2011 or 2012 Mac Mini

Hi Folks,
I need to move fairly qiuckly on this. I am looking to upgrade from an 2008 imac to a 2012 mac mini. My mac provider has offfered me a 2011 see spec below
Mac Mini, Manufactured March 2012, 2.3Ghz Intel Core i5, 4GB of Ram / 500GB HD.
Now is it worth paying out the extra 200 euro for a brand new 2012? I keep coming articles where its saying the 2011 has faster integrated graphics than the 2012. What exactly deos 'integrated Graphics' mean? I do graphic design as a living and the reason I am upgradign is that CS6 is killing my imac, so will CS6 suffer on the 2012 mac mini?

mende1 wrote:
An integrated graphic card is just a graphic card that uses the memory of your computer instead of having its own RAM.
FYI, the HD3000 or HD4000 integrated graphics actually
share real estate on the same chip as the CPU, i.e.
integrated. There have been many discrete graphics
chips that share system memory with the 2010 Mini
as an example as quoted from spec sheet:
"NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics processor with 256MB of DDR3 SDRAM shared with main memory"
Therefore, just using system memory does not make
a graphics solution "integrated".
Since an integrated graphics solution shares the same chip
real estate as the CPU, there are a lot of limitations that have to
be made in performance because of this.

Similar Messages

I have a mid 2011 27 inch iMac and a late 2012 mac mini. I am using the 27 inch iMac as the display for the mac mini. I was trying to use bootcamp on the mini but after I started downloading windows I can't get it to display on the iMac.

I have a mid 2011 27 inch iMac and a late 2012 mac mini. I am using the 27 inch iMac as the display for the mac mini with a thunderbolt cable. I was trying to use bootcamp on the mini but after I started downloading windows I can't get it to display on the iMac.

Hi there,
The simplest way is to drag it across wirelessly using the 'Airdrop' application once both computers are near one another. 'Airdrop' can be found near the top, on the left hand side menu, within 'Finder'.
AJ

Why can't I get Back To My Mac to work in both directions between my 2011 Mac Book Air and my 2012 Mac Mini?

Why can't I get Back To My Mac to work in both directions between my 2011 Mac Book Air and my 2012 Mac Mini? The network uses a Time Capsule. Everything works when connecting from the Mini to the Air, but the reverse is not the case, none of the Mini's drives are visible, and the screen sharing option is not available. I've tried the measures already suggested in online articles, everything seems to be configured correctly using my iCloud account. I'm at a loss, any suggestions would be appreciated.

I've now managed to get the service running in both directions, but not in the way I had anticipated. I had to create a second account on the Mac Book Air, this also has administrator privilages, everything works fine when connecting from this acccount. However, this is not the way I would expect to work, none of my documents, applications and settings would be available, unless I laboriously duplicated them to the new account.
Also, I've yet to get the service running from outside my home network.

How can I upgrade from OSX 10.7 to 10.9 on my 2012 mac mini? (2.3 GHz, 4 GB, 500 GB SATA disk) I don't want OSX Yosemite.

How can I upgrade from OSX 10.7 to 10.9 on my 2012 mac mini? (2.3 GHz, 4 GB, 500 GB SATA disk) I don't want OSX Yosemite.

If your Mini shipped with OS X 10.7 Lion, then it was considered a 2011 build model, or before.
The Mini 2012 model, is considered a Late 2012, & the last one where RAM could be upgraded.
And it shipped with Mountain Lion 10.8, which is a fairly OK system if one had older software.
(However mine shipped in Dec 2014, with Mavericks 10.9.0, and was built in January 2014.)
There were a few different build versions of Late 2012 Mac Mini, the i5 or i7 processor,
in dual-core or quad-core, and some CTO or built-to-order versions with other specs.
You can buy Mountain Lion from online Apple Store, & use a download code emailed to you to
get the Mt. Lion 10.8 from Apple Servers; this would be about it, since Mavericks isn't available.
So hopefully that is an option you can exercise; in addition the computer may prefer more RAM.
Good luck & happy computing!

