I just picked up a newer mac mini for 100 bucks at pawn america. Damn steal if you ask me!

I have the latest mini... and have to say it is not a bad little machine.

They are a bit high on price, considering they went up to $700 and only have 2GB RAM. I upped mine to 8GB, the maximum it can hold, for $110.

I will say that even at their price, they seem well built.

Granted I could have gotten a PC with similar specs for nearly half the price. But after using it for a while, and setting up a few "low end PCs" for friends I am convinced it is not such a bad deal after-all.

For one thing, you don't start out with a crap-ware infested system from the get-go. To me that is a big drawback on many popular brand PCs. Nothing like spending the first hour or so--or few hours--getting rid of the crap preinstalled.

Also, the budget PCs I have seen usually don't have gigabit ethernet AND dual band WiFi (a/b/g/n).... not to mention bluetooth that actually works and HDMI out of the box. And Firewire 800 if you need that (but USB only 2.0 not 3.0).

So overpriced a bit, yes, but a solid buy too. I think they would be a good deal if they had 4GB of RAM and/or were $100 less in price.



Michael

I'm planning to get a Mac Mini this week. Currently I'm using a quad-core, 8GB of RAM Windows machine. I'm giving it to my parents (well they bought it so technically it's theirs) to use as a TV recorder, as it has a 1TB internal HDD and a TV tuner card.

Seeing as I'm going to be away at university next September (with a new Macbook Pro 15", when the new ones come out in April this year), I don't really need that powerful or expensive of a computer to use at home - the Mac Mini seems to be the perfect tool for the job. I already have a 23" Acer LCD display, so I really don't want to pony up for an iMac. I'm gonna upgrade it to 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and upgrade the HDD to a 500GB 7200RPM model.

Funny the mini with 2gig feels as fast as a 4gig win7 machine and it's only in apps like lightroom that you notice the difference between 2 and 8gig.
Love the little minx but looking into a ssd to replace the dvd drive as the installed hdd is slow to keep the internal heat down.

^ Would there be any risk then in installing a 7200rpm drive in one of the new 2010 models? As in the heat rising too high?

I'm planning to pick up my mini sometime this week, along with a 4GB of RAM upgrade, and I plan on upgrading the hard drive later on down the road.

If you've got the money, install a SSD drive and then use an external hard drive or network for storage.

I used to think there is no way SSD's could be worth the price they were asking, until I installed one in my desktop. Shortly after I did that I upgraded my MacBook Pro with an SSD, as well as my HTPC. Best upgrade out there for overall speed and responsiveness.

I have 8GB ram in mine and its very snappy...the only problem is for some reason the latest build of Flash 10.1 plays video super slow and choppy!! If you downgrade to 10.0.4 it plays just fine, but it means you can't watch any web video in Chrome since it has flash built in.

Also, EyeTV is a very cool addition if you have a hefty external hard drive to store recordings.

Originally Posted by Superbike81

If you've got the money, install a SSD drive and then use an external hard drive or network for storage.

Unfortunately money is what I don't have a ton of

When I get my Macbook Pro for University this summer, I'm planning on upgrading the HDD, so I'll try to save up for an SSD drive. Will probably have to make due with a 7200RPM drive in the mac mini though.

Originally Posted by Hasty

Funny the mini with 2gig feels as fast as a 4gig win7 machine and it's only in apps like lightroom that you notice the difference between 2 and 8gig.
Love the little minx but looking into a ssd to replace the dvd drive as the installed hdd is slow to keep the internal heat down.

While I did find the mini faster than I expected with 2 gig I could feel it struggle with multiple apps open--which is usually the case for me. After upping to 8 gig it handles just about anything I throw at it.

'Course some of it was probably psychological as I leave Activity Monitor open with memory status in the dock. I cringed when the green part of the pie would disappear.



Michael

My iMac is getting to the point that I may replace it in two years. The mini is high on my list as I am using my MBP for most uses. The iMac is mostly used with my printer, external drives, EyeTV units and for transferring videos to MP4 format. I do not use my Apple keyboard and mouse, and could get a large monitor fairly cheap. For the right uses, the mini can be ideal. I am thinking about making a cavity in the wall under a 37"-42" HDTV. I could mount all my drives, hubs, and the mini out of view behind a door.