it looks pretty nice and im going to be able to get the employee discount when i am at the apple headquarters next week. ive been reading the information about the mini but i cant tell if this is just another example of overpriced apple stuff, i really dont want to pay for the style.

any input or good reviews i should check?

3/1/2006 12:52:37 PM

I'm tempted to get one... Only thing is I want the Duo processor.

I like my G4 mini I have at work. Could use some more RAM though.

3/1/2006 12:58:37 PM

I think Macs are overpriced for what you get, but the Minis are actually pretty fairly priced IMO. I will admit it though, I've been extremely happy with my Powerbook even though it cost me an arm and a leg (npi). It's a fine piece of equipment, and I'm certain that you will enjoy your Mini.

I've actually thought about telling my dad to get a Mini because he wants to start learning how to use a Mac

3/1/2006 1:09:37 PM

no antenna or rca input, no DVR software, no deal

I don't understand how this is supposed to be a media center if I can't watch tv on it.

3/1/2006 1:09:42 PM

Apple has a horrible record for FCS problems.

I'd like one, but I think i'll wait for a little while.

3/1/2006 1:10:23 PM

What's FCS? The only thing that comes to mind is fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

3/1/2006 1:13:27 PM

Quote :

"another example of overpriced apple stuff"

yes.

3/1/2006 1:14:56 PM

^^ First Customer Ship

3/1/2006 1:16:15 PM

ah ok, gotcha. thanks

3/1/2006 1:17:43 PM

The processor isn't too bad, but it's got integrated graphics (which means no games), and AFIAK, the HD is 5400RPM.

Many people are complaining that compared to the previous gen., it's not a huge step up (except processor) for the price bump they gave it.

Quote :

"no antenna or rca input, no DVR software, no deal I don't understand how this is supposed to be a media center if I can't watch tv on it. "

Uhh... it's not suppose to be a media center.

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 2:23 PM. Reason : ]

3/1/2006 2:23:08 PM

Quote :

"Uhh... it's not suppose to be a media center."

then why spend half the time talking about Front Row?

3/1/2006 2:39:23 PM

Quote :

"I'm tempted to get one... Only thing is I want the Duo processor. "

The new Mac Minis are going to have the Duo core and support up to 1 GB of ram.

3/1/2006 3:32:20 PM

Quote :

"employee discount "

you work for apple?

3/1/2006 3:35:57 PM

Quote :

"Uhh... it's not suppose to be a media center."

Of course it is. It's small and comes with a remote because it's supposed to go in your living room with of those monster 30" displays. Apple just takes baby steps because they know they can milk their customers.

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 4:18 PM. Reason : er, customers]

3/1/2006 4:18:14 PM

I thought about this for a while since I need a new computer and don't play many games (a few though) and came to the following conclusion: it's not worth the money.

For $799 in the Mac you get

1.66mhz dual core intel cpu
512 mb ram
80gb HD
dvd-rw dual layer
integrated graphics
small, quiet case

For $799 or less in the pc world

2.66ghz dual core intel cpu
1gb ram
160gb hd
dvd-rw dual layer
GeForce 6600GT
large, quiet case/ps (antec sonata)

Granted, the first one will run osx and have front row, but both will output video and music to my receiver, and the PC will even run most games. The parts are in the mail from newegg for the PC.

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 4:24 PM. Reason : asdf]

3/1/2006 4:23:49 PM

i guess i should look into micro cases, i realize i could make a cheap windows machine but i like how small this thing is

one reason im considering it is because after i got done with it i could use it in a car

i'll probably just get a laptop, i dont know if i want to spend the money

3/1/2006 4:29:53 PM

Quote :

"t's supposed to go in your living room with of those monster 30" displays."

Actually it doesn't support the 30" apple display.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/whatsinside.html

The integrated intel graphics device and non ddc dvi port only supports up to the 23" apple cinema display. You may of course connect this to any HDTV with DVI in though.

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 6:48 PM. Reason : ]

3/1/2006 6:34:26 PM

^^ the problem I've found with most small PC cases is that they're either audible or flat out loud.

The Antec Sonata is both as quiet and very understated looking - it doesn't look too out of place next to a Sony ES receiver (black brushed aluminum)

Not to entirely diss the Mac Mini though - OSX is great and if you need a basic media center it will work just fine - though not with the 30" Mac display - that requires dual DVI (like what comes with the 6600GT listed above)

3/1/2006 6:49:34 PM

^ but yeah, as a living room computer, this thing isn't half bad. compare to the voodoopc brand plastic blob that's around 300 bucks more.



http://voodoopc.com/system/quotekitchen.aspx?productID=1088##

granted, that's a "boutique" pc with a custom paint job, but in terms of style and form factor it's the closest match and doesn't perform any better for about 40% more money.

