The Mac mini by the Numbersand What the Numbers Mean

The Mac mini comes in two models. They differ only in the speed of their PowerPC G4 processor chip and the size of the hard drive built into the computer. Otherwise, the two models are physically identical and share the same technical specifications.

This computer is called the Mac mini for a reason. It measures a diminutive 2 inches (5.08 cm) high, 6.5 inches (16.51 cm) wide, and 6.5 inches (16.51 cm) deep. The Mac mini weighs 2.9 pounds (1.32 kg).

This size allows the Mac mini to be right at home on the most crowded of desktops or in the tight spaces of a home entertainment center. It also makes the Mac mini an interesting carry-around computer, provided that you have a screen, keyboard, and mouse at your destination. There are Mac mini cases being marketed for people who want to take the computer with them.

note

During the life of this book, it's possible that Apple will bump the Mac mini to faster processors or significantly change other specs. If that happens, I will put an update to this chapter on the book Web site: www.peachpit.com/coursey.

The Inside Scoop

Many people want to know what's going on inside their computers. Some Macs are very easy to open, but somesuch as the Mac minirequire a bit of effort. You can damage the case if you aren't very careful and at least a little bit lucky. You also have to disassemble it to get at the interesting pieces, which has been done for you in Figure 1.6 so you don't have to.

Figure 1.6. The inside of a Mac mini. (Courtesy Peter Belanger Photography)

Processor

The entry-level Mac mini is, as I write this, equipped with a 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 processor, made by IBM. The other model has a 1.42 GHz processor.

If you come from a Windows PC background, I already know what you're thinking: "Geez, those minis are slow!" And compared to Intel and AMD processors cruising above 3 GHz, this would seem to be the case.

But sometimes things are not as they seem. And this is one of those occasions.

Processor speeds in the Mac and Windows worlds just don't compare evenly. The two operating systems, Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows XP, are just too different, and they accomplish the same things in different ways. That means that what a Mac does with 1 GHz takes a Windows machine… See, here I am, trying to compare directlyand it just can't be done. The temptation is great, nevertheless.

If the same application is running on both Windows and Mac OS machines, you can compare the time each computer takes to complete specific processing tasks. This approach is more useful than comparing the speed of an Intel or AMD processor to the Mac's PowerPC processor. It is also more useful for comparing one Mac to another.

Okay, let me go out on a limb: In practice, the Mac mini offers the sort of performance that an Intel Celeron-based PC provides. And this is plenty of horsepower for home and small-business users except those who already knowbecause they are graphic artists, programmers, professional film/video editors, and so onthat they need a faster Mac. Properly outfitted (that is, with more memory), I find the Mac mini's performance to be quite acceptable.

However, no Macintosh is truly a games machine. Yes, you can play games on a Mac, and there are some very nice ones available for Macintosh, but if your life is defined by the computer games you play…heck, you already know you need a souped-up $3,000 hot-rod PC.

Every Mac mini, as well as every other Mac, is equipped with something called a Velocity Engine. I don't think most Mac users have the vaguest idea what this is, so I looked it up. According to Apple:

The Velocity Engine, embodied in the G4 and G5 processors, expands the current PowerPC architecture through addition of a 128-bit vector execution unit that operates concurrently with existing integer and floating-point units. This provides for highly parallel operations, allowing for simultaneous execution of up to 16 operations in a single clock cycle. This new approach expands the processor's capabilities to concurrently address high-bandwidth data processing (such as streaming video) and the algorithmic intensive computations which today are handled off-chip by other devices, such as graphics, audio, and modem functions.

I am not a microprocessor engineer, nor do I harbor odd fantasies of becoming one. But that paragraphthere is a whole paper about this at Apple's Web sitehelps explain why Intel's GHz and Apple's GHz cannot be directly compared. Visit developer.apple.com/hardware/ve/ to learn more.

The difference in processor speeds does show up in actual use, though it would be interesting to compare the impact of adding or not adding memory. There are other things to consider as well: specifically, slow hard drives, which we will come to later in this chapter.

Memory

Both Mac minis are equipped with 512 K of on-chip level-2 cache memory, running at full processor speed; a 167 MHz system bus; and 256 MB of PC2700 (333 MHz) DDR SDRAM, expandable to up to 1 GB.

