Mac mini Dissection

xbasque writes "Smash has a video showing the technique for cracking open a Mac mini safely. Upgrade the RAM and hard drive yourself and save a bundle (ain't that the point of the mini?)" And if you don't plan to take one apart yourself, parvenu74 points out the pictures of exploratory Mac mini surgery on mini-itx.com, writing "From a post: 'The board itself is slightly smaller than Mini-ITX at about 160mm square by our estimations, and includes Ethernet, Modem, DVI/VGA, 2 x USB, Firewire and Audio connectors (sadly not optical).'"

Comments

This was not a dissection.

[rebeka thomas]

This was not ripped open. This mac mini was just one motherboard provided to the press for the purpose of looking at its motherboard. MacNews.de aren't the only site with images of that particular motherboard.

Re:This was not a dissection.

[Concerned Onlooker]

You're absolutely right. You have to download the movie that shows it, as found on the website.

Best PVR option at the moment is EyeTV

[SuperKendall]

Elgato systems sells a number of models of the EyeTV, they even have an HD model! I think it's the best best for PVR style capture. I believe it also comes with PVR kind of software.

Then you just need to hook it into some kind of IR blaster...

Apple warranty service

[Gob Blesh It]

It's mentioned in the article, but it probably bears repeating here: "Apple states that as long as you do not BREAK your Mac Mini while working on the inside, it is still covered under warranty."

Left unanswered is the obvious question: well then, if any hardware problems arise, how will Apple know I'm not to blame? Based on my experience getting Macs serviced (4 years in university), I'd say there's really not much to worry about. If you break the RAM slot, then tough luck. But if, say, the CPU dies through no fault of yours, Apple's not the sort of company to refuse to service your Mac on a technicality. There aren't a lot of assholes working for Apple customer service.

Nevertheless, I do wonder if there's some sort of sticker or seal on the inside to let Apple know you've opened the case.

Re:Apple warranty service

[fmaxwell]

It's mentioned in the article, but it probably bears repeating here: "Apple states that as long as you do not BREAK your Mac Mini while working on the inside, it is still covered under warranty."

Translation: Apple has agreed to abide by the law and by FTC regulations. This is the same as your car dealer saying that your car warranty will remain in effect even if you elect to change your own oil filter, oil, air filter, etc.

Nevertheless, I do wonder if there's some sort of sticker or seal on the inside to let Apple know you've opened the case.

While companies put the "warranty void if this sticker is broken," such stickers would be easy to successfully challenge in court. There are some obvious exceptions, like hard drives where it is unlikely that the owner will have access to a clean room, but this is far different. Consumers have been successfully assembling, upgrading, and repairing personal computers for years. That's not to say that Apple is obliged to give warranty service if you, for example, put a higher wattage CPU in the machine and it causes a thermally-induced failure.

All of this falls under the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act. Just as the act guarantees your right to install a Fram air filter in your car without warranty repercussions, it allows you to install Crucial RAM in your Apple computer without Apple being able to deny all subsequent warranty claims.

Just my $.02.

Re:Apple warranty service

[Golias]

I'm replying to you on a G4 iBook which was given to me for free, simply because the folks at Apple decided that my old G3 700 iBook (the one with the notorious video problem) had to go in for repairs one time too many.

I didn't ask, I simply pointed out that it came back from repair with problems. I loathed the idea of having it leave my hands for another week to go into the shop, but I just wanted it fixed properly. They decided that my situation was unacceptable, and loaded a new iBook with an Airport Extreme card (since it was replacing one with the old Airport card) and sent me on my merry way.

They made an Apple customer for life that day.

I decided to buy three years of AppleCare on the spot for the new replacement book. Just last week, I placed an order for a new mini to replace several functions which had previously been performed by my old Linux server, and become the centerpiece of my new media room. They've probably already made their money back for going the extra distance to keep me happy.

Other companies could learn something from Apple's product support. Nothing breeds customer loyalty like standing behind your products.

You're joking, right ?

[Space cowboy]

Just in case you're not: the slot at the top isn't a PCI slot, it's the DIMM slot...

Simon

Re:HDD Q

[ip_fired]

It appears from the pictures that the ATA100 connector that they have in there is the small form factor found on the ibook/powerbook motherboards, so I would imagine that the hard drive is also a laptop harddrive. This is unfortunate as they aren't as fast as their larger siblings.

Re:Other things that PCI is useful for

[TheKidWho]

Umm...

A composite video/svideo adapter for the mac mini costs $20 from apple.

It has a v.92 56k modem built in

It is Airport Extreme Ready(ie 802.11g capable)

Re:From the "interesting read" link...

[Leo McGarry]

Wireless gizmos come in two parts: the antenna and the guts. The antennas are already built into all Mac hardware. All you need to add is the guts.

With the Dell, on the other hand, you get neither antennas nor guts. That means that, if you add wireless via a card or some damn thing, it's either going to perform really poorly or it's going to have a big-ass antenna sticking out of it.

Advantage: Apple.

Re:iMac mini NEEDS a PC card slot

[mosb1000]

"they have the same weight and size as the iMAc mini. Only the videocard is better in the iMac mini, otherwise ePC-2-3 are better, more ports (e-PC3-2 firewire, 4Highspeed USB, serial, parallel,video out AND A PC CARD SLOT. IN ADDITION USERS ARE ALLOWED TO OPEN THE BOX"

Well, that's all well and good if you only want ports, but lets look at the facts.

