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The Mac Mini is a Powerful, Beautiful Little Computer
The Mac Mini is a great computer. I own two of them and they are very durable machines. My old PPC Mini is 3-1/2 years old and still runs like a new computer, but at a slower pace, of course. I've owned Apple and Mac computers for over 30 years and most of them have lasted for 6 years or more.
In this lens, I'll describe the current Mac Mini models and give you some good reasons why you should own one.
Benefits of Owning a Mac Mini
owning a Mac Mini can save you money and give you pleasure
There are several benefits to purchasing a Mac Mini, especially in today's difficult economic times. Here's my list of some of the benefits:
- A Mac Mini is small and portable. You can take it with you on a vacation and easily hook it up to any computer display and be ready to work. Several years ago, I went to visit friends and I just put my Mac Mini it its original box and then into my suitcase, and I was able to use it with the super Mac OS X operating system while at my friends' home instead of struggling with their Windows computer.
- A Mac Mini will work with almost any display, keyboard, mouse, printer, hard drive, or any other computer equipment you already own. This is great if you have a PC and are making the switch to a Mac - all you need is the money for the Mini and you'll be all set to go.
- The latest Core 2 Duo Mac Mini models are powerful enough to handle most computing tasks. You can upgrade the memory to 4 GB to get the full processing power needed to run even the most demanding software. And, if you use an external Firewire drive as a boot drive, your Mini will be much faster than that current old PC you're using.
- A Mac Mini is an aesthetic addition to any room. It's so small and delicate looking that you can even have it in your living room and people will admire it. Whenever people see my Mini for the first time, they ooh and aah over it and then ask where I've hidden the rest of the computer. The latest models come in a beautiful white and silver casing that can easily complement any room's decor.
- A Mac Mini is a low-cost computer with high-powered features. It comes bundled with Mac OS X Leopard, iLife '08, firewall protection built into the operating system, and plenty of other software features that usually have to be purchased separately with a PC.
Mac Mini - 2.0 GHz Model
specifications of the lower end Mac Mini
Apple Mac mini (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, SuperDrive DVD±RW/CD-RW, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, IEEE 802.11g, Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard)
Amazon Price: $979.99 (as of 12/20/2009)
List Price: $1,049.99
Used Price: $945.00
Specifications:
2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
2 GB RAM, can be upgraded to 4 GB
120 GB Hard Drive, 5400 rpm
DVD-RW/CD-RW optical drive
Release Date: 12/31/1969
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Usually ships in 2-3 business days
Mac Mini 2.0 GHz Model
specifications of the high-end Mac Mini
A Great Hard Drive to Power Your Mini
Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus 500 GB 3.5" USB 2.0/FireWire 400 External Hard Drive
Amazon Price: (as of 12/20/2009)
When you consider purchasing a hard drive for your Mac Mini, you should definitely only consider a drive with FW 400 connections, especially if you plan to use the drive as a boot drive. Although a FW 400 drive is more expensive than a USB 2.0 drive, it is also faster and more reliable. I own three drives that I use with my Mac Mini computers, a WD My Book and 2 Maxtor One Touch drives, and I would definitely recommend the Maxtor drives over the WD drive. The Maxtor drives are much quieter, faster and more reliable than the WD drive.
The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus is an excellent hard drive from Maxtor (now owned by Seagate). It is very quiet, fast and cool, both to the touch and in appearance. It comes with both USB and FW 400 connectors so it can be used with almost any computer. It works great as a boot drive on a Mac Mini computer and it works perfectly with Time Machine.
I own this drive and it is the best drive I've ever owned. It is a very fast 7200 RPM drive. The drive comes with special backup software that works with Mac OS X 10.4.9 and higher. I've never used the software because I prefer using Time Machine and SuperDuper, but, if you purchase the drive and want to use the software, Maxtor provides a detailed instruction manual for using it with Mac OS X.
The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus is small and lightweight so it can easily be moved from one computer to another. Unlike some other external drives, the power pack for the Maxtor drive is internal so you only need to plug in the cord to a power source and then directly into the drive to power it up.
The Maxtor OneTouch 4 Plus comes in four capacity sizes - 250 GB, 500 GB, 750 GB, and 1 TB.
Buy a Drive for Your Mac Mini from Amazon
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Reader Comments
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Reply
- Clairejr Clairejr Jan 16, 2009 @ 6:52 am
- Thanks for the 5 stars :).
I love the Mac Mini and when I have a little more time, I'll add a longer review of it. If you can afford the extra RAM, I'd suggest you add it. I took the low end Mini without the DVD burner (I have an external one) and used the money I saved to get the 2GB RAM upgrade. I'd also recommend using an external FW 400 drive as the boot drive for it. The Mini's internal drive is only 5400 RPM (same as a laptop) so a 7200 rpm FW external will be much quicker. - Claire
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Reply
- hospitalera hospitalera Jan 16, 2009 @ 5:07 am
- Very nice lens, 5***** again and bookmarked, I am about to switch from PC to Mac and seriously contemplating to get the Mini, as the "Maxi" is a bit out of my price range. SY
by Clairejr
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