Yesterday I ordered a 1.42 Mac mini from a department store (because they had 4 years interest free). The sales guy was switched on about Apple (which was kind of a surprise) and asked me if I realised that the keyboard, mouse and display are not included, to which I answered "DUUURRRRRRR" (just kidding ) but he said a lot of customers didn't realise this fact and were surprised and a little disappointed, especially when they didn't already have a kb, mouse or display. The price of the Apple displays doesn't help subdue their surprise either, but the sales guy is clever enough to point them to other displays or other Apple computers.
The only problem for me is the 3 to 4 week wait because I wanted the Superdrive and Airport Express - I will upgrade the memory myself thank you very much Mr Greedy Apple ($520 Australian for 1gb is ridiculous when I can buy it on ebay for $150 and I've done some DIY on my house so I'm pretty good with a putty knife PLUS a friend is buying an iBook and she's already offered to buy the 256Mb when I remove it).
I don't know why Apple don't have a heap of stock with Superdrive and AP already installed, especially in the 1.42. These are pretty common upgrades.
It'll happen eventually, I know that they're doing the testing now. Basically, it just boils down to making sure that the mini's mobo will handle the various manufacturer's products. As you increase the density of memory chips, you also increase the possibility of errors. Some mobo designs handle these better than others. As the RAM manufacturers improve their processes, it becomes less of an issue for lower-end products like the mini, so it'll just be a matter of time.
Why would anyone need 2Gb of RAM in a mini? I run graphics, video and music apps on my G4 with 1Gb of RAM and it's perfectly OK. Increasing to 2Gb of memory will simply increase your costs dramatically and I doubt the performance boost will justify the outlay. If anyone's worried 1Gb of memory will not be enough for their needs, they really should be looking at a G5..
For all you know, people who would be buying iMacs and laptops are buying minis, and therefore Apple is losing revenue (maybe not profit though, as I don't know the margins).
It'd probably be a good idea to wait until the quarterly report, and make sure that they go through the sales of ALL their computers.
Why would anyone need 2Gb of RAM in a mini? I run graphics, video and music apps on my G4 with 1Gb of RAM and it's perfectly OK.
No one knows how Tiger is going to act. The 1GB ceiling and significant difficulty required to upgrade (not everyone has a putty knife much less the desire to take one to their little box) is a huge black eye on the mini IMO.
1GB is fine, but as a cieling I am not happy. Neither am I happy with the exorbitant sum Apple charges to bring it to that level.
No one knows how Tiger is going to act. The 1GB ceiling and significant difficulty required to upgrade (not everyone has a putty knife much less the desire to take one to their little box) is a huge black eye on the mini IMO.
1GB is fine, but as a cieling I am not happy. Neither am I happy with the exorbitant sum Apple charges to bring it to that level.
When I bought my G5 from the local retailer, the guy said they'd install my new, 3rd party RAM for me if I bought the computer through them.
I'm not going to buy a macmini, but I'm POSITIVE its tiger performance will be just barely adequate, and core image will be a joke. That's the nature of low cost computers, though--a half year later they're totally obsolete.
Okay, I've gotta ask... on what basis of fact are you making that assertion? I mean, if you're running Tiger on a mini, that's one thing, (and we'd love to hear about it ) but...
Okay, I've gotta ask... on what basis of fact are you making that assertion? I mean, if you're running Tiger on a mini, that's one thing, (and we'd love to hear about it ) but...
You need at least a 9600 for core image acceleration, and many filters wont work.
Well, I know that the mini I bought created a switcher. Not me, but my sister, who gets my eMac.
The Mini buying experience was terrific, just called local apple store and asked if they had any in stock. They said that they get about 25 every two weeks, but they sell out whenever they come in, but would I like to be on the waiting list? Sure I did, so a week later I get a call saying that I had 24 hours to pick up my mini. I got over there in 2!
I got the 1.25 model. Upgraded the ram via putty knife to 512 (not as easy to open as looks on the intarweb!), and was ready to go.
