Now thatMacworldhas a few Mac minis in script , we ’re con a lot more about Apple ’s flyspeck $ 499 Mac ( see Best Current Price ) than we could glean by make our way through the crowds that surrounded all the minis on showing at at Macworld Expo . So once you ’ve read “ What You necessitate to Know About the Mac miniskirt ” , here are answers to some of the most common questions out there .
I know it’s small, but it’s notthatsmall.
Look , size is relative . It ’s small enough that you’re able to stand by it under your arm and walk around with it absent - mindedly . We ’ve done it .
And that ’s not a question .
But when you plug it in, it’s got a gigantic power brick, right?
The Mac miniskirt ’s white power brick is n’t small — it assess 6.5 - by-2.5 - by-1.5 inches and weigh a pound . So it ’s just about a third the size and weight of the Mini itself . Is that gigantic ? You be the judge . If you have a place to hide the brick , you credibly wo n’t manage .
Do I need more than 256MB of RAM?
We call back so . With 256 MiB of RAM , your Mac mini will incline much more slowly than it should , because its main memory will fill up , force the organization to off - load excess data to the mini ’s comparatively poky hard drive . 512 MiB is really the minimal Aries we urge for any Mac organisation today , and 1 GB is preferred .
So should I buy RAM from Apple or install it myself?
Right now , Apple was charging $ 75 for 512 MiB of Aries in the mini , and $ 425 for 1 gilbert . ( The miniskirt only has a undivided RAM slot , so in essence Apple ’s agitate these prices for single mental faculty , plus recouping the cost of the 256 mebibyte module it does n’t have to install in your organisation . )
Meanwhile , you may find 512 M modules from other vendors for $ 66 or even less , and 1 GB faculty for $ 165 or even less . So if you want to save money , you should consider swapping Apple ’s 256 MB faculty for a larger one you buy yourself , especially if you require 1 GB of RAM .
I want to save money but I’m not too technical. Should I just buy Apple’s RAM?
Probably . instal RAM on the Mac mini is the light upgrade you’re able to perform on the machine , but it ’s not for anyone who has n’t set up RAM in a system before . so as to get into the Mac miniskirt , you ’ve develop to utilize a putty tongue to start off the figurer ’s top shell . Then it ’s a soaked - than - usual squeeze to pull the be Aries and deploy the fresh module .
I want to save money and I’ve opened up many a computer. Should I be worried about opening the Mac mini?
plausibly not , so long as you ’ve got a putty knife William Christopher Handy . If you ’re comfortable rend RAM and can look at the disclose gut of a computer without feel faint , you may do it .
Can I use the Mac mini as a headless server?
Hoo boy , there ’s a whole article in there . Stay tune for that one . But yes , you’re able to . You ’ll need to attach it to a keyboard , computer mouse , and display to get it set up the first metre , and if your Mac mini has Bluetooth , be certain to uncheck the “ Open Bluetooth Setup Assistant at startup when no input equipment is present ” choice in the Bluetooth System Preferences , or every time your headless Mac boot it ’s going to complain that it does n’t have a keyboard or mouse . Turning off Sleep in the Energy Saver control condition panel would be a good idea , too .
Then devote a lengthy sojourn to the Sharing mastery dialog box . At the very least , reverse on Apple Remote Desktop , so that you may curb you Modern headless server via a VNC client program ( from Mac or PC ! ) or Apple ’s own Remote Desktop software . you’re able to move around on file sharing and other stuff , too , although you’re able to always do that later via remote restraint .
If you ’re project on put your new Mac mini server on a wireless meshing , be sure to connect it to your connection and save the password in the keychain — and for safety ’s sake , adjust your AirPort druthers ( in the connection preference acid ) to automatically connect to your wireless connection .
Once we managed to do all this , we were able to plug in the tiny Mac miniskirt just about anywhere , press the mightiness button , and within a couple of minute we had an fighting , distant - governable server seize to our connection via AirPort . Pretty cool .
Can I add Bluetooth, AirPort, or both to the Mac mini later if I didn’t buy my system with any pre-installed wireless options?
