questions about mac mini
Hi there!
I'm currently a pc user who is thinking of buying a mac mini. For a long time, macs were considerably more expensive, and since I am a student I always bought pcs.
I have a few questions about the mac mini:
Can I also connect a regular PS/2 mouse and Keyboard?
Can I use standard PC components, such as ddr-ram (the ram apple offers is quite expensive) if they fit?
Is the dvi converter able of delivering 85 or 100Hz to a vga monitor?
How much Ram do I need for excessive working (so that the computer won't be swapping all the time)? On PCs, 512MB is minumum for xp for my needs, and 1Gb is recommended. Linux with KDE works for me on 256MB.
thx in advance,
David
I'm currently a pc user who is thinking of buying a mac mini. For a long time, macs were considerably more expensive, and since I am a student I always bought pcs.
I have a few questions about the mac mini:
Can I also connect a regular PS/2 mouse and Keyboard?
Can I use standard PC components, such as ddr-ram (the ram apple offers is quite expensive) if they fit?
Is the dvi converter able of delivering 85 or 100Hz to a vga monitor?
How much Ram do I need for excessive working (so that the computer won't be swapping all the time)? On PCs, 512MB is minumum for xp for my needs, and 1Gb is recommended. Linux with KDE works for me on 256MB.
thx in advance,
David
Comments
Well, you can't use standard PC RAM because simply, you can't install it yourself. But, if you want to install RAM you can send it to an Apple authorized dealer and they will install it for you. The RAM is standard RAM, DDR333 Mhz, if I'm not mistaken.
You need a USB mouse and keyboard to connect your existing mouse and keyboard to the mini. This can be easily solved with a USB hub that you can buy for a very small amount of money. I plan on doing that if I get the mini.
I'm not sure about the DVI, but Apple says it will work with any display LCD or CRT, so unless the graphics card can't handle it, then Mac mini should be able to.
As far as RAM, I'd say 512 minimum. If you add 512 through Apple it will cost you $67 which is, surprisingly enough, cheaper then getting it aftermarket. However, 1 GB of RAM through Apple is very expensive and I would not advise you to pay $425 on 1 GB of RAM. OS X has good memory management so 512 should suffice unless you are planning on running a productivity business.
Good luck with your purchase,
thx for your quick reply.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
Well, you can't use standard PC RAM because simply, you can't install it yourself. But, if you want to install RAM you can send it to an Apple authorized dealer and they will install it for you. The RAM is standard RAM, DDR333 Mhz, if I'm not mistaken.
Why can't I install it myself? Isn't it as easy as on a regular pc? Or do I need special screwdrivers?
Will the apple dealer charge me something for installing the ram?
Apples 256MB Ram upgrade (to 512 MB) costs 67 EUR in Germany, which is slightly more expensive. Also, I can buy regular 512MB RAM for the same price and use the original 256MB Ram on another pc, if the mini has only one slot.
cu,
David
Originally posted by Incoming
Hi there!
thx for your quick reply.
Why can't I install it myself? Isn't it as easy as on a regular pc? Or do I need special screwdrivers?
Will the apple dealer charge me something for installing the ram?
Apples 256MB Ram upgrade (to 512 MB) costs 67 EUR in Germany, which is slightly more expensive. Also, I can buy regular 512MB RAM for the same price and use the original 256MB Ram on another pc, if the mini has only one slot.
cu,
David
This is the thing that's confusing me to. I mean ok I void the warranty but people are saying these things are locked tighter then fort Knox. You?re taking to someone who took apart his PowerBook and laid out every piece in alphabetical order.
Just ordered one with 512MB Ram, 1.25Ghz, 40GB hdd and CDRW/DVD-ROM combo drive for around 535 EUR.
Hope I won't regret it!
Anyway, its available in Germany at end of January, apple's homepage says it ships within 3 to 4 weeks.
I'm looking forward to it.
cu,
David
Originally posted by Incoming
Why can't I install it myself? Isn't it as easy as on a regular pc? Or do I need special screwdrivers?
From what I understand, it's simply that doing so will void the warranty. Most likely, you'll need a Torx wrench to get into the case, as that's what Apple uses when a system is not supposed to be end-user servicable.
