Is your Mac Mini your main computer?

[MacMini2009]

Hi everyone. I'm just wondering if you own a Mac Mini, is it your main computer? Many people just have them as a media center, but I use mine as my main computer. I wonder who else uses their Mac Mini as their main computer. Also, what monitor or TV do you have it connected too?

[daneoni]

Whilst I don't do this currently I did have a 1.4GHz G4 mini connected to a 17" acrylic studio display and I absolutely loved it.

[ruku]

got the upgraded mini and a dell 2709w monitor which is 27 inches and an old 4:3 19 inch monitor for reading the net and making this post while i watch movies on the bigger screen.

[J&JPolangin]

...my 2.0 Ghz Nvidia whitebook is my main machine = so I'd say yes as they are basically the same spec...

[pastrychef]

My main computer is my Early '08 Mac Pro. I use my Mac mini (1.83GHz C2D, GMA950) as a file server (it has two Drobos connected to it), iTunes server, and I have an X-Arcade joystick connected to it to play some MAME games.

Soon, I will try installing Windows under VMware Fusion and TVersity to transcode and stream videos to my Xbox 360. I hope it has enough horsepower to handle it. It sucks that the Xbox 360s' video codec support is so limited.

[fhall1]

It was for a year and a half until I bought my new iMac

[Flybye]

My Mini is my main here!

He's connected to a HP/Sony 24" Widescreen CRT.

[alphaod]

It depends on how you define "main"; I used to use the mini more than any other machine, so would that have fit the definition? I always thought my laptop was my main machine, but I always found myself using a desktop more often.

[MacMini2009]

It depends on how you define "main"; I used to use the mini more than any other machine, so would that have fit the definition? I always thought my laptop was my main machine, but I always found myself using a desktop more often.

Yes, I would probably say your main computer is the one you spend the most time on or do everything on it.

[tofagerl]

I bought the rev.A Mac Mini when it first launched in early 2005, and I used it as my main computer for about two years untill I gave it to my mom.
Now I have it back, it's just sitting under the TV pretending to be a media center. (My PCH is far better)

[mikes63737]

My Mini was my main computer for the first two years after it was released. It was a 1.25GHz PPC, and it's still used by my sister today. It's a fantastically reliable (but slow) machine.

[jointsmoking]

I have two mini's - one hooked up to a Sony Bravia and the other is hooked up to a cheapy monitor in the kithen.

[rgarjr]

my mini is primary a media center machine to watch movies on Plex.

[hitekalex]

Mini is the main home server - NAS/BitTorrent/iTunes Server/EyeTV DVR/Living Room PC. I use my Air for everything else.

[Krafty]

It is now. I use my 2006 13" MacBook for doing work at school or using it outside my dorm, but I do work on my mini and decided to move my music to it since I have my Z-5500's connected and I wont have to disconnect everytime I want to take my MacBook somewhere. 23" Acer helps a lot.

[thejadedmonkey]

I seriously laugh when people say stuff like this. I too used the 1.25ghz version of the Mini, and it was a great main machine. The previous generation mini totally blows it out of the water, and the current one smokes it.

[Scarlet Fever]

I've got a MM set up as a home theatre PC, but I would have no problem in using it as a main computer. For its size, it's surprisingly powerful.

[maghemi]

I have been using mine as a tv unit for a while connected to a 26" Hisense cheapie tv.

But I will be using it in the office for a while attached to a 22" samsung using windows under bootcamp while I do some autocad work until I can get a small PC with as much grunt as the mini.

I was going to use it with VMware so that I could still have access to OSx but the vmware sessions run like an absolute dog on the mini. Not sure why. It used to run really nicely on my imac of less spec. Not sure whats going on there.

[California]

My Mini was my main computer for the first two years after it was released. It was a 1.25GHz PPC, and it's still used by my sister today. It's a fantastically reliable (but slow) machine.


Waiting for someone with a really old PPC mac to spruce it up with a SSD and tell us about the speed gains.

As to the topic, yes, my mini is now my main machine, though I have come to the wise conclusion to never own only one Mac. Too scary if you have downtime.

[googdot]

Since I sold my Macbook last year, my new 2009 mini is my main computer. I've got it souped up with 4gb of RAM and an SSD for the OS/Apps and it screams.

It's connected to a Dell 2209WA...very nice setup IMHO :)

[optophobia]

my mini 2.0 c2d is my secondary to my early 08 MBP.
The mini is connected to a 20" Apple cinema display, and I use it to stream my icam, music and growl to my iphone.
Oh and I use the DVD drive on it too since the one in my MBP has died, and I am yet to get it fixed under warranty.

[evillageprowler]

My 2009 2.0GHz Mini is my main machine. See my sig for the monitor to which it is attached. I use it to serve my primary iTunes library to two :apple:TV boxes. In conjunction with my iPhone, I use it as main web+email device. I opened the box up and upgraded the disk and ram myself (500gb, 4gb).

My main gripe is that the cpu is too underpowered than I had realized. It really labors when using Handbrake. And, I seriously doubt it'd be ok if I were to run a guest instance under vmware.

At some future date, I'd like to get a MP and drive two monitors, and use it for Mac plus run Linux and Windows under vmware. It's just occurred to me that I can probably get away with running vmware on my MBP. Hmm...

EVP

[Drewsky87]

The mini in my sig is ONE of my main computers, I have it hooked up to a 19" Hannspree HF199H running at 1440x900. Hooked up to the same monitor, I also have a PC that I built. I switch between the two pretty regularly. You probably don't care about it since it's a PC but I spent about $400 total on it and it has an ASUS micro ATX Mobo, 2.5GHz Intel dual-core CPU, 4GB DDR2 RAM, nVidia GeForce 9500 GT 1GB DDR2 RAM @ 550MHz, 500GB Seagate Barracuda HDD and it's a dual boot running Windows 7 Ultimate and Ubuntu. Oh, and it's filled with bright green LEDs :rolleyes: lol.

