Unibody 2010 Mac mini gets iFixit teardown - Page 2

The old mini is definitely a pain to take apart. I didn't have a putty knife for my first one so it probably took me half an hour of fighting with kitchen utensils to get the top case off.

Then I downloaded a take-apart video and watched it on a second Mac. It really is much easier and faster if you can watch someone else do a step and then perform it yourself. The actual RAM replacement job took only half as long as my original fight with the case.

Even though it only took a few minutes the second time around thanks to better tools and familiarity with the task, I'm not looking forward to having to replace a hard drive in either of my minis.

You don't know what you're talking about. The new Mac Mini is virtually identical in specs to my 19 Month old MacBook Pro, which is in no need of replacing anytime soon. I use it for RAW photo editing, Photoshop, Final Cut Pro, Motion, and even After Effects. Only in the last few weeks have I finally upgraded the memory from the original 2GB up to 4GB, which thankfully is now easy to do in the Mac Mini as well.

yeah the spec jocks will never be happy about new apple hardware cos apple doesn't always include the latest and best (it's called compromise). we still use 4 year old core 2 imacs for design... and it seems that intel have struggled of late to make their newer cpus as enticing an upgrade as the core 2 duo was over its predecessors.

however about the apple displays... they really need to releae a 27 " that can sit comfortable next to the new imacs. Also, the more ports they put at the back of the thing the better in my book. I understand chopping off ports on something like a laptop but apple really needs to include just 3 ports on a monitor... displayport for the new macs, dvi for legacy compatibility and hdmi for those who wish to use the display with more than one device - e.g. as a monitor for their gaming console or a blu ray player...

think it'll be a nice incentive for more buyers

They could go with two types, like on the Mac Mini and Mac Pro, an still follow much of their design mantra. mDP and HDMI. if you someone with an older device with DVI a cheaper HDMI-to-DVI adapter would do the trick since they are the same video signaling.

However, I don't think they will go that route. While they could get more ACD sales with this seemingly simple feature encouraging customers to buy a DVR, Blu-ray player, or game console which all have media extender capabilities, internet access and other features that could get you out of using your Mac, which could lead to you not buying another Mac.

To add to that, Apple does appear to be focusing more on Mac gaming for the first time in, well, ever. I like the idea, but I don't think Apple would like it, which is the only opinion that counts here, for better or for worse.

Stunning product design.

Well, now we know which parts will get cooked by the power supply. Right under the memory slots. So if you get kernel panics you know what to do.

$699 is affordable for most people interested in buying a Mac. Gotta realize the people looking to spend $350 are shopping in the Windows isle down at the Walmart. They aren't Apple's customers and Apple doesn't need them. Lots of people are confused about the difference between growing a market and maintaing a market. Apple is maintaing the Mac market at this point. This means they're building machines that appeal to customers who have already decided they want a Mac.


Mac buyers who are looking for good values will often go to the second hand market which is very active. I've bought 4 Minis off eBay in the last 2 years for under $400 each for family members who were sick of their PC problems. I'm excited at the prospect of getting some 9400M based models flooding the second hand market soon.

Lets look at some benchmarks

Passmark CPU score

Intel Atom Z540 @ 1.86GHz ------ 340
Intel Atom D510 (dual core) ------ 664
2007 macbook 2.16 ghz --------- 1223
2010 Mac Mini 2.4 ghz ---------- 1605
2010 Mac Mini 2.66 ghz---------- 1971
2010 3.06 iMac (any) 3mb l2 ------ 2110
2008 iMac 24inch 3.06 6mb l2 ----- 2249 (my computer)
2010 15 inch macbook i5 --------- 2374

Well that new mini isn't equal to a netbook. Thats fairly clear. If they put an i5 in the mini it would beat most of the entry level iMacs.... Right now the entry mini is 76% slower than the entry iMacs. (of course not comparing the GPU)

I think it's great. RIP AppleTV.

Exactly! I've said it before, but I really don't know what people are using their Macs/PCs for if specs like this don't cut it. I use Photoshop, InDesign, Quark Xpress and Scrivener daily... as well as using my Macs for email, internet, music and video. The specs on the new Mini are just fine!

Anyone would think all the 'spec haters' are working for NASA....

That's funny!

No, and no (the graphics chip is actually the computer chipset as well).

You'd be better off overclocking, but there's not much space inside to vent any extra heat generated. You might get a couple of hundred MHz more from the CPU, maybe 50MHz more from the GPU.

Here's hoping they do just that in the next revision. And of course, the iMacs will surely get i5s soon enough as well. I just wonder what they'll do for graphics, since Intel won't let them pair Nvidia integrated graphics with anything beyond a Core 2 Duo.

The idea that a new one couldn't is laughable. There are plenty of G4 minis out there that still perform those tasks without issue (and they even run Leopard.) My brother still has a 12" G3 iBook that can do those things. He is definitely not a power user, but his computers run fine for those things. His fiancée is a teacher, and she has no troubles using iWork to create documents for her class on either machine.

