associated potential future monitor defects/problems. In addition, the Mini's small foot print, portability, extremely quiet operation, and price point makes it a more attractive choice. All this despite the fact that the iMac may have marginally but in my opinion hardly noticeable better performance.
The second assumption seems to be that one must go with some version of an Apple Cinema display. In fact, there are new technology display choices (such as the latest LED monitors) from other reputable manufacturers at much better price points than Apple that would pair very nicely with the Mini.