Mac Mini 'Pro'

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solidprosolidpro
Posted:
in Current Mac Hardware edited January 2014
Hmmm - an interesting, but ultimately useless proposition! An aluminium enclosure which you can put your Mac Mini into which makes it look like a miniture mac pro....



Talking point, I guess.





Comments

  • Reply 1 of 16
    Marvinmarvin Posts: 15,585moderator
    If it came with a Core 2 Quad mobile 2GHz CPU ($348 vs $284 dual-core in current Mini) and an Nvidia GT130 or Radeon 4850 vs the 9400M, 2GB Ram (expandable to 8GB) and a 120GB HDD for say $200-300 more than the current Mini ($700-800), I'd be all over it.



    Although, I suspect that particular enclosure will look worse in color. It's highly reflective aluminum and not the brushed aluminum that Apple use. The shape works though.



    The problem is that Apple know no-one would buy the top-end iMac when a Mini with that spec for 1/3 the price performs the same. 1/2 if they buy a decent display with it.



    But how much cooler would it be to have one of those mini-towers with Apple's LED display than an iMac. If Mini display port supported power, you'd still only need one power cable.
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  • Reply 2 of 16
    solidprosolidpro Posts: 7member
    Apparently those pictures are of the prototype. The finished one is adonised aluminium (which is what Apple do to their cases to get that 'brushed' look you mentioned) with the same finish as the Mac Pro...
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  • Reply 3 of 16
    pro_minipro_mini Posts: 2member
    Hi There



    We've just released some more pics of the case - it's now available to buy in full aluminium, which is adonised to create the brushed aluminium coat.



    Any critical feedback appreciated











    Thanks For Looking!
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  • Reply 4 of 16
    futurepastnowfuturepastnow Posts: 1,772member
    I think it's stupid looking. (you asked for input)
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  • Reply 5 of 16
    kingofsomewherehotkingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,185member
    My mini runs pretty hot when it's working hard ... I think wrapping it in a layer of aluminum is not what I'd want to do... but there are certainly plenty of folks out here who value form over function
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  • Reply 6 of 16
    solidprosolidpro Posts: 7member
    It looks like you could take the lid off the mac mini if you so desired - and I read somewhere that an upright mini is a much cooler mini than one flat in the horizontal position.



    Also, I guess most mac minis end up next to hot monitors or external hard drives - at least this enclosure would keep it seperate in it's own space...
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  • Reply 7 of 16
    le studiosle studios Posts: 211member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FuturePastNow View Post


    I think it's stupid looking. (you asked for input)



    I agree if Steve wouldn't do it like this he had a good reason, you think?
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  • Reply 8 of 16
    jetsetjetset Posts: 18member
    it looks like burning a DVD would be loud. REALLY effing loud.
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  • Reply 9 of 16
    sgsstatestudentsgsstatestudent Posts: 817member
    I think they look pretty nice!
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  • Reply 10 of 16
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    Didn't notice this thread before.



    I don't understand the concept. It would have made more sense to build a case for the Mini's innards that allowed you to access the RAM and Hard Drive easier than the Apple casing. And maybe add a USB port to the front for access.



    Throwing the entire Mini into another case doesn't seem to offer any practical improvements.
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  • Reply 11 of 16
    mr. hmr. h Posts: 4,870member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pro_Mini View Post


    Any critical feedback appreciated



    OK, here goes...



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Pro_Mini View Post


    adonised



    It's anodised (or anodized if you're American).
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  • Reply 12 of 16
    alanbrownealanbrowne Posts: 30member
    From the photo it seems to lack that apple patina.



    The mass of aluminum may help get the heat out by increasing surface area, however, there is not likely a good thermal path to that aluminum. It is good that it has lots of air holes, but it doesn't look to have a great convection path.



    I'd wait for others experiences before getting one of these. (Then again I have an iMac so I don't really have to worry about this).
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  • Reply 13 of 16
    sequitursequitur Posts: 1,910member
    This is the ad that shows the pic of the Final Prototype Pro Mini Enclosure. Note that it doesn't say "anodised" aluminum, but adonised aluminum - a big difference. The company is UK based; therefore, the word, as Mr. H points out, is spelled with an 's', not a 'z'.



    According to an online dictionary, adonised means:

    1. v. t. To beautify; to dandify



    Whether or not this ad means anodized remains to be seen. It could be a typo or a deliberate misdirection.





    pro mini . net Professional Enclosures for the Mac Mini



    July 21st, 2009



    The Pro Mini enclosure for the Apple Mac Mini is in it’s final 10 days of the initial production run and we’re taking orders now!

    This is the third iteration of the Pro Mini enclosure and has been honed and crafted for the perfect fit, ventilation and centre of gravity. The pictures below have been slightly photoshopped because this final proto is fashioned from Stainless Steel rather than the final material of adonised alumium, and has been hand cut and drilled, rather than machined and laser cut. However we feel this prototype gives a fair representation of the final product and should give you all an indication of what to expect.

    Full hi-res images will be available within the next two weeks.
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  • Reply 14 of 16
    kingofsomewherehotkingofsomewherehot Posts: 4,185member
    Adonized ... to beautify... as in "Adonis", the greek god of male beauty/virility.



    Anodized... a specific process for coating metal materials. (which just coincidentally, happens to adonize them at the same time! )
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  • Reply 15 of 16
    sequitursequitur Posts: 1,910member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by KingOfSomewhereHot View Post


    Adonized ... to beautify... as in "Adonis", the greek god of male beauty/virility.



    Anodized... a specific process for coating metal materials. (which just coincidentally, happens to adonize them at the same time! )



    However, the article NEVER mentions anodising or anodizing. That's reading something into the ad that isn't there.
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  • Reply 16 of 16
    pro_minipro_mini Posts: 2member
    Hey everyone



    The spelling of adnosized was 'my bad'. I can confirm that the unit is anodised - as in dipped in liquid aluminium to give it that smooth matt, non-reflective silver finish. You're all welcome to adonise this enclosure in your own time... Those Americanz in the room are also welcome to adonize the case, so long as they promise to brush up on the Queen's English immediately after.



    The purpose of the unit? To look great or to make good a tired and scratched mac mini you might have.... Many things deserve to exist simply because they look good, right? Possibly with the exception of Anthea Turner.



    Owners are welcome to open up the Mac Mini before putting it in, and if they do so, there is space likely to hold two extra 2.5" SATA drives in there, which you could plum into the eSATA bus (if you have one). This would potentially allow some software RAID functionality.



    Many owners though do not wish to open up their Mac Mini in order to make use of this enclosure, therefore tis not a necessity.
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