I don't see where Apple missed its target audience, other than the $699 price point. I get the feeling Apple went with $699 because it's the only version, and the iPad starts at $499. Too close in price to the old minis. Now it's an easier decision for people whether to buy a mini or an iPad.

My five year old iBook struggles with e-mail (gmail is okay in Safari, but Mac Mail struggles), web surfing is slow and it can't even do YouTube, never mind flash (Farmville).

However a new Mac Mini will have 10x the graphics power (GeForce 320M vs. Radeon 9550), 8x the graphics memory (256MB shared vs. 32MB dedicated), a bit more RAM, 4x the CPU (1.33GHz PowerPC G4 vs. 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo), and can do all the above. Windows compatible. It can even drive two monitors. It's a good all round computer. It's just too small to rest your monitor on.

And a $399 windows nettop PC can also do all the things you've mentioned.

Time for some RAM and a clean install. You should be good to go with it

It's got 1.5GB already.

How would a clean install help? I was under the impression that Mac OS X wasn't Windows! ;-)

How much is a 40GB/1.5GB/1.33GHz 2005 iBook 12" worth these days?

Somewhere around $300. OS X possibly needing a clean install after 5 years, and Windows (XP...of the past) needing one every 6 months aren't the same thing.

Who do you know that would even consider using a Windows laptop longer than 5 years, and still worth $300? Perhaps the later models designed for 7 are capable, but I draw the line at Vista SP1. Vista was 2006 (actually..retail release was Jan '07 according to wiki....), and I don't know many people who still have those model laptops running Windows anymore. They would still need another year of service if bought in 2006 to match your iBook's age.

I would probably upgrade that iBook to a 60GB 7200 HD and clean install OS X. If it were mine, anyway.

FYI 1080p mkvs can be played on any mac with a 9400m if you use either Perian with QT7 (NOT QTX) or Plex with the hw acceleration binary.

(did a lot of testing to figure this shit out)

May I ask if we have a chance to replace the DVD drive with a bluray?

It sort of looks like you could get the hard drive out without removing the logic board but if not then I'd say it's worse that the old one in that regard. You're not likely to switch the drive often but it's unnecessary to require disconnecting so many parts to get to it - you almost have to take apart the whole machine. There are 3 cables on it (two of which seem to be thermal sensors) and once those are off, you may be able to lift it up and out.

If it's so tight a fit that you can't do that, there's also no way a 12.5mm drive will go in there. The server model should still take one 12.5mm drive but in the slot where the optical was.


When you look at the laptops, you get the top shell which is carved aluminum and the bottom plate is simply screwed on. Once you unscrew that bottom plate, all the components are accessible.

All Apple had to do was put 4 screws on the bottom of the Mini with a fairly flat aluminum plate. Obviously there would be 4 screw holes but it's on the bottom, where nobody sees them. Even if the rubber pad was still there but the 4 screw holes were visible when it was removed and then you just take the entire bottom plate off.

I thought that the only very nicely priced piece of hardware computerwise that apple has was the mini.

Now there is no option for the lower end. This seems like the beginning of the end for os x. Apple really doesnt seem too intrested in developing the platform after snowleopard even if it says otherwise.

I can barely grasp the unibody consept in notebooks and mobile devices but I have to say that this is so just cosmetic compared to the old mini. And dont come saying they couldnt have used the old style case (non-unibody) with just some modifications to get it easier and better to open (even if it takes me just 1 minute to open the old mini (yea, I have upgraded tons of em) ). I have hade 10:s of people replace their old pc hardware with minis but the price-decrease just makes it impossible to make the transition after this. It will be just better idea to buy an atom/ion platform with same footprint 350Euros and stick with W7 (even though they have lesser prosessing power). The pricedifference is just not justified anymore (yea not everybody needs the cpu power).

I really think Ive should be held back atleast little on the ground with dedsign thing. Can somebody tell me why the unibody thing on this mini does for the average user. Its not like the case was unstable before? Its just a stupid and VERY costly design gimick in my eyes. They should have made the case easier to open and not more expensive to manufacture (just bad politics).

It just will be my last mini I guess.... and maybe Apple. Atleast Ill be buying less apple hardware in this trend.... Apple should still sell 500Eur hardware for os X! I was quite enthusiastic about this upgrade but the price just is quite rediculous. And DONT bullshit me about not being able to make cheaper machines. Atleast in these times they shouldnt make more expensive upgrades when everybody else just upgrades the hardware to fit mores law to justify the old price. The same money will just buy more cpu power later than at this time. That is just industry facts. Well ION platforms with same footprint just became 100% more attrictive (with the priceincrease).

As Apples success and popularity increases Steve and Johnny start to become more dead weight versus popularity. They have their own agendas and dont seem motivated to increase platform penetration aswell as profit. They dont want to expand on the success. They want to increase the prices to stop the platform of getting more popular and that way increase profit. This is not the only option but its the option that will stagnate the platform (mac)

This means good times for W7 and Android im affraid.