What is the biggest bottleneck on this machine - CPU, GPU, RAM (now at 8GB), or the HD, and would I be better getting a current 27" iMac, a 2012 Mac Mini, or SSDs for my current Mini?

I currently have a 2011 Mac Mini Server. When using FCP X, what is the biggest bottleneck on this machine - CPU, GPU, RAM (now at 8GB), or the HD, and would I be better getting a current 27" iMac, a 2012 Mac Mini, or SSDs for my current Mini?
Thanks people,
TZ

Hi Tom,
I just wanted to ask you about what you said about the color correction. To be quite honest I'm not sure what the best workflow is, and I haven't gotten my feet wet in multi-cam editing. Basically my work-flow has been.
1) Import from the camera as optimized media - I found that adding color-correction at the import stage cause a severe hang with my tape-based Canon unit.
2) Color-correct the imported files before loading any files into a project
3) Drag files onto the timeline
4) Click on the color-correction box
5) Start editing - Usually I have one camera zoomed a little tighter on the singer, one on the whole band, and my iPad or iPhone camera at different angles so I start cutting things according to who is the focus of the moment, add a Ken Burns effect every here and there, Titles, an occassional transition effect.
6) Add music effects after the looks are taken care of
7) Export
Are you recommending clicking on the color-correction box after everything is done?
Thanks - TZ

HT4854 Mac App store won't let me re-download Mountain Lion on a Late 2012 Mac mini, says computer is incompatible.

I have a brand new late-2012 Mac mini running 10.8.2. I'm trying to re-download ML from the App Store to create a bootable USB recovery key just in case. I'm being told that I can't DL Mountain Lion because my computer isn't compatible. How can that be?!
Part of the reason I want this key is the fact that I just jumped through 5,000 hoops to recover Mid-2011 MacBook Air from the recovery partition. The installation kept giving me an error. EXTREMELY annoying. I had no key. It set me back a few days. I don't want this problem to happen again.
I have a valid purchase, I own the software, I should be able to download it, period.

Well said.
If I follow the advice of the fellow above and download the installer via Internet Recovery, I'm not going to be given access to the installer for the sake of making my key—or will I? At want point in that workflow will I have the opportunity to boot to back into my already working OS (on the 2012 mini) in order to do what I need to do?
I have access to a most recent release (2012) 13" MacBook Air (FWIW, the 2011 MacBook Air in question above happens to be an 11"). Am I likely to run into the same problem as with the 2012 Mac mini, where the version in the App Store still hasn't been "synced"?
Unbelievably annoying. Worse still is while I'm stuck in self-help purgatory, if something were to happen the recommendation would be to visit the Genius Bar. It's not a bad service, but why should I have to rely on it if I'm perfectly capable of taking care of everything myself provided the correct tools are at hand?
Incidentally, what happened with the 2011 MacBook Air is that the stock hard drive was formatted prior to sale. The recovery partition was left intact. I used it to begin the reinstallation of the OS. It was working fine until I realized I didn't have enough time at the moment to continue to download the required assets. The computer needed to be transported 200 miles away and time was of the essence.
I cancelled the installation with the intention of revisiting it when I got to my destination. When I did so, even after freshly formatting the drive again in Disk Utility, I got an error right as the download began. No amount of tries made a difference. Same error. The only thing that will work, obviously, is a USB key or the equivalent with the installation files pre-downloaded—unless someone here has some other insight.
Thanks so much to all.

Does 2012 mac mini get very hot when using logic pro

does 2012 mac mini get very hot when using logic pro

Are you saying that your machine does or is it an enquiry before buying ? I use a 2011 server model - well, it does get hot over a period of time, but I've very rarely heard the fan kick in, its a surprise when it does. As far as I know the casing has been specifically designed to conduct heat, rather than having any fancy grilles and so on, being so small in size. I haven't found it to be cause for concern, if that's any help.
Slidersson is in need of more cold showers.

