Ancient 2007 Mac Mini still going..upgrades?

ZipZilla said:

Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 2 MB
Memory: 2 GB


It just keeps going. Has an 80GB HD in it. What should I do with it? Runs Snow Leopard and still works fine. RAM will go to 4GB and I obviously need a new hard drive.

Should I go with an SSD?

Click to expand...

A SSD would be probably the first thing to buy. 120GB SSDs are currently pretty affordable.

i use mine as a iTunes server. Streams my movies to my apple tv.

Works fine for streaming but is slow if you want to edit the files descriptions in iTunes (iTunes is a very bloated piece of software so i can't blame it really ).

I've maxed out my memory and added a larger hard drive.

I put a 1 Tb hybrid SSD in and 4G ram. Love it. I just picked up a 6,2 for more updated tasks that require newer software. Turning the older one into an iTunes server.

Great machine. Mine has running Snow Leopard server 24/7 since 2009 (10.5 server before that). I use it as an HTPC, VPN server, file server, Time Machine server, Plex server, iTunes server, and video transcoder. I maxed the RAM and added 7 TB of storage in external enclosures (the internal drive is still a pokey 320 GB 5400 RPM).

I've been thinking of picking up a 2012 quad-core Mini, but my current Mini does most of what I need. The biggest issue I'm starting to see is that a lot of new software has dropped support for 10.6.8.

Idgit said:

Great machine. Mine has running Snow Leopard server 24/7 since 2009 (10.5 server before that). I use it as an HTPC, VPN server, file server, Time Machine server, Plex server, iTunes server, and video transcoder. I maxed the RAM and added 7 TB of storage in external enclosures (the internal drive is still a pokey 320 GB 5400 RPM).

I've been thinking of picking up a 2012 quad-core Mini, but my current Mini does most of what I need. The biggest issue I'm starting to see is that a lot of new software has dropped support for 10.6.8.

Click to expand...

That's why I kept my 2008 mini on snow leopard. There's still software I need to use that runs fine on it. I am curious about a time machine server. Have some research to do apparently as I didn't know that was possible.

ZipZilla said:

$79 for 120GB from OWC. Is that a good buy?

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Not sure if you've bought already, but an SSD will make a big difference.

Make sure to research which one as they can vary quite a bit. I know some that are well rated are the Samsung Evo 840 and Crucial M500. I also have an ADATA that's been great.

I wouldn't put very much into a 2007-vintage Mini.

If you put an SSD into it, look for something on the "smaller and cheaper" side. I saw this a couple of days ago, may no longer be valid:
http://dealmac.com/lw/artclick.html?1,1173299,11129753
(no financial interest in above link)

Otherwise, it might do just as well to put any "upgrade money" into a late 2012 or into a late 2014...

ZipZilla said:

Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini2,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 2 MB
Memory: 2 GB


It just keeps going. Has an 80GB HD in it. What should I do with it? Runs Snow Leopard and still works fine. RAM will go to 4GB and I obviously need a new hard drive.

Should I go with an SSD?

Click to expand...

I have the exact same model (now it's my wife's computer) and it's still chugging along! A couple years ago I put an OWC 60GB SSD and it works great, but not the best write speeds. Still way better than the hard drive.

Definitely upgrade the memory though. You can put 4GB in it, but only 3GB will be recognized due to a firmware limitation. That's still enough to keep Snow Leopard running smoothly.

Might be old but in case others are like me I just completely upgraded my 2007 Mac mini for $350 canadian.

buying another one used I was still looking at 600 to 700 online plus maybe still having to at least upgrade to a ssd. With limited posts for mac minis i decided to just upgrade mine. I also love front row so I decided to just upgrade my system. I don't run intensive programs on it anymore either. I put in the T7600 2.33 cpu vs my T5600 1.83 cpu, 4 Gb of ram vs my 2Gb and finally a 120Gb Kingston hyperx fury SSD Truthfully the chip and ram helped but I was not blown away until I installed the SSD. My Start up time was cut by more than half and the load times of programs is instantaneous. Together all the upgrades surpasses the speed of my Wifes 2012 Macbook Pro.

So to me I will be using this computer another 5 years as a media hub in my home. I also love snow leopard and even though apple is no longer supporting it I have had no issues using it. Firefox still supports it so anything online that i want to feel secure about using I do in firefox.

I used to do a lot of video editing and music recording on this mini but realize it probably would struggle with recent programs The average individual who uses the net to watch movies or surf could probably easily get 10 years out of their macs. I used to upgrade more often but when I saw a studio that used a Mac for 10 years I had to question true want over need. Some of us have needs but when i see friends upgrading to new macs more for the cool factor vs need I realize for a fraction of the cost I can be running programs faster than a computer 5 years newer than mine with better specs even after my upgrades. I could of done the upgrades for $250 but I was ignorant of some cheaper ram at the time. If your in america you could do it even cheaper because I had to pay exchange rates and duty on some items.