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More…Cute isn't a word we use very often in connection with PCs, but it certainly applies to the Apple Mac Mini--arguably the most visually striking personal computer ever built. The world's most petite PC could serve double duty as a bookend, as long as the books weren't too big. The elegant, cleanly designed white case is only 6.5 inches square and just over 2 inches tall. It runs almost silently: The cooling fan produces the barest whisper of sound. On the front are a touch-sensitive power switch and the opening for a slot-loaded DVD drive. Our review model came with an 8X DVD-ROM/24X CD-RW combo drive; a more expensive option is a DVD-rewritable drive. On the back are various ports: a DVI monitor connection (a VGA adapter is included), 10/100 ethernet, a FireWire port, a headphone jack, and two USB 2.0 ports. The last element does limit your expansion options: Apple's own keyboard and mouse occupy one of the USB ports (the mouse plugs into the keyboard); on the other hand, on a typical PC, a USB keyboard and mouse would take up two ports. You could add a USB hub to get extra ports, but this would take away somewhat from the Mac Mini's aesthetic appeal. The power supply is located in a separate brick.
Apple 1.25GHz Mac Mini Desktop (1.25GHz PowerPC G4, 256MB, 40GB, DVD?RW, Mac OS X)
| WorldBench 5: Performance word scores reflect comparisons of PCs in the same category (power or value) running the same operating system. See Your Guide to the Top 100 for more details. | N/A (Mac OS X) |
| Base configuration | Fair |
| CPU | 1.25-GHz Power PC G4 |
| System memory | 512MB of DDR333 SDRAM |
| Hard drive (GB): Total capacity. May represent multiple hard drives. | 40GB |
| Monitor size and model | None |
| Graphics: Most integrated graphics systems use the PC's main RAM. | Integrated ATI Radeon 9200 |
| Case type: Vertical cases are towers (over 20 inches), midsize towers (15.5 to 20 inches), or minitowers (under 15.5 inches). Horizontal cases are desktops (5 inches or taller) or compacts (under 5 inches). | Compact |
| Open bays, slots | None |
| Extra features | Limited |
| Removable-media drives | 8X DVD-ROM/24X CD-RW combo drive |
| Sound card | Integrated audio |
| Speakers | Built in |
| Communications | V.92 modem, network adapter, two USB 2.0 ports, FireWire port |
| Software | AppleWorks, Quicken 2005 |
| Other | N/A |
| Graphics quality: Based on new testing begun in the November 2002 issue. Insufficient data for systems tested in previous months. | N/A |
| Setup and ease of use | Very Good |
| Vendor's reliability/service: A vendor's score is based on surveys of PC World readers. Vendors receiving insufficient data scores did not generate enough responses to our most recent survey for us to make a determination. | Insufficient data |
| : Lifetime refers to the lifetime of the product. | One-year parts and labor warranty; 12-hour daily toll-free support during warranty period |
Apple Mac Mini
1.25GHz Mac Mini Desktop (1.25GHz PowerPC G4, 256MB, 40GB, DVD?RW, Mac OS X) Review, by Richard Baguley April 29, 2005
Apple designed the Mini to compete against cheap PCs (the most basic Mini configuration starts at $500) while still basking in the full glow of the Mac mystique. We had no trouble imagining the Mini going places where a typical desktop PC wouldn't: into kitchens, family rooms, and the countless improvised home offices that pop up on dining room tables every evening. You lose some of the stylish look when you add all of the required cables, but it's still the nicest looking of the small systems we tested.
Apple describes the Mac Mini as a BYODKM (bring your own display, keyboard, and mouse) system; none of these are included. Apple offers a USB keyboard and mouse set for $58, but the system works with any USB keyboard and mouse designed for a PC: You just have to get over the slightly weird feeling of pressing the <Windows> key instead of Apple's <Command> key. We tried the Mac Mini with a selection of keyboards and mice, and they all worked without problems. If you're planning to keep an existing PC on your desktop you could add a KVM switch, which allows one keyboard, monitor, and mouse combination to control two or more systems.
The Mac Mini is built around a 1.25-GHz PowerPC CPU, and seems to be well suited to supporting such everyday activities as watching DVDs, working on text documents, and playing games; an ATI Radeon 9200 GPU handles the graphics. Our $574 review model came with 512MB of DDR333 RAM in the single memory slot (the entry-level unit ships with a paltry 256MB). You can upgrade the Mac Mini to 1GB, but opening the case is a challenge: You have to pry the plastic top off, and there is a possibility that it could crack. The technique evolved by Mac users is to use a couple of putty knives to gently remove the top, a nerve-wracking process. Click here to see MacWorld editor Dan Frakes demonstrate this technique. Apple says that opening the case won't void the warranty, as long as you don't break anything.
Upshot: The Mac Mini provides an elegant way to enter the Mac universe without having to spend too much.
Richard Baguley
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Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
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Reviewed by: jlheath
Strengths: Small Size, Apple OS
Weaknesses: Does not run many non-apple displays
Overall: The mac mini would have been exactly what I wanted if it would run my HP F2304 display. Very nice to be in the mac OS environment. Very user friendly but...Dispite the claim that the mac mini will work with "any DVI" monitor, it does not work with many non-apple monitors. After buying the mac mini I found there was a lot of noise in the display. Apple was unable to fix the problem after replacing the graphics card 3 times. I went to a chain store where they were nice enough to try the HP f2304 display with thier mac mini. The results were the same. If you are considering the mac mini, check out the apple user fourms. One of the threads has a link to a list of which monitors will currently work with the mac-mini. Apple took my computer back. I hope they fix this some day. I like everything else about the mini.
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