Screws & grommets for 2012 Mac Mini HDD

I've already got the tools and the cable (upper bay) needed to install a second HDD in my late 2012 Mac Mini, but I need another set of screws and grommets to fasten the thing in place. I don't really want to buy the iFixit or OWC kits just for these parts (or in bulk, for that matter) so I'm wondering A) what are the specs of the screws needed for the job, B) if they're proprietary, are there any knock-off alternatives with the same length and threading, and C) does anyone know any 3rd party sources I could get them from?
Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Solved.
Found this article, which had some very helpful details: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/31838/can-the-2011-mac-mini-not-the-ser ver-edition-support-an-additional-hardisk-ss
For $1.50 at Home Depot, I bought two 2-packs of M3 .5mmx8mm machine screws, and a 4-pack of 1/16" rubber O-rings. Screw torx, these guys work just as well, and they're readily available.
Second drive is installed (securely) and running smooth. Thanks for all the tips.

Snow Leopard on late 2012 Mac Mini

I need to run Snow Leopard on late 2012 Mac Mini in order to use PPC applications.
How can I install Snow Leopard on out-of-the-box Mac Mini?
Please advise.

There is no "perfect" solution to your problem.
There is a thread on this forum about how to get the 2011 Mac Mini to run Snow Leopard with amazing work by Newfoundglory:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/17829389#17829389
Installation of Snow Leopard Server is actively supported by all of the virtualization companies. While it sold originally for $499 from Apple; you can now find it for about $125 or less on eBay.
Installation of Snow Leopard client is not actively supported by any of the virtualization companies (with the sole exception of v4.1 of VMWare Fusion, which is now hard to find for obvious reasons and then can NOT be upgraded or this capability is lost).
These practices by these companies are a part of the common Urban Myth that the Snow Leopard EULA prohibits the virtualization of Snow Leopard in Lion or Mountain Lion.
I have posted detailed instructions on how to install Snow Leopard into Parallels at this link:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1365439
While it is not as easy to install as Snow Leopard Server, it is certainly doable and many successes are cited in that thread. If you decide to go that route. let me know over on MacRumors and I am happy to help you out!
Good luck!

Late 2012 Mac mini upgrade ssd - also install parallels 8 and windows 7

Late 2012 Mac mini (16gb memory) SSD install - samsung 840 pro 512 gb. I am looking to install this new SSD as possibly a dual drive setup almong with the stock HDD 500gb in order to: make the system faster (with more storage etc.), possibly use the stock drive as a backup drive and I also want to run parallels 8 with windows 7.
I have ordered the data doubler kit from Owc and am wondering exactly how to setup properly. Can I simply install new drive in the upper bay (and move stock drive to lower bay)? Then migrate the data from the stock drive then after that's complete run the setup for parallels? I am also confused as far as using trim enabler or not? I was also wondering how much space/memory is recommended for windows 7 partition?
-Thanks in advance for your suggestions

NOTE: A small number of 2012 units were shipped with the drive mounted in the upper drive bay rather than the more typical lower bay shown in this video. If you have a 2012 or later model, you will want to determine the configuration of your Mac mini's drives prior to ordering. To do this, open Applications/Utilities/Disk Utility.app and click on the grey drive icon at the left-edge of the window. If you see "Lower" after the "Connection ID" at the bottom-left corner of the window, you may proceed using the standard installation instructions. If you see "Upper" then you have a special configuration which will need additional components, and you will need to also refer to the Addendum video.
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIYIMM11D2/
Some users have reported problems with an SSD being the boot drive in the upper bay. They have not reported problems with a HD boot from either bay To avoid the problem I would move the HD (if it is in the lower bay) to the upper bay and install the SSD in the lower bay.
I allocated 64 GB for Win 7 in Parallels abd 4 GB Of 16 installed). You can change them later after you install so it is not that importent what you specify initially.
For TRIM see:
https://discussions.apple.com/message/23819753#23819753
http://www.mactrast.com/2013/11/enable-trim-ssds-os-x-mavericks/

New 2012 Mac mini having screen resolution problem when I connect to either 27" LG or 22" Hannspree monitor. Tried mini display port to VGA/HDMI and HDMI to DVI-D cables... all same isse

