Apple Mac mini (2-GHz Core 2 Duo)

by Joel Santo Domingo

The Apple Mac mini has been around in one form or another for almost three years, and while the internal components have changed, the general concept and overall design has stayed the same. Pricing starts at $599, but the one we looked at is the upgraded 2-GHz $799 model. It's one of the forerunners of the green PC, having gone through several generations of substituting energy-efficient notebook-class components for desktop parts since the G4-powered Mac minis of early 2005. The Mac mini has been the lower-priced, entry-level Mac, but now that it's equipped with the Core 2 Duo processors, it is as powerful as a larger desktop while retaining its power (and space) savings. The Apple Mac mini appeals to both space-constrained and green-thinking PC users.

The Mac mini (2.0-GHz Core 2 Duo) comes in the usual 6.5-inch-square by two-inch-high white plastic and brushed-metal chassis. Like other Apple products, it's iconic within its category. The system's IR receiver for the included remote is on the front of the chassis, along with the slot-loading DVD burner. The remote is the same old Apple remote, with simplified controls and a small size that makes it somewhat easy to lose. Now that Front Row 2.0—which gives the mini an Apple TV-like interface so you can easily listen to and view all of your digital media like photos, music and videos—is part of Leopard, the remote becomes more than a novelty. And since the mini's 120GB hard drive is enough to hold your iTunes library, even including downloaded videos, the mini now gives you the functionality of Apple TV (plus the ability to order stuff in iTunes) for only a few hundred dollars more—and you get a full-blown PC as well. You do have to buy the monitor, keyboard, and mouse separately for the mini.

Like most Apple systems the mini is quiet, with almost no fan noise. (You have to stick your ear next to the mini to hear the hard drive working.). It does still use an external power brick, but now that's a plus instead of a hindrance. That's because the brick is more efficient than some internal power supplies, particularly when the system is sleeping or idle. This Mac mini is both Energy Star 4.0 and EPEAT Silver certified, so it will serve you well while making a minimal impact on the environment (though it's not quite the virtue generator that a Toyota Prius would be). Your power bills will be lower, and since the mini is physically such a small system, the impact when you recycle it will be smaller as well. According to EPEAT reporting, the mini is 90 percent recyclable (65 percent is the minimum needed to get any sort of EPEAT certification). Other components, like the 2.5-inch notebook-class hard drive and integrated graphics, help you cut down on power use in the long run.

Alas, the Mac mini's performance on the benchmark tests was unimpressive. The Mac mini failed to run 3DMark06 while under Vista via Boot Camp, though its Windows Media Encoder scores were respectable: 1 minute 32 seconds (less than 2 minutes is considered very good). Its Photoshop scores were okay but not great: a slow 2 minutes flat on Photoshop CS2 can be attributed to the systems' relatively meager 1GB of memory (we recommend 2GB). The time improved to 1:10 when I upgraded to Photoshop CS3, which is Intel-optimized in Mac OS X. For thoroughness, I tested CS2 (2:22) and CS3 (1:03) under Windows Vista as well. Again, good but not great. It is notable that at least for Photoshop CS3, the Mac mini makes a really good Vista PC.

Compared with systems like the HP Slimline 3200 series, the Mac mini is much smaller and has the benefit of being both a Mac OS X and a Windows PC. The HP Pavilion Slimline s3020n PC does have larger hard drives, optional internal TV tuners, and also works with MCE extenders like the Xbox 360. Look for more compact systems to start muscling in on the Mac mini's turf as 2008 unfolds.

The Apple Mac mini continues to be an energy-efficient computer as well as a design statement. It's an attractive alternative to Windows Vista PCs, even those with small form factors, since it's a visual, technological, and spiritual match for the iPods in millions of pockets worldwide. It's worth putting on your short list.

Source: PC Magazine