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Intel Mac Mini is Upgradable
Apple Core Solo to Core Duo upgrade
Intel Mac mini (#3): Installing RAM, Resetting the SMC, more
Mac mini (Core Solo) Reviewed
New 1.66GHz Mac mini Core Duo--How Fast Is It?
Intel mini Is Great For HD Video And Its Graphics Hardware Is A Step Up
Mac mini Core Solo: Not A Good Switcher Machine
The Apple Hardware Report: Putting the New Mac mini in Perspective
Intel Mac Mini is Upgradable
paulstamatiou.com reports:
Today was the day that just about everyone that ordered a mini on the 28th received it via FedEx. Tons of pictures of the Intel Mac Mini's internals flooded the internet this morning. Shots of the double-layered DDR2 200pin SO-DIMMs slots, the IR port next to the optical drive responsible for the Front Row remote control feature, the new Serial-ATA hard drive interface and more surfaced. However, one thing that caught my attention was the use of a socket for the CPU rather than a soldered-on, unreplaceable processor. The big connotation with this is that you can buy a cheaper Mac Mini such as the 1.5GHz Core Solo (assuming the motherboard and software is identical between Core Solo and Core Duo versions) and upgrade it to something like, say a 2.0GHz Core Duo. I still have to sift through some whitepapers and find exact heat specifications for the 1.83, 2.0 and 2.16GHz Core Duos to see if the Mac Mini's heat sink and fan combination would be up to the task.
Similar to the overclocking craze with the old Mac Mini, of which I became victim, I think that we will start to see a hardcore modding scene revolve around putting aftermarket processors in their cheap minis and adapting various cooling solutions to fit them. I already have plans to create a copper cooler, with the help of a friend with access to a CNC, for a new mini which I hope to purchase soon.
For the full report visit here.
http://www.paulstamatiou.com/2006/03/02/intel-mac-mini-is-upgradable/
Apple Core Solo to Core Duo upgrade
xtremesystems.org Fugger says:
I picked up an Apple Mini Mac for $599 and Fry's Electronics today. It was the low end unit with plans to swap out some of the guts for a mega upgrade that would be an unavailable configuration from Apple.
For those with access to Yonah chips or prefer to purchase from an online retailer but did not have a platform to run it on, this is very cool interim machine to check out.
The motherboard is an Intel Napa. It uses SODIMM and supports up to 2GB of DDR2 ram. It also run in dual channel mode as long as you keep DIMM's matched.
You have no ability to manually adjust memory timing but it will uphold SPD information like a champ.
I did some research into breaking the Apple spirit and getting windows operational and I know it will be possible based on depth of Apple protection.
For the full report visit here.
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91459
Intel Mac mini (#3): Installing RAM, Resetting the SMC, more
A new MacFixIt tutorial says:
Installing memory Installing RAM and other components in the Mac mini requires lifting off the top housing with a putty knife. However, the putty knife requires modification -- Apple says "Using sandpaper (150 grit), file down the end of the putty knife (on one side) until it's slightly beveled."
Memory installation: The only tool required for this procedure (after the top-housing is removed) is a Jeweler's Phillips #0 screwdriver.
RAM type: The Intel Mac mini uses PC2-5300, unbuffered nonparity, 200-pin, 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM.
You can check it out at:
http://www.macfixit.com/article.php?story=20060306094859784
Mac mini (Core Solo) Reviewed
Ars Technica's Clint Ecker reports:
Up until Apple's "fun" announcement on the last day of February, there was really no indication of how Apple's low-end Intel offerings would be presented. Now that Apple has disclosed the specification and price points for their entry-level machines, we can get a better idea of where Apple is trying to take their product line. For those people who might be unaware, two new Mac Mini models were released and by most accounts, the products have been well received aside from a few quibbles over specifications.
The biggest topic of discussion and opinion slinging online is Apple's decision to go with an Intel integrated graphics chipset. That has reportedly caused a lot of people to postpone their purchases. There are a number of reasons for the outcry, and rest assured we'll touch on them throughout this review. Most importantly, we'll try our best to determine how much that decision will hurt the Mini's performance and possible future sales.
