Apple Mac mini MC408LL/A Snow Leopard Server Review

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(More customer reviews)The new Mac mini with Snow Leopard Server has just been wonderful. We already have about 100 of them running here at Macminicolo as production servers and they've performed great.
A few comments on hardware:
- In this machine you have two 500GB drives. By default, they are two separate drives. When you configure on startup, the default prompt is to have your services running on the drive called "Server HD" and the backups go to the drive "Macintosh HD2." Of course you can change this to however you want, but that is the default.
- You can also put the two drives in RAID 1 or RAID 0. To do this, you'll need to boot from the restore disc that comes with the machine. Since there is no optical drive on the Macmini, you'll either need to use the Remote Disk feature and take advantage of a Mac or PC drive on the network. (This works wonderful) Or you can purchase the SuperDrive for MacBook Air which plugs into the USB drive of the Mac mini and works fine. Personally, I'm not a fan of RAID, but I know others are.
- This machine comes with 4GB of RAM, which is more than enough for most things. You can also upgrade to 8GB of RAM if you'd like to crack it open. This isn't "officially" supported by Apple, but works well.
- Like all other Mac minis before it, this machine is nearly silent. It's wonderful in that sense. It also runs cooler since the optical drive is what produced most of the heat in the last ones.
- For connectivity, you have a FW800 and 5 USB. For a display, you can use mini DisplayPort or mini DVI. (There is a mini-DVI to DVI converter that comes in the box.) And of course, the machine will also run headless without any problem at all.
And now a couple mentions of software info:
- This machine comes with a license of Unlimited Client Snow Leopard Server. That's a wonderful deal since it's $499 if purchased on it's own. This is a full copy with no limitation. You'll have the blue card with the serial in your packet.
-The machine will also run Snow Leopard just fine if you'd rather install it on this machine and use your Snow Leopard Server license somewhere else.
- For the first time on these Mac minis, Applecare also covers basic setup of Snow Leopard Server. (This is a separate, expensive option when buying an Xserve.) You can call AppleCare and they'll help you configure your server. Very useful.
Overall, these new machines are just fantastic. Our customers love them.

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Apple Mac mini MB138LL/A (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive) Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this mini to replace a 1.42 GHz G4 mini that just couldn't handle my 6,000+ pictures in iPhoto anymore. It took 1-2 minutes before I could do anything in iPhoto after I opened it.
When I got this machine, I immediately replaced the two 512 MB sticks with two 1 GB sticks that I bought online for about $35 each (much cheaper than Apple). I also had an existing 200GB external drive which is the same form factor as the mini and sits underneath it in addition to a Belkin USB hub (same form factor as well), since you can never have enough USB 2.0 ports.
The machine is great and much faster than my old Power PC mini. iPhoto opens very quickly and I can immediately browse through all my film rolls, even with other programs, such as Safari and Eudora, running. I am glad I waited until Apple changed from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo, although I am not sure how much difference there is between the newer and older Intel mini.
I also love the included remote for iLife. It's nice to be able to browse through iTunes, iPhoto, etc. without the keyboard/mouse.
There are rumors that Apple will discontinue this little machine soon, but I hope they don't as it is a great buy for anyone who already has a nice monitor/LCD. I would like to get a 24" iMac but they are too expensive and I would much rather just buy a Mac mini and hook it up to a 20" or 24" external LCD since I don't like all-in-one devices (printers or computers).

