Considering buying the entry-level Mac Mini 2.5GHz as HTPC

I'm considering buying the entry-level Mac Mini 2.5GHz to hook up to a 42" LG HDTV Model LS5700. Does anyone know if the picture will appear really blurry with this set up? I will also use this as my main device for storing music, photos, etc. I mainly use my iPad or work laptop for internet browsing and I have a 'vintage' Macbook Pro as backup.

I have been using an entry level 2011 Mac mini (using hdmi) with a Sony 60", Sony 46", and LG 23" (I think it is). All perfectly clear with no issues. The Mac Mini is a great home theatre machine. The enrty level is all you need for that - - except, I upgraded to 8GB memory.

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How fast or slow is the entry level Mac Mini?

I am a Mac newby, and today, switched from a PC to a Mac Mini. Entry level yes, but I already have an external disk drive, keyboard, and monitor, and didn't feel the need to buy items I already own. But my question is:
The graphics, the speed... how are they in comparison to a PC? I run business only on my computer, with occasional internet useage. Will this suffice?

Hi. I just bought a Mac Mini a week ago. I got the 2.5 ghz i5 completely stock meaning no memory or hard drive upgrades. This thing is more than sufficient enough for web browsing, movies, playing songs, videos. The unit gets warm, which is normal. My windows 7 laptop gets hotter than this. I also bought the trackpad and hardly use the mouse now.
So far, no hiccups. No freezes. Unit is very quiet. I love it. This is my first Mac.
And as far as graphics, I've played hd movies from itunes and also from Yahoo movie trailers that are in HD and no hiccups.

HDMI confusion on latest entry model Mac Mini?

I have just been looking at the Apple Store's spec sheet for the entry model Mac mini and have this query:-
It has an HDMI socket but the blurb only mentions that it can be used for multi-channel audio.
For me, the whole point of HDMI is that it can transport VIDEO to something like an attached HDTV.
Can it also work with video and if so, why have they omitted to list that in the spec sheet?

Thanks, but I am probably not buying a Mini.
I usually go for iMacs but have noticed that Minis are more powerful than I thought . . . . . and the base model is only a third the cost of the new 27" iMac . . . . . though it does come without the display etc. which I would need, together with the more advanced processor,video card, hard drive, RAM, keyboard, mouse etc. etc. for video editing.
Nevertheless it is quite tempting . . . maybe I'll get both in a moment of madness.
P.S. I know I could use my 40" Sony HDTV as a display but unfortunately even the latest TVs are overscanned, resulting in the edges of the computer desktop being cutoff.
Message was edited by: Ian R. Brown

New Mac mini 2.5GHz i5 Temperature

Hi there, I got the new 2011 Mac mini 2.5GHz i5 model on Thursday and I have noticed that it seems to run reasonably hot. I have the iStat Pro widget installed (not sure if it accurate) and it reports a CPU temperature of around 55-60 C at idle (no user applications running) and I have seen it increase up to about 70 C when I was watching 1080p Flash YouTube video. I would just like to know if these temps are normal, so if any of you have this model could you please let me know your temps.
Also, I read that in 10.7 Lion, Adobe Flash does not use hardware acceleration so does mean this will increase the load on the CPU instead of using the GPU for acceleration?
Thanks

Thanks for posting your temps! I have just checked mine again and they are similar to yours. My ambient 1 & 2 are 47 C and the thermometer in my room says 23 C.
HD - 36
CPU - 54
Airport Card - 44
Ambient - 47
Ambient 2 - 47
GPU - 52
GPU Diode - 50
Mem Bank A1 - 51
Mem Module A1 - 50
Mem Module B4 - 50
Power Supply - 43

I have the current Mac Pro the entry level with the default specification and i feel some slow performance when applying after effects on my videos using final cut pro and also rendering a video takes long time ? what upgrades do you guys suggest?

i have the current Mac Pro the entry level with the default configuration and i feel lack of performance when applying after effects on my videos using final cut pro and also rendering a video takes long time ? what upgrades do you guys suggest i could do on my Mac Pro ?

256GB SSD it shipped with will run low and one of the things to watch.
Default memory is 12GB also something to think about.
D500 and FCP-X 10.1+
http://macperformanceguide.com/index_topics.html#MacPro2013Performance
Five models of 2013 Mac Pro running Resolve, FCPX, After Effects, Photoshop, and Aperture

If i buy numbers for my Mac mini can i put it on my pad

if i buy numbers for my Mac mini can i put it on my pad

You will need to Purchase the iPad Version.
The Mac uses the OS X platform and the iPad uses the iOS platform.
They are not interchangeable

HT3153 Can the early 2006 MAC mini support a DVI to hdmi adapter for TV monitor support?