New 2012 Mac mini having issues in connecting to third party Monitors. Connected my mac mini to a 27" LG monitor. Text looks blurred. Tried connecting to the monitor using 3 options. 1) mini port to HDMI, then HDMI cable to LG monitor. 2) Mini port to VGA, then VGA cable to monitor 3) HDMI port on mini mac to DVI-D cable then DVI to DVI cable... In all cases text is not clear. Anyone has similar issues with latest mini mac. The monitor works fine when I connect to a windows 7 Samsung laptop. Any input is highly appreciated. Thanks in Advance

Why do you use always 2 cables? There's a lot that can go wrong.
1.) Hardware:
- Use only one cable, best an HDMI->HDMI cable. It doesn't need to be an expensive one, they've proven to be no worse than those "esoteric", expensive ones.
- Set the monitor to the HDMI input.
- The modes you are listing are only "picture modes" changing color/brightness/contrast settings, not resolution or the likes, so pick the one you like best later, or enter your own settings under Custom.
2.) OS X:
- Usually the Mac detects the screen itself and chooses the best settings, so by default you need to do nothing than make a proper hardware connection to get a decent image.
- However, there have been issues with new Mac Minis and particularly their HDMI ports. But reportedly they have been fixed with a software update. So, launch the App Store and check under Updates if there is one for you to install. If so, do it; otherwise you should be good to go.
- If you require, go to System Preferences -> Displays. In the Dispaly tab, by default, "Best for display" should be selected, and that is typically true. If you want, select "Scaled" and 1920x1080, plus a frequency from the list (where higher is usually better, but just pick the one that works best for you). If you can't see a change to the better, you best go back to "Best for display".
- If you are not happy with the colors on your screen, you'll find eventually more than one choice in the Color tab, though your particular screen should be in the list and its Display Profile should get you the best result. (Double-check picture modes on your display: if you're far off there, you won't make it much better with the Mac's settings).

What years apple cinema display can I connect to the new 2012 mac mini?

I have a 23" Apple Cinema Display that I purchased in 2007. I currently have it connected to m7 2009 Mac Mini. Can I use it with the new 2012 Mac Mini? I am running the latest OS on my 2009 Mac Mini. I want to upgrade my Mac Mini for more storage a nd the faster processor.

Yes. You can connect it to the Mac Mini's HDMI port with the HDMI to DVI adapter that comes with the new Mac Mini, or you can connect it to the Thunderbolt port with a Mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter.
<http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB570Z/B/mini-displayport-to-dvi-adapter>

Late 2012 Mac Mini display goes to black for a few seconds at random intervals

I have a late 2012 Mac Mini, Ivy Bridge, connected to a 24" Samsung LCD dsplay,using the HDMI to DVI video cable that came with the Mac Mini. At random times when I am doing something or browsing the web, the screen will go totally black and then revert to the proper display. This Mac Mini is connected to a 2 port KVM, however I never see this behavior when the KVM is switched over to the PC. Has anyone else seen this behavior?

Welcome to the family. Search this forum for the main thread for this problem titled: "mac mini 2012 video blinking out".

My late 2012 mac mini boots slow with new ssd drive

So here is the situation. I purchased a 128gb ssd drive, installed it a usb enclosure, formatted it to Mac OS Extended (Journaled), cloned it with carbon copy cloner 3, used the option key during boot up and selected the ssd drive and it booted my mac mini and it functioned perfectly. I than tested it for dozens of reboots and it worked fine. I then took apart my mac mini and removed the original hard drive and installed the new ssd drive. When I boot to the ssd drive it still takes 47 to 53 seconds just like the old drive. Aren't ssd drives supposed to be a lot faster?
My solution or tip is as follows; The reason it takes so long to boot is because the mac mini doesn't know you replaced the old drive and it is looking for it during the boot process. Finally it can't find the drive so it boots to the ssd drive. All you have to do to correct this is click on "system preferences", select and click on "startup disk" and select your ssd drive and click on "restart". After these steps your mac mini will now boot in about 17 seconds. Issues solved.