Of course, you can always build a more powerful media pc yourself... but that's not who any of this shit is targeted towards.

[Edited on March 1, 2006 at 11:02 PM. Reason : ]

3/1/2006 10:57:16 PM

What are you going to use it for? Remember that the low end one is a core solo processor. To be honest, I'm not overly impressed with the machines. The shared graphics memory is a let down, and to be honest, unless you've already got a screen and keyboard/mouse to hook up or you're going to use it headless, it's probably a better deal to buy an iMac.

Also keep in mind that the memory is installed in pairs (although from what I understand it doesn't have to be) that means when you upgrade the memory for the first time, you'll lose 256.

Quote :

"no antenna or rca input, no DVR software, no deal I don't understand how this is supposed to be a media center if I can't watch tv on it."

Apple has a vested interest in not building it so that you can watch/record TV out of the box with it. They want you to buy shows from iTMS. That said, get an eyeTV and be done with it.

Quote :

"Apple has a horrible record for FCS problems. I'd like one, but I think i'll wait for a little while."

That should be less of a problem this time around, though still a concern. Half the problem with a Rev A device is the engineering of the casing and the fitting of the components. Since there isn't a major change to the casing and design, some of the previous lessons learned can carry over.

Quote :

"then why spend half the time talking about Front Row?"

Because you're supposed to stream media over from you home PC to your mini equipped TV. That was the whole point of the updated front row.

Quote :

"The new Mac Minis are going to have the Duo core and support up to 1 GB of ram."

The high end mini will have core duo and both support up to 2 GB of ram.

Quote :

"Granted, the first one will run osx and have front row, but both will output video and music to my receiver, and the PC will even run most games. The parts are in the mail from newegg for the PC."

There's a few other differences too. The processor will be different, as there are no 2.66 core duo's yet. There's also the fact that the mini has wireless and bluetooth and gigabit ethernet, which may or may not be useful for your application. Also the case size difference is huge (the mini really is just freaking small).

Really it's going to depend on what you're buying the machine for.

3/2/2006 1:42:16 AM

The 1.6Ghz Core Duo isn't come to be too much slower than the 2.66Ghz Pentium D. The Pentium D is still faster, but buy a fairly small margin.

3/2/2006 2:09:31 AM

^ + ^^ - I know the Core Duo is a different chip design from the Pentium D, however they're both dual core chips with 2MB L2 cache...

Summary:
Once they update the high end mini with something over a 2ghz core duo it might be more attractive. For now both iterations are kinda weak for the money.

3/2/2006 8:02:59 AM

when I can put linux on one and use it with mythtv, I'll consider buying one. nah fuck it, I'll just mod an xbox 360

3/2/2006 8:19:57 AM

Does it hurt when you talk out of your ass like that?

3/2/2006 8:22:36 AM

I would just like to point out the ONLY reason I won't be getting one myself:

No dedicated video = no HD playback/recording for Home Theater. THe processor doesn't have enough horsepower on its own.

At that price, it should be packing at the very least a 128MB vid card... sheesh.

[Edited on March 2, 2006 at 9:01 AM. Reason : d]

3/2/2006 9:00:43 AM

What the fuck were they thinking. Integrated intel video? What the fuck. Makes the whole fucking thing useless for everything they are trying to market it as.

The original had a damn Radeon 9200 dedicated chipset. HOW DO YOU MOVE BACKWARDS?

3/2/2006 9:16:12 AM

^ Probably related to the intel partnership. They probably got an inresistable deal on the boards with thei integrated intel graphics.

3/2/2006 9:40:01 AM

^^ I couldn't agree more.

^ Still makes no sense as they actually RAISED prices. If they're gonna raise prices, people would rather pay another $20 on top of the raise for a dedicated graphics chipset.

3/2/2006 10:51:51 AM

Quote :

"No dedicated video = no HD playback/recording for Home Theater. THe processor doesn't have enough horsepower on its own. "

Actualy, it is designed for HD playback. Perhaps not recording but it will do playback. Supposedly the chipset can decode two HD streams simultaneously, so playback really shouldn't be an issue.

Quote :

" ^ Still makes no sense as they actually RAISED prices. If they're gonna raise prices, people would rather pay another $20 on top of the raise for a dedicated graphics chipset."

