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Does Anyone Still Use a 2009 Mac Mini?

S

snipecaik

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 2, 2015
27
2
Belfast
I'd be interested to here if anyone uses and makes good use of the 2009 mac mini, I personally have the 2.53ghz model and yosemite seems to run fine, I think I could use it as my daily driver provided I'm not doing anything too intensive. Also, Do any of you think intel core 2 duo's are good enough for 2015?
Thank You.
 
snipecaik said:
Do any of you think intel core 2 duo's are good enough for 2015?
Click to expand...

I personally do, depending on what you're doing. I have a notebook with a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo and it's great for everyday tasks and light to moderate photo editing.

It depends on the other hardware of the machine of course, but I would still count them as relevant for what a good amount of people do on the computer.
 
snipecaik said:
I'd be interested to here if anyone uses and makes good use of the 2009 mac mini, I personally have the 2.53ghz model and yosemite seems to run fine, I think I could use it as my daily driver provided I'm not doing anything too intensive. Also, Do any of you think intel core 2 duo's are good enough for 2015?
Thank You.
Click to expand...


Not trying to start any argument, but I do, I have a 2GHz, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Mimi from 2009. I personally think it's a fine machine. I saw a few post about people complaining about Yosemite running slow even on their 2012 machine, I don't get it, maybe they didn't get around to upgrade to SSD? I use Yosemite on my 2009, I do anything from the basic stuff, to Arduino, Matlab, Python, etc. I also run word, powerpoint with no issues at all. Sure it's slower than the newer machines, but it is six years old. But I'd say if you are willing to wait a second or two, it's not a bad machine at all.

I personally don't think Yosemite is bad on the 2009 Mini, at least not to the point that you absolutely can't use the computer, in fact I think it works fine. If you want to know what slow feels like, get a PowerPC G4 (which I also have), and try to work with it, now THATS slow. Maybe people are referring to the type of software that is slow in Yosemite? Photoshop and such maybe?
 
Another 2009 Mini user here. Mine is 2.53, and I had a ram (8GB) and SSD upgrade (512GB Samsung EVO 840) a year ago. When I upgraded to Yosemite, wifi started getting disconnected intermittently, so I downgraded to Mavericks. I think it handles with Yosemite no problem. Yes, it's 6 years old and doesn't have USB3, but for my use (all the basic stuff and eyetv hybrid), it is very snappy and still perfectly usable. Yes, I was tempted to buy a newer one, a 2012 mini, in particular, countless times, but in general I like to hold onto my stuff as long as I can, so it's working out fine. Besides, I recently bought a refurbished 2014 rMBP (i5/16/512) for my work/school, and I am using it heavily.
 
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For the two that have upgraded to SSD's in the 09 MacMini, do you think upgrading to a 500GB HD from my MBP (2011) would be advisable? I was planning to upgrade my MBP to a SSD and use the HD from it to upgrade the existing 2009 Mac Mini. I don't use the Mac Mini often, but thought it would be better served with a new and larger HD, even if only a couple years.
 
SpringMinifan said:
For the two that have upgraded to SSD's in the 09 MacMini, do you think upgrading to a 500GB HD from my MBP (2011) would be advisable? I was planning to upgrade my MBP to a SSD and use the HD from it to upgrade the existing 2009 Mac Mini. I don't use the Mac Mini often, but thought it would be better served with a new and larger HD, even if only a couple years.
Click to expand...


Is it's the 5400 RPM HDD? If that't he cause, maybe not. I did two upgrades to my Mini, first time was to 7200 RPM, and the second time was to the SSD. If you don't use it that often, why not just hook up a external firewire or usb2? If you are going to replace it with another HDD, I not sure if I would do it.

It's not terribly difficult, but it does take a while, since you want to move very slow so you don't break anything.
 
aajeevlin said:
Is it's the 5400 RPM HDD? If that't he cause, maybe not. I did two upgrades to my Mini, first time was to 7200 RPM, and the second time was to the SSD. If you don't use it that often, why not just hook up a external firewire or usb2? If you are going to replace it with another HDD, I not sure if I would do it.

It's not terribly difficult, but it does take a while, since you want to move very slow so you don't break anything.
Click to expand...

Yes, I do think it's the 5400. I agree, it's a slow/steady job. Thanks for your input!
 
Still using an early 2009 Mini, 2.25, 4GB, 120GB original drive - with 97GB free. It only has Snow Leopard and Apple Apps on it, with ALL other stuff on an external firewire drive.

Since I only shut it down when forced to, HD speed doesn't bother me, and the m/c handles everything I want to do on it faster than me, so all is good.
 
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Yup, an early 2009 base model, which I reckon I will be using for at least another couple or three years, or more. It is my only computer, and I have neither a tablet nor a smart phone.

