Mac Mini Advice

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CraigZA

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Hi there

I was fortunate enough to be given a Mac Mini a while ago. It's a G4 1.33GHz loaded with 40GB 4200rpm HDD and 512MB RAM. Not exactly a beast and it bogs down under heavy Tiger usage but OS X is worth the wait.

Now, is it worth my while upgrading my RAM to its max of 1GB, slapping in a faster 5400/7200rpm HDD and upgrading to Leopard? Although gorgeous, an iMac's not feasible at this point but the itch to use OSX in all of its glory is tempting.

My other option would be to sell the Mini and buy one of the new Core 2 Duos (how much do G4 Mini's sell for?) I've got an unused copy of Vista Ultimate lying around that I could Bootcamp with.

Your thoughts and suggestions? Whichever route I take, this will more than likely become my main desktop PC. I've got an old PC that's good for the occasional game but nothing more.

Thanks in advance!
 
CraigZA, I have exactly this model, and I have upgraded it. You won't regret putting a 1GB dimm in. I takes one DDR333 (400 works fine) dimm, the desktop variety. This is a definite must.

For the disc, I started by replacing the disc with a 5400rpm 120GB IDE Seagate ST9120821A. This made a huge difference. Later, I replaced it with a 100GB 7200rpm IDE Seagate ST910021A. It's a little more responsive than the 5400rpm disc, but the downside is this actually makes the machine audible. Especially if it's sitting on a desk - it tends to amplify the vibrations.

If I was you I'd get the largest 5400rpm disc available (I'd go for the ST910021A), unless you're going to be doing something that requires a fast disc.

I also replaced the DVD-ROM/CDRW with an Apple branded Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-K05. This is important, if it's not the right drive, and if it doesn't have the Apple firmware on, the Mini just won't pick it up. It does work if you stick it in an external enclosure though. I couldn't find that particular drive anymore, but I found this one, which is what they use at the moment for the MacBook Pros. I got this for my MacBook (came with the bloody combo drive too) - works like a charm.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate the fact that Vista will only run on an Intel-Mac. A few of my apps haven't been successfully ported over to Mac, hence my reliance on Vista. :sick: Upgrading a new Mini to 2GB would be my first move, just trying to make do with what I have before splashing out on something new (a tempting thought!).
 
Skeptik said:
PPC is looking very long in the tooth. I would get rid of it. Upgrading an old Mac is not always the best option.
Click to expand...

That really depends on what you want to do with it. CraigZA hasn't really said what his idea for it is.
 
Getting the same one tomorrow to use as a fax/print/software update server.
Going to install Leopard Server on it.
 
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