Updated 1/24/05 : Not well . The Mac Mini ’s wireless options survive on a lowly daughtercard attach to the organization ’s motherboard ( see photo below ) . If you order a Mac mini with no wireless alternative , you do n’t get a daughtercard or any external antenna . If you ordered a Mac mini with just Bluetooth , you could execute some serious surgical process and set up an AirPort carte later — but you might need to chop your own transmitting aerial for it . It ’s credibly not worth the drama . you’re able to always try professional helper from an authorized Apple medical specialist or an Apple retail store if you need to instal either or both after the fact . The expert news is , the wireless options are upgradeable on this model , so you ’re not stick tomorrow if you choose out of AirPort today .
So the curt answer to your question is : sometimes . But even if it is potential , we would n’t recommend it for the faint of nitty-gritty . If you ’re planning on using Bluetooth or AirPort on the Mac miniskirt at any point during its life , just rate it now and save yourself the problem .
Did you really take apart a Mac mini all the way down to the bare motherboard?
Yes we did .
Could I rip out the hard drive and install a new one?
Updated 1/24/05 : Probably , although it would be a immense amount of body of work , require the removal of the Mini ’s shameful charge plate driving / buff enclosure , and then some scary removal of items from enunciate natural enclosure so as to get to the screws on the right side of the drive .
Instead , might we suggest an graceful external FireWire laborious drive ?
Apple said there were 4200 rpm hard drives in the Mac mini. Is that true?
Updated 1/24/05 : Components can vary . For example , the RAM in two of our Mac minis is really PC3200 run at 333MHz , rather than standard PC2700 RAM . similarly , the one Mac miniskirt we ’ve deconstructed actually had a 5400 rpm drive inside ( a Seagate ST940110A ) … but that does n’t signify yours will . Like most reckoner - God Almighty , Apple does n’t mostly talk about the share it uses and those parts can vary from computer to computer .
Does the Mac mini have an audio-in jack? How about digital audio out?
Updated 1/24/05 : No and no . For both , consider an external USB or FireWire gadget that back audio input signal or digital audio output .
Is the Mac mini underpowered?
No , but as our research lab tests show , it ’s also not a G5 . It ’s about as fast as you might expect from a 1.25GHz or 1.42GHz G4 PowerBook , iBook , or eMac . The unvoiced movement is a little gaol .
I’ve got a VGA monitor. Will the Mac mini work with it?
Yes . The Mac mini comes with a DVI - to - VGA adapter . It ’s a modest plastic stoppage you press onto the DVI connector . If you need to attach it tightly , just turn the two plastic wheels on either side of the adapter to turn the jailer that will tie it firmly to the back of the Mac mini . Remember , clockwise to stiffen , counter - clockwise to loosen .
I’ve got a USB keyboard and mouse from a PC. Will they work with the Mac mini?
Yes indeed . The mouse ’s second button ( and scroll bike if it ’s got one ) are natively support in Mac OS X. You might want to useuControlto swap the Windows and Alt keys , because otherwise you ’ll keep pressing Option when you imply to beseech Command .
If I buy a Mac mini, do I get iLife ’05?
Yes you do — but at least in these early Mac mini models , iLife ’ 05 does n’t come preinstalled on the hard drive . ( iLife ’ 04 is on there . ) Instead , you get two iLife ’ 05 disk ( one DVD , one CD - ROM ) and will necessitate to install it yourself .
Is the Mac mini noisy?
It seems pretty unruffled to us . Different citizenry will have unlike sensitivities to resound , of course . However , the ocular parkway is a bit noisy , and that when you ’re heavily working the Mac miniskirt ’s C.P.U. , its fan can really crank up . So the dissonance of a Mac mini may motley quite a bit , reckon on how you ’re using it .
Isn’t the Mac mini just an eMac without a screen?
That ’s not quite fair , but a band of the spectacles are exchangeable . attestor :
Consumer Macs Compared
Wait, wait! I have more questions!
We ’d be happy to answer them . Ask them by leaving a gossip in this thread in the Macworld Forums .
For more on the Mac miniskirt , chitchat our Mac mini page .