I have the 2 Ghz Core 2 Duo model, still with the original 120 GB HDD, which has been in use or in sleep mode almost 24/7 since I bought it. It has the 1GB of RAM it came with along side an additional 4 GB which I had installed to do the upgrade to Mountain Lion. I cleared out many of the iPhoto and other files I seldom use to a 500 GB external drive, so the internal drive is less than 50% full.

I did enquire at the local dealer about upgrading the HDD, possibly to SSD, and installing Yosemite. The advice I got was to stick with what I have, and get an external drive for extra storage. Although the original HDD is over six years old it could well soldier on a good a while longer. If it fails it can be replaced within a day; I have everything backed up with Time Machine, and important files backed up separately.

SSD and Yosemite? The lady in the workshop reckoned they are not worth bothering with for the 2009. The benefits really start to kick in with the i5 / i7 models, which arrived in 2011.

An acquaintance is still using a 2003 G4 laptop; it is his only computer. I could still well be using the first computer I ever owned, the original 2005 Mac Mini, but when the HDD and power supply failed in 2009 replacement was more cost effective than repair.
 
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Micky Do said:
SSD and Yosemite? The lady in the workshop reckoned they are not worth bothering with for the 2009.
Click to expand...
An SSD would actually greatly improve your computer's performance, I had an SSD in my 2010 white MacBook which also uses a Core 2 Duo and it was fantastic.
 
I use a 2GHz 2009 mini, fitted with 8Gb and 60Gb SSD. No complaints but I use as iTunes/Elgato system, web browsing/forums etc but on 10.10 Use my Mac Pro for the heavier stuff.
 
Micky Do said:
The advice I got was to stick with what I have, and get an external drive for extra storage...

SSD and Yosemite? The lady in the workshop reckoned they are not worth bothering with for the 2009. The benefits really start to kick in with the i5 / i7 models, which arrived in 2011...
Click to expand...

That advice has legs but it lacks wings. The USB 2.0 ports on that pre-Thunderbolt Mac are suited for connecting "an external drive for extra storage" but that is a limited benefit. An SSD connected to your internal SATA interface would transform the entire computer!

The SSD and Yosemite advice missed the mark as well. Although we could debate the benefits of Yosemite for minis like your 2009, the lady in the workshop was dead wrong about SSD benefits. For proof you can read this thread and others to find plentiful accounts of users who rejuvenated their minis with SSD upgrades.
 
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ApolloBoy said:
An SSD would actually greatly improve your computer's performance, I had an SSD in my 2010 white MacBook which also uses a Core 2 Duo and it was fantastic.
Click to expand...

Celerondon said:
That advice has legs but it lacks wings. The USB 2.0 ports on that pre-Thunderbolt Mac are suited for connecting "an external drive for extra storage" but that is a limited benefit. An SSD connected to your internal SATA interface would transform the entire computer!

The SSD and Yosemite advice missed the mark as well. Although we could debate the benefits of Yosemite for minis like your 2009, the lady in the workshop was dead wrong about SSD benefits. For proof you can this thread and others to find plentiful accounts of users who rejuvenated their minis with SSD upgrades.
Click to expand...

I am not after a hot rod Mac Mini, just one that adequately serves my work and personal needs, mostly using iLife and iWork apps. What I have was getting sluggish 3 years ago. The extra 4GB of RAM and upgrade to Mountain Lion sorted that.

The lady's advice to a customer (however occasional) is as good, if not better than what people on the internet offer as they pursue their dreams.. An external HDD proved a simple and cost effective upgrade for my needs.
 
Micky Do said:
I am not after a hot rod Mac Mini, just one that adequately serves my work and personal needs, mostly using iLife and iWork apps. What I have was getting sluggish 3 years ago. The extra 4GB of RAM and upgrade to Mountain Lion sorted that.

The lady's advice to a customer (however occasional) is as good, if not better than what people on the internet offer as they pursue their dreams.. An external HDD proved a simple and cost effective upgrade for my needs.
Click to expand...

Not sure why or where this "lady" thing kept on coming from, if you are implying taking advice from a women; I have no issues taking advice from a man or a women or even a kid, as long as the advice is sound and logical. I would not call adding a SSD into a 2009 Mini an attempt to make it into a "hot rod", I'm certainly not going get a top-notch machine by doing that. I do it because it's a way to make it work faster (giving the advancement in technology), and to extend it's useable life. I also don't have cash to burn.

I also would not consider adding an external USB2 HDD as an upgrade, it is merely an extension of what you already have. You will get more volume, but you will not see any improvement in performance.
 
ApolloBoy said:
Except it was totally wrong, an SSD will offer a huge benefit no matter which CPU you have.
Click to expand...

aajeevlin said:
Not sure why or where this "lady" thing kept on coming from, if you are implying taking advice from a women; I have no issues taking advice from a man or a women or even a kid, as long as the advice is sound and logical. I would not call adding a SSD into a 2009 Mini an attempt to make it into a "hot rod", I'm certainly not going get a top-notch machine by doing that. I do it because it's a way to make it work faster (giving the advancement in technology), and to extend it's useable life. I also don't have cash to burn.

