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Got it in, downloaded the mac specific Debian (specific just for booting the CD). Booted straight from the cd, installed Debian, added mbpfan (for fan control), and have a small, quiet, low power box that is great for basic usage. Internet browser, email, it even handles most youtube videos fine, although full HD does stutter a tiny bit. Intel based Mac Minis do NOT work well with the older 85W (A1105) power supplies. You can get it to run by holding the power button as you plug the power in, counting to 10, then releasing and re-pressing the power button. This will power on, but the fan will run at full speed at all times, even with OSX or Linux mbpfan loaded. You'll really want to get a 110W (A1188 works well) power supply so the fan can be controlled/quieted.
Verified purchase: Yes
I have a couple of these old Minis running Snow Leopard and using Front Row as a media streamer. The only major negative is the big clunky external power supply.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The size of the Mac mini makes it useful for traveling and camping in an RV or camper. It fits easily on the smaller depth shelves that are necessary in the confined quarters of a camper. I have found that laptop PCs & Macbooks, because of their integrated screens, are not as easy, as the mini, to use as a media center/workstation in an RV. The mini plugs into a 21" wall mounted LCD, therefore, a smaller attached LCD, on a laptop is less than useful. Also, the Mac mini remote makes it nice to control the OSX "Front Row" application. I use Front Row with the free media center plugin, "Sapphire". The 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor works well for the small footprint that the desktop takes up. I have found that the integrated Airport wireless is great for getting connected when we are in campgrounds with available WiFi. Next, the bluetooth keyboard & mouse work well, for most of the same reasons that the mini works. Finally, when we are not traveling we can simply unplug the little desktop and take it into the house and have a nice desktop for the kids. So, the Mac mini has been a great solution to a "not so typical" need. DSMRead full review
I bought this 7 year old Mac Mini for only one purpose: to act as a Plex Media server. Plex is an app and a Roku channel that allows you to manage and play your .m4v / .mp4 movies that organizes (manually) your movies much the way iTunes organizes music files. The movies are streamed from an external firewire hard drive attached to the Mac Mini to the Roku Plex channel. For this purpose this Mac Mini is perfectly adequate. Other uses for this Mac Mini would be limited to applications that do not require large amounts of RAM, as it is max'd out at 2GB. For word processing, email, and web surfing, iTunes, etc. it is perfectly adequate. One other limitation is that it cannot take OS X newer than Lion, unless you use a hack program and then you can install Mountain Lion. I was lucky enough to win this particular Mac Mini that was advertised as being new old stock and that turned out to be the case. Being new, I think I can expect quite a few years of service from it for the one dedicated task of being a Plex Media server. I paid about $200 for this one only because it was in brand new condition. In conclusion, if you are looking for a Mac for somewhat limited use, this Mac Mini model will serve you well. I would not pay more than about $125-$150 for a used one in excellent condition.Read full review
the mac i received had the 950 video/chipset so not the fastest thing out there. i've installed a fresh copy of Mac OS 10.7 and upgraded to 2GB of RAM and a 320GB HDD. this machine is still pretty usable but software and updates for 10.7 have been long discontinued. this little machine is also capable of running windows 7 and could likely be used as a secondary office PC for light browsing or office use. overall an older product but if you're not expecting a gaming PC still very usable.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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