The increased price most likely comes from the fact that all the minis ship with airport bluetooth now (previously +$100 on the low end mini), gigabit ethernet, digital audio in/out, serial ATA and dual processors in the high end model. Not to say that these are exactly exceptional deals as far as primary machines go but presumeably they will improve later on down the road as the PPC minis did.

3/2/2006 11:40:46 AM

Quote :

"Quote : "No dedicated video = no HD playback/recording for Home Theater. THe processor doesn't have enough horsepower on its own. " Actualy, it is designed for HD playback. Perhaps not recording but it will do playback. Supposedly the chipset can decode two HD streams simultaneously, so playback really shouldn't be an issue."

yeah, maybe you can, but i wouldn't want to try it.
Try recording something while watching something else on this box, and I can almost guarantee it will be stuttering all over the place.
This was an incredibly dumb move on Apple's part.

3/2/2006 12:01:24 PM

there is no way they could of fitted a dedicated GPU..the mac mini is packed even more tightly than the PowerPC.
look here: http://nak.journalspace.com/

3/2/2006 12:53:47 PM

sure they could have, apparently you've never seen mobile video chipsets.

intel's solution might be able to decode two hd streams simultaneously, but ill bet anything its heavily cpu dependent. fact remains intel has never made a viable video chipset. this one is no different.

3/2/2006 1:04:37 PM

well my tax refund hasnt hit a bank account yet so this is probably a non issue anyways

3/2/2006 1:31:19 PM

well i asked some apple people and an intel person about it and the said the integrated stuff was powerful enough to handle it, they didnt need a seperate chip.

i guess i'll wait for reviews

3/7/2006 3:16:16 AM

According to Macworld, the integrated video is good enough to handle a 1080i video stream.

Also, it can do the Quartz Extreme effects (like the Dashboard ripples, and smooth genie effect), which the older Radeon 9200 they had couldn't. But, for games (or anything 3D), it sucks pretty bad, and is about the same speed as the 9200.

3/7/2006 3:40:22 AM

yeah, ONE 1080i stream. How much fun is that?

I mean if you're building a HTPC, don't you at least want it to be able to record a stream and watch another at the same time?? Or be able to do something else while watching that 1080i stream? If you so much as tried to open a browser to check TV listings while watching that stream, this thing would choke.

new mac mini is teh WEAK

[Edited on March 7, 2006 at 8:14 AM. Reason : d]

3/7/2006 8:13:36 AM

I'm writing this right now from a Core Duo mac mini. This sucker flies. I dunno, I think the extra cost is well worth the worry free operation of the machine. I just repartitioned today, and installed XP. XP also flies on this machine. So now I can dual boot OSX 10.4.5 and XP SP2. There isn't much I can't already do through OSX, and for those few windows only apps I can reboot to windows if absolutely necessary. Once proper virtualization becomes available, dual booting will be a thing of the past.

3/19/2006 9:19:23 PM

^ so how easy is the install? and were the drivers easy to deal with?

3/19/2006 9:22:15 PM

On the mac mini, they are, because it uses mostly stock intel video drivers. Ethernet is mostly the same. There was some minor tweaking needed, because the documentation did not mention that you had to have the resolution pretty high in order to get XP to install, otherwise it is pretty straight forward. I think there are still a few things not yet supported though, but still nice to know I can now switch back and forth all from a single machine!

3/19/2006 9:24:41 PM

Cool.

3/19/2006 9:59:01 PM

We did a report on this for my BUS 340 class just before the release. The answer is: It depends. The hard drive / processor speed isn't terribly impressive for the money, which is a dealbreaker to me. It really just depends on what you want to use it for.

3/20/2006 12:11:38 AM

Quote :

" It really just depends on what you want to use it for."

Really? What else did you learn in your class?

( )

3/20/2006 12:21:23 AM

Performance is relative these days. CPUs are becoming so fast, that computer scientists are now writing software in virtual machines, automatically providing the benefits of managed code at the expense of
suboptimal performance. So even if you have the latest greatest cpu, unless you are running some cream of
the crop game, for most tasks such as email, browsing, chatting, music, developing, whatever the case may be
even this little Core Duo Mac Mini is more than adequate. Heck, even my old PPC mac mini was adequate,
but this new intel mac definitely has more punch to it than the older ppc mac mini. So yeah, if you want to
get the cheapest hardware with the most performance, you may do better custom building some WinTel machine,
but I tend to think the sacrifice in a little performance for the wonderful experience Apple provides is well
worth it. And add to this that XP boots lightning fast on this machine, due to its lack of a BIOS, and I really
am getting two machines for the price of one.

3/20/2006 7:18:08 PM