Are Mac Minis prone to errors?

[ozone]

While I can't be 100% sure, I doubt that power is my problem. I used to have a Dell desktop, HP notebooks, and then an iMac sitting where the Mac Mini is and aside from hard drive failure in the Dell, I've have not had similar issues. The iMac was great for many years - it just got slower as I put more demands on it (photo editing, etc.)

 

[jpietrzak8]

I've had multiple Macs and other than the inevitable slow down/deterioration with age, I've had very few issues

I've gotta ask, what is this "inevitable slow down / deterioration with age"? Computer hardware does not work that way; everything is synchronized to a clock, in such a way that if some portion of the CPU loses this synchronization, the machine does not slow down; it simply stops.

Moreover, the general trend is for the software driving the hardware to become more efficient over time, as the coders work around bottlenecks, fix bugs, and discover better ways to perform previous tasks.

In short, my experience is that computers (Apple or otherwise) inevitably speed up over time. I don't understand how a computer could actually slow down with age.

 

[fischersd]

In short, my experience is that computers (Apple or otherwise) inevitably speed up over time. I don't understand how a computer could actually slow down with age.

Have to stop you there. Sorry. Windows has always had inherent issues with its registry. Highly prone to getting cluttered up and needed a fresh install every couple of years.

 

[ozone]

I've gotta ask, what is this "inevitable slow down / deterioration with age"? Computer hardware does not work that way; everything is synchronized to a clock, in such a way that if some portion of the CPU loses this synchronization, the machine does not slow down; it simply stops.

Moreover, the general trend is for the software driving the hardware to become more efficient over time, as the coders work around bottlenecks, fix bugs, and discover better ways to perform previous tasks.

In short, my experience is that computers (Apple or otherwise) inevitably speed up over time. I don't understand how a computer could actually slow down with age.

Geez... I was just being dramatic/poetic there! Gimme a break.

... but I find most things slow down... plus materials do degrade. But I digress..

 

[jpietrzak8]

Have to stop you there. Sorry. Windows has always had inherent issues with its registry. Highly prone to getting cluttered up and needed a fresh install every couple of years.

Ah, my mistake. I've been Windows-free for almost a decade now. I guess I'd forgotten what it's like to labor underneath such an awful (p)OS.

 

[fischersd]

Geez... I was just being dramatic/poetic there! Gimme a break.

... but I find most things slow down... plus materials do degrade. But I digress..

Really, for for MacOS or any other unix based OS, the only reason that you get slow downs is that you install things that remain resident, eating up cpu cycles and memory (and, in many cases not properly removing them, leaving remnants that can still consume system resources).

It's just like doing security hardening on most systems. You tighten it down to only the services that are required for the functions of the system. (similarly with kernel tuning). What happens to a lot of systems over time is just clutter.

(most technical people are a little obsessed about this and make sure they get rid of all of the nasty little bits)

 

[Micky Do]

Most of the time, my computers are shut off during the day and night if I'm not actively using them. I sometimes leaving them running for a day or two if I'm busy for the weekend.

Thats what I did with my first Mac Mini, the 2005 original. It packed a sad after about 4 years, in need of a new power supply (had to deal with a very poor mains supply where I am, with many outages and surges) and a failed HDD.

I decided it was more cost-effective to get a new Mac Mini in 2009, the base model with just 1 GB RAM. That has been on nearly 24/7, in sleep mode when I am not using it, and only turned off when I take it to work occasionally, there is a power outage, or I am going away for more than a few days. It did slow down considerably in 2012, and it started to get a bit hot with the fan cracking up enough to be audible. An additional 4 GB RAM (5 GB in total now) an update to Mountain Lion (which I am still using)…… and most importantly, a clean out, restored performance.

Late last year, 2015, it started to heat up again, and it got a bit dicky. Another clean out restored operation to normal, and it continues to run well, with the original 120 GB HDD (plus an external 500 GB for extra storage).

Coincidentally the mains supply was improved in 2009, I installed an earth (now on 3 pin plug) and I got a better UPS with auto voltage regulation (the old one was cooked in a surge that resulted in a blackout for half the south of Thailand), all of which has made for an easier time for the power supply.