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macstatic

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 21, 2005
2,029
168
Norway
I'm trying to figure out a smart, space-saving way of placing or mounting a Mac Mini (late 2012) on a (small) desk which also accomodates a PC keyboard and mouse (for another PC) in addition to the Mac Mini's own keyboard and mouse. Doing away with the Mac Mini would at least leave more space for the two sets of keyboards and mice.

So which options do I have? I think I've heard of VESA mounts which would allow me to place the Mac underneath the desk or behind one of the two displays (both mounted on a mounting arm, which means neither display takes up any desktop space). How about ventilation while placed underneath the desk (hot air moves upwards, so I'm thinking it's not getting anywhere.... but I suppose the Mac Mini fan helps..).

I'm also open for other suggestions on the matter of placing the Mac Mini, or ways of arranging the two keyboards/mice in addition to the Mac Mini and a small external Time Machine backup drive.
 
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Those are great suggestions and it's given me some further ideas to work with :)
Hiding it under the desk is definitely space-saving, but I'm worried about heat buildup since hot air rises and there are ridges around the underneath of the desk which would make it even harder for the hot air to escape.

Now, putting it behind a monitor is definitely something to look closer at, but there are some things to consider...
We've placed a Multibrackets Officeline Dual mounting arm at the mid/rear section of the desk using its mounting clamp. It has two 24" Dell monitors mounted on it using the VESA mounts on the rear.
154756708-origpic-4d6364.jpg

(image source: products.multibrackets.com)


Unfortunately I couldn't find any good photos of it in use online, but here's from the user-manual which shows how the screens are mounted:
Screen Shot 2022-12-16 at 12.01.52.png

Screen Shot 2022-12-16 at 12.02.00.png


So it wouldn't be possible to attach the Mac Mini using the VESA adapter you linked to (it's apparently meant for monitors which haven't had its "foot" removed), but scrolling down on that page was another VESA bracket that caught my eye:
71UE7st9UiL._AC_SL1500_.jpg


With that offset, perhaps I could mount the bracket between the monitor and the desktop monitor-arm. Obviously I'll have to look for such an adapter that takes a Mac Mini, or something "universal" that will do the same. Does anyone know of a suitable adapter like that?

Another option might be this VESA bracket which allows mounting to the monitor-arm pole:
ER-3814269-6.jpg
(image source: MountMyMonitor.com)

That of course depends on how much space I have between the desktop and up to the two monitors (if I have the Mac Mini faced in front). Otherwise, faced behind the mounting pole I'd have to shift the desk a little forward from the wall behind it.
Judging from the photos there's also another way you can use it:

ER-3814269-4.jpg

(image source: MountMyMonitor.com)

I'm a little skeptical as it would put the entire 24" monitor's weight on the bracket, but if it's made of quality steel ut might be OK. It'll also shift the monitor a little forward (closer to the user's eyes), but it might still work.
It's good to see several options that might do the job :)

Another thing: I also have a small external 2.5" USB hard drive for Time Machine backups. It's always connected to the Mac Mini, but likewise takes up desktop space (until now I've placed it on top of the Mac). I will need to move that to somewhere as well. Do you think I somehow could place the hard drive on top of the Mac as before (but this time placed sideways) without risking it falling down, and can a mechanical 2.5" hard drive safely be used on its side, as opposed to laying flat down?
 
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I lik3 that mount because the need metal to support the Waite of those monitors!! If you use that for your two monitors I woulds hide the Mini under the desk for cleanest look!
 
I 3D printed one of these to hang my mini under my desk.

Mac Mini Wall Mount
Looking good! I'd personally hang it on the wall for better heat dissipation, but then again the built-in fan might solve that issue.
However, in my case I think I'm going for the Startech thin client mount which I'll mount on the vertical pole of the dual monitor arm (shown in post #3). That way I don't have to worry about it being too heavy, and it should be out of the way and not take up valuable desktop space.
accsmnt.c.jpg
(image source: startech.com)
 
An update to what I've ended up with:
I did buy that Startech thin client mount (see previous posting) and have now mounted it on our Multibrackets Officeline Dual mounting arm (see posting #3) between the two 24" displays. That along with a 2.5" USB Time Machine backup drive in the same mount has regained a lot of extra desk-space! The black fabric-strap isn't the prettiest thing, but until I find a more attractive solution to keep the computer/hard drive from sliding to either side and falling out of the mount it'll have to stay. I'm open for suggestions though :)

The next thing to look at is perhaps to share a single mouse/keyboard with both computers (Mac Mini and a laptop PC), possibly through a USB KVM-switchbox to save even more deskspace and make it all more practical when switching between the two systems.
20230327-171413_P3270041.jpg

20230327-171431_P3270042.jpg

20230327-171442_P3270043.jpg
 
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