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Using Mac Mini (2.4GHz Core2Duo) as a media server for iTunes Home Sharing?

alexreich

alexreich

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jan 26, 2011
638
26
Hey guys, as soon as I gather up the money, I'm going to buy an 2011 iMac, or 2011 MacBook Air (on/after release date). I currently am using a mid-2010 Mac Mini with a 320GB HD, and 8GB RAM, and want to use it as a media server as soon as I buy my other machine. My question for you all is, should I pay $104.99 to upgrade the internal HD to 750GB, or should I just buy a 2TB external drive for $107.99?

I would mainly be using this mini as a media server to stream to my AppleTV2 set-top box (and new Mac) via Home Sharing. I would be streaming movies and occasionally music. The real question here is, what is the speed difference when streaming between a USB 2.0 external drive and a internal HD (when it comes to streaming media)?

I want the fastest speed possible, so that when I stream, there are little to no cut-outs/buffering.

Thanks for any help on this decision,
-Alex :apple:
 
M

mrklaw

macrumors 68030
Jan 29, 2008
2,685
986
no difference between an internal drive and an external one - the network will be your speed limit.

If you can store all your media on 750GB, I'd be tempted to upgrade the internal drive (can't you DIY for cheaper?). Simply for neatness. Alternatively if you need more storage, don't use the internal drive at all and use a USB 2 one. Not sure if anyone does a neat stackable drive like they did with the old mini, or just use a longish cable and hide the drive out of sight in a cupboard (thats what I do)
 
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