I got the Mini set up next to my eMac (2004 model.) This was a battle of identical beasts. They both had 512 Ram (the eMac was 2X256), Radeon 9200s, 1.25 Ghz chips and 40 GB HD. The Mini drive was a clone of the eMac drive via carbon copy cloner. I set the resolution on both to 1024X768. The only difference was the laptop drive vs desktop drive.
I ran Xbench. The scores were identical within 5% except on the Disk benchmarks where the desktop drive in the eMac was twice as fast. This is a real machine, not an underpowered toy. My eMac is a great video editor/ content creation machine, and it looks like everything is going to run just as well on my new little guy.
I believe that this is a great little machine, super usable at 512 MB ram (whereas it chokes around with 256 out of the box.) It is going to replace my eMac with no looking back, and I will be getting rid of the loud roaring sound coming from my computer desk 24/7. My sister, will be getting that machine at a very steep discount and will thus be able to upgrade her family finally to a Mac.
For what it's worth, when I bought my mini, the sales guy actually recommended that I upgrade the RAM myself. He had the mini on display, and he even showed me the video of how to crack the case open. The video, ironically, was on the mini's Hard drive. He even told me that Apple will still honor the warranty. While that's not in writing, it was a confirmation from someone who actually sells them. Besides, I don't see what the big deal is. If you need to send Apple your mini, just put the original RAM back in before you do it. It's not like installing your own RAM is going to kill it. Unless of course you are so inept that you physically damage it while prying.
BTW, the mini that was demoed at MicroCenter (where I bought my mini) had only 256mb of RAM, and seemed to run okay, and it had about every dock app open.
Bart Smastard,
Yes, it should say SDRAM. However, they are still incompatible. While both notebooks and desktops use DDR SDRAM, they both don't use the same kind of memory module. Desktops (and minis) use "DIMM"s, while notebooks use "SODIMM"s. The differences are simple, SODIMMs are more compact and have a different pin count than DIMMs. Even though both SODIMMs and DIMMs use the same TYPE of memory, they are in fact, NOT interchangeable. I hope that makes sense.
Bought an iBook in September. My first real Mac. Base model, added airport. That's 256mb Ram to y'all. Wrote my first published work on it (in stores March 10th - PM me for details!) No issues, browsed (wirelessly, did email, wrote text all with no thought of slowdown - it seemed fine). Had to do a wedding video in October. The unit was responsive but seemed a bit sluggish. However, up until this point OS X felt SNAPPY with 256mb ram.
Added 256mb more ram for Chistmas. It's a veritable speed demon now.
Bought my mini, waited three weeks, got it last week. It's decked out - airport, bluetooth, 512mb, 80 gig drive on the 1.4 model. This thing flies. I've taken it everywhere so far - it's been a great portable presenter for me.
My next machine will be an iMac 20". I'm hooked. Everyone that sees this little baby is interested. I've already had a few friends order - my .Mac account is gonna be damn close to free next year.
Is she taking the world by storm? In my experience, you betcha.
Yes, it should say SDRAM. However, they are still incompatible. While both notebooks and desktops use DDR SDRAM, they both don't use the same kind of memory module. Desktops (and minis) use "DIMM"s, while notebooks use "SODIMM"s. The differences are simple, SODIMMs are more compact and have a different pin count than DIMMs. Even though both SODIMMs and DIMMs use the same TYPE of memory, they are in fact, NOT interchangeable. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks Wingnut, I knew I could rely on a "junior" member to come up with a sensible answer
heh, don't let the lable fool ya. I've built at least half-a-dozen PCs, owned and disassembled 3 laptops, and have been an active forum member at hardwarecentral.com since 2001. I may be relatively new to Macs, but I have dealt with a fair share of computers in my day. Maybe eventually more people will actually listen to me once I'm not a Junior member, but everyone has to pay their dues, I suppose.
Don't get me wrong Wingnut. I didn't mean "junior" in an offensive manner.
I was just having a bit of a shot at the silly behaviour the more entrenched members have displayed in this thread.