Can the early 2006 MAC Mini support a DVI to HDMI adapter for a TV Monitor?

Hi, I can't see why not...
Supports digital resolutions up to 1920x1200 and analog resolutions as high as 1920x1080.
http://www.everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac_mini_cd_1.66.html

How can I have the same environment on two macs on is a macbook pro and the other a Mac mini

How can I have the same environment on two macs on is a macbook pro and the other a Mac mini ?

Forget trying to use iCloud for this - it won't do what you want. iCloud syncs certain data like contacts and events, but it doesn't sync "environments" on computers.

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>

Change the reconciliation at the entry level

Hi Experts
I want to change the reconciliation at the entry level. The account will be decided at the time of entry by a popup option in the entry screen.
Regards,
Jemes
Moderator: Please, avoid asking basic questions

Hi,
If you want this at only FI documents level then you can make settings in FS00 for the reconciliation accounts as ready for input.
But for this you will need to configure alternative reconciliation in the following path-
Financial Accounting (New) > Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable > Business Transactions > Postings with Alternative Reconciliation Account
Regards
Milind Sonalkar

HT1338 cannot insert the disc into mac mini.It seems something obstructed.

cannot insert the disc into mac mini.it seemssomething obstrucetd inside.

1. Go into Spotlight from the top of your Mac Mini on the menu bar.
2. And search for "CDs & DVDs" (It's also in the System Preferences)
Click on it and a small CDs & DVDs window will pop up with options of what happens when you insert a disk into the drive
3. By then, try inserting a disk in (while that window is open. This kinda wakes up your drive to accept the disk). It should accept it.
4. If nothing happens, then manually open the program that should be opening when you insert the disk or go to Finder (Eg. if it's an audio disk, then open iTunes)
5. If opening the program still does not activate the drive to start spinning the disk, then close the programs and windows you opened, and repeat step 1-4 and the disk should be spinning and automatically opening the proper program.
Or go into Terminal app and type in: drutil ejec
The drutil ejec tip is credited to Dan8954
Hope that helps!

Would the entry level macbook pro 13" MD101 be good enough for working in After Effects

Hi guys,
Im looking to purchase the entry level Macbook pro MD 101 for personal uses. I do quite a bit of video rendering and animation - basic stuff in after effects and sometimes Final Cut Pro.
So I was wondering, with the specs the current 13" pro has (2.5GHz i5) would that be enough for me to run after effects and get the job done without me having to throw my macbook on the ground from frustration?
I am currently using the OLD 15" Macbook Pro - late 2008 model (Silver design 2.5 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo 4GB DDR2 SDRAM) and its working alright for both FCP and AE.
Would this 13" Pro give slightly better performance? Or round about the same?
Thanks in advance!

chocobanana wrote:
Yep, cannot upgrade the 13" graphics.
The graphics card doesn't help with final rendering, it does help while working on the project, i.e. preview compositions before rendering.
The 15" is still a better purchase for final rendering as well, the quadcore processor will certainly be much faster. However, if your only concern is with rendering, the 13" is still ok.
The graphics card can help with rendering if used with nvidia cuda
here for your reference: http://blogs.adobe.com/aftereffects/2012/05/gpu-cuda-opengl-features-in-after-ef fects-cs6.html
Hrmm, looks like I need to update my driver Thanks !!

WHAT IS THE OLDEST MODEL MAC MINI SUPPORTED BY OS X LION?

WHAT IS THE OLDEST MODEL MAC MINI SUPPORTED BY OS X LION?

My Mac computer is an Intel Core 2 Duo, but get this massege
(This version of Mac OS X 10.7 cannot be installed on this computer.)
Hardware Overview:
Model Name:          Mac mini
Model Identifier:          Macmini1,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2.33 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          4 MB
Memory:          2 GB
Bus Speed:          667 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          MM11.0055.B08
SMC Version (system):          1.3f4
Serial Number (system):          G86345WJU38
Hardware UUID:          00000000-0000-1000-8000-0016CBA364BD

A few questions before I buy a new iMac/Mac mini and sign up for Creative Cloud.

