Theres nothing like Mac mini. At just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches tall, its designed to take up far less room and use far less energy than any other desktop computer. Mac mini was engineered to fit a lot of computer into a little space. Its powered by an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, with advanced NVIDIA graphics and fast DDR3 memory. Theres plenty of storage space up to 500GB1 for just about anything. And it comes with Mac OS X Snow Leopard, the worlds most advanced operating system. Who knew something so small could be so huge? Mac Mini- 2.53GHz/ 320GB HD plus NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter 110W power adapter and power cord Install/restore DVDs Printed and electronic documentation
Upgraded with a faster 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Apple's innovative Mac mini desktop is a great choice for home computing tasks and creating a digital media hub. It fits everything that makes a Mac a Mac inside an elegant 2-inch-tall, 6.5-inch square--just add your own keyboard, mouse, and display. The Mac mini also includes excellent video processing power from the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics chip, an ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, and dual video outputs--a Mini DisplayPort and a Mini-DVI port.
Upgraded with a faster 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Apple's innovative Mac mini desktop is a great choice for home computing tasks and creating a digital media hub. It fits everything that makes a Mac a Mac inside an elegant 2-inch-tall, 6.5-inch square--just add your own keyboard, mouse, and display. The Mac mini also includes excellent video processing power from the integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics chip, an ultra-fast FireWire 800 port, and dual video outputs--a Mini DisplayPort and a Mini-DVI port.
 Inside its 2-inch-tall, 6.5-inch-square anodized aluminum enclosure, the Mac mini houses the fast Intel Core 2 Duo processor. |
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It comes pre-loaded with Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard operating system--an operating system custom-designed for the advanced technology inside--and it also comes with the iLife '09 suite of applications, including iPhoto, iMovie, Garageband, and iTunes.
Key Specifications
- Faster 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor helps you breeze through everyday tasks such as emailing, web browsing, and working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in iWork or Microsoft Office for Mac (both sold separately).
- 320 GB hard drive (5400 RPM)
- 4 GB installed RAM (1066 MHz DDR3; maximum capacity)
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor (with 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory) for an outstanding everyday graphics experience
- 8x slot-loading SuperDrive with double-layer DVD support (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
- Wi-Fi wireless networking (based on 802.11n specification; 802.11a/b/g compatible)
- Gigabit Ethernet wired networking (10/100/1000BASE-T)
- Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) for connecting with peripherals such as keyboards, mice and cell phones
- Dual video output options with Mini DisplayPort and Mini-DVI (includes Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter; optional Mini-DVI to VGA Adapter)
- Built-in mono speaker
- Combined optical digital output/headphone output (also includes line-in/microphone jack)
- Dimensions: 6.5 x 6.5 x 2 inches (WxDxH)
- Weight: 2.9 pounds
Mac mini; Mini-DVI to DVI Adapter; 110W power adapter and power cord; install/restore DVDs; printed and electronic documentation
Limited Warranty And Service
The Mac mini comes with 90 days of free telephone support and a one-year limited warranty. Purchase the AppleCare Protection Plan to extend your service and support to three years from your computer's purchase date. Only the AppleCare Protection Plan provides you with direct telephone support from Apple technical experts and the assurance that repairs will be handled by Apple-authorized technicians using genuine Apple parts.
Key Features
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Experience improved energy efficiency and improved multitasking with the 2.53 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, which also offers an ultra-fast 1066 MHz front-side bus (FSB) and a large 3 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.)
The hafnium-infused circuitry--which reduces electrical current leakage in transistors--conserves even more energy. With a substantial 3 MB of shared L2 cache, data and instructions can be kept close to the two processor cores, greatly increasing performance and allowing the entire system to work more efficiently. And, because the processor cores share the L2 cache, either can use the entire amount if the other happens to be idle.