I, like you, am just a newbie to Appleinsider but have been around computers for too many years... my first was an Amiga 1000 in 1985. I now work with industrial sized bastards and haven't been doing a great job of keeping up-to-date with what's what at the smaller end of the scale.
Comments
The only problem for me is the 3 to 4 week wait because I wanted the Superdrive and Airport Express - I will upgrade the memory myself thank you very much Mr Greedy Apple ($520 Australian for 1gb is ridiculous when I can buy it on ebay for $150 and I've done some DIY on my house so I'm pretty good with a putty knife
I don't know why Apple don't have a heap of stock with Superdrive and AP already installed, especially in the 1.42. These are pretty common upgrades.
Originally posted by Kickaha
It'll happen eventually, I know that they're doing the testing now. Basically, it just boils down to making sure that the mini's mobo will handle the various manufacturer's products. As you increase the density of memory chips, you also increase the possibility of errors. Some mobo designs handle these better than others. As the RAM manufacturers improve their processes, it becomes less of an issue for lower-end products like the mini, so it'll just be a matter of time.
Why would anyone need 2Gb of RAM in a mini? I run graphics, video and music apps on my G4 with 1Gb of RAM and it's perfectly OK. Increasing to 2Gb of memory will simply increase your costs dramatically and I doubt the performance boost will justify the outlay. If anyone's worried 1Gb of memory will not be enough for their needs, they really should be looking at a G5..
Originally posted by Bart Smastard
PLUS a friend is buying an iBook and she's already offered to buy the 256Mb when I remove it).
I don't think they're compatible.
For all you know, people who would be buying iMacs and laptops are buying minis, and therefore Apple is losing revenue (maybe not profit though, as I don't know the margins).
It'd probably be a good idea to wait until the quarterly report, and make sure that they go through the sales of ALL their computers.
Why would anyone need 2Gb of RAM in a mini? I run graphics, video and music apps on my G4 with 1Gb of RAM and it's perfectly OK.
No one knows how Tiger is going to act. The 1GB ceiling and significant difficulty required to upgrade (not everyone has a putty knife much less the desire to take one to their little box) is a huge black eye on the mini IMO.
1GB is fine, but as a cieling I am not happy. Neither am I happy with the exorbitant sum Apple charges to bring it to that level.
Originally posted by groverat
No one knows how Tiger is going to act. The 1GB ceiling and significant difficulty required to upgrade (not everyone has a putty knife much less the desire to take one to their little box) is a huge black eye on the mini IMO.
1GB is fine, but as a cieling I am not happy. Neither am I happy with the exorbitant sum Apple charges to bring it to that level.
When I bought my G5 from the local retailer, the guy said they'd install my new, 3rd party RAM for me if I bought the computer through them.
I'm not going to buy a macmini, but I'm POSITIVE its tiger performance will be just barely adequate, and core image will be a joke. That's the nature of low cost computers, though--a half year later they're totally obsolete.
Originally posted by Kickaha
Okay, I've gotta ask... on what basis of fact are you making that assertion? I mean, if you're running Tiger on a mini, that's one thing, (and we'd love to hear about it
You need at least a 9600 for core image acceleration, and many filters wont work.
Originally posted by applenut
looking at your location and support I'd probably say you're his bend-over buddy. as a result I take anything you say with a grain of salt.
Well, how about that, I didn't notice that we lived in the same town. I don't know any local Inuit, though, so I have not met him.
The Mini buying experience was terrific, just called local apple store and asked if they had any in stock. They said that they get about 25 every two weeks, but they sell out whenever they come in, but would I like to be on the waiting list? Sure I did, so a week later I get a call saying that I had 24 hours to pick up my mini. I got over there in 2!
I got the 1.25 model. Upgraded the ram via putty knife to 512 (not as easy to open as looks on the intarweb!), and was ready to go.
I got the Mini set up next to my eMac (2004 model.) This was a battle of identical beasts. They both had 512 Ram (the eMac was 2X256), Radeon 9200s, 1.25 Ghz chips and 40 GB HD. The Mini drive was a clone of the eMac drive via carbon copy cloner. I set the resolution on both to 1024X768. The only difference was the laptop drive vs desktop drive.
