2009 Mac mini with OS X Mavericks

toothpehs said:

Hi!
Sorry to hijack this thread, but I think it's sorta relevant.
With the updated OpenGL on mavericks, anyone tried gaming yet? Specifically dota 2?
I'm on the fence on upgrading it to 8gb ram and a ssd, my current setup is a late 2009 mini, 2.26ghz, 2gb ram, 160gb, and it's getting realllllyyyyy slow on ML, even for basic internet surfing

....

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Do the upgrade. I have a late 2009 Mini which had 2gb ram and 160gb HDD (full) as you do and it has been transformed with 8 and 750 HDD (not SSD), it was terribly slow before. I did the upgrade based on advice on here (I started a thread) when I was still running Lion, I upgraded direct to Mavericks. What I would add is that with Safari, Mail, Pages, Numbers running I typically only use max 6 of 8. Note there are lots of threads about Mavericks memory usage appearing to be "worse" this is because Mavericks uses spare RAM to preload things, it is more efficient. FYI I also used the demo iWork's9 method of getting latest Pages/Numbers.

Max(IT) said:

I don't know about that specific game, but the simple fact of considering a 2009 Mini a game machine is quite strange

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Yep I know it's no powerhouse, but it'll be great for it to be able to game, in addition to all the safari, itunes etc stuff. Which was why I pointed out I didn't mind it running on the lowest settings. More icing on the cake!
Anywho it doesn't matter if you can't answer the question, I've bought a ssd and 8gb ram, will report back if it works for anyone who's interested.

BTW, after ripping out the Mini, and installing mavericks from a bootable USB, I got the error "This copy of the Install OS X Mavericks application can't be verified. It may have been corrupted or tampered with during downloading."
I found out that it's because the CMOS battery died (since 2009!) so it can't really hold a charge to keep the date and time. Mavericks will want your system time to match the time now, so to solve this, launch Terminal from the Utilities menu, then type

date 111600202013

Which is MMDDTTTTYYYY , time in 24hour format.

Thanks Jambalaya I'm doing the upgrade!

toothpehs said:

I found out that it's because the CMOS battery died (since 2009!) so it can't really hold a charge to keep the date and time. Mavericks will want your system time to match the time now, so to solve this, launch Terminal from the Utilities menu, then type

date 111615302013

Which is MMDDTTTTYYYY , time in 24hour format.

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The case is really easy to open once you've done it the first time. Then just replace the button cell. http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+mini+Model+A1283+PRAM+Battery+Replacement/1068

As far as the original question, I've got 3 late 2009 minis, one the server. The server still runs Mountain Lion until Mavericks Server VPN is fixed and I won't mention further. The other two have been upgraded to Mavericks. I don't see any difference in performance -- they are entertainment centers and primarily just run Plex. 4 GB RAM (upgraded from 2 when I went from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion, skipping Lion). One of them was also upgraded to a SSD when the original HDD failed. In this application there was no difference in performance -- the two otherwise identical minis perform the same.

Ram woes

Thanks for the info talmy!

Anyways to update, crucial m4 128gb ssd is in and it's really zippy now!
Dota 2 works at low resolution (1024x768) and low graphics settings, I can probably push some of the settings a little higher, will need time to fine tune.

As for the ram, went through 4 sticks (geil and axevir) of 4gb ram, for matched pair of 8. But no luck, got the dreaded 3 beeps. Reseated numerous times with different combinations and locations, and even cleaned the contacts, reset smc no luck.
Hard to believe that I'll get 4 ram failures in a row.

And I do know late 2009 mini doesn't need an efi update for 8gb, that's for early 2009. Oh wells.. :/

jbarley said:

Is it just my installation, or has anyone else noticed that the Time Machine icon is no longer 'animated'?

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hudson1 said:

Same for me on the Time Machine icon.

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This is a "feature" in mavericks which applies to all macs running it, not just 2009 minis.

toothpehs said:

Thanks for the info talmy!

Anyways to update, crucial m4 128gb ssd is in and it's really zippy now!
Dota 2 works at low resolution and low graphics settings, I can probably push some of the settings a little higher, will need time to fine tune.

As for the ram, went through 4 sticks (geil and axevir) of 4gb ram, for matched pair of 8. But no luck, got the dreaded 3 beeps. Reseated numerous times with different combinations and locations, and even cleaned the contacts, reset smc no luck.
Hard to believe that I'll get 4 ram failures in a row.

And I do know late 2009 mini doesn't need an efi update for 8gb, that's for early 2009. Oh wells.. :/

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8 Gb weren't originally supported, is that correct ?

toothpehs said:

And I do know late 2009 mini doesn't need an efi update for 8gb, that's for early 2009. Oh wells.. :/

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Pretty sure I did the firmware update quite a while ago now though so might be mistaken, my mini is "late 2009"

@Max(IT) 8gb wasn't supported by early 2009, efi 1.2 update allowed it. Late 2009 only supports 4gb officially said apple, but there are forum threads confirming 8gb works!