I am actually an owner of a first-generation Mac mini with a 1.25GHz G4 processor. I'll be using that machine to highlight that changes to the model throughout this review.
For the full review visit here:
http://arstechnica.com/reviews/hardware/macmini.ars
New 1.66GHz Mac mini Core Duo--How Fast Is It?
MacsOnly1's Bill Fox says:
We hoped Apple would release a Mac mini that could replace our workhorse Mac, an aging and highly upgraded Power Mac G4 Cube. The original Mac mini didn't make the grade as it proved to be just the rough equivalent to our Cube according to our speed tests. When Apple released the new Mac mini Core Duo last week, we thought that Apple had answered our wish even though we had hoped for 1.83GHz rather than 1.66GHz and for a graphics system closer to the iMac Core Duo's. We ordered one on Wednesday and it arrived on Friday.
We ordered the $799 1.66GHz Core Duo model completely stock, including the 512MB of RAM despite a nagging feeling that it just might need more. We felt it might need more RAM because it will be running Microsoft Office 2004, Adobe Photoshop Elements and iVisit in Rosetta, the Power PC emulation software, and Rosetta runs best with lots of RAM. In addition, the Mac mini Core Duo's graphics system "takes" 64MB of the 512MB system RAM. But we first wanted to see how well the Mac mini Core Duo would perform with the base level 512MB of RAM.
For the full review visit here:
http://www.macsonly.com/index.html#_61
Intel mini Is Great For HD Video And Its Graphics Hardware Is A Step Up
maconintel.com reports:
Many have been examining the specs of the new Intel-based Mac mini since it was introduced by Steve Jobs at last week's Apple event. Of the changes from the previous G4-based mini, the one item that has raised the most eyebrows is the move from ATI Radeon 9200-based graphics to the Intel GMA950 chipset. The prime concern? Intel's graphics chipset does not use its own dedicated graphics memory, but uses part of the mini's main memory in a sharing arrangement. "Shared graphics memory" and "high performance" are not two phrases people are accustomed to associating with one another.
It turns out, it's not something to fret about.
For the full report visit here.
http://www.maconintel.com/news.php?article=140
Mac mini Core Solo: Not A Good Switcher Machine
TUAW's C.K. Sample, III reports:
I'm getting a lot of comments on last night's review of the Mac mini Core Solo, and a lot of Mac faithful are saying that the review is too harsh, that I'm being too negative, and that the majority of the problems would appear to be software glitches, not hardware. They wonder why I am currently panning the device in my review.
Allow me to offer a very simple rebuttal that I think justifies my negative review. The Mac mini, since its introduction, has been the machine most clearly aimed at switchers. It's a small, supposedly inexpensive computer, sans keyboard, mouse, and screen, that any Windows user can buy as their starter Mac. Now, let's overlook for a moment that in Windows land, $600 for a 1.5Ghz processor and a 80GB hard drive is by no means a steal. If you were a first time Mac user, who had long heard the marvels of Mac, the stability of OS X, and had finally gone to purchase one, hearing from all your friends that it would be a paradise of no crashes, no bugs, that it would just work compared to your crashtastic Windows machine, wouldn't you be inclined to return it if you encountered all the little glitches I've encountered over the past 24 hours?
I honestly think that if a substantial number of other Mac mini users are encountering the same problems that I have been encountering, that releasing the machine at this price point and with these problems could in the long run prove to be a huge marketing mistake on Apple's part.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://www.tuaw.com/2006/03/06/mac-mini-core-solo-not-a-good-switcher-machine/
The Apple Hardware Report: Putting the New Mac mini in Perspective
Although I've had a fair amount of experience with the first generation Mac mini, and I find it a pleasing product, I don't know if I'm going to review the MacIntel version, although I expect many close encounters with it within the next few weeks. However, the real point of today's exercise is to consider just where it fits in.
Here's the URL for today's commentary:
http://www.macnightowl.com/news/2006/03/week2.htm#perspective
Note: You can also access our RSS feed, available at:
http://www.macnightowl.com/index.xml
Charles W. Moore
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