EZ-GO ePC-2 (Base System)
Processor: 1.1Ghz intel celeron
memory: 128 MB SDRAM
video: integrated video (11.8MB max shared)
HD: 40GB
Optical Drive: 24x CD-ROM
Price: $589

mac mini (Base System)
Processor 1.25Ghz Power PC G4
memory: 256 MB
Video: Radeon 9200 w/ 32MB memory
HD: 40GB
Optical Drive: DVD ROM/CD-RW
Price: $499

It looks to me like the mac mini is a superior system in almost every way, and costs $90 less.

Re:That little WiFi board connector

[diamondsw]

The Bluetooth module I'm unsure of, but the Airport Extreme is a mini-PCI slot, so it is a standard, although a rarely seen one. Apple sells Airport Extreme cards in their store, but I doubt you'll find a third-party one; certainly not one that will work with Apple's drivers.

This is one of those areas where it makes sense to just go ahead and buy it up front, deal with the financial squeeze for a short while, and reap the benefits for however many years you have it.

Re:Images gallery of all Apples case designs?

[wvitXpert]

Here's every computer Apple has ever made. http://www.apple-history.com/frames/?

Re:That little WiFi board connector

[cosmo7]

Maybe. I just put a Belkin 802.11g PCI card in my power mac (the half-ton shaving mirror one) and it works fine as an Airport card, no drivers to install or anything.

Mind you, Belkin's rebate system is a total fraud. Absolute total broad daylight fraud. Go ahead you assholes, sue me. I dare you. Sue me right now. Fraudsters.

Re:$130 $50

[Graymalkin]

Oh snap! That took me five minutes dude, you've got to come up with a better argument.

Re:HDD Q

[MemoryDragon]

Standard Fujitsu Laptop HD... Basically the whole Mac mini has the same performance and speed as an iBook.

Re:Mac-Mini Not Revolutionary At All

[Kiryat Malachi]

2.5 x 8.5 x 10.25

2 x 6.5 x 6.5

Same size my ass.

Re:A buttload of Money

[10Ghz]

No, the Mac Mini does NOT have gigabit built-in, it has 100baseT, which is going to start feeling like a 14.4 modem in just a couple years.

So, you claim that we will basically require Gigabit Ethernet in just few yeas? Funny, this workstation I'm currently on is hooked to a 10MB hub, and I can use it just fine. Yes, that includes accessing files on the server. Are you one of those who think that "Gigabit Ehternet makes my internet faster"?

100BaseT is more than enough for intended uses of the Mini. You can find gigabit in higher-end models and on servers. Mini has no real need for it.

Probably Firewire400 and USB1.1 right?

Seriously: have you even looked at the specs of the Mini? it says in plain English: "One FireWire 400 port; two USB 2.0 ports"!. Yes, the Firewire is only 400. But how many PC's have 800? How many low-end PC's have Firewire at all? How many devices/apps require Firewire 800?

If these mini macs just had even just 2 PCI slots, I'd be willing to buy one.

If the Mini had those two slots, you would just find some other flaw in it. Seriously, you cannot satisfy everyone.

The ability to change devices is the difference between a computer anyone can continue using for years, and a computer that becomes useless after 2 years because one minor component fails and there's no way to replace it.

Instead of upgrading your machine every two years, you can simply buy a new Mini every two years. End-result is more or less the same, as is the expense.

Re:A buttload of Money

[KingArthur10]

I believe that the parent was trying to simply state that for the AVERAGE user, a $500 computer replaced every two years is still more convienent than a computer that they have to upgrade. Yes, power users who want to run on Windows will inevitably say that they can upgrade for cheap b/c they can do it themselves, but the target audience isn't those power users, but rather the person who knows little about computers and would thus have to take it in to get upgraded in a computer shop for an extra $100 plus parts, which will be more than they really need, but they will get scammed into getting it. Considering I still don't have an internet connection that I can download from at 10-baseT, I don't see the need for a HOME computer needing anything more than 100 baseT within the estimated product lifetime. True there are some bad points to the mini, but to the target audience, this computer will be ideal! I work phone tech support for Cox communications, and guess what, we almost NEVER get a call about internet not working on a mac. The only mac calls we get are people setting up their accounts for the first time (which has actualluy been increasing). This computer is targeted to those who don't want ot worry about virii, spy ware, etc (I know they exist for the mac, but on a much smaller scale) and don't want to worry abotu driver conflicts b/c they now have an OS that is designed around/with the hardware.

just my two cents.

Re:Hosting a video?

[martingunnarsson]

There's one picture at apple.com.

Re:That little WiFi board connector

[jo_ham]

Any wireless card based on the broadcom chipset will appear to the Mac as an Apple-branded Airport/Airport Extreme card, unless it's something really funky like a proprietary PC wireless card from HP or something.

Re:Mac mini's power supply

[ScottForbes]

According to the technical specs, the Mac Mini accepts 110V to 240V -- and from the looks of this QuickTime VR view, the cable coming out of the power brick is a regular Mickey Mouse-style connector. You should be able to get by with a simple USA-to-Europe plug adapter, or you can invest 5 Euros and replace the cable entirely.

Re:I don't understand.......

[starwed]

Since obviously no one gets it, in england (and probably other places) a mac is a type of waterproof raincoat.