[ Mac] New Users

[JP]

My Mini has been dispatched now!

It's showing an expected delivery date of the 4th though. Are they shipped over from the US with an estimation like that?

Will there be any difficulties using things like memory sticks, SD cards etc with a Mini? I've looked in the Apple store to see if they had any details for card readers but I've not been able to find any info at all. Would a standard USB reader work on a Mac?

Does anybody know of any difficulties when connecting a PSP to a Macs or should it just be a matter of plugging it in and it will work?

[Pavey]

Everything is just plug and go John, you will love it. None of that Windows BS

[ne0star]

Yeah I love the way OSX handles USB card readers / memory sticks. you don't get any crap messages. Just plug it in, use it, and then hit eject!

[jamesy]

This looks like the most appropriate thread to ask in so here i go. My mac mini is a bit old now, it's one of the g4 models. Is it easy to upgrade the ram? Currently has 512mb in it, was just thinkin about putting in a gig instead.

I've built my own pc and stuff in the past so i know a fairly well about pc's and such tasks but are mac mini's hard to open and such? please help.

if this is wrong place just delete and i'll make another thread.cheers.

[Pavey]

Friend did it, said it was pretty easy. Found this -

There are no screws holding the Mac mini?s aluminum and plastic shell onto its body; it?s kept in place by 15 small, plastic clips?six on each side and three on the front. (The back of the mini is ?loose.?) To open the case, you need to turn the Mac mini upside-down and then somehow press the tabs on the left and right sides inward until they release; you can then safely lift the back panel of the Mac mini up, which will release the tabs in the front.

How do you do this? For lack of a better tool, with the putty knives. I?ve seen claims around the Web that you can accomplish this task with a single putty knife?working first on one side and then on the other?but I had much better luck with two. After turning the Mac mini upside down, I first inserted one putty knife on the left side, in the very thin crease between the aluminum case and the white plastic base, towards the back of the mini, and then inserted the other putty knife in the same gap on the right side, also towards the back. (Note that you need thin putty knives to do this without damaging either surface.) I then slowly, but firmly, pried the putty knives outward in order to press the white connecting tabs inward to release them. (You?ll hear a few loud pops as this happens successfully; loud cracks, on the other hand, probably mean you?ve broken the tabs.) After the body of the Mac mini begins to lift out of the shell, you may need to slide the putty knives towards the front and repeat this motion to release all of the tabs on each side.

[JP]

I won't be upgrading mine for quite a while but I have looked into a bit, I may upgrade to 2X2GB even though it'll only be about 3GB that will be usable. There's loads of things out there as loads of people seem to do it.


From what I've read about it, if you know what you're doing with a PC it's not complicated but it's not as simple as you'd be used to with your PC.

[jamesy]

Thanks. Gonna give this a go. If I can successfully open the thing then putting the ram in should be easy business.

[JP]

I think what makes it a bit more difficult than upgrading a PCs RAM due to how tightly everything is packed inside and it's just not designed with easy access in mind for people to upgrade.

It looks a little complicated if you decide to upgrade your hdd as that seems to be hidden even deeper inside.

I think with a G4 1GB is the maximum you'll be able to upgrade to. I've read elsewhere that anything higher and it just won't boot.

Bear in mind I'm really not an expert as I don't even have one yet but this is what I've been able to find out while researching the Mini.

[jamesy]

Fair play mate. Hope everything goes well for you on your switch to the mac. You guys have helped me big time with this. Managed to get this thing open. Looks like it's easier to upgrade the ram than on the newer models. Ram slot is just sitting directly beside the dvd drive. Gonna look into the newer OS now too see if they would run properly. I'm still on 10.4 i think it is. John, you have put me in to mac fever mode i think. :P

[eASY aDDICT]

Jamesy,

If you are looking at OS on an older G4 mini then it will run Leopard fine.

I have a 1.42 G4 with 1GB and it runs leopard fine.

[Pavey]

I run Leopard on a 1ghz G4 Emac, with 786mb, and it runs fine.

[jamesy]

That's good news then. When you guys say it runs fine on those systems is it likely that it'd be just as zippy as tiger?
I assumed all the mac mini ram was the same unfortunately. Seems the g4 minis use older style ram which seems to be less common i.e. more expensive. I'll keep looking for some though. Anyone recommend anywhere?

[eASY aDDICT]

Crucial is the best place to get memory from. www.crucial.com

If you have a million programs running then it starts to chug a bit but with web, mail, itunes etc it runs fine.

[JP]

Not looking for anything in particular but are there any widgets, free apps etc that you use and think may be worth me getting?

Seriously, if you've got any ideas just throw them in here as there is probably a lot of stuff that I've not even thought about yet.

[muddy]

Crucial is the best place to get memory from. www.crucial.com

If you have a million programs running then it starts to chug a bit but with web, mail, itunes etc it runs fine.

Big up for Crucial. Been buying Mac memory for business and home for many years from them.