Will the apple dealer charge me something for installing the ram?
Yes. The price I'm hearing is $50 at an official Apple Store, but locally-owned resellers may charge less (I worked at a place in Alaska that charged $30 for such a service, or it was free if you bought the RAM through them).
Also, I can buy regular 512MB RAM for the same price and use the original 256MB Ram on another pc, if the mini has only one slot.[/B]
The mini only has one slot, yes. It uses standard DDR 333 RAM, though, so you can take the 256 meg chip out and pop it into a compatible PC when you upgrade.
Originally posted by Incoming
Hi there!
Just ordered one with 512MB Ram, 1.25Ghz, 40GB hdd and CDRW/DVD-ROM combo drive for around 535 EUR.
Hope I won't regret it!
Ahhh, cool! I'm sure you won't regret it. Let us know what you think when you get to try it out!
The one big benefit of having the Apple keyboard is that 1. it's USB already plus 2. it has 2 additional USB ports on either side of it, which makes hooking up a USB mouse, a digital camera, etc. very convenient. The keyboard is a bit pricey, but it's like getting a small USB hub at the same time.
If the adaptor(s) for your PS/2 keyboard and mouse are too clunky or inconvenient, there are of course, cheap USB keyboards and mice by Logitech and others too.
Just be aware that the nomenclature for an Apple keyboard is slightly different from a standard PC/Windows keyboard. The "alt" key is called the "option" key in the Mac world, and the little key that has the Windows icon is the equivalent to the Apple key, aka the "command" key, in the Apple universe.
Any help gratefully appreciated.
I've driven my Viewsonic 18" from my iBook (which uses the same video chipset as the mini).
Originally posted by mikef
The Mini includes a DVI to VGA adapter so any monitor that has a VGA input will work with it. The standard resolutions are supported by OS X (640 x 480, 800 x 600, and higher).
I've driven my Viewsonic 18" from my iBook (which uses the same video chipset as the mini).
Can you obtain a greater resolution than 1024x768 on your 18" Viewsonic and you iBook ? It seems that the iBook external video is limitated to a mirror mode (and so the resolution is limitated to the resolution of the internal video) ? Is there a mode in which you can use your iBook on your external display say in 1280x1024 ?
I'm very interested in this functionnality and I'm wondering if I bought a Mac mini, an iBook or a 12" Powerbook.
The firmware hack is here:
http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html
Originally posted by mikef
Yes, I run my display at it's native resolution of 1280 x 1024.
The firmware hack is here:
http://www.rutemoeller.com/mp/ibook/ibook_e.html
WAHHOUUUUU!!!!!!! Thank you 1000 times for your response, I'm gonna bougth a iBook right now I think!!!!
And if it's a firmware hack, I suppose that it will work on Tiger as well...
got my mini yesterday:
DVI works fine on 1200x1024.
I exchanged the DDR-400 hynix 256MB Ram with a DDR-400 jetram 512MB Ram. I also tried a DDR-333 Noname 512MB Ram (same number of chips as the other 512MB) and it didn't work. It just made 3 beeps and remained off.
PS/2 mouse and keyboard were easy to connect, but somehow the keyboard mapping is incorrect. Where can I fix that?
Also, while playing a movie with vlan-player, it sometimes stops for a quarter of a second. Is that a software or a hardware problem? (maybe slow CPU?)
David
Also, while playing a movie with vlan-player, it sometimes stops for a quarter of a second. Is that a software or a hardware problem? (maybe slow CPU?)
I'd blame it on the software first. From my experience, the OS X version of VLC doesn't work as well as the Linux/x86 version.
VLC should work flawlessly though. I use it on a daily basis with a huge variety of formats.
What format in particular has the momentary hang? Are you playing the files off the hard disk or an optical disc?
Originally posted by dfiler
What format in particular has the momentary hang? Are you playing the files off the hard disk or an optical disc? [/B]
Neither. The files are played right off my server, which has a smb share that is mounted on the mini.
Maybe read-ahead buffers are not big enough?
Is there another software you suggest for playing avis?
thx!
David