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Colin14

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 23, 2009
21
0
Hi Guys

I have a PowerPc Mac Mini gathering dust.

I have no idea what to do with it, the resale value on EBAY is only about £100 so not really worth the hassle.

So im looking for inspiration on what to do with it?

I already have a macbook and an apple tv 2G
 

IndigoQuack

macrumors member
Aug 3, 2005
40
40
Scotland
Perhaps a local charity organization, or charity shop, would be able to take it off your hands? I suppose its value to them would depend on whether you'd be able to throw in a keyboard, mouse and monitor though.

I also had a PowerPC mini that I sold to a friend for about £100 four months ago before emigrating to Canada. He's always been a Windows man, but wanted to experiment with the Mac before deciding whether to switch. So, if you have any Mac-curious friends, giving it to one of them may be an option too :)
 

SkippyThorson

macrumors 68000
Jul 22, 2007
1,662
917
Utica, NY
Sell it to me? :D

Seriously though, I would be the first person to say charity for dust-collectors, but even old computers aren't worth much to those that can't afford to upkeep them. For the Mini, as with most desktops, you need a series of peripherals and a place to put them all. Often, it's hard to find a new home for an old computer where it won't just be sold for parts. I second selling it to a Mac-curious friend that will appreciate it. (or myself :))

You could also turn it into an iTunes server for your house, a great TV companion if you have a bluetooth keyboard / mouse / iPhone app to control it, a makeshift wireless router via Internet sharing from Ethernet if it has Airport card, an elaborate file keeper for the stuff you don't necessarily need on your other computers, or even a digital picture frame using a screen saver if hooked up to a small monitor. Just some ideas.
 

Shadow

macrumors 68000
Feb 17, 2006
1,577
1
The usual options are servers, folding machines and the like. It's probably too slow to fold with or do anything thats remotely CPU intensive. Don't use it as a HiFi or alarm clock, that's just ridiculous. Get a few external drives, mirror them and set it up as a file/web server (you'll probably want a static IP address too if you don't want to use a dynamic DNS service).
 

sngx1275

macrumors regular
Jan 27, 2009
134
11
Missouri
Connect a large external drive to it and use it as a torrent machine. I'm doing that with an old G4 Digital Audio.
 

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
Mac Minis are in demand , ok i prefer the eMac's . but everyone has its preferred Mac's i sold mine end last year a 1.42 model with 1gb ram and a 80gb harddrive and superdrive and two chaps did bid nearly £230 for it , ok it was in good shape with no scratches or discolorations , i have to say i bought the same mini a half year earlier for £142 and prices picked up up to christmas like usual with Macs
they are now dropping again up to mid year and then start going up again
 

Photics

macrumors regular
Jan 6, 2011
172
0
I currently use a 2009 Mac Mini as my main desktop computer. When I upgrade to a new computer, there are lots of uses for the old Mac Mini...

  • Hook it up to the TV as an entertainment device
  • File server
  • Web Server
  • Distributed computing

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get GPU/CUDA folding@home to work on it. I tried to set up my Mac Mini as a dedicated folding machine.
 

chrismacguy

macrumors 68000
Feb 13, 2009
1,979
2
United Kingdom
Mac Minis are in demand , ok i prefer the eMac's

I have to agree with that one weirdly - I love my base eMac (128MB RAM, and it can run 10.5.8 :eek: ) - and I love its CRT, although I wouldnt say no to a Mac Mini (awesomeness in a tiny box - although it wouldnt like my media needs, so I use a iMac for that).
 

Colin14

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 23, 2009
21
0
its still here gathering dust, don't know what to do with it.

im in the uk.
 

MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
install morph os on the G4 mini and get impressed bootimes will make your MacBook look like a snail , make the mini ready for hdtv with morph os and 720p capabilities you never had under OSX, enjoy all the amiga games out there
basically let the old PPC show you what it is capable of if it doesn't get restricted by OSX , i was so impressed about the performance boost after testing it on my eMac that i will sell my iMac core duo soon and get a mini G4 1.5 (because of the 64mb vram which give even more boost) and buy a morph os license as soon as possible then
you can dual boot with osx and morph os , just if you need some apps you dont get for morph os

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxvxEYvHsVE
boottime 18 seconds on a G4 mini 1.5 with 64 mb vram and no ssd upgrade needed just the standard 5400rpm hdd
that what i mean with impressive ..here the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnRxS1Z0vzU
and here with a 1.42 G4 mini
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWyCVOgltOA&feature=related

gaming on a mini 1.25
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_p3DxBXhDw
and morph os gets better with every release

i mean tiger runs good no doubt its the best version of OSX and you get more apps , but if you want to give your mini a new life an boost it into 2011 performance get morph os
 
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MacHamster68

macrumors 68040
Sep 17, 2009
3,251
5
You could do as I would with a Mac Mini; put AmigaOS on it.


there had been a test on a pegasos II with 1 ghz G4 and a radeon 9250 with 128mb vram ,comparing morph os vs amiga os , but my french is hmm just good for ordering some food and to get directions , so maybe someone can shed more light in the test results , but as i understand it morph os is a bit better ;)

http://obligement.free.fr/articles/amigaos41_vs_morphos23.php

they did test morph os 2.3 and the new 2.7 is much improved
 
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