Upgrading Mac Mini CPU
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got my T5600 off ebay.
I know there are other speeds available on there too.
watch how much you spend. buying a current mini (refurb) would be better value.
I know there are other speeds available on there too.
watch how much you spend. buying a current mini (refurb) would be better value.
I've decided to hold off. Spending two hundred dollars (roughly) which "might" give me enough juice to run 1080p blu-ray rips isn't worth it. I'll probably get a cheapo Bluray player and hope that Apple releases something usable in the next couple of months.
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best bang for your buck is finding a core2duo imac in 17 or 20". these older white ones have enough video power.
sell off your Mini, you'd be surprised to still get $400-450 for it....the 17" iMac can be found for around 200-300 more.
I personally use my mini's for work, so the form factor made it worthwhile to upgrade versus selling it for an iMac. I even dropped in a SSD drive and saw a great improvement overall going from core duo to core2duo.
best bang for your buck is finding a core2duo imac in 17 or 20". these older white ones have enough video power.
sell off your Mini, you'd be surprised to still get $400-450 for it....the 17" iMac can be found for around 200-300 more.
I personally use my mini's for work, so the form factor made it worthwhile to upgrade versus selling it for an iMac. I even dropped in a SSD drive and saw a great improvement overall going from core duo to core2duo.
And with that $450, you can build yourself a nice Quad-Core Wolfdale mac to stay forward compatible with modern HTPC functionality.
When apple can make billions selling $1.29 songs to pinheads, why should they concern themselves with providing acceptable hardware to the (tiny) HTPC community? What they are really saying is that it is up to the community to provide the hardware themselves.
And with that $450, you can build yourself a nice Quad-Core Wolfdale mac to stay forward compatible with modern HTPC functionality.
When apple can make billions selling $1.29 songs to pinheads, why should they concern themselves with providing acceptable hardware to the (tiny) HTPC community? What they are really saying is that it is up to the community to provide the hardware themselves.
Well an iMac is a non-starter. It would be kind of silly to have it parked next to my big LCD. I do have the WAF to watch out for. And building a Hackintosh just doesn't seem very appealing. I doubt I could build a QUIET, Wolfdale mac that's even close in size to a mini.
No, it's hard to beat the mini for size - but that's because it's essentially laptop components. Sitting next to my AV receiver, my mini is dwarfed. However, if you're willing to spare a few more cubic inches in your AV rack, there are some very aesthetically pleasing and quiet HTPC cases/cooling solutions available.
If you use remote buddy , it is compatible with any USB IR receiver that uses the eHome standard. Then just teach your harmony the apple remote codes...
If you use remote buddy , it is compatible with any USB IR receiver that uses the eHome standard. Then just teach your harmony the apple remote codes...
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If you have a Mac Mini, Plex can play back 1080p rips no sweat. It's much smarter/more efficient than VLC, mplayer, etc. in terms of playing back with a limited processor. Works great for me, plays everything I throw at it.
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I'm not Further, but I don't think anyone here thinks that ripping DVDs should be any different than importing CDs into iTunes.
On the other hand Hackintoshes 1) Hurt Apple 2) Destroy the "it just works" idea behind Macs. And when accompanied with inflammatory language:
nothing good can come of it. Calling people who pay for their music "pinheads" is uncalled for, and claiming that there are $1.29 songs on iTunes is false. There will, be there aren't any now.
In general I am in favor of expanding the scope of this forum as much as possible, but topics that are flamewars waiting to happen? Dunno, maybe I'm wrong, but...
I'm not Further, but I don't think anyone here thinks that ripping DVDs should be any different than importing CDs into iTunes.
On the other hand Hackintoshes 1) Hurt Apple 2) Destroy the "it just works" idea behind Macs. And when accompanied with inflammatory language:
nothing good can come of it. Calling people who pay for their music "pinheads" is uncalled for, and claiming that there are $1.29 songs on iTunes is false. There will, be there aren't any now.
In general I am in favor of expanding the scope of this forum as much as possible, but topics that are flamewars waiting to happen? Dunno, maybe I'm wrong, but...
Please, don't twist my words. That's not what I said. God knows, I've paid serious $$$$ over the years for my music; that would make me king of the pinheads.
My point is simply that we can't really expect the corporation to devote it's resources to the development of HTPC hardware when 1) it's a tiny market, and 2) they clearly have much more lucrative revenue streams.