Hello Everyone,
I am looking to purchase a new Apple computer and sign up for Creative Cloud within the next week and I have a few questions that should be answered before I proceed.
My wife and I own a business and we will be using the CS6 apps to create brochures, Constant Contact mailings, product package inserts, edit product photography for print and web use, and short HD how-to videos. We are not graphics professionals or power users and wont be doing anything too complicated.
Any help and answers will be greatly appreciated.
I will start with the hardware questions first:
I am trying to decide between the iMac and the Mac mini.
The iMac is a 2.7Ghz Quad-core Intel core i5 and comes with 4GB of memory that is expandable to 16GB, which I will do for sure. It comes with a Radeon HD 6770M graphics card with 512MB of GDDR5 memory(not upgradable), and a 1TB HDD that runs at 7200RPM. This unit meets the specs required.
The 2.5Ghz Mac Mini comes with 4GB of memory that is expandable to 8GB, I will also do this. It has a Radeon HD 6630M graphics card with 256MB of GDDR5 memory(not upgradable), and a 500GB HDD that runs at 5400RPM. This unit meets all the spec(I think) except for the speed of the HDD.
Question: Will the mini run the software without too much of an issue considering the speed of the HDD?
Question: Will the iMac run the software significantly better to justify the price difference?
I already have 1 mini(purchased 4 months ago, with the same specs listed above) and will be purchasing a second computer for my wifes desk. If the mini will run CS6 fine, that is great and we can save a few bucks. If my mini will not run CS6 well, I will get the iMac for her desk as she will be doing the bulk of the work in that regard anyway.
Now a couple of software questions.
After reading hundreds of reviews and forum posts over the last few days I have seen many people having this or that issue. It seems to me that most of the issues are because of upgrades from Lion to Mountian Lion after installing CS6 first or trying to open CS3,4,5 files in CS6.
If you want to know what issues have me concerned take a look at just this one forum:
http://blogs.adobe.com/jnack/2012/07/adobe-cs-apps-mountain-lion-no-known-issues.html
Similar issues are discussed in the Apple forums as well as many other places around the web.
I am not a computer professional but I know enough to maintain my systems and keep them running smoothly.
We do not have any Adobe software installed on my mini and will not be opening any files from previous versions of Adobe product in the new CS6 software. These will be a clean installs on pristine systems running fully updated Mountian Lion OS's on both machines and creating new files from scratch.
Question: Should I be expecting any issues like the ones I have read in the forums and blogs or are these just the normal things that happen when upgrading to new software with multiple hardware configurations?
My feeling is that we will not be having too much of a problem due to the clean installs and no files from previous versions.
Next up, the Creative Cloud(CC) FAQ states that you can install on 2 machines but can't open stuff at the same time.
Question: Does this mean we can't be using any CS6 apps at the same time or just not using the same app at the same time?
Example: PS and PS on both machines at same time = No, PS on one and Dreamweaver on the other at the same time=Yes?
The CC FAQ page says Adobe will add Lightroom 4 later in 2012 while the main CC page lists it as available now.
Question: Which is true?
My mini is registered to me, with my name, iTunes account, Apple ID etc.
Question: Do I need to do the initial set-up of the new machine with all my information to ensure the CS6 suite works on both machines? Do the computers need to be registered(as far as Apple configuration is concerned) to same person for them to work on one CC account or can I install CS6 on any 2 machines regardless of how they were initially set-up?
This may seem like a silly question but I want to avoid any problems before they happen.
Well, those are all of my questions at the moment. To anyone who made it this far in my looooong post, Thank You so much for your time. I appreciate your expertise and knowledge and hope that you can help me make this decision.
Cheers,
Alex Bogdan

