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pulled the trigger and got a mac mini..

X

xheathen

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 5, 2010
300
17
Finally just decided to get a mac and see how I like 'em! Mainly for the wife, but it'll be my toy too :p So I've taken my first step into dangerous waters :)

So I'm just curious... we have like 10 or so kids movies we'd like to convert from DVD to iTunes so we can use it with the Apple TV / iPad when we take trips. I've heard you can do it all via Handbrake, but that you may want to rip it with something first. Can anyone recommend a process?
 
I use a program called Ripit to Rip the DVD and then Handbrake to transcode to a format that can be used in itunes. It works.
 
ThinIce said:
I use a program called Ripit to Rip the DVD and then Handbrake to transcode to a format that can be used in itunes. It works.
Click to expand...

Really? I just use handbrake right from the start...things seem to work fine. Any extra effects from using Ripit to Rip before hand?

Congrats on your Mac Mini! Despite the CPU being a bit dated(not super though, i3 isn't worlds faster then C2D, its more marketing that makes people think i3 is the best thing even**), the graphics hard easily makes up for it. Don't forget RAM and HDD upgrades down the road if things slow down.

**of course, I still look forward to an i3 Mac Mini(or i5 mobile chipset)..I'll be interested to see what Apple does with the GPU at that point
 
Great thanks for the tip - I'll check out Rip It once it arrives.

I originally thought of just waiting for a refresh, but I kind of came to the same conclusion. I've kind of looked at the i3 as a more budget intel chip than anything - the 3ghz C2D's themselves are more expensive than the i3's, which I found kind of odd.

** edit ** Quick follow up on the RAM - is the 2gigs in the Mac Mini 2 separate 1 gig DIMMs? Or is it 1 DIMM of 2 gigs?

So yeah, I'm super excited to see what this thing is like :)
 
zap2 said:
Really? I just use handbrake right from the start...things seem to work fine. Any extra effects from using Ripit to Rip before hand?

I'm not aware of any advantage to using Ripit first. I learned that method and just stuck with it because it worked.
Click to expand...
 
xheathen said:
** edit ** Quick follow up on the RAM - is the 2gigs in the Mac Mini 2 separate 1 gig DIMMs? Or is it 1 DIMM of 2 gigs?

So yeah, I'm super excited to see what this thing is like :)
Click to expand...

I can answer this as I have just bought my first Mac as well, and opened my Mini up and it is indeed 2 separate 1GB sticks. Although I don't really see me pushing this machine to the limits of what it can handle. I will be upgrading to a 4GB stick + 1 of the stock !GB sticks for a total of 5GB Ram with the option of another 4GB stick in the future. You will be very happy because this is an amazing little machine!!:D :apple: :D :apple:
 
ThinIce said:
zap2 said:
Really? I just use handbrake right from the start...things seem to work fine. Any extra effects from using Ripit to Rip before hand?

I'm not aware of any advantage to using Ripit first. I learned that method and just stuck with it because it worked.
Click to expand...

The advantage, at least for me is twofold. First, DVD rips via RipIt on my 2.0 C2D Mini take about 45 min while the encoding usually takes a few hours, depending on the movie--not too keen on having my optical spinning for all that extra time when doing a rip/encode directly using Handbrake (w/ VLC). Second, I can rip a few DVDs using RipIt first, then queue them up to encode in Handbrake overnight.
Click to expand...
 
Its a process (if you want it to be)

xheathen said:
Finally just decided to get a mac and see how I like 'em! Mainly for the wife, but it'll be my toy too :p So I've taken my first step into dangerous waters :)

So I'm just curious... we have like 10 or so kids movies we'd like to convert from DVD to iTunes so we can use it with the Apple TV / iPad when we take trips. I've heard you can do it all via Handbrake, but that you may want to rip it with something first. Can anyone recommend a process?
Click to expand...

Handbrake to encode, use AppleTV preset, MetaX to add tags and cover art. Works like a charm :)
 
OWC 4GB RAM upgrade

b-rad g said:
Haven't bought yet, but when I do it will be from Crucial or OWC (macsales.com). I have bought from Crucial in the past and they are a very good company, but OWC seems to be really popular on this forum and they have really good prices so I might check them out this time.
Click to expand...

I purchased the 4GB RAM upgrade from OWC for the Mac Mini (mid 2010 2.4Ghz model) and I started to have some strange things happen with my display. The display would go white with noise (the video kind) after leaving the computer for awhile or after waking from sleep. I thought, "That's bizarre." Tested at 5GB (4GB + 1GB), thought it was because I wasn't using a matching pair so I removed the 1GB Apple stick and just kept the 4GB stick, still had the problem. I decided in the end to just send the upgrade back to OWC, and may just stick with Crucial as I have had good luck with them in the past. Good luck!:)
 
Best upgrade for your Mini

zap2 said:
Really? I just use handbrake right from the start...things seem to work fine. Any extra effects from using Ripit to Rip before hand?

Congrats on your Mac Mini! Despite the CPU being a bit dated(not super though, i3 isn't worlds faster then C2D, its more marketing that makes people think i3 is the best thing even**), the graphics hard easily makes up for it. Don't forget RAM and HDD upgrades down the road if things slow down.

**of course, I still look forward to an i3 Mac Mini(or i5 mobile chipset)..I'll be interested to see what Apple does with the GPU at that point
Click to expand...