Of this, the part that should concern you is the SDRAM. The consensus of people who write about Macs is that Apple is stingy with memory in its consumer models. Mac OS X is capable of running with this little memory, which is pretty impressive, actuallybut adding more memory improves performance and allows the user to work comfortably in several applications at once.

Memory, however, is fairly inexpensive, and customers have shown a willingness to pay to add more memory on top of what the computer costs. So to keep base prices as low as possibleartificially low, some would sayApple installs the bare minimum amount of RAM in its machines.

note

The Mac mini Apple sent as my review unit included an extra 256 MB of memory, bringing the total to 512 MB. This should be a very strong hint. However, if all you can afford is a 256 MB model, buy a Mac mini anyway. You can upgrade the memory later.

Memory compares fairly closely between Macs and PCs. Just as I want 512 MB or even 1 GB of RAM in my Windows machines, I also want 512 MB in my Macs, and 1 GB would be better, though installing that much memory in a Mac mini can be expensive.

Why? Because the Mac mini has only one memory slot, you must toss the existing memory in order to add more. And no, you don't have to buy your memory from Apple, though if you can afford to do so, this isn't a bad idea (more on this in Chapter 3).

Storage

The entry-level Mac mini is equipped with a 40 GB Ultra ATA hard disk drive. The more expensive model gets an 80 GB drive. There is no option to order a larger built-in drive. People shouldn't go tearing into their Mac minis just to install a larger hard drive. It is far better to add a USB 2.0 or FireWire external drive.

There is a beef with the built-in drives, however: They are slow, running at 4200 RPM. This is another of the compromises Apple made to reach a consumer-friendly price point. It's been noted, however, that some Mac minis have shipped with faster, 5400 RPM drivesalas, not including mine.

A faster drive can noticeably improve performance, but there is no easy way to determine the speed of your Mac mini's drive while you are still in the store, even if you power-on the machine.

Apple may offer larger drives in future Mac minis, though I suspect that the entry-level model will always have a small drive to match its small price. Perhaps someone will create an add-on drive in the same enclosure as the Mac mini itself, allowing the units to be stacked. Use a FireWire connection, and the external drive will seem plenty fast. Add more USB and FireWire ports to the add-on drive, and you will also have solved what may be my biggest complaint with the Mac mini: not enough expansion capability.

CDs and DVDs

The stock Mac mini comes with a slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) that reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed, and reads CDs at up to 24x speed.

You can replace this with the optional SuperDrive (DVD±RW/CD-RW). It writes DVD-R discs at up to 4x speed, writes DVD-RW discs at up to 2x speed, writes DVD+R discs at up to 4x speed, writes DVD+RW discs at up to 2.4x speed, reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 16x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 8x speed, and reads CDs at up to 24x speed.

Be thankful Apple selected a drive capable of burning both DVD-R and DVD+R disks. If your PC has a DVD burner, this allows you to standardize on a single type of disc.

Sounds like a Mac mini

Hopefully, the only time you will hear the Mac mini's built-in (and not so great) speaker is when the machine is first turned on and plays the startup sound. It's a pleasant sound, at least until you hear it coming out the air vents on the backside of your Mac mini the first thing in the morning (this seems a good enough reason to never turn off your Mac mini).

If you actually had to listen to this speaker for any length of time, it would surely damage your hearing. Okay, maybe it's not that bad, but you'll want a good set of speakers just the same.

On the Mac mini's rear panel, you will find a headphone/audio line-out jack, to which you connect a stereo mini-plug. Any decent pair of powered speakers will sound great with your Mac mini. You can also use this output, with a proper cable and adapter, to feed your home entertainment center.

Video and graphics support

The Mac mini includes an ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor with AGP 4X support and 32 MB of dedicated double data rate (DDR) video memory.

One of the great things about the Mac mini is that is doesn't come with a built-in screen. Another is the broad range of screens you can connect to a Mac mini. For video-out, Apple wisely selected a DVI video output capable of digital resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 pixels. This supports the 20-inch Apple Cinema display and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD display, coherent digital displays up to 154 MHz, and noncoherent digital displays up to 135 MHz.

DVI is mostly important if you want to connect a Mac mini to a big screen monitor for home entertainment applications. There are, however, some newer LCD computer monitors (such as my Dell LCD) that feature DVI inputs.

Fortunately, a small adapter is included with every Mac mini, which turns DVI video into the VGA video output familiar to PC users. In VGA mode, the Mac mini supports analog resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels.