Alex,
I'll try and answer your questions as best I can.
Qn 1 Which Mac.
Ans:- As I understand it both units will run Adobe CS6.
          Which one really depends on what you wand from CS6. If you are looking for high end demand and performance, then I would go for the IMac
          Your Specs for the Imac are right. However if you buy your IMac straight from Apple there are even higher specs.
          You can get:-
                              3.4 GHz i7 processor rather than the i5
                               2GB video card as opposed to a 1Gb video card.
                               Of course such a model will cost you more.
          In the end it is needs compared with money to spend. That is only a decision you cam make.
Q2:- Will the higher cost for the Imac justify copst.
Ans:- Again it depends on what demands you intend to make on the hardware and software.
          But I note you have a business and if that businees expects to high demand and high speedy performance then I suspect the Imac would be more able to provide your needs.
          Again only you will know the answer to that.
Q3:- Questions about CS6 reliability
Ans:- I have been with Adobe for way over 10 years.
         Speaking, only for myself, it is the most reliable software on the market.
          It is true that if you look down this form, like any other and I am thinking about the Apple discussions forum, you will find numerous instances of problems.
          Again this is only my opinion, but although all these problems are real for the individuals:-
          First it is not clear why they have the problem e.g. what have they done or not done.
          Second, they are in the minority of the total users using the hardware / software.
          The only problem I am aware of with CS6 is Acrobat X. I understand it has been sorted Adobe, however it cost me so much work I have removed it from my system and reverted to Acrobat 9
          So what I am saying is that there are only two comapnies I rely 100% on: They are Adobe and Apple.
         So if you are happy with my opinion I would not worry about Adobe CS6
Qn 4:- CS6 0n 2 machines.
Ans:- Yes you will not be able to run the same program similtaneosly.
           I believe, if it is important that you do run the same program together, that you can acquire a further licience from Adobe to do that.
           You would need to contact Adobe about that.
Qn 5:- Lightroom 4
Ans:- Lightroom is now available as part of Creative Cloud.
Qn 6:- Set up for individual machines
Ans:- I do not believe you do. Once you have set up your Creative Cloud account you go to the apps site and download the apps for each machine.
          Each machine downloads the apps and your machine and the apps are registered by Adobe.
         Here is something that you may want to know:-
          Because I was so unhappy loosing all the Acrobat data with Acrobat X I ended up deleting Acrobat X
          However as far as Creative Cloud is concered Acrobat X is still on my machine.
          It is not a problem for me because I am happy with Acrobat 9, it fullfils my needs and has not crashed and lost me all my bookmarks.
          However here is the point:-
          Adobe, when there was a problem with Acrobat X requested that no-one deletes the application.
         Though I do not know for certain I believe registration of the apps you have with Creative Cloud are registered with Creative Cloud in their database. Therefore were you to delete an app, it will still be registered with Creative Cloud and you will not be able to download a further copy even though the app is no longer on your    machine.
          Therefore it maybe not a good idea to delete an app when you no longer have a use for it. If you want it back I suspect you will have to contact Adobe Support
Personal Comment:-
          It is true many unfortunately have had all sorts of problems, including me with Acrobat X.
          That said, Creative Cloud in my view has been a major advance in how Adobe delivers software. I have no regrets with signing up to Creative Cloud and I expect to remain with it.
Hope all of that goes some way to answering your questions.

Is the Snow Leopard Mac Mini Server the right solution for my office?

I'm the de facto "sysadmin" for my small office, which usually just means I set up the wireless, configure network printing, troubleshoot little issues with Mail and MS Office products.
Currently, we have 4 employees all on iMacs. We share files through a slapped-together setup, where there is a public folder on our owner's iMac and we all share files there. There are a few problems with this:
- If the owner's computer is off, no-one can get to the shared files.
- The owner's computer has had some strange "permissions" issues so sometimes files in the "Public" shared folder end up being read-only, or "read & write" for "nobody".
- A 5th employee telecommutes on an iMac, and can't access the shared folder or files.
So, we're considering getting a Mac Mini Server to do file storage and sharing, both locally and with telecommuting employees (of which there may be more in the future).
- Is this the best solution to our needs - really just file sharing, no web hosting or anything like that?
- What level of access control / authentication can we do on the Server? For example, could we have a password protected folder on the server to restrict access?
- Would we need to upgrade our standard DSL service if we want to share files on the server with folks not on the local network?
- Am I biting off more than I can chew here, given that my technical knowledge is slim but I am the most computer-literate of anyone in the office, so I will need to trouble-shoot any issues that come up with the server?

For your stated goal, network-attached storage (NAS) or an always-on Mac client would be a simpler solution. Either preferably with RAID, and with provisions and storage for periodic archives.
A Mac OS X Server box is overkill. The Mac client boxes have 10-client sharing.
If you want single-signon and shared directory services and mail and web and various of the other pieces and services that are available within, then you can grow into a Mac OS X Server box.
A server is rather more to manage, regardless of what you choose. You're getting DNS and networking and other core pieces, minimally, and you're also responsible for many of the configuration settings and services and details that a client box receives from a server box. And you're definitely dealing with protections and such across multiple boxes.
For some other perspectives, there are various previous discussions of this posted around the forums. A search that includes NAS should kick over a few of these; this is a typical low-end alternative to running a server.

Considering buying the entry-level Mac Mini 2.5GHz as HTPC

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