Upgrading Mac Mini Core Solo Processor - Fastest Available?

I have a core solo that I put a T2300 1.66ghz in, it was all i could afford at the time when I got the machine real cheap to begin with. I think you could put a T7600/sl9sd 2.33ghz core 2 duo in there.

Yes, the SL9 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo is the fastest thing you can put in this mini. I did it in with mine and it handles 1080p decoding well enough to act as an xbmc box hooked up to the tv now.

2 ways to go fast.

gageray said:

...I think you could put a T7600/sl9sd 2.33ghz core 2 duo in there.

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correct. one cheaper option is the T2700 (core duo 2.33ghz) which has the same clock speed, but is CD instead of C2D.

if you are going to use the mini for media (movies, decoding, etc) then the T7600 is a better option, if it's just a regular computer doing internet/email/documents and such, then the T2700 is a better and cheaper option. other big difference is that the T2700 runs cooler than the T7600.

make sure to max the ram (2gb) when you have it open and apart, and watch out for those goofy plastic mount pins and temp diode on the bottom of the heatsink. best of luck.

4JNA said:

correct. one cheaper option is the T2700 (core duo 2.33ghz) which has the same clock speed, but is CD instead of C2D.

if you are going to use the mini for media (movies, decoding, etc) then the T7600 is a better option, if it's just a regular computer doing internet/email/documents and such, then the T2700 is a better and cheaper option. other big difference is that the T2700 runs cooler than the T7600.

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Also the T7600 has 4MB of cache compared with the 2MB of the T2700, and the T7600 is 64-bit if that's important to the OP. I agree with your use cases though.

I'm running a T7200 in mine and a T5600 (if memory serves) in my other half's. I found the T5600 very cheap, so thought I might as well upgrade that one too.

ansalmo said:

Also the T7600 has 4MB of cache compared with the 2MB of the T2700, and the T7600 is 64-bit if that's important to the OP.

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TBH since the chipset Mini uses is 32-bit, this doesn't do any difference performance-wise except for some "better-looking" System Profiler screenshots.

I just upgraded my 1.66 CoreDuo Mac Mini to a 2.33Ghz Core2Duo CPU and noticed that it actually runs about 10c cooler. Found my CPU on ebay for 120.

mgartner0622 said:

Hello-
I'm trying to upgrade my Mac Mini with a 1.5GHz Core Solo Processor.
I am under the impression that the T2600 SL8VN Intel Core Duo @ 2.16GHz is the highest one can go... Am I correct?
Did intel make any 1.5GHz or 1.4GHz Core Duos that I could possibly upgrade to that maybe I could find for cheaper? I know it uses a ZIF socket, but I don't know any more specifics.
Thanks!

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I ordered a T7200 for mine last night on eBay for $55

I looked into a CPU upgrade on my Core Duo Mini last year and determined that it would actually cost less to sell my Mini and buy a newer one, than it would to buy just the new CPU. You might want to look into that.

Followup to my processor upgrade.

Installed the T7200 (2.0GHz C2D) $55
Install 2GB of Crucial RAM $38
Installed 500GB/7200RPM Western Digital Black HD $70

Total investment = $163 WELL SPENT

Fresh install of Snow Leopard and this machine is like brand new again... I should be able to squeeze another 18 months minimum out of it.

I highly recommend upgrading if you dont need the GPU horsepower from a newer model.

it should handle :
an iTunes library well
stream netflix
surf the net
may be good enough to do eyetv.

not bad for 163. and in a year you will be able to sell it for 150 to 200 on ebay.

tekjunke said:

Followup to my processor upgrade.

Installed the T7200 (2.0GHz C2D) $55
Install 2GB of Crucial RAM $38
Installed 500GB/7200RPM Western Digital Black HD $70

Total investment = $163 WELL SPENT

Fresh install of Snow Leopard and this machine is like brand new again... I should be able to squeeze another 18 months minimum out of it.

I highly recommend upgrading if you dont need the GPU horsepower from a newer model.

Click to expand...

Nice.. I already got some extra ram and hd around. Might get a T7200 just for fun. Can't believe it's $55.

I recently put a t7600 2.33ghz processor in my old 1.66 core due mac mini. I boughtt the chip for $140 on ebay with free shipping. It was definitely worth the investment. I also have a SSD in the mini.

This machine handles HD netflix streaming fine. Hulu streaming fine. HD mkv files.

My handbrake encodes have also gotten a lot faster.

chip stock market?

tekjunke said:

Followup to my processor upgrade.

Installed the T7200 (2.0GHz C2D) $55
Install 2GB of Crucial RAM $38
Installed 500GB/7200RPM Western Digital Black HD $70

Total investment = $163 WELL SPENT

Fresh install of Snow Leopard and this machine is like brand new again... I should be able to squeeze another 18 months minimum out of it.

I highly recommend upgrading if you dont need the GPU horsepower from a newer model.

Click to expand...

Currently, the T7200 is ~$50 usd on ebay, and the T7600 is ~$140 usd on ebay. WTF? why is the T7600 so expensive?????

and btw, I am pretty sure I read that the next release of Mac OS X Leo, it will need a Mac to a minimum embedding a Core 2 Duo.

-J

I have the T7200 in mine and it handles 1080p just fine. Paying that extra $100 for the T7600 is not very cost effective if your are building a media box. You just don't need it.

hwojtek said:

TBH since the chipset Mini uses is 32-bit, this doesn't do any difference performance-wise except for some "better-looking" System Profiler screenshots.

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So does this mean that Lion will not run on macmini1,1 with a CPU upgraded to C2D?

vip007 said:

So does this mean that Lion will not run on macmini1,1 with a CPU upgraded to C2D?

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My guess is this will be as simple modify of OSInstall.mpkg just like in the past.

hey guys,
this is a perfect page for me right now!

I just managed to pick up a core solo mini for $150(that had already had a 320gig hard drive upgrade)

I was planning on throwing in the T5600 based on the few swapout how to's that ive seen.(monstermini)

This will just be a regular PC for now but I may want to move it to a media center at some point.(hooked up to a 720p hdtv)

Should I be looking at the7600 instead or should i do just fine with the 1.83 C2D?

what types of things would i not be able to with it as a media center if i go with the T5600?

The 5600 is dirt cheap now. (like so cheap that if i snap it while putting the heatsink back on i wouldnt cry. )
thanks all.
i love this site.

brett

Without sounding like a total newbie I am trying to upgrade my Mac mini A1176 1tb HDand 4gb of ram.

I think I am going to go the T7600/sl9sd route but I am not certain on the is the socket is there a specific one I should be looking at?

All I want to do is be able to run lion and stream Xbmc so is this processor over kill? If so what's the best cheapest route?

Thanks in advance.

donjuan1498 said:

Without sounding like a total newbie I am trying to upgrade my Mac mini A1176 1tb HDand 4gb of ram.

I think I am going to go the T7600/sl9sd route but I am not certain on the is the socket is there a specific one I should be looking at?

All I want to do is be able to run lion and stream Xbmc so is this processor over kill? If so what's the best cheapest route?

Thanks in advance.

Click to expand...

Really you could more cheaply go the route of something like a core2duo 1.83ghz and take out the wifi card and put a broadcom crystal HD chip into it. That makes it a killer HTPC.... What kills the A1176 is the crappy intel 950 GPU which no processor is going to overcome. The Broadcom Crystal HD does overcome the limitation of the GPU though....

http://xbmc.org/davilla/2009/12/29/broadcom-crystal-hd-its-magic/