Graphics Processor
The Mac mini features the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated graphics processor for up to five times better graphics performance than its predecessor, and its dual display support can drive two Apple or third-party displays with Mini DisplayPort or DVI connections. The NVIDIA GeForce 9400M shares 256 MB of DDR3 SDRAM with main memory. You'll notice the difference when you work with high-resolution photos and high-definition video, where graphics-intensive features in iPhoto and iMovie are smoother. And 3D game play--from Spore to Call of Duty--is faster and more responsive.
Wireless Connectivity
The built-in 802.11n wireless networking provides up to five times the performance and twice the range of 802.11g, but it's also backward-compatible with 802.11a/b/g routers, enabling you to communicate with the a wide variety of Wi-Fi resources. It works seamlessly with the new AirPort Extreme with 802.11n. Use the built-in Bluetooth wireless technology to connect to your PDA or cell phone, synchronize addresses, or download pictures from your cell phone. You can also use a wireless headset for iChat audio chats and VoIP calls as well as quickly share files with a colleague.
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Pre-Loaded with Mac OS X Snow Leopard and iLife '09
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- Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard (includes Time Machine, Quick Look, Spaces, Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Photo Booth, Front Row, Xcode Developer Tools)
- iLife '09 (includes iPhoto, iMovie, GarageBand, iWeb, iDVD)
Environmentally Friendly Design
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Mac mini includes a highly efficient power supply that reduces the amount of power wasted when bringing electricity from the wall to your computer. Lower power consumption reduces energy bills and lessens the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Advanced Power Management
Unlike a lot of Windows-based PC systems, Mac mini uses energy-efficient hardware components that work hand in hand with the operating system to conserve power. Mac OS X spins down hard drives and activates sleep mode. And it balances tasks across both central processors and graphics processors. Mac OS X never misses a power-saving opportunity, no matter how small. It even regulates the processor between keystrokes, reducing power between the letters you type. That's just one of many ways Apple manages small amounts of power that add up to big savings.
Mac mini is a great example of Apple's energy-efficient design philosophy. It uses less than 14 watts of power when idle--that's something no other desktop computer can do.2
ENERGY STAR Qualification
Mac mini meets the stringent low power requirements set by the EPA, giving it ENERGY STAR qualification. ENERGY STAR 5.0 sets significantly higher efficiency limits for power supplies and aggressive limits for the computer's typical annual power consumption.
Technical Details
- Ships in Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging- 2.53GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
- 320GB SATA Hard Drive, DVD SuperDrive, 4GB 1066MHz DDR3 SDRAM
- NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
- Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System
See more technical details
2010-08-02By Paul N. Nix (Garland, Texas United States)
I thought that existing owners of earlier Mac mini Computers might find my observations useful.
I recently purchased a used Mac mini (the MC239LL/A released in Oct 2009) to replace a spring 2006 mini (first generation Intel with Core Duo processor).
My 'old' mini has the much maligned GMA 950 graphics processor and, although it has worked OK for playing DVDs (and fine for audio tasks), that seemed to be about as much as it could do (trying to play some high resolution videos was completely unsuccessful with much video 'stuttering' and freeze-ups).
When the revised Intel minis were released in the spring of 2009, with the Nvidea GForce 9400M graphics device, I wondered if it might provide a genuine improvement over my 2006 mini.
The answer is a resounding yes ! It may not be as fast as a PC with a stand-alone video card but compared to my first generation Intel mini the Oct 2009 mini is a race horse.
Although the mini 'Wikipedia' article (a storehouse of information) says that the Oct 2009 minis have to run 'Snow Leopard' that is not correct. I've been running my 2006 mini off an external FireWire drive for several years and, when I got my 'new-used' Oct 2009 mini (once I made sure that it booted OK off its internal drive - with Snow Leopard installed), I hooked-up my FireWire drive and rebooted the Oct 2009 mini .... it came up without any problems (there were a couple of 'changes are detected' messages but I 'clicked-OK' and that was all).
