Mac Mini Review
First Impressions
What differentiates the Mac mini apart from all the other teams including href = "http://www.considermac.com/mac"> Macs, is its size. Only 5 cm (2 inches) high and 16.5 cm (6.5 inches) square, its dimensions are significant. When the horizontal bulky tower cases prices many machines that these differences disappear, Mac Mini is in a class of its own.
This is not the whole story, of course, but the size alone, the Mac mini provides an opportunity space-saving PC owners to switch to a Mac and retain their existing monitor, keyboard, mouse and other peripherals. It is even possible, thanks to a switch Belkin KVM, to retain your PC, Mac mini as a closer, and the change from one to the other as you want without having to rearrange your desktop.
Specs and performance techniques
On the technical front, the latest models of Mac mini is also worth a look. Now they have processors Intel Core 2 Duo 1.83 GHz or any of 2GHz. These 65nm processors are Intel's family of 64-bit architecture. To complement these, Apple has added 2 MB L2 cache for the Mac mini 1.83 GHz and 4 MB for the 2 GHz model, with an engine 128-bit SSE3 vector in both.
The result of this technology is interesting, to say the least: the new Mac mini is up to 39% quicker than the previous model. This leap in speed varies depending on its implementation – 39% figure refers to Apple's iPhoto '08 – but there are many examples of improvements with other software. For example, the overall rate through Apple's web browser, Safari, are up to 26%, and the compression of a movie with the Mac mini 2.0 GHz has been accelerated by 35% compared with the equivalent machine age.
For memory, 1.83 and 2 GHz Mac mini has 1 GB of DDR2 667 MHz SDRAM on two SO-DIMM standard. 1 GB of RAM is certainly a respectable amount, but if you want more capacity, can be doubled if desired.
Standard storage for the Mac mini is a 1.83GHz 80 GB 5400 rpm Serial ATA hard disk drive. The 120 GB version to 2 GHz have more space. Apple gives you the opportunity to improve on these two with a 120 GB drive for Mac mini 1.83 GHz and 160 GB for 2GHz.
In For graphics, the Mac mini has an integrated processor, so you have no choice but to accept it. This need not be a problem, however, because The processor is the Intel GMA 950, a drive that can handle the latest 3D games.
Hardware
A useful piece of hardware that came with the Mac mini is Apple Remote. This is useful when using Apple's Front Row media application. You can sit and control away from the music and the movies you play through the computer.
Ideally, of course, you want a good quality monitor to get the most from Front Row. The Mac mini has a DVI video out port that supports digital resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 pixels. This means you can connect and enjoy a 20-inch Apple Cinema Display 23 "or Apple Cinema HD Display. If you do not have a monitor, however, and you're thinking of buying, take into account the total cost. An iMac, with its specification better, you can make a more attractive economic alternative for a Mac mini / Apple Cinema Display combo.
For analog monitor connection, the Mac mini has a DVI to VGA adapter. You can also buy an Apple DVI to Video Adapter to give S-video connections and composite video to a projector or TV.
Other ports in the back of the Mac mini includes a combination of optical digital audio input audio line in minijack, and a combined optical digital audio output / headphone minijack. You can use these for digital audio equipment, headphones, a microphone and external speakers. Incidentally, Uncle Tom's compact size, the Mac mini has a built-in speaker.
The remaining ports are FireWire 400 and four USB 2.0s. Four USBs may seem generous, but remember that you have to connect a keyboard and mouse before you start. You can, however, opt for versions wireless.
Wireless technology Apple built in 54 Mbps AirPort Extreme wireless networking over Bluetooth ® 2.0 + EDR. These two are just you need for wireless activity. There is also a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port for those who prefer a wired connection to the Internet or a network.
In the front of the Mac mini is a slot-loading optical drive. Here there is a clear difference between the two models with the 1.83 that comes with a Combo drive, and 2 GHz with SuperDrive more versatile, allowing you to burn DVDs and CDs.
Software
As Mac ever with the software that comes with Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system is complete. Including Leopard, iLife '08 and Front Row give you more or less everything you need for a complete multimedia experience.
With iLife '08, for example, get iPhoto to improve and organize your photos, iMovie for help you create and share your movies, GarageBand, which lets you play with a virtual band, and create music and podcasts, iWeb to websites that contain pictures and movies as well as text, and iDVD, an application that allows you to transform your home movies into professional looking movies.
Other applications of Mac mini comes with iChat for video calls, and Safari, the fastest web browser around. An added bonus is the chance to try iWork, which includes Pages '08 for word processing, spreadsheets in Numbers '08, and Keynote '08 for presentations. If you're more familiar with Microsoft Office, this is a good opportunity to see what we can offer iWork instead. You can also make a direct comparison because the Mac mini has a software test Microsoft Office for Mac
Conclusion Pros
- A small package neat high quality specifications
- Ideal for switching from PC to Mac
- Much faster than the previous model
- Remote control included
- It contains all the usual Apple software iLife '08, more
- Great value if you already have a monitor, keyboard and mouse
Cons
- If you intend to purchase a high quality monitor, keyboard and mouse for the Mac mini, you may want to check out the iMac
About the Author
Ben T Wilson writes about Mac computers.
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