Got this for a song. It had OS X Yosemite and worked as advertised, but it was painfully slow. I made a couple of fairly cheap upgrades, replacing the HDD with a solid-state drive and replacing the 2GB of memory with 8GB, and that fixed the problems. It's still an older processor, but for most tasks, it's great. I even edited some video on the machine. It didn't render the video as quickly as a quad-core machine would, but it was fine; it took a few minutes but didn't crash or anything, and the video turned out great. I mostly use Windows but needed a cheap Mac for certain projects, and, despite its age, this machine is certainly adequate for that. I would definitely recommend this as a spare or a machine for kids or parents.
I purchased the Mac Mini (2009) to replace a Mac Mini (2006), for a faster CPU, more RAM and a larger Hard Drive. I use this computer as a workstation with a 17 inch LG LCD monitor, and B & W laser printer. The feature I like best, the Airport system for the Internet (Wireless). My main computer is a 24 inch iMac tied to several printers and scanner.
I bought this used 2009 Mac mini to replace my daughter's old Apple computer, and provide a work station for my intern. I purchased a large monitor for around $100 to hook up to this computer, so the fact that it had a great graphics card and the proper VGA adapter was key. This 2009 mac mini is a powerful little machine that can run the latest Apple system, because it has the Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It's small, but has everything you need, 5 USB ports, a Firewire 800 port, Ethernet and a couple of monitor ports (this mini comes with adapters so you can hook it up to any relatively modern VGA monitor. It also has a headphone and microphone jack. The 2009 2 GHz also comes with the fast NIVIDIA graphics card, an internal airport card (so it's ready to hook up to a wireless network). Full retail versions should come with iLife 09. This mac was originally sold with System 10 Leopard. You'll probably want to upgrade it, by purchasing Snow Leopard for $30. For less than $500, including wireless keyboard and mouse; this used Mac mini was a powerful, but economical, solution to my computing needs.Read full review
Bought mainly to run OSX and get my long awaited divorce from Microsoft Windless. Hardware-wise it comes in a small footprint that can easily fit anywhere on the desk. One the negative side Apple hardware is ridiculously expensive for what you get but it's worth a little extra for the ability to run a reliabel and feature-rich platform like OSX. It would also be nice if they made something with a PCI slot or two in it so an extra video card and maybe a tuner can be added without a bunch of cable clutter.
For many years I've run a server at home, for personal education and entertainment purposes. When I would build myself a new PC, I would re-purpose the guts of the old in the server box. Being an Apple fanboy since 1985, the sound of the PC fans constantly running in the server was annoying. So I decided I'd get a used Mini Mac to return silence to my home office. This one has an Intel Core 2 Duo, and came with 2GB of RAM and a 120 GB. With a ROM update, I could upgrade the RAM to 8GB, and if I was going to crack the case, why not upgrade the 5400RPM, 3-year-old drive with a 7500RPM drive with triple the GB or so? So I did. BTW, the additional RAM upgraded the built in NVIDIA GeForce 9400M from 128 to 256 MB of video RAM. The cost of the RAM and new hard drive was about $110. I upgraded the OS to Lion, and then to Lion Server ($45). So for a total outlay of $465, I now have a modern, responsive, quiet server with a small footprint. Along with the many advanced features of Lion Server, I'm also running a Gopher server (Google "Gopher protocol" for more info). Was it worth it? For about $180 more I could have bought the least expensive but more powerful new Mac Mini (with upgraded RAM). The new has an HDMI and Thunderbolt ports that could be nice, but I don't need now. I'm not going to kick with a 30% savings. In another 3 to 5 years, maybe I'll buy the current model of Mac Mini to replace this one.Read full review
This little Apple powerhouse works like a dream. Setup went off without a hitch. It's extremely quiet and very fast. Even though it's called a "Mini" there is nothing at all mini about how powerful and well it works. I'd recommend one to anybody seeking to make the jump from PC to Mac. Snow Leopard is very intuitive and just a really wonderful OS. Personally, I'd choose this model any day over a Mac Pro, just due to it's small compact size and wonderful operation. It fits right below my Apple monitor with plenty of room left over and it was nice to save that extra space previously used by my PC tower. OSX DOES have a bit of a learning curve, especially when one has been used to a Windows environment, but as a graphics and web designer, this little desktop really does all I need and more. The 4 gigs of ram really makes the difference in my workflow. Bravo to Apple for such a unique little dream.Read full review
I have no complaints at all about the seller and the product was as advertised and works well for what it is. I needed a Mac Intel unit for a specific use. If you are serious about desktop use for the Apple OS the Mini is the only way to go because of serious limits with the LCD panels in the all in ones. If you need real power you have to consider the legal ramifications of a Hackintosh. Unless you like to stare at that colored circle thing. The "problem" is that the Mac Mini is what it is, an Apple computer. That means a machine that is overpriced for what is, uses notebook grade parts that were semi-obsolete at the time it was manufactured and is prone to overheating. Because of sheer Apple greed the commodity parts inside the machine are difficult if not impossible to upgrade. I also am not very fond of the Apple OS: I find the work flow and use of screen space illogical, the OS to me is inefficient to use (particularly mouse options) and the Apple OS is inherently insecure. Compared to Windows OSx has a smaller footprint which is a significant plus. However to get there Apple makes no pretense of legacy support and abandoned users who had naively invested a great deal of money in hardware that was seriously overpriced and underpowered to begin with. I would not be surprised to see Apple abandon the Intel platform for an ARM based one, talk about underpowered, which will not run x-86 apps.Read full review
The Mac Mini (March 2009)is excellent and works perfectly as a home entertainment computer. I am sure it would work perfectly as a desktop unit as well but my main reason for purchasing it was for its ability to stream videos from Netflix, watch TV programs using Hulu on the internet, etc. and output them through a 40-inch flat panel TV which it does flawlessly. (goodbye cable TV!) It is wireless and I have used that option but no matter how good the wireless connection wired is the way to go for Netflix streaming video. The Mac Mini also plays (and burns) dual-layer DVD's quite quickly. Another useful feature is the Mac Mini's ability to stream internet radio which it does very smoothly. It also wakes from sleep well with no issues.
One of these made a great media player in my car with the addition if an airplay server. It runs El Capitan great. I recommend at least 4g though if you are running the new OS. For less that a couple hundred bucks you can get into a fully functioning and reliable Mac.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
This is my 2nd MacMini. I like the compactness of the unit and its clean appearance. Nice to have an office where space for the CPU is at a minimum. The sacrifice I have to make for the MacMini's sleek and smallness is that it is a bit of work to get inside the unit to upgrade memory. If it wasn't so hard to access the internal parts of the MacMini, I'd give it an "excellent" rating.
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