Lately I've been attracted to the Mac Mini to replace my office PC (mini itx with Haswell quad core) since it is so small. My use is strictly office work- MS office and my case management software. It will be connected to my server PC and won't be running any demanding applications. I will be running Bootcamp always, never OS X. I am very familiar with Mac / Bootcamp, I own a rMBP currently as my primary laptop. My question is, is the Mac Mini capable of being powered on 24/7 - it will never be turned off since I would log in remotely to it when out of the office. Does anyone here own one and leave it on 24/7 without issue? Thanks!
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Mac Mini as desktop replacement at office?
- Thread starter Harthag
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Yes, of course. That actual goes for any computer.
The Mini is super energy-efficient, so it won't suck up very much electricity even when idling (6W according to Apple).
It's a great little computer - enjoy!
It's a horrible waste not to use OS X... Why not run Windows on say Parallels if you're not doing anything very demanding - then you can have both running at once. I've got both XP and 8.1 running as virtual machines on my 2012 Mini to run some Windows only software and also to use Internet Explorer for cases where Mac browsers fall down and performance is good.
M.
There are small PCs available too:
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/03/mini-review-intels-powered-up-core-i7-broadwell-mini-pc/
I own a Mac mini, late 2012 model, and leave it powered on all the time. I've not seen any issues with this practice in almost a year of use.
I have a mini at home and one at work. The one at home started as a G4, and is currently a Late 2012 quardcore i7. The one at work is the previous home machine, currently a Mid 2010. That one has been running 24/7 since june 2010. I regularly change drives for bigger ones, but the rest is original.
The home one is running a bunch of VM's with mailservers and websites, my satellite TV, music and general desktop use, the one at work is running triple 1080p screens so I can herd a bunch of linux machines.
My mini, a late 2012 i5 has been on 24/7 since I purchased it new.
Through an EyeTV HD box it is my personal video recording device and my daily driver for all things internet related.
Nary a hiccup since the beginning, only powered off for version and system upgrades.
Through an EyeTV HD box it is my personal video recording device and my daily driver for all things internet related.
Nary a hiccup since the beginning, only powered off for version and system upgrades.
Hmm, I will check out small PCs as well, thanks for the link. Thing is I already have the mini itx build so I'd just keep it if I don't get the Mac Mini. I have to run Windows because my case management software is Windows only, but yeah I could use Parallels and get the benefits of OS X as well. Thanks!