Mac mini

Mac mini (Early 2006)

Core Duo Mac mini: A Limited Mac

Overview

The Mac mini was the third Apple computer to make the switch to Intel CPUs. Both versions of the Intel-based mini include AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0, Apple's remote control, gigabit ethernet, and Front Row with Bonjour. In addition to this 1.66 GHz Core Duo model, Apple also sold an entry-level Mac mini with a 1.5 GHz Core Solo CPU, the only Mac ever to use that processor.

Mac mini

The new mini has a 667 MHz memory bus, four times as fast as on the G4-based mini. The Mac mini now supports two memory modules for up to 2 GB of RAM.

There's one bank with two memory sockets, so to upgrade RAM, you have to remove the 256 MB modules that came with the computer. Apple says that memory upgrades should only be done in matched pairs, but Other World Computing has discovered that you can use "mismatched" memory in the Mac mini (and some other Intel-based Macs where Apple specifies that upgrades should only be done with matched pairs). Their test results show that in general there is more benefit from having more RAM - even mismatched - than there is from having less RAM that is matched.

Front Row with Bonjour allows users to share music, photos, and video over a local network, and the Mac mini can be connected to a television set, making it more of a digital hub than ever.

The Core Duo Mac mini has a 1.66 GHz CPU, an 80 GB hard drive, and a dual-layer SuperDrive. Apple claimed this model was "up to four times faster" than the old G4 Mac mini.

The 2006 Mac mini was Apple's first computer to use Intel graphics and the first Mac in a long, long time to use "vampire video" (that's where the video bites into system memory). The Intel GMA950 graphics processor uses 80 MB of system memory for the display, so increasing memory beyond 512 MB is a good idea.

The Intel-based Mac mini looks just like the G4-based one from the front, but the rear panel is different. The Intel-based mini has four USB 2.0 ports and no internal modem.

The tiny Mac mini (6.5" square, 2" high, 2.9 lb.) has a minimalist design. On the front, there's just a slot-loading optical drive and a power light. On the rear, just enough ports to do everything important.

The Mac mini doesn't include a keyboard or mouse. Apple says buyers can plug in their favorite USB keyboard and mouse - or buy Apple's offerings. Mac OS X includes support for remapping the Windows alt and option keys to option and cmd.

Apple offers several Build To Order options, such as 100 and 120 GB hard drives; Mighty Mouse and a keyboard, or a wireless mouse and keyboard. And with a $19 DVI to Video Adapter, you can connect the Mac mini to most modern TVs using S-video or composite video.

Intel-based Macs use a partitioning scheme known as GPT. Only Macintel models can boot from GPT hard drives. Both PowerPC and Intel Macs can boot from APM (Apple's old partitioning scheme) hard drives, which is the format you must use to create a universal boot drive in Leopard. PowerPC Macs running any version of the Mac OS prior to 10.4.2 cannot mount GPT volumes. PowerPC Macs won't let you install OS X to a USB drive or choose it as your startup volume, although there is a work around for that.

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