Yes, my solution fixed the issue. I went from a 47 to 53 second boot time to a 17 second boot time. The ssd drive is significantly faster than the original drive that came with my late 2012 mac-mini. This is my first post and I wasn't sure how to post this as a tip. I have another tip regarding usb 3.0 hubs.

2012 Mac Mini becoming very slow when using finder

Hi!
I've had my 2012 Mac Mini (10.9 Mavericks, Dual Booted W/ Windows) since February 2014 (Late to the party, I know) and, up until about a week ago, it was fine.
Then, all of a sudden, it starts being unusabley slow the moment I try to do anything in finder. Relaunching finder makes it a bit more bareable, and rebooting fixes it completely until I next open finder. I thought this may have been one of those rare times when a Mac gets a virus, however, AVG found nothing. The next thing I found was that it was to do with the fact that my hard drive was full (it was quite full) and that if I was using all of my 4GB of RAM that my Mac would use virtual memory, and that this would effect the speed if I didn't have a lot of HDD space. However, despite removing nearly 1/2 of the things on my HDD, the problem still persists. I have basically ruled out visiting "the local" apple store, as I'm in the middle of nowhere. the nearest one is around 3 hours away.
Thanks,
Dan

1. This is a comment on what you should—and should not—do to protect yourself from malicious software ("malware") that circulates on the Internet and gets onto a computer as an unintended consequence of the user's actions. It does not apply to software, such as keystroke loggers, that may be installed deliberately by an intruder who has hands-on access to the computer, or who has been able to log in to it remotely. That threat is in a different category, and there's no easy way to defend against it.
If you find this comment too long or too technical, read only sections 5, 6, and 10.
OS X now implements three layers of built-in protection specifically against malware, not counting runtime protections such as execute disable, sandboxing, system library randomization, and address space layout randomization that may also guard against other kinds of exploits.
2. All versions of OS X since 10.6.7 have been able to detect known Mac malware in downloaded files, and to block insecure web plugins. This feature is transparent to the user. Internally Apple calls it "XProtect."
The malware recognition database used by XProtect is automatically updated; however, you shouldn't rely on it, because the attackers are always at least a day ahead of the defenders.
The following caveats apply to XProtect:
It can be bypassed by some third-party networking software, such as BitTorrent clients and Java applets.
It only applies to software downloaded from the network. Software installed from a CD or other media is not checked.
As new versions of OS X are released, it's not clear whether Apple will indefinitely continue to maintain the XProtect database of older versions such as 10.6. The security of obsolete system versions may eventually be degraded. Security updates to the code of obsolete systems will stop being released at some point, and that may leave them open to other kinds of attack besides malware.
   3. Starting with OS X 10.7.5, there has been a second layer of built-in malware protection, designated "Gatekeeper" by Apple. By default, applications and Installer packages downloaded from the network will only run if they're digitally signed by a developer with a certificate issued by Apple. Software certified in this way hasn't necessarily been tested by Apple, but you can be reasonably sure that it hasn't been modified by anyone other than the developer. His identity is known to Apple, so he could be held legally responsible if he distributed malware. That may not mean much if the developer lives in a country with a weak legal system (see below.)
Gatekeeper doesn't depend on a database of known malware. It has, however, the same limitations as XProtect, and in addition the following:
It can easily be disabled or overridden by the user.
A malware attacker could get control of a code-signing certificate under false pretenses, or could simply ignore the consequences of distributing codesigned malware.
An App Store developer could find a way to bypass Apple's oversight, or the oversight could fail due to human error.
Apple has so far failed to revoke the codesigning certificates of some known abusers, thereby diluting the value of Gatekeeper and the Developer ID program. These failures don't involve App Store products, however.
   For the reasons given, App Store products, and—to a lesser extent—other applications recognized by Gatekeeper as signed, are safer than others, but they can't be considered absolutely safe. "Sandboxed" applications may prompt for access to private data, such as your contacts, or for access to the network. Think before granting that access. Sandbox security is based on user input. Never click through any request for authorization without thinking.
