Dual Displays with Mac Mini '09 or Single Display with Unibody Macbook

[pcguru83]

Hey guys,

I've got a buyer lined up for my unibody MacBook. I'm considering selling the Macbook and getting a base model Mac Mini and purchasing an additional display. I'd be running the Mini with dual 22" Dell 2209WA displays, 4GB RAM, and a 320GB HD (which I'd like to later upgrade to a 7200RPM model).

After purchasing the laptop, I don't take it around with me nearly as much as I expected I would. Not to mention, I've got a very nice PC laptop running Windows 7 that I've been provided by work. Seems kind of backwards to have two laptops.

I've also been having some rather funky things going on with the external display connected to the MacBook. Sometimes when waking from sleep, I get a screen fully of colored snow. Other times, it doesn't want to wake up from sleep at all as long as the external display is connected.

The only thing potentially holding me back from doing this would be the backwards step I'd be taking in RAM capacity. I only recently upgraded to 4GB in the Macbook, and it's made a huge difference. I've yet to have any page outs since I've done the upgrade. But having the option for 6GB in the future was a nice feeling.

Any thoughts? Anyone have ever run into a similar dilemma?

 

[Rhalliwell1]

Mac mini doesn’t support dual displays.

 

[pcguru83]

Mac mini doesn’t support dual displays.

Yes, the new '09 model does. It has a mini display port and a mini DVI port, both of which can be used simultaneously.

 

[zer0tails]

dual displays with the mini sounds good. Would make for a far more satisfying computing experience in my opinion.

As long as you're ok not being portable anymore (the mini is but not the displays) then I'll say go for it.

 

[kapo]

Does a Mac Mini 09 support two 23" Apple display?

Does a Mac Mini 09 support two 23" Apple display? I have G5 with two 23" display, I'm thinking to upgrade my G5 to Mac mini since the Mac mini is powerful enough for me. So I would like to know dose it support my two 23" like my G5 dose.

 

[Decrepit]

When Snow Leopard launches, I will be buying the new Mini and running two 24" Samsungs on it.

I have my G4 Mini, but really only use it to sync my phone and adjust my AEBS wireless settings since it's slowed down so much. In fact my whole Mac setup (keyboard, mouse, etc) is in a bag since I took it to work to troubleshoot an NFS/Linux to Mac problem one of my customers is having as well as a Mac+Firefox+website issue another is having...

When I get the new Mini, my old one will be kept in a bag for just such an occasion.

I just wish they'd get a VMware vSphere client for the Mac so I could do some more of my work from home. Until they do, I will have to maintain a PC that I can RDP into so I can still use the Windows only tools. (VI Client supposedly dies a hateful death if used in VMware Fusion)

Since I too have a Windows notebook from my employer, I will use it for work. I need to rethink my KVM setup...

 

[kmarketing]

I have dual displays with my mini, and it really makes a huge difference (to me at least) in terms of enjoyment and productivity.

Go for it, I don't think you'll regret it.

 

[kapo]

I have dual displays with my mini, and it really makes a huge difference (to me at least) in terms of enjoyment and productivity.

Go for it, I don't think you'll regret it.

YOu have dual displays? can you tell me how to set it up?