[Wodgy]

It turns out it does have a small fan, but from what I've heard it's still extremely quiet.

 

[tyrion]

I picked up this link of another forum: MacSlash . It says there is an accessory that gives optical sound output from the Mac mini. This is the device: Griffin imic usb audio interface .

 

[AdamWill]

tim d: It won't be fanless...design thermal rating of the 1.4GHz G4 is 25W, you can't cool that fanlessly in a case this size. I can build you a small silent PC for CAN$500, let alone US$500. Of course, it doesn't really matter, because the whole point of this system is you don't have to build it. Personally my favourite form factor is still the microATX / Shuttle size - I still need at least one PCI slot and one AGP slot to be happy. This is just a little too small. But it's a cute system, no doubt.

 

[Tim D]

I don't think you can do it, or are you assuming your labor is free? Via EPIA's come the closest and are not nearly as fast (not to mention included bundled commercial software as opposed to pirated software).

I think like the iPod the consumers will benefit as other companies will rush to make truly competing boxes. I've seen mini-itx's and IMO this one is a class ahead (which is great because it pushes the competition that much farther ahead). This means we might get equivalent PC-class device using perhaps Pentium Dothan chips and the like. My 'ideal' alternative would be a Pentium M Dothan mini-desktop, and I know they exist but the prices are rather prohibitive with a very niche (underdeveloped) market.

 

[edesilva]

Well, I ended up ordering one. It does get expensive when you max it out--1GB, faster processor, bluetooth, etc. But, I'm figuring it will fit in my stereo equipment rack nicely, provide good audio from WAV files using a WaveTerminal U24 (I only care about 2 channel), provide a nice user experience for my girlfriend through iTunes and using the DVI to my plasma and bluetooth to a wireless keyboard. The Apple's also have the side benefit of being able to act like DVHS decks in certain circumstances, which means I may be able to record HDTV via firewire from my CATV box and an over-the-air eyeTV 500 HD receiver. We shall see on 1/24 when it gets delivered.

 

[ssuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by edesilva Well, I ended up ordering one. It does get expensive when you max it out--1GB, faster processor, bluetooth, etc.

I agree. I would definitely recommend upgrading the memory yourself. Apple always overcharges for memory. Installation should be easy, the only bummer is I think that you'll have to lose the 256 meg module it comes with as there's only one memory slot.

I wonder what size hardrive they're using. I hope not a notebook size...

 

[ssuh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyrion I picked up this link of another forum: MacSlash . It says there is an accessory that gives optical sound output from the Mac mini. This is the device: Griffin imic usb audio interface .

I looked up the imic, it doesn't seem to mention an optical audio out.

 

[audiosceptic]

I bought one. My powerbook was crushed by UPS in a shipping mishap last week and I was looking to replace it anyway. Saw the announcement from MacWorld and pulled the trigger. I'm going to connect to my stereo with a M-Audio USB Theater using only the Coax out to a Benchmark DAC1. Could be cool...

 

[jimkuhr]

I bought one as well, I have a G4 Powerbook that I use for iTunes but my CD library has eaten the disk space. I have a windows desktop with the monitor, keyboard, and mouse so I'll add a KVM switch and have a dedicated music and TV capture device in the Mac Mini. I've also got a couple of 100MB external firewire drives at the house so it sure seemed like a great solution to me for the money. Of course now the only problem is I can't get my mind off that Grace 902, wouldn't that be sweet hooked up to a Mac Mini via USB! Sorry for my wallet

 

[AdamWill]

No need to get that esoteric. I built a faster system than the Mac Mini for CAN$450 last week - Antec Aria case, Sempron 2400+ CPU. That's two fans (the big silent 120mm case fan on the Aria and the CPU fan). It's not quite silent because, frankly, I was too lazy to buy a replacement for the stock AMD CPU heatsink / fan, but I could get a Thermalright ALX800 and a Panaflo L1A fan for it for an extra CAN$30. Noise output from that thing would be 23dBa or so, as close to silent as makes no difference. Contrary to popular myth you don't need the C3 for silence, only for small size...if you make the system big enough to accommodate a quality Thermalright Chunk Of Copper you can get silence from a good ol' AMD chip. I was assuming free labour for the purpose of the exercise, yeah. And who said anything about pirated software? I didn't pay a penny for the software I'm writing this message with, and it's entirely legal...

 

[Edwood]

Of course there is Nano ITX which will allow for even smaller form factor than the iMac Mini.

But looks like the Mac Mini may beat Nano ITX to market.

-Ed

 

[Wodgy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamWill No need to get that esoteric. I built a faster system than the Mac Mini for CAN$450 last week - Antec Aria case, Sempron 2400+ CPU. That's two fans (the big silent 120mm case fan on the Aria and the CPU fan). It's not quite silent because, frankly, I was too lazy to buy a replacement for the stock AMD CPU heatsink / fan, but I could get a Thermalright ALX800 and a Panaflo L1A fan for it for an extra CAN$30. Noise output from that thing would be 23dBa or so, as close to silent as makes no difference. Contrary to popular myth you don't need the C3 for silence, only for small size...if you make the system big enough to accommodate a quality Thermalright Chunk Of Copper you can get silence from a good ol' AMD chip. I was assuming free labour for the purpose of the exercise, yeah.

That's the thing. Even with all your knowledge of this stuff, time to research, etc., you still didn't end up with a silent system because you weren't willing to go the extra hurdle and get the Thermalright KR17 Ultra XLR 7 or Panaflo L1APro Ultra 8a or whatever. There's always an extra hurdle it seems with homemade silent systems unless you really shell out quite big bucks from the beginning, at least from several threads on this site with people who've tried to build silent systems. Most people just don't have the time to learn about this stuff and debate whether a "Thermalright ALX800" is more appropriate to their needs than a "Panaflo L1A" and still, after all the effort, end up with a system that's not quite small and not quite silent. Manufacturers have not been stepping up to the plate either. The few silent PC vendors (e.g. HushPC) charge through the nose for what they do. This is why the Mini Mac is such an important product. It does what people want, at a price point they can afford, and no one else is really doing this right now. Hopefully major PC vendors will follow along and imitate it, because competition is good for anyone. But it took Apple to throw the gauntlet down.

 

[3lusiv3]

I think someone asked earlier in this thread about the HD, it is a 2.5" hard drive.

I'm thinking of buying a couple of Mac mini's for server use.