If you would do me a favor, I'd like to submit to you three HTPC machines that I own. In an ideal world, "It just works" would suffice. However, reality intervenes with issues of hardware capacity, compatibility, and lifespan. Would you kindly weigh in on which of these you think are appropriate to discuss in this forum, and why:
1) Mac mini; originally a "core solo", I have replaced the processor and RAM with third party hardware in order to handle HD content; runs OSX 10.5.5
2) Mac G4 Cube; after 7 years the logic board died and replacement parts are very rare, and I have replaced the board, CPU and RAM with third party hardware; runs OSX 10.5.5 and handles 720p nicely
3) AppleTV; hardware-wise this device is "stock", however, it runs Ubuntu with the Nvidia XvMC driver so that it too can handle HD content
Thanks in advance for your consideration-
Please, don't twist my words. That's not what I said. God knows, I've paid serious $$$$ over the years for my music; that would make me king of the pinheads.
My point is simply that we can't really expect the corporation to devote it's resources to the development of HTPC hardware when 1) it's a tiny market, and 2) they clearly have much more lucrative revenue streams.
If you would do me a favor, I'd like to submit to you three HTPC machines that I own. In an ideal world, "It just works" would suffice. However, reality intervenes with issues of hardware capacity, compatibility, and lifespan. Would you kindly weigh in on which of these you think are appropriate to discuss in this forum, and why:
1) Mac mini; originally a "core solo", I have replaced the processor and RAM with third party hardware in order to handle HD content; runs OSX 10.5.5
2) Mac G4 Cube; after 7 years the logic board died and replacement parts are very rare, and I have replaced the board, CPU and RAM with third party hardware; runs OSX 10.5.5 and handles 720p nicely
3) AppleTV; hardware-wise this device is "stock", however, it runs Ubuntu with the Nvidia XvMC driver so that it too can handle HD content
Thanks in advance for your consideration-
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1,380 Posts
I don't think anyone here has anything against hardware upgrades to macs and dealing with software issues that may arise from such upgrades.
I don't disagree, but if we as a Mac community want Macs in the future, clones are unfortunately a bad thing. Clones were the #1 thing killing Apple when Steve Jobs came back. I don't think that Apple's Mac division could survive if Apple permitted (and facilitated) retail copies copies of Mac OS to run on any and all non-Apple hardware. For that to be any kind of viable business, the cost of Mac OS X retail copies would go up from $129 to $329 (which incidentally is still less than the list price of Vista Ultimate on release). Serial numbers and other DRM nonsense would be added. No one would be happy.
Macs under Steve Jobs will never be all things to all people, but hopefully the next Mac Mini upgrade will be enough things to enough people around here.
PS I don't think that HTPC's are such a tiny business: I know a lot more Mac HTPC or AppleTV owners then say Amazon Kindle
owners, and people certainly regard the Kindle as a mainstream product.
I don't disagree, but if we as a Mac community want Macs in the future, clones are unfortunately a bad thing. Clones were the #1 thing killing Apple when Steve Jobs came back. I don't think that Apple's Mac division could survive if Apple permitted (and facilitated) retail copies copies of Mac OS to run on any and all non-Apple hardware. For that to be any kind of viable business, the cost of Mac OS X retail copies would go up from $129 to $329 (which incidentally is still less than the list price of Vista Ultimate on release). Serial numbers and other DRM nonsense would be added. No one would be happy.
Macs under Steve Jobs will never be all things to all people, but hopefully the next Mac Mini upgrade will be enough things to enough people around here.
PS I don't think that HTPC's are such a tiny business: I know a lot more Mac HTPC or AppleTV owners then say Amazon Kindle
owners, and people certainly regard the Kindle as a mainstream product.
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This is utterly and completely wrong. Apple was the #1 thing hurting Apple. By that, I mean their product portfolio was a mess (anybody remember the Performas?) and they kept flip-flopping software plans and not finishing anything. Despite that, they still had cash and marketable securities in the 9-figure range so they were not being "killed".
At that time, cloners demonstrated (using licensed reference designs) that much better performing machines could be built and sold at substantially lower prices. Right now, they're pointing out a glaring hole in Apple's product line between the 'consumer' and 'pro' configurations. Apple can put them out of business by closing that hole.
Craig
This is utterly and completely wrong. Apple was the #1 thing hurting Apple. By that, I mean their product portfolio was a mess (anybody remember the Performas?) and they kept flip-flopping software plans and not finishing anything. Despite that, they still had cash and marketable securities in the 9-figure range so they were not being "killed".
At that time, cloners demonstrated (using licensed reference designs) that much better performing machines could be built and sold at substantially lower prices. Right now, they're pointing out a glaring hole in Apple's product line between the 'consumer' and 'pro' configurations. Apple can put them out of business by closing that hole.
Craig
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