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A great choice for home computing tasks and creating a digital media hub, Apple's Mac mini desktop PC combines design simplicity with powerful computing resources. Nicely compact at just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches high, the Mac mini offers an affordable avenue to dual-core processing power via the 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and Apple's latest suite of digital media applications--iLife '08. It also comes with the Apple Remote and Front Row media display software, which enables you to easily play your music, enjoy photo slideshows, and watch DVDs, iMovies, music videos and television shows from across the room.
This Mac mini also features 1 GB of installed RAM (with a 2 GB maximum capacity), 80 GB hard drive, a combo DVD-RAM/CD-RW drive for watching DVD movie discs and burning your own mixes to CD, Gigabit Ethernet wired networking and 802.11b/g wireless LAN, and the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system. You'll have to supply your own keyboard, mouse, and display.
Preinstalled with iLife '08 Every Mac mini includes iLife '08, the latest version of Apple's award-winning suite of digital media applications, with major upgrades to iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb, and GarageBand and a completely reinvented iMovie. iPhoto '08 now automatically organizes photo libraries into Events that let you more easily manage your growing photo collections, and iMovie '08 can import video from the latest AVCHD, HDV and DV camcorders, as well as from digital cameras, and displays your entire video library whether it's stored on internal or external drives. Both iPhoto and iMovie integrate seamlessly with the new .Mac Web Gallery, Apple's new service for .Mac members to instantly create and host websites for their photos and videos.
iLife '08 also features iWeb '08, with live web widgets such as Google Maps that let you create even more dynamic websites, and GarageBand '08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun and easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create great sounding songs.
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor The Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 processor has a 1.83 GHz processor speed, fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The Intel Core 2 Duo's 128-bit SSE3 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction to multiple data. And its two execution cores are designed to share resources and conserve power, helping it to achieve higher levels of performance since it uses fewer watts.
Wired and Wireless ConnectivityThe Mac mini gives you plenty of room to grow with four USB 2.0 ports on the back--for connecting devices such as cameras, iPod, printer, camcorder, or keyboard--as well as a FireWire 400 port, which enables super-fast connectivity to hard drives as well as digital video camcorders. Share files around your house with built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet as well as 54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g). The integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity--version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)--allows you to use a wireless keyboard or mouse, and synchronize peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs. Enjoy high-quality sound on almost any speaker system with double-duty analog/digital audio. Record digital and analog sources through audio line in, perfect for your latest podcast in GarageBand.
Graphics and Video The Mac mini has a DVI video output that supports digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels and is compatible with the 20-inch Apple Cinema Display and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display. It also supports coherent digital displays up to 154 MHz, and non-coherent digital displays up to 135 MHz. Using the included VGA video adapter, you can connect to analog displays at a resolution up to 1920 by 1080 pixels. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 64 MB of shared video memory.
Other Features
1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) on two SO-DIMM with a 2 GB maximum capacity
Slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW): reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed, and reads CDs at up to 24x speed
Built-in speaker
Meets ENERGY STAR requirements with maximum continuous power of 110 watts

Included Software Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive; iWork (30-day trial); and Front Row
What's in the Box Mac mini, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation

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Apple Mac Mini MC270LL/A Desktop Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)We've already put these new minis thru the paces here at Macminicolo and they're great. A few things to know:
-The RAM on these minis is VERY easy to upgrade. This machine comes with 2GB but can be upgraded to 8GB. Just twist off the bottom with your fingers and replace the RAM. (Literally, no tools required.)
- If you're looking to use the Mac mini connected to your TV, you'll be glad to hear that it now comes with HDMI. Nearly every current HDTV should have HDMI and it's a great fit.
- Speaking of TV watching, the new GPU (video card) is great. A wonderful upgrade.
- This Mac mini was reduced in power consumption AND the power brick is now internal instead of the big external one from before. That makes for a cleaner looking hookup.
- We use all our Mac minis as servers here and they're great. They run 24 hours a day and have no problems.
- This machine still has the IR capability so it can be controlled with the Apple Remote or one of the Harmony remotes with no problems.
All in all, a good upgrade.

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Introducing the new Mac mini. Redesigned in a very big way.
A completely redesigned, compact aluminum enclosure hides a powerful, full-size computer. And now with up to twice the graphics horsepower as before, Mac mini brings high performance to everything from 3D games to photos and video. Just connect Mac mini to your display, keyboard, mouse--even your HDTV, courtesy of a built-in HDMI port. It's the most affordable way to enjoy a Mac. And it's still the world's most energy-efficient desktop computer.
The redesigned Mac mini (see larger image).

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