I also would not consider adding an external USB2 HDD as an upgrade, it is merely an extension of what you already have. You will get more volume, but you will not see any improvement in performance.
Click to expand...

Who are you to tell me, or anybody, what technology, benefits and performance we should be desiring?

I have a base model 2009 Mini that performs adequately for my present needs. At the suggestion of the lady at the workshop, simply adding an external drive was a cost effective way of extending its useful life. To say her advice was wrong is nonsense; it was right for me.
 
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Micky Do said:
Who are you to tell me, or anybody, what technology, benefits and performance we should be desiring?

I have a base model 2009 Mini that performs adequately for my present needs. At the suggestion of the lady at the workshop, simply adding an external drive was a cost effective way of extending its useful life. To say her advice was wrong is nonsense; it was right for me.
Click to expand...

Wow, okay I'm done here. You guys have fun.
 
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I'm still using a 2010 Macbook Pro with Core2/4gb/SSD/crappy Nvidia GPU, and I found it to be a bit slow on Yosemite.
I put it down to the 4gb memory.
With Mavericks, it's a great performing device. I was happy using the 2006 Mac Mini with SSD, aside from anything that hit the GPU, so I'd definitely get away with using the 2009/2010 Mac Mini as my daily drive.
 
I've got three (late) 2009 minis. Two base models and a server. All running Yosemite.
  1. Base model with hard drive replaced with SSD and RAM increased to 4GB. I'm using it now at work for documentation and programming.
  2. Base model with RAM increased to 4GB. Using it as an entertainment center.
  3. Server model was retired last fall and replaced with a 2012 quad-core mini. It still works. I need to sell it once I get the drives erased and do a fresh install of the OS.
The SSD in the system being used as a desktop computer made a big performance difference. When it was being used as a (second) entertainment center the SSD made no noticeable difference. I also tried an SSD in the server (since moved to my MacBookPro) and found that it only mattered for boot time. Since it only gets booted once a month or less, this was negligible benefit. Changing to the quad core mini (with HDD) gave a very noticeable performance boost. Bottom line is there is no single guaranteed best way to boost performance. It all depends on what the computer is doing.
 
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I consider the 2009 base model with 1GB to be nearly useless, but thankfully these six year old Minis can be upgraded and as people here can attest, it brings new life and purpose to them.

Sadly the current base model Mini, six years from now, will not have the same capability and useful longevity.
 
From someone who uses a PowerPC Mac on occasion, It's fine. Haha.

The Core 2 Duo is still in service all over and aging pretty gracefully. Most of our workstations and many Macs where I work still run on the C2D. I've been putting in SSDs like crazy when anyone complains about slowness. Complaints are gone instantly. Any of the Macs doing heavy lifting are i5/i7/Xeon anyway.

I've got a Mid 2007 base model 20" iMac with a 2.0 GHz Core 2 Duo, 120GB SSD, 4GB DDR2, 128MB Radeon 2400XT and it's running Serato DJ, Logic Pro X, Mainstage, Adobe CS5 (Photoshop/Illustrator/Premiere Pro) and more and it runs great for being 8 years old next month!

These anyone using 2XXX Mac XYZ threads always amaze me though. Of course people are using them. Sure some moved on or upgrade regularly but there are a lot of businesses and home users that just go until something doesn't work. I still see a LOT of Windows XP machines in the wild even today. And there's still a decent little PowerPC community here still going. My iBook G4 runs like the day it was released, using period software and minimal web of course.
 
I recently acquired a Late 2009 Mac Mini. C2D 2.53GHz, 8GB Ram with stock 500GB HDD. I'm surprised how well it runs 10.10.4. I use it as a headless server, but could totally see myself using it as a daily machine.
 
I upgraded my 2009 2.53Ghz mini server to 8GB of 1300Mhz RAM, OS X 10.10.4 and a 1.2TB Fusion drive. As a general use computer/media computer, it handles whatever I throw at it really well.
 
snipecaik said:
Do any of you think intel core 2 duo's are good enough for 2015?
Click to expand...

The problem is the OS rev:

- The 2006 mini became obsolete 4 years later in 2010 when OS rev 10.7 (lion) was introduced.

- The 2007 mini became obsolete 5 years later in 2012 when OS rev 10.8 (mountain lion) was introduced.

- The early 2009 mini is still supported 6 years later in 2015 when OS rev 10.11 (el capitan) is introduced.

Obviously the 2009 minis (and probably the 2010 as well) are the next to go.

Apple made changes under the hood of the last two OS revs. It is rumored to be moving away from Intel chips, which are not in the iPhones. It is only a matter of time before it gets tired of supporting hardware that is 6 years or more old.
 
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