If you have an older video projector or need support for other video output standards, S-video and composite video are available through the use of Apple's DVI-to-video adapter, sold separately.

Ports

There will be disagreement as to whether Apple included enough FireWire and USB ports on the Mac mini. I don't think so, though some users won't need more than are provided. Many Mac mini users will, however, end up with a USB hub, FireWire hub, or both, connected to their Mac mini.

The additional cost of a hub isn't huge, but these things add up. And these are attachments, adding more cables and power supplies to your Mac mini installation.

The Mac mini includes one FireWire 400 port and two USB 2.0 ports (Figure 1.7). These run at up to 480 Mbps. This is the same USB 2.0 that Windows machines use. FireWire is sometimes labeled IEEE 1394 on Windows machines.

Figure 1.7. This is the rear panel of a Mac mini, with the various connectors marked. (Courtesy Apple Computer)

Here's how the ports are likely to be used:

• The FireWire port is where you're likely to connect an external hard drive, a video camera (for transferring movies for editing in iMovie), an iSight video camera for Web chats, an iPod, or an external hard drive.

• The USB port is where your USB keyboard and USB mouse will attachusing both ports. Or you can use a keyboard and mouse with PS/2 connectors along with a PS/2-to-USB adapter. These work fine (I am using one right now) and allow both the keyboard and mouse to share a single USB port. You can also use a USB port for attaching a hard drive, Web cam, iPod, or other peripheral device.

I hope Apple will provide more ports on future Mac minis. Someone moving from another Mac to the Mac mini or willing to buy the optional Bluetooth adapter and Apple's wireless keyboard and mouse might be able to get away with only three ports. But many Windows users, or anyone who really accessorizes their Mac mini, will need more.

Of course, to add these ports, a future Mac mini might also have to be a scoosh larger, which causes its own problems.

Communications

The Mac mini includes a built-in 56K V.92 modem that uses a standard RJ-11 telephone connector and built-in 10/100Base-T Ethernet adapter that uses a standard RJ-45 Ethernet connector. The modem is used to connect to the Internet over a dial-up connection.

The Ethernet adapter offers one method of connecting to broadband. The other is with the optional internal 54-Mbps AirPort Extreme card. It is based on the IEEE 802.11g standard and is Wi-Fi certified for 802.11g and 802.11b interoperability. This means that your AirPort Extreme card will work with any 802.11g or 802.11b network you may already own. I've tested with several vendors' hardware and have had no trouble connecting.

If, however, you haven't purchased a wireless network and go shopping, there are good reasons to buy an Apple AirPort Extreme wireless access point. I explain these in Chapter 5, but they revolve around ease of installation and setup and the use of Apple's AirPort Express devices for wireless printing and for extending your iTunes music collection to speakers in various locations around your home or to your home entertainment center.

Apple also offers an optional internal Bluetooth module, mostly useful for connecting to Apple's wireless keyboard and mouse and certain cellular telephones, handheld computers, and wireless handsets.

Bluetooth has been around for a while now and has tremendous potential to wirelessly replace the cables used to tie peripheral devices to computers, especially those that are connected only occasionally. But little of this potential has been realized, and I am inclined to give Bluetooth less consideration than it may actually deserve. So take my Bluetooth comments as those of a disillusioned user.

Electrical requirements

The Mac mini is powered by an external power supply and is Energy Star compliant. The computer can use as much as 85 watts of continuous power, provided by a power supply measuring 6.5 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches and swathed in Apple's signature white plastic. The power supply is not a "wall wart" that hangs from an electrical outlet, but is attached on one side to a power cord that plugs into the wall and on the other side to a cord that connects to a tiny power jack on the rear panel of the Mac mini. The power supply gets warm to the touch.

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The Mac mini power supply connector is very similar to that used by some of Apple's large monitors. Be sure not to accidentally connect the Mac mini to one of those.

At the end of the Mac mini's technical specifications is a list of operating temperatures and such that I won't bore you with. But one of the specs caught my eye:

• Maximum altitude: 10,000 feet

I understand that if you block the vent ports or set the Mac mini on top of a heating vent, it might cause problems. But what about elevation? Do computers get altitude sickness?

I am thinking about taking a Mac mini to Yosemite to see if elevation really matters. I wonder what happens to a Mac mini at 11,000 or 12,000 feet? I know I get a bit of altitude sickness, but will my Mac mini? Does its silicon brain go as simple as my gray matter brain does at altitude? Maybe so.