4. Starting with OS X 10.8.3, a third layer of protection has been added: a "Malware Removal Tool" (MRT). MRT runs automatically in the background when you update the OS. It checks for, and removes, malware that may have evaded the other protections via a Java exploit (see below.) MRT also runs when you install or update the Apple-supplied Java runtime (but not the Oracle runtime.) Like XProtect, MRT is effective against known threats, but not against unknown ones. It notifies you if it finds malware, but otherwise there's no user interface to MRT.
5. The built-in security features of OS X reduce the risk of malware attack, but they are not, and never will be, complete protection. Malware is a problem of human behavior, and a technological fix is not going to solve it. Trusting software to protect you will only make you more vulnerable.
The best defense is always going to be your own intelligence. With the possible exception of Java exploits, all known malware circulating on the Internet that affects a fully-updated installation of OS X 10.6 or later takes the form of so-called "Trojan horses," which can only have an effect if the victim is duped into running them. The threat therefore amounts to a battle of wits between you and the scam artists. If you're smarter than they think you are, you'll win. That means, in practice, that you always stay within a safe harbor of computing practices. How do you know when you're leaving the safe harbor? Below are some warning signs of danger.
Software from an untrustworthy source
Software of any kind is distributed via BitTorrent. or Usenet, or on a website that also distributes pirated music or movies.
Software with a corporate brand, such as Adobe Flash Player, doesn't come directly from the developer’s website. Do not trust an alert from any website to update Flash, your browser, or anything else.
Rogue websites such as Softonic and CNET Download distribute free applications that have been packaged in a superfluous "installer."
The software is advertised by means of spam or intrusive web ads. Any ad, on any site, that includes a direct link to a download should be ignored.
Software that is plainly illegal or does something illegal
High-priced commercial software such as Photoshop is "cracked" or "free."
An application helps you to infringe copyright, for instance by circumventing the copy protection on commercial software, or saving streamed media for reuse without permission.
Conditional or unsolicited offers from strangers
A telephone caller or a web page tells you that you have a “virus” and offers to help you remove it. (Some reputable websites did legitimately warn visitors who were infected with the "DNSChanger" malware. That exception to this rule no longer applies.)
A web site offers free content such as video or music, but to use it you must install a “codec,” “plug-in,” "player," "downloader," "extractor," or “certificate” that comes from that same site, or an unknown one.
You win a prize in a contest you never entered.
Someone on a message board such as this one is eager to help you, but only if you download an application of his choosing.
A "FREE WI-FI !!!" network advertises itself in a public place such as an airport, but is not provided by the management.
Anything online that you would expect to pay for is "free."
Unexpected events
You open what you think is a document and get an alert that it's "an application downloaded from the Internet." Click Cancel and delete the file. Even if you don't get the alert, you should still delete any file that isn't what you expected it to be.
An application does something you don't expect, such as asking for permission to access your contacts, your location, or the Internet for no obvious reason.
Software is attached to email that you didn't request, even if it comes (or seems to come) from someone you trust.
I don't say that leaving the safe harbor just once will necessarily result in disaster, but making a habit of it will weaken your defenses against malware attack. Any of the above scenarios should, at the very least, make you uncomfortable.
   6. Java on the Web (not to be confused with JavaScript, to which it's not related, despite the similarity of the names) is a weak point in the security of any system. Java is, among other things, a platform for running complex applications in a web page, on the client. That was always a bad idea, and Java's developers have proven themselves incapable of implementing it without also creating a portal for malware to enter. Past Java exploits are the closest thing there has ever been to a Windows-style virus affecting OS X. Merely loading a page with malicious Java content could be harmful.
Fortunately, client-side Java on the Web is obsolete and mostly extinct. Only a few outmoded sites still use it. Try to hasten the process of extinction by avoiding those sites, if you have a choice. Forget about playing games or other non-essential uses of Java.
Java is not included in OS X 10.7 and later. Discrete Java installers are distributed by Apple and by Oracle (the developer of Java.) Don't use either one unless you need it. Most people don't. If Java is installed, disable it—not JavaScript—in your browsers.
