Here is a super Macmini from AMUG:
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/addonics/mini/
http://www.amug.org/amug-web/html/amug/reviews/articles/addonics/mini/
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Super Macmini!!
- Thread starter seabass069
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So lets see... Buy mac mini $499, Buy adapters (guessing here) $40, Buy 250gb Sata drive $110, Buy 1gig ram dimm $130, Buy SuperDrive model DVDRW $60, and whatever that case costs.
In the end you still have a slow 1.25ghz cpu (or 1.42 if you spend the extra cash) and after all that your system is louder, uglier and the warranty is voided. Frankly its a fun project if your rich bored and technologically oriented but for those of us looking for practical systems it would be economical just to buy an iMac or to invest in a G5 tower system.
In the end you still have a slow 1.25ghz cpu (or 1.42 if you spend the extra cash) and after all that your system is louder, uglier and the warranty is voided. Frankly its a fun project if your rich bored and technologically oriented but for those of us looking for practical systems it would be economical just to buy an iMac or to invest in a G5 tower system.
Cool hack, that one!
Why are you others so shocked that someone is wasting money this way?
In the PC world it's quite common to build tuned setups like this.
It's not about being efficient, it's about the fun.
Afraid that the Machead community may be tainted by the impure spirit of those hardware-hackers?
Why are you others so shocked that someone is wasting money this way?
In the PC world it's quite common to build tuned setups like this.
It's not about being efficient, it's about the fun.
Afraid that the Machead community may be tainted by the impure spirit of those hardware-hackers?
I'm not astonished someone wanted to waste money on a fun project. I am astonished they chose to defile such an aesthetically appealing machine to build an average looking pc.
After all those little shuttle cases may be considered small and appealing to the PC market but to a Mac user its roughly three times larger than what we call a small form factor box.
BTW if you want a cheap peecee to chop up just hop on slickdeals they always have cheap crap you can hack apart and rebuild for under $500 and you don't even have to ruin the look of it.
After all those little shuttle cases may be considered small and appealing to the PC market but to a Mac user its roughly three times larger than what we call a small form factor box.
BTW if you want a cheap peecee to chop up just hop on slickdeals they always have cheap crap you can hack apart and rebuild for under $500 and you don't even have to ruin the look of it.
I think it's pretty cool. Your right, the Windows box users have modded their machines for years, why can't we with the Macmini. It just needs a little more power and better video. I think some really cool designs are going to be comming out in the next year.
lexfuzo said:Cool hack, that one!
Why are you others so shocked that someone is wasting money this way?
In the PC world it's quite common to build tuned setups like this.
It's not about being efficient, it's about the fun.
Afraid that the Machead community may be tainted by the impure spirit of those hardware-hackers?
We buy macs so that we don't have to do this... Plus it looks fugly!
macam
I bought my 44 pin -> 40 pin adapter from this guy. When the mini was first announced, I placed an order immediatly. Just as quickly, I canceled my order when I found out it had a 2.5" HD. If I could run a 3.5" drive in this machine, I would have been all over it. Then I found an blog this guy had wrote describing what he had done only to discover he was selling the remainder of the adapters from the first batch. So, I bought a refurb mini for $425 ($399 + tax), 1GB for $100, 250GB HD for $110 (actually it was already sitting around) and $25 for the adapter.
First thing I did was overclock the 1.25GHz G4 to 1.5GHz and added 1GB of RAM (anyone need a 256MB stick of PC3200?). Then removed the stock HD and, using the adapter, installed the 3.5" HD. Its not pretty but then again no one will ever see it. Since the mini runs so cool, I keep it in a drawer next to my desk. It got a little warm in there (10 degrees above ambient) so I installed a 120mm Antec fan on the back to vent the hot air out. Now it is ambient temperatures and the setup is totally silent and much faster than the mini I started with. In total, I ended up spending $660.
One thing I have noticed from this group (and Mac users in general) is that most of you are form first, function second. PC users tend to be the opposite concerned more with speed than looks. Yet, there are those of us in the middle that want to use a superior operating system yet still get the most out of their machines. It may not be your cup of tea, but I sure had a blast doing it.
First thing I did was overclock the 1.25GHz G4 to 1.5GHz and added 1GB of RAM (anyone need a 256MB stick of PC3200?). Then removed the stock HD and, using the adapter, installed the 3.5" HD. Its not pretty but then again no one will ever see it. Since the mini runs so cool, I keep it in a drawer next to my desk. It got a little warm in there (10 degrees above ambient) so I installed a 120mm Antec fan on the back to vent the hot air out. Now it is ambient temperatures and the setup is totally silent and much faster than the mini I started with. In total, I ended up spending $660.
One thing I have noticed from this group (and Mac users in general) is that most of you are form first, function second. PC users tend to be the opposite concerned more with speed than looks. Yet, there are those of us in the middle that want to use a superior operating system yet still get the most out of their machines. It may not be your cup of tea, but I sure had a blast doing it.
Wow, thats actually kinda cool. But for the $$$ difference, I would go for an iMac G5 or Power Mac G5.
dmw007 said:
haha...yeah i would go for iMac G5 though if it costs somewhere around der or a few extra for an iMac...
Honestly, there's nothing wrong with modding the stuff, but if you're going to mod, do it to a G5. If you want performance, that's where you'll get it. There's really no reason to mod a Mac mini for performance if all you're ever going to get out of it is 200 MHz more, and it costs you ALL the aesthetics. It's just not a worthwhile tradeoff. You can buy a PM G5, upgrade the hell out of that, have a really powerful system, and still keep it looking nice. Why not do that? Or hell, you can overclock your PB G4, and get MORE power than you can with the Mac mini, if your heart is set on the G4 processor.
Loks like a fun science project - kind of like when I was a kid and we'd go to Radio Shak and make our flashlights,, but a lot more expensive.
i like the japanese one better.fayans said:This one is more superbly real by the Japanese Co.
* The Mac mini itself
* An external hard drive shell
* Powered stereo speakers / USB hub
* Subwoofer with separate volume control
did somebody forget that the computer name is MacMINI??????
Now that is a mod I would do on my mini. The other one is nice since you get the speed boost and such, but the best part of the mini is the mini.fayans said:This one is more superbly real by the Japanese Co.
* The Mac mini itself
* An external hard drive shell
* Powered stereo speakers / USB hub
* Subwoofer with separate volume control
hookahco said:
its the same idea of rice box cars . . . or rather 'imports' such as hondas and toyotas that people like to 'trick out' . . . for some reason it seems that taking something cheap and small and designed for efficiency is more fun to throw lots of money into it to un-engineer the thing than it is to save all of the money and spend it on one item that would have better speed/power than the combined 'tricking out' (er if that made any sense)
i will try again. some people think it is fun to buy something small and cheap. then poor money into it. then have it preform ALMOST as well as something that was designed better.
well hopefully you get the idea, i dont understand it myself!!
Again it comes down to the one factor..... cool but what was the point in doing that?
Never underestimate the geek factor, and bring on the Intel Mac Mini.
Never underestimate the geek factor, and bring on the Intel Mac Mini.
Hmm, cool I guess but definitely not my cup of tea. In my opinion, the mini is gorgeous without modifications, and if I was gonna throw a lot of money at it I would buy an iMac.
