Light weight monitor on top of a Mac Mini...

What do you consider lightweight? I wouldn't do it I guess.

Other World Computing sells a monitor stand designed as a Mini case.

RaceTripper said:

Other World Computing sells a monitor stand designed as a Mini case.

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Do this instead... Putting a monitor on top of the mac mini just isn't a good idea. The bottom of the mini is raised plastic which over time and heat might not hold up. Putting the monitor on a small stand that the mini can fit under is a much better idea. The mini could even fit behind the monitor if your table is deep enough.

Don't raise the display too high. The ergonomically-ideal height is with the top of the panel at eye level or slightly below. If you have to look up very much you can develop neck and shoulder pain.

$35 for a piece of bent plastic seems a bit steep. I agree you shouldn't place a monitor directly on it though so I think I'll just make a stand. I have a piece of scrap wood that is 1 1\2 inch thick which I cut into to sticks that fit along side the mini and support the weight of the monitor. I painted them too with some black spray paint I had too. Total cost to me was nothing. There are no vents on the sides or top of the mini to keep clear of so it looks good to me.

"Is it a bad idea to stand a light weight monitor on top of a mac mini?"

I wouldn't do this, no way.

Things are pretty tight and compact inside the Mini case, any weight on top would probably introduce some downward pressure that could damage internal connections and components.

Years and years ago, I had the very first PowerPC-based Mac, the PowerMac 6100. It had a low, narrow case, and I put an AppleColor monitor on top of it, which seemed to fit ok.

But after a while, I began to have all sorts of problems with the 6100. Pressing on the case would clear them up. I wasn't sure what was going on, and had the motherboard replaced, which was ok for a while, but then the problems returned. I surmised that the weight of the monitor (of course the AppleColor was a tube-based monitor, heavier than today's LCD's) was actually "flexing" the motherboard inside the 6100 case, and damaging it.

Lesson learned. No more "monitors on top of the case" for me.

MrXiro said:

the sheer look of not having the Mac Mini anywhere really in sight.

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If you want it hidden you could always add a shelf under your desk to hide it. Since there is no CD drive there isn't much need to have the Mini accessible anyway.

I've got a couple of these monitor stands on my desk, with the Time Capsule sitting under one of them.

Also note that placing anything directly on top of a Mini will raise the interior temps. I tried it and CPU temps went up 15-20 degrees. The Mini is like a modern refrigerator/freezer: some of its heat is transferred through the aluminum case. The manual for a freezer I recently purchased advises owners to avoid placing items on top; the same goes for a Mini.

It might not make a difference if you don't push your computer but Handbrake users and others who max-out the CPU will notice a performance hit (or worse...) if the interior temperature goes too high...

This is what i did. I built a wooden stand that hides the mini underneath.

Wooden Stand

The handbooks (remember those quaint objects?) that came with my 2005 and 2009 Minis advised against putting anything on top of it. I guess the advice still applies.