Regardless of version, experience has shown that Java on the Web can't be trusted. If you must use a Java applet for a task on a specific site, enable Java only for that site in Safari. Never enable Java for a public website that carries third-party advertising. Use it only on well-known, login-protected, secure websites without ads. In Safari 6 or later, you'll see a lock icon in the address bar with the abbreviation "https" when visiting a secure site.
Stay within the safe harbor, and you’ll be as safe from malware as you can practically be. The rest of this comment concerns what you should not do to protect yourself.
7. Never install any commercial "anti-virus" (AV) or "Internet security" products for the Mac, as they are all worse than useless. If you need to be able to detect Windows malware in your files, use one of the free security apps in the Mac App Store—nothing else.
Why shouldn't you use commercial AV products?
To recognize malware, the software depends on a database of known threats, which is always at least a day out of date. This technique is a proven failure, as a major AV software vendor has admitted. Most attacks are "zero-day"—that is, previously unknown. Recognition-based AV does not defend against such attacks, and the enterprise IT industry is coming to the realization that traditional AV software is worthless.
Its design is predicated on the nonexistent threat that malware may be injected at any time, anywhere in the file system. Malware is downloaded from the network; it doesn't materialize from nowhere.
In order to meet that nonexistent threat, commercial AV software modifies or duplicates low-level functions of the operating system, which is a waste of resources and a common cause of instability, bugs, and poor performance.
By modifying the operating system, the software itself may create weaknesses that could be exploited by malware attackers.
Most importantly, a false sense of security is dangerous.
8. An AV product from the App Store, such as "ClamXav," has the same drawback as the commercial suites of being always out of date, but it does not inject low-level code into the operating system. That doesn't mean it's entirely harmless. It may report email messages that have "phishing" links in the body, or Windows malware in attachments, as infected files, and offer to delete or move them. Doing so will corrupt the Mail database. The messages should be deleted from within the Mail application.
An AV app is not needed, and cannot be relied upon, for protection against OS X malware. It's useful, if at all, only for detecting Windows malware, and even for that use it's not really effective, because new Windows malware is emerging much faster than OS X malware.
Windows malware can't harm you directly (unless, of course, you use Windows.) Just don't pass it on to anyone else. A malicious attachment in email is usually easy to recognize by the name alone. An actual example:
London Terror Moovie.avi [124 spaces] Checked By Norton Antivirus.exe
You don't need software to tell you that's a Windows trojan. Software may be able to tell you which trojan it is, but who cares? In practice, there's no reason to use recognition software unless an institutional policy requires it. Windows malware is so widespread that you should assume it's in every email attachment until proven otherwise. Nevertheless, ClamXav or a similar product from the App Store may serve a purpose if it satisfies an ill-informed network administrator who says you must run some kind of AV application. It's free and it won't handicap the system.
The ClamXav developer won't try to "upsell" you to a paid version of the product. Other developers may do that. Don't be upsold. For one thing, you should not pay to protect Windows users from the consequences of their choice of computing platform. For another, a paid upgrade from a free app will probably have all the disadvantages mentioned in section 7.
9. It seems to be a common belief that the built-in Application Firewall acts as a barrier to infection, or prevents malware from functioning. It does neither. It blocks inbound connections to certain network services you're running, such as file sharing. It's disabled by default and you should leave it that way if you're behind a router on a private home or office network. Activate it only when you're on an untrusted network, for instance a public Wi-Fi hotspot, where you don't want to provide services. Disable any services you don't use in the Sharing preference pane. All are disabled by default.
10. As a Mac user you don't have to live in fear that your computer may be infected every time you install software, read email, or visit a web page. But neither should you assume that you will always be safe from exploitation, no matter what you do. The greatest harm done by security software is precisely its selling point: it makes people feel safe. They may then feel safe enough to take risks from which the software doesn't protect them. Nothing can lessen the need for safe computing practices.

2011 or 2012 Mac Mini

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for