What forcefully showed me how much better the Oct 2009 mini was than the spring 2006 mini was that it is now possible to play a DVD, running in Windows XP that is itself being run under VMware's 'Fusion' environment which is running as a Mac OS X application. That was totally impossible on the older mini (spring 2006; first generation Intel CPU). (Note: the software being used to show the DVD in Windows XP is the 'VLC' application. I tried to load an old version of 'WinDVD' but kept getting peculiar error messages and, from everything I read off-the-Web, no-one has been able to get WinDVD to run in a 'virtual' environment. When running XP from 'BootCamp' there was no problem on the old mini to run 'WinDVD 8'.)
Now you may be wondering why I bought a used mini from Oct 2009 instead of the recently released (June 2010) minis ? Two reasons : money and some future planes. Although the most recently released minis (June 2010) have an even faster video processor (Nvidea GForce 320M) than the 2009 design from what I've been able to tell (reading) it does not seem to show the great improvement that was immediately apparent when the 2009 minis were first released in March 2009. I was able to buy my Oct 2009 mini for what I thought was a bit more than a hundred dollars less than a new (2010) mini (my 2009 mini has 4 GB RAM) would cost me and, in the not too distant future, I intend opening-up my 'new' mini to gain access to its two SATA ports. My ultimate goal is to have two 3.5 inch SATA drives connected to the 2009 mini and it seemed foolish to spend the money for one of the sleek now 'unibody' minis when I'm planning to do that.
- Paul
2010-07-10By Vote 'em Out '10+'12! (EVERYWHERE)
So glad I got this--and just in time! They are now discontinued; replaced by an ugly, skinny/hard to stand on it's side "new" model with less RAM and a slower 2.4GHZ processor. The graphics in the "new" one might be "better" but I'm not a gamer and I don't give a rat's patootie about HDMI. And the jury's still out about the built in power supply--if my power supply dies, I plug in another one instead of replacing the whole motherboard like with the "new" model. Bottom line, I'll take this 2.53 with more RAM and faster processor for $100 LESS than the "new" $699 "improved" Mini anyday ;)
2010-07-01By T. Flood (West Coast)
I have been a MS PC person for over 25 years, not really by choice, but by exposure and necessity. My Apple experience was extremely limited to the Apples at school and as most people of the 80's and 90's know, those were absolute garbage. While I could appreciate what the higher end Macs were capable of, I was never going to be exposed to one and could not afford one and therefore have put off Apple for many years.
The price was still an issue. I didn't even know the Mac Mini existed until I saw one at work(not a Mac friendly place). I realized that the price was no more an issue.
I received my Mac Mini three weeks ago. I was surprised at how quickly it started up.
I immediately started putting it to the test. Can it see the router? No problem. Can it go online? I didn't even have to ask. Firefox, Thunderbird, Open Office? They all work great. My RAZR(yeah, i'm old school) was a nightmare to sync in Windows. iSync said that it needed a device added to sync to and I knew that I finally got it. I was the asked if I wanted to add my RAZR and away it went; the Mac probably saw the phone in the other room. Microsoft and Motorola couldn't do this why?
I have Parallels running XP in a virtual machine. That works just fine. I can run my Windows version of Adobe CS3. I can print postage labels through PayPal on my Dymo label printer; PayPal does not support label printers on Mac for some reason.
This is also an extremely compact machine. It is quite the space saver.
This was the best $800 I ever spent!
The one problem that I encountered is that the power cord does not seem to be very secure. While plugging in USB devices, the power cord inevitably gets hit and seems to fall out very easily.
2010-06-13By H. Campbell (MI)
It is working as expected. No surprises. The only downer was the firewire connection provided did not fit my old mini and the connection for the monitor of my old mini did not fit the new one.
2010-06-12By kev6677 (NEW YORK)
Unbelivable that macs do not support AVCHD or bluray nativelly .Anyone who has bought an HD camcorder in the last 3 years will be frustrated trying to use a mac to edit there videos. APPLE's solution is either to use there own codec which either creates very poor qualty videos almost like standard definition or creating huge files 5 times the size of your original. Even worst is that they deliberately cripple there dvd drives using some feature called Riplock that slows the dvd drive to a crawl if you wish to backup your dvd collection. I gues it's back to windows untill Apple solves these problems