Sorry for my spelling....

It may not have the power to push a BRD, but first you have to find one that fits. It's a 9.5mm ultra-slim slot-loading drive that appears smaller than the one they were using previously. Small isn't cheap!



If what I think will eventually happen, happens. IOWs, the ODD being removed, then there would be room to push the logic board and/or PSU into the space occupied by the HDD, which would make room for a Core-i and dGPU, and potentially another fan or larger fan and heatsink.

Over-engineering or not, making this machine for just a couple revisions is pointless. When you consider how long the previous case design lasted it seems even sillier. I can't think of another avenue they'll take with it except to remove the ODD at a time they deem right and then move to Core-i + dGPUs in their smaller systems.


Which is why I think your assessment is dead on. As you are aware, they went to all this trouble to mill a a solid block on aluminium when it wasn't remotely necessary. It's not a notebook being moved around where rigidity and lightness are important factors.

On top of that, they did it in a machine that is using a CPU technology that has a dead end in sight and will require them to move to a dGPU unless they have some special deal in works with Intel and Nvidia or have some inside info about Intel's IGPs that we don't.

All opining aside, I find it pretty amazing how much "computer" one can get nowadays in such a simple and compact package...

Apple continues to amaze me that way...

Now if Apple would do something to make the iMac easier to take apart, and not just the RAM.

Does this mean that Sculley was right all along?

http://www.folklore.org/StoryView.py...rice_Fight.txt

Steve may have had no choice back then, but now he is certainly in a position to do something about Mac pricing, assuming it still matters to him.

Assuming, of course, that the price isn't already as low as they can make it.

But Will It Blend?

Yes. Apple is obviously not planning to make such a move for a while. There's nothing wrong with sticking with Core 2 on a machine like this.

I think Apple is holding out for AMD's Fusion processors, personally.

If that was really the case, then no one would ever need to upgrade to anything newer.

I have a Mini from 2007 (1.83 GHz C2D), and it does feel a bit sluggish (maybe it's just Aperture 2), and it could use 4 GB of RAM, but it can't. Back then, you didn't even get a DVD burner and had to settle for an 80 GB HD at $600. But it's been a pretty capable computer, outside of anything graphic-related.

I do like this new Mini, but not at $700 (an iMac is a better value ATM IMO), and especially since I did build a new PC in March - can't afford 2 new computers just to say so.

My Mini from 2005 (1.42GHz PPC) came with a DVD burner, maybe you purchased the basic model at the time, then again at todays exchange rates my mini cost me US$1300 before tax

Users do care about the size, look, hdmi, no power brick, graphics, ... I've used a Mini attached to an HDTV for years. It's my main system. Great system. The new one is even better.

Obviously you are not the type of user this machine is aimed for. To each his own. Can't wait to get one...

philip

An iMac is not better if you want to use the Mini hooked up to an HDTV or if you want a server. The iMac is a great all in one computer. One of the best desktops. The trend over time might very well be towards things like the iPad, Mini to HDTV, laptop, iPhone. Desktops don't quite have the same appeal anymore to a lot of people.

I wonder what this means for the Apple TV? Given that the Mini increased in price this leaves a lot of room for a very interesting product.

philip

Unfortunately, they cannot use an i5 because intel forces their graphics chips on them. Apple doesn't want the added power consumption and cost of discrete graphics in the mini...

and Apple doesn't use desktop grade CPU's...

Notice how all i5 macs have discrete graphics? That intel GPU is in there. Apple doesn't want to use it but they are forced to have it there anyways. Thats why they only offer i5 at higher price points, on larger systems that can accommodate discrete graphics.

So they have no choice but to use higher clocked core 2 chips to close the gap in the entry line. iMacs now start at the clock speed they used to be maxed out with.

Basically, Apple is using faster core 2 chips with each update so they can keep bumping the performance of their computers in small increments without jumping into i5 territory.

with a 2.66 ghz chip, the mini is 83% slower than the 2.4 ghz i5
Not a huge difference unless you were doing some really intense processing, and a whole lot better than using intel's crappy GPUs I would think.

You mean the same way that everyone on this forum was so sure that Apple would never, ever implement HDMI on a computer? Face it, you don't know what you're talking about anymore than the rest of us, so to make a statement that appears as though you do is patently absurd.

I noticed a little while back that someone upgraded the hard drive on the new non-server Mini and confirmed that the motherboard doesn't need to be removed to switch the drive:

http://www.123macmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27376

iFixit always make guides about dismantling the machines but it's not always necessary to take apart what they suggest in order to do upgrades.

It would have been nice if Apple designed the new Mini in a way that you could unscrew the rubber base and then just get a pull-out tab like the old Macbooks had and just lift the drive up and out but the description in the above link doesn't sound too tricky.