I use my MacBook whenever I'm not near my desktops.

[Apocrathia]

my mini runs as my home server/nas drobo and my media center hooked into a 46" bravia in my room. i use my iMac and my macbook more than anything.
the mac mini is definitely an overcapable machine for what i do. I'm hoping it'll last a good 5 years at the least.

[rgarjr]

do some of you leave your minis ON 24/7?

[dubhe]

My mini is my main computer and it is on 24/7 (though auto sleeps at midnight). I also use it as my music server via an Airport Express hooked into my stereo and the remote app on my iPhone.

I have an old 15" samsung display at the moment, going to upgrade later this year, I also have my bedroom TV plugged in the other display port fir watching movies in bed :)

I'm waiting for something new on the laptop front, maybe a redesigned Air, and then the mini will be relegated to dedicated media centre.

[opeter]

do some of you leave your minis ON 24/7?

Sometimes. But it won't go sleep (disabled network wake up) and I don't know why... only the display goes to sleep :(

Anyway, yes, my Mac mini is my main machine (I don't have any other computers and I don't plan to buy one).

[clickgr]

My main computer is a Mac mini and my secondary computer in my living room is again a Mac mini as HTPC.

[googdot]

do some of you leave your minis ON 24/7?

I have a G4 mini that I run headless in the lounge as a music server (access via screen sharing/VNC when I need to). It is on all the time, 24/7 and has been going strong this way for a few years now. No issues whatsoever.

[pastrychef]

do some of you leave your minis ON 24/7?

Yes, mine is on 24/7.

Also, I finally got a working TVersity setup running on my Mac mini. It streams to my Xbox 360 through Wifi (Mac mini is connected via gigabit ethernet). It works great for SD stuff, but, alas, the 1.83GHz C2D is too underpowered to transcode HD content fast enough. I may have to upgrade the CPU if/when I have a bit of expendable cash.

[J&JPolangin]

....the 1.83GHz C2D is too underpowered to transcode HD content fast enough. I may have to upgrade the CPU if/when I have a bit of expendable cash.

...is that the last version that you could change the CPU on, I thought the intel CPU's were all fixed to the logic boards...

[pastrychef]

...is that the last version that you could change the CPU on, I thought the intel CPU's were all fixed to the logic boards...

The newest Mac minis (the ones with Nvidia GeForce 9400M) have the CPU soldered on the main logic board. The Mac minis that came with GMA950 had the CPU socketed.

[gianly1985]

I voted NO because I use it as a media center.

But as far as I'm concerned, a MacMini 2009 could be an excellent main computer.

It can take 8gb of RAM (thanks to the new firmware).

It has a Penryn 2.13ghz-2.26ghz cpu which is enough for 90% users. (c'mon, today people buy ATOMs :rolleyes:)

Put an Intel x25-m G2 inside the Mini and you get the best desktop for most users, DEAD SILENT, low power consuming, blazing fast (with the intel SSD), ridicolously small footprint (16x16cm) but still dual monitor, 5 USB, fw800 and optical unit. And NO ATOM/ION *****.

It is the best possible desktop for people not doing gaming or heavy CPU-stressing activities.

[dyn]

My main gripe is that the cpu is too underpowered than I had realized. It really labors when using Handbrake. And, I seriously doubt it'd be ok if I were to run a guest instance under vmware.

I've got a Mac mini 2009 with the 2.0 GHz cpu, 4 GB ram and an OCZ Vertex 250GB ssd. It used to have the stock 120 GB hdd. The vm's are stored on an external firewire 400 500GB disk. Because the vm's are running on the external drive it does not really matter whether the internal drive is a ssd or a hdd. Either way, the mini runs various vm's at the same time really well. I can have Ubuntu, WinXP, Win7 and FreeBSD vm's open at the same time. However, I do notice when the vm's are doing I/O intensive stuff since that will slow them down but not my Mac mini. I also thought the 2.0 GHz cpu would be really slow but that it does it quite well actually. My old MacBook with the Core Duo 2 GHz and 2 GB of ram used to run vm's quite well as well but it was limited to 1 or 2 depending on what I was doing with other OS X applications.

My MacBook Pro early 2008 has nearly the same setup: 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo, 4 GB of ram and the same ssd. It used to have a WD 320 GB hdd. On this machine I run the vm's from the same disk as I run OS X and all my other software (for obvious reasons ;)) and I can tell a biiiiig difference from using the hdd or the ssd. With a lot of I/O the machine would come to a crawl when using the hdd but it just keeps flying when using the ssd.

I'm guessing the I/O is what has the most impact by far on the performance of ones vm's. Running it on an external disk or on a ssd will give you quite a performance boost in both OS X and your vm's. I believe that I can get more performance out of the mini if it were to support 8 GB of memory, more than a faster cpu.

That same Mac mini is also driving a Dell 3008WFP using the mDP-DP cable from Circuit Assembly and does that really well. I'm really amazed at how well the Mac mini can keep up with the MacBook Pro. In my opinion both machines are really fast (and yes, 4 GB of ram and the ssd contribute a lot to that fact).

[Jackintosh]

Yes. Latest 2.26 Mini is my main and only computer. Why would anyone need anything else?

[reebzor]

uh... it depends what you mean by "Main computer"

My mini was definitely my main computer, but now it's moved to the TV where it's a HTPC.

I still use it more than my macbook though...