Upgrading Mac Mini

setanta5

I'm considering buying a Mac Mini as i let my G5 imac go to upgrade to an intel Mac. A friend (And people form boards) all told me to wait until the current range are upgraded to Core2duo.

However i need something on the cheap now to keep me going and am considering picking up a mac mini. I've read somewhere about them being upgradeable.

IF i were to pick up a Core solo (Cheapest) model, would that take a core2duo chip? Was planning to upgrade the RAM myself also as it works out cheaper and also to pick up an external hard drive.

Does anyone have any ideas if this is possible or what i might need to consider if doing this? How much are core2duos retailing for now?

Urban Weigl

Yes. That will work fine as the socket is the same, and I've already read various reports of bloggers who managed to get their hands on Core 2 Duo chips doing it successfully (just pop in the new chip, basically).

That being said, the Core 2 Duo will be a pricey chip to buy. Might make more sense to just buy a new Mac and sell the old one.

Ham'nd'egger

Don't forget, if you buy a Mini, you need an extra few bob to get the monitor, keyboard and mouse to get going. (Assuming you don't have any since you had an iMac) For a few bob extra you can get a Macbook which is all in.

Alternatively, if you go for a Mini, keep an eye out for an G spec Tower, you may walk onto a few gems cheap enough.

setanta5

Thanks Ham.

i had a PC also so i have keyboard mouse and display. Giving the PC to my brother. Looked at a couple of towers but they tend to be 'spensive!!! People who buy them tend to spec them up and look for decent resale value accordingly. Thought about a macbook but as i said i am waiting for them to upgrade to core2duo. I had just heard that the Mini was easily upgradeable

grizzly

I've heard the opposite – that it is a b!tch to upgrade. Firstly you will void your warranty so if you mess up this (I've read) highly technical procedure you will have a lemon.

Plus the cost of buying this chip at retail would be equal to the cost of buying a new mini with core2duo. Because Apple are bulk buying millions of units with a heavy discount applied, where as you are buying just one.

I don't see the big deal with core2duo. In the mobile range it only offers an extra 20% speed increase, the same roughly amount you get from going from 2GHz to 2.16GHz.

I'd save my cash for more RAM.

K.O.Kiki

Well actually, since Intel print their OEM prices publicly now (like AMD) they can't give Apple a discount

BTW, how can you not see the "bid deal with core2duo"?
It's a newer, better architecture (unlike CoreDuo, which is basically 2xPentium M's); and you should always compare like-with-like (ie, 2Ghz CD vs 2Ghz C2D) -- where the new processor will win hands-down.

Extra RAM is more benificial though; you're right.

tonyboy247

I agree with the grizzly sounds like your going for the oul'd headache.
Listen when the apple development team have an oul'd weekley meeting do you think they have missed all that stuff.. get real!! you pay for what you get by the time you have finished you will need to buy shares in "how to blow money corp" and when your finished the system will be worth a bag of rice my friend. If I were you I would learn the green cross code again.

Urban Weigl

I'm very clumsy, and even I managed to crack open my Intel Mac mini without much trouble. If I can manage, anybody with any experience upgrading computers at all wouldn't have any trouble. It doesn't void your warranty either, unless you do something really stupid, like plough through the motherboard with a screwdriver! :eek:

Getting to the CPU is easy also, as is popping in a new one. Assuming you have some experience putting together PC's, that is.

That being said, I don't think it makes sense to upgrade the CPU, since the Core Duo and Core 2 Duo chips are both very expensive, and you'd probably be better off simply buying a new and trading/selling your old one.

Anyway, the Intel Mac mini is a very nice machine, especially if you pop 2GB of RAM in it.

Edit: Looking at when Intel will ship the Core 2 Duo in quantity, the MacBook and MacBook Pro are both gonna go Core 2 Duo within weeks. If you can wait, it's worth noting this.

setanta5

Edit: Looking at when Intel will ship the Core 2 Duo in quantity, the MacBook and MacBook Pro are both gonna go Core 2 Duo within weeks. If you can wait, it's worth noting this.[/QUOTE]


Can you tell me where you saw this? Would love to get a date or some firm facts. Was planning originally to get a imac but am now considering going all the way and getting a macbook pro

I am waiting for them but i am without a computer at the moment...except for my work laptop which is locked down and not very good at all.

case_sensitive

Sticking a Core2Duo into an Intel Mac Mini isn't going to be hard, sounds like the OP could do it (just bring a putty knife/paint scraper and you'll be fine).

I've only read reports of Merom-Minis online, but newegg are selling Conroe chips today one at a time for $203 (1.86Ghz) and $259 (2.16Ghz) which will be coming down very quickly.
If the Mac Mini didn't have such a rubbish integrated gfx chipset I'd be all over that; Core solo today, and €120 drop-in 2.16Ghz Core2Duo in 3 months.
Macbooks/Pros have soldered chips, all other Intel Macs are simple ZIF jobs. Upgradable Macs!

setanta5

case_sensitive wrote:

Sticking a Core2Duo into an Intel Mac Mini isn't going to be hard, sounds like the OP could do it (just bring a putty knife/paint scraper and you'll be fine).

I've only read reports of Merom-Minis online, but newegg are selling Conroe chips today one at a time for $203 (1.86Ghz) and $259 (2.16Ghz) which will be coming down very quickly.
If the Mac Mini didn't have such a rubbish integrated gfx chipset I'd be all over that; Core solo today, and €120 drop-in 2.16Ghz Core2Duo in 3 months.
Macbooks/Pros have soldered chips, all other Intel Macs are simple ZIF jobs. Upgradable Macs![/QUOTE]

Does this mean that the Imac would be upgradeable also?

case_sensitive

Yep..
Backup to Mac Meromini comment:
http://paulstamatiou.com/2006/05/17/intel-mac-mini-my-upgrade-to-183ghz-core-duo/

Pictures of a very clearly socketed and thus removable Core1Duo from an Intel iMac:
http://www.kodawarisan.com/imac_intel/imac_intel002.html

I'm tempted..

Though what I *really* want to do is stick a Merom/Conroe in the guts of a Mini and stick that into my iMac G4:(my thread on Macrumours forum)

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=224698

SouperComputer

/drool

kentsfield (IE quad core) mini

/drool