@Jambalaya the efi 1.2 update from apple's site is only applicable to early 2009. There's no entry for late 2009 where you can download anything. Nonetheless I downloaded the efi 1.2 update, and tried to install it, and it gave the message that my system does not need it.

I'll refund the ram stick yet again and try something different, maybe look for used ones removed from macs :/

toothpehs said:

@Max(IT) 8gb wasn't supported by early 2009, efi 1.2 update allowed it. Late 2009 only supports 4gb officially said apple, but there are forum threads confirming 8gb works!

@Jambalaya the efi 1.2 update from apple's site is only applicable to early 2009. There's no entry for late 2009 where you can download anything. Nonetheless I downloaded the efi 1.2 update, and tried to install it, and it gave the message that my system does not need it.

I'll refund the ram stick yet again and try something different, maybe look for used ones removed from macs :/

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Maybe you just have to try another brand

The late 2009 Mini always shipped with new enough EFI to support 8GB RAM, I think.

Trying a different brand is a good idea. Not all modules are compatible. Some work and others don't.

Ram works!

Finally got 8gb working!
Bought Mach Xtreme Technology 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 SO-DIMM, two of them
All good now very happy! Thanks guys

Mini Dispay port

Hi,
Sorry, this isn't a Mavericks comment, but as you have 2009 mac minis I thought this would be a good place to ask.

Can anyone tell me if the Oct 2009 Mac Mini mini display port supports audio out?


Thanks,
Matthew

TheOggy said:

Can anyone tell me if the Oct 2009 Mac Mini mini display port supports audio out?

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It does not. And my experience with MDP to HDMI adapters that are supposed to mix in the audio (from the audio out jack) is that they don't work either. I ended up connecting over VGA with separate audio.

If audio over HDMI is important to you, you need to get the 2010 model.

toothpehs said:

Finally got 8gb working!
Bought Mach Xtreme Technology 4GB 1333MHz DDR3 Non-ECC CL9 SO-DIMM, two of them
All good now very happy! Thanks guys

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How much did you pay it ?

talmy said:

It does not. And my experience with MDP to HDMI adapters that are supposed to mix in the audio (from the audio out jack) is that they don't work either. I ended up connecting over VGA with separate audio.

If audio over HDMI is important to you, you need to get the 2010 model.

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With a lot of TVs if you connect to HDMI port 1, the TV will use the audio input port if it detects that it needs to. I have an 09 Mini hooked up to HDMI port 1 on the TV with a separate audio cable going from the Mac to the TV to carry the audio.

mdgm said:

With a lot of TVs if you connect to HDMI port 1, the TV will use the audio input port if it detects that it needs to. I have an 09 Mini hooked up to HDMI port 1 on the TV with a separate audio cable going from the Mac to the TV to carry the audio.

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Didn't happen in my case, but at least I can't tell the difference between VGA and HDMI video even though VGA would presumably be inferior since it is an analog interface. The TV doesn't have DVI either.

Where are ALL you Apple FANBOYS???

It's January 2014 and Apple has not fixed the GRAY Screen of death issue with upgrading your MM 2009 (Early or Late) to OS X Mavericks. Unless you have the MM 2010 Uni-Body with Duo Core i5 or Quad Core i7 you're gonna have issues. Just bought MM (MD387LL/A) 2012 and it dances circles around my MM 2009 (Late) which had a 256gb SSD and 8gb RAM. I had nothing short of problems and issues, completely opposite from what everybody back on October 24 2013 here giving High Praises about this OS X upgrade with Apple Blinders on. After several patches and updates to OS X Mavericks is still not working properly. Paid $60 to a Apple Genius to tell me what I know now that this update now includes MM 2009, I was lucky to buy the MM 2012 MD387LL/A at my local Micro-center (Open Box @ $494.96) for $525. It's running OS X Mavericks without breaking a sweat.

Where are ALL you people who claimed that this upgrade/update sped up their MM? After instillation it seemed quick, but after a reboot from the the patch Apple released October 30, 2013 crashed my MM 2009. The "RED FLAG" should have been this patch released on October 30, 2013. The only way you can prove me wrong is the screen capture your system log as of today which will time stamp from October 24, 2013 to today everything your MM has gone thru. If you can't just proves what I'm saying.

dlb313 said:

It's January 2014 and Apple has not fixed the GRAY Screen of death issue with upgrading your MM 2009 (Early or Late) to OS X Mavericks. Unless you have the MM 2010 Uni-Body with Duo Core i5 or Quad Core i7 you're gonna have issues. Just bought MM (MD387LL/A) 2012 and it dances circles around my MM 2009 (Late) which had a 256gb SSD and 8gb RAM. I had nothing short of problems and issues, completely opposite from what everybody back on October 24 2013 here giving High Praises about this OS X upgrade with Apple Blinders on. After several patches and updates to OS X Mavericks is still not working properly. Paid $60 to a Apple Genius to tell me what I know now that this update now includes MM 2009, I was lucky to buy the MM 2012 MD387LL/A at my local Micro-center (Open Box @ $494.96) for $525. It's running OS X Mavericks without breaking a sweat.