I would say the first upgrade should be RAM, and then the next should be SSD or SSD Hybrid. Those two things are going to bottleneck the system under full or heavy load. Your Mini should be purring for years with those upgrades as most Core 2 Duo processors are more than enough grunt for 90% of the population and their computer usage habits IMHO.:cool:
 
utcoug said:
I purchased the 4GB RAM upgrade from OWC for the Mac Mini (mid 2010 2.4Ghz model) and I started to have some strange things happen with my display. The display would go white with noise (the video kind) after leaving the computer for awhile or after waking from sleep. I thought, "That's bizarre." Tested at 5GB (4GB + 1GB), thought it was because I wasn't using a matching pair so I removed the 1GB Apple stick and just kept the 4GB stick, still had the problem. I decided in the end to just send the upgrade back to OWC, and may just stick with Crucial as I have had good luck with them in the past. Good luck!:)
Click to expand...

Did you use the OWC brand RAM or other brand sold by OWC? I just ordered today the NuRAM 8GB kit 2x4gb for $145:D and tried to search for as much info on the NuRAM compatibility and couldn't find too many problems with it so decided to pull the trigger and go for it. It does have the lifetime warranty so hoping for the best. Can always return if any problems with it and go with Crucial. Will see if saving $20 will be worth it.:rolleyes:
 
My 8gb kit will be arriving today!! Will post this afternoon how it goes.

It is the NuRAM 2x4gb kit from OWC. :D :D
 
Are you upgrading from 4gb or 2gb? I've really been wondering if 8gb is a noticeable difference. I'm pretty sure it would be if you are using RAM heavy programs like Photoshop, but I have nothing beyond my theory :)
 
xheathen said:
Are you upgrading from 4gb or 2gb? I've really been wondering if 8gb is a noticeable difference. I'm pretty sure it would be if you are using RAM heavy programs like Photoshop, but I have nothing beyond my theory :)
Click to expand...

I got the base configuration with the 2gb as I knew I could get RAM cheaper than from Apple. I have been reaching the 2gb with "light" use, so once I saw the 8gb kit for $145 I went for it.
 
b-rad g said:
I got the base configuration with the 2gb as I knew I could get RAM cheaper than from Apple. I have been reaching the 2gb with "light" use, so once I saw the 8gb kit for $145 I went for it.
Click to expand...

Cool! I'm really interested in how much that improves the performance since that's exactly the same model I purchased (also being my first mac).
 
utcoug said:
I purchased the 4GB RAM upgrade from OWC for the Mac Mini (mid 2010 2.4Ghz model) and I started to have some strange things happen with my display. The display would go white with noise (the video kind) after leaving the computer for awhile or after waking from sleep. I thought, "That's bizarre." Tested at 5GB (4GB + 1GB), thought it was because I wasn't using a matching pair so I removed the 1GB Apple stick and just kept the 4GB stick, still had the problem. I decided in the end to just send the upgrade back to OWC, and may just stick with Crucial as I have had good luck with them in the past. Good luck!:)
Click to expand...

I have crucial ram and I get the white noise after sleeping sometimes but only in one monitor. I just hit a keyboard key and it comes back. Always used magic pad before. Does this get worse?

Edit I have gskill ram actually. It had fantastic reviews on bay from Mac users.
 
Mini got here and it is setup!

My first impressions: wow, I really need to bone up on my OSx :) My wife is loving this thing which is a huge bonus for me.

It's been REALLY smooth. What impressed me the most was that literally within 15 minutes of opening the box, she was rocking and rolling on the OS and messing with iTunes. So far I've been pretty impressed.

I also just noticed today that the mini came with 4gb of ram instead of 2gb it said it would come with. So that's a huge +1 for refurbs!!!

I do have one question for anyone who knows the answer (unless the answer is just "no" :p) - I accidentally mis-named the computer after me and not my wife. I changed the main and only admin roll to my wife's name and my wife's password, but the computer itself is still named after me. Is there any way short of a reinstall that I can change that? Maybe it's super easy and I'm just a mac noob :)
 
xheathen said:
Mini got here and it is setup!

My first impressions: wow, I really need to bone up on my OSx :) My wife is loving this thing which is a huge bonus for me.

It's been REALLY smooth. What impressed me the most was that literally within 15 minutes of opening the box, she was rocking and rolling on the OS and messing with iTunes. So far I've been pretty impressed.

I also just noticed today that the mini came with 4gb of ram instead of 2gb it said it would come with. So that's a huge +1 for refurbs!!!

I do have one question for anyone who knows the answer (unless the answer is just "no" :p) - I accidentally mis-named the computer after me and not my wife. I changed the main and only admin roll to my wife's name and my wife's password, but the computer itself is still named after me. Is there any way short of a reinstall that I can change that? Maybe it's super easy and I'm just a mac noob :)
Click to expand...

congratulations!

in response to you're question

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1428

but i wouldn't recomend it as it can lead to nightmares down the line.

MAKE SURE YOU BACKUP!
 
You mean actually changing the user using the "root user" method can lead to issues?
 
xheathen said:
I also just noticed today that the mini came with 4gb of ram instead of 2gb it said it would come with. So that's a huge +1 for refurbs!!!
Click to expand...
I picked up a second mini, this time a refurb, spec'ed as 2GB RAM, opened it up for the swap from my other mini with 8GB (too much), and I got 4GB total in the refurb'ed mini too!! Now my minis have 6GB rather than 5GB. Sweet!! :p
 
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