I ran Xbench. The scores were identical within 5% except on the Disk benchmarks where the desktop drive in the eMac was twice as fast. This is a real machine, not an underpowered toy. My eMac is a great video editor/ content creation machine, and it looks like everything is going to run just as well on my new little guy.
I believe that this is a great little machine, super usable at 512 MB ram (whereas it chokes around with 256 out of the box.) It is going to replace my eMac with no looking back, and I will be getting rid of the loud roaring sound coming from my computer desk 24/7. My sister, will be getting that machine at a very steep discount and will thus be able to upgrade her family finally to a Mac.
I am super happy.
Curufinwe
Originally posted by Bart Smastard
PLUS a friend is buying an iBook and she's already offered to buy the 256Mb when I remove it
Originally posted by slughead
I don't think they're compatible.
Oh dear. I thought I read somewhere that they are.
You're probably right Slughead:
- iBook PC2100 (266MHz) DDR SDRAM
- Mac mini PC2700 (333MHz) DDR SRAM*
Can someone please confirm?
* Is "SRAM" a typo? Shouldn't it be SDRAM? I copied from the Tech Specs on the Apple site.
Thanks
BTW, the mini that was demoed at MicroCenter (where I bought my mini) had only 256mb of RAM, and seemed to run okay, and it had about every dock app open.
Bart Smastard,
Yes, it should say SDRAM. However, they are still incompatible. While both notebooks and desktops use DDR SDRAM, they both don't use the same kind of memory module. Desktops (and minis) use "DIMM"s, while notebooks use "SODIMM"s. The differences are simple, SODIMMs are more compact and have a different pin count than DIMMs. Even though both SODIMMs and DIMMs use the same TYPE of memory, they are in fact, NOT interchangeable. I hope that makes sense.
Bought an iBook in September. My first real Mac. Base model, added airport. That's 256mb Ram to y'all. Wrote my first published work on it (in stores March 10th - PM me for details!) No issues, browsed (wirelessly, did email, wrote text all with no thought of slowdown - it seemed fine). Had to do a wedding video in October. The unit was responsive but seemed a bit sluggish. However, up until this point OS X felt SNAPPY with 256mb ram.
Added 256mb more ram for Chistmas. It's a veritable speed demon now.
Bought my mini, waited three weeks, got it last week. It's decked out - airport, bluetooth, 512mb, 80 gig drive on the 1.4 model. This thing flies. I've taken it everywhere so far - it's been a great portable presenter for me.
My next machine will be an iMac 20". I'm hooked. Everyone that sees this little baby is interested. I've already had a few friends order - my .Mac account is gonna be damn close to free next year.
Is she taking the world by storm? In my experience, you betcha.
Originally posted by e1618978
The Amazon view is not so rosy - The two models of mini were number #1 and #4 in the computer sales list a few weeks ago, now they are #12 and #23.
Well, it's at 12 and 17 now - but that's not so bad - the only things ahead of it are laptops. It's still the #1 desktop on the list.
Originally posted by Wingnut
Bart Smastard,
Yes, it should say SDRAM. However, they are still incompatible. While both notebooks and desktops use DDR SDRAM, they both don't use the same kind of memory module. Desktops (and minis) use "DIMM"s, while notebooks use "SODIMM"s. The differences are simple, SODIMMs are more compact and have a different pin count than DIMMs. Even though both SODIMMs and DIMMs use the same TYPE of memory, they are in fact, NOT interchangeable. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks Wingnut, I knew I could rely on a "junior" member to come up with a sensible answer
I was just having a bit of a shot at the silly behaviour the more entrenched members have displayed in this thread.
I, like you, am just a newbie to Appleinsider but have been around computers for too many years... my first was an Amiga 1000 in 1985. I now work with industrial sized bastards and haven't been doing a great job of keeping up-to-date with what's what at the smaller end of the scale.
Cheers