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I don't know what October 24 has to do with anything. And I posted "high praises" in this thread in November. I've got 3 late 2009 minis, one a server model and the other two base models. They have all been upgraded with 2x RAM (8GB on the server, 4GB on the others) and and SSD on one of the base models.

One base mini went through most of the Mavericks seeds, and indeed there were several seeds which would grey screen attempting to install, but the release 10.9.0 installed with no problems. The second mini went from Mountain Lion to 10.9.0 with no issues. The server just two weeks ago went from Mountain Lion + Server 2.x to 10.9.1 + Server 3.0.1 + VPN patch with no issues.

I could tell no speed differences with the base minis which are used only for Plex, iTunes, and Safari. The server became noticeably quicker with file sharing, and far more reliable with maintaining connections for Contacts and Calendar servers.

The only way you can prove me wrong is the screen capture your system log as of today which will time stamp from October 24, 2013 to today everything your MM has gone thru. If you can't just proves what I'm saying.

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I'm sure that you had problems, and sure that I did not. I don't know what the log files would "prove" but I've attached a screen shot showing all three minis' "About This Mac" viewed simultaneously with Screen Sharing (which also works better than it did under Mountain Lion).

dlb313 said:

It's January 2014 and Apple has not fixed the GRAY Screen of death issue with upgrading your MM 2009 (Early or Late) to OS X Mavericks.

Click to expand...

I had no issue upgrading my 2009 Mac mini Server to Mavericks. Nor have I had any problems with updates since.

A.

dlb313 said:

It's January 2014 and Apple has not fixed the GRAY Screen of death issue with upgrading your MM 2009 (Early or Late) to OS X Mavericks. Unless you have the MM 2010 Uni-Body with Duo Core i5 or Quad Core i7 you're gonna have issues. Just bought MM (MD387LL/A) 2012 and it dances circles around my MM 2009 (Late) which had a 256gb SSD and 8gb RAM. I had nothing short of problems and issues, completely opposite from what everybody back on October 24 2013 here giving High Praises about this OS X upgrade with Apple Blinders on. After several patches and updates to OS X Mavericks is still not working properly. Paid $60 to a Apple Genius to tell me what I know now that this update now includes MM 2009, I was lucky to buy the MM 2012 MD387LL/A at my local Micro-center (Open Box @ $494.96) for $525. It's running OS X Mavericks without breaking a sweat.

Where are ALL you people who claimed that this upgrade/update sped up their MM? After instillation it seemed quick, but after a reboot from the the patch Apple released October 30, 2013 crashed my MM 2009. The "RED FLAG" should have been this patch released on October 30, 2013. The only way you can prove me wrong is the screen capture your system log as of today which will time stamp from October 24, 2013 to today everything your MM has gone thru. If you can't just proves what I'm saying.

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What are you speaking about ???
My Mini, a late 09 with 4 Gb of ram, is running Mavericks since release without any issue.
It's not the faster computer in the world for sure, but it hasn't any "gray screen" ....

I'm also running mavericks on my early 2009 MM with 2gb ram and stock HD. I'll be upgrading the ram and HD because it's feeling very slow, but it hasn't been buggy at all. It's been running Logic Pro 9 ok too. Definitely needs more ram, but I'm scared of the upgrade.

BigRed1 said:

Definitely needs more ram, but I'm scared of the upgrade.

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I found the upgrade far less scary in practice than its made out to be. I recommend printing all the instructions on iFixit and viewing the OtherWorldComputing video. I've upgraded all three of mine and did a drive replacement (to an SSD) on one of them. I upgraded all three in 30 minutes.

talmy said:

I found the upgrade far less scary in practice than its made out to be. I recommend printing all the instructions on iFixit and viewing the OtherWorldComputing video. I've upgraded all three of mine and did a drive replacement (to an SSD) on one of them. I upgraded all three in 30 minutes.

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Thanks. I think I've finally mustered up the courage. Now I need to muster up the cash.

BigRed1 said:

I'm also running mavericks on my early 2009 MM with 2gb ram and stock HD. I'll be upgrading the ram and HD because it's feeling very slow, but it hasn't been buggy at all. It's been running Logic Pro 9 ok too. Definitely needs more ram, but I'm scared of the upgrade.

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Nothing to be scared about, it's a very simple job. I had never torn down a mini before & I upgraded mine to 8GB in 30 minutes or so.

BigRed1 said:

I'm also running mavericks on my early 2009 MM with 2gb ram and stock HD. I'll be upgrading the ram and HD because it's feeling very slow, but it hasn't been buggy at all. It's been running Logic Pro 9 ok too. Definitely needs more ram, but I'm scared of the upgrade.

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I did similar upgrade to my late 2009 machine and it's been transformed (8gb). The ram upgrade was quite straightforward the hardest part was opening the box and a little fiddly with wifi antennas but online videos show all you need to know. I also changed the HDD. I would say go ahead and make the upgrade and I'll wager that after you've done it you'll be considering an SSD as you'll realise upgrading isn't a dark art. Good luck