Mac Mini good starting choice?

Hello fellow members, I was thinking of changing from Windows PC to a Mac Mini is the Mac Mini a good Mac to start off with. I have never ever touched a Mac PC and really want one. Am I thinking in the right direction? any advice?
Thanks Rich

Rich,
The Mac Mini is a good starting point only if you already have an acceptable Display, Keyboard, and Mouse.
If you don't have a Display, Keyboard and Mouse that are the size and condition that you can live with, then I would suggest an iMac at $1199 which comes with 20 inch display, keyboard, and mouse.
If you have to buy the Mac Mini, Display, Keyboard, and Mouse, then the price can get way up there real quick. An iMac would be a better buy in this case in my opinion.
Joseph Kriz

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Is 2012 mac mini good for audio production?

is 2012 mac mini good for audio production. Take in mind that I am a novice, but that really does not matter, I want to get the right product if that is an imac instead than so be it.

It depends on the sort of audio production you'll be doing. If you're going to be working with only stereo content or just a few tracks, in GarageBand for instance, a 2012 Mac mini would probably suffice, though you'll probably want to max out the RAM in the system. If you're going to be working with many tracks simultaneously with effects, EQ, etc on many, for instance with Logic Pro X with a number of plugins going, then a Mac mini probably won't do the job. In that case you'd probably want a top-end iMac or perhaps even a Mac Pro (the new model of which should be released sometime this month).
I'd suggest that you decide on the software you'll want to run, and then ask in forums related to that software what sort of system configuration users are finding to be adequate.
Regards.

Mac mini fan starts every 20 secs

After reviewing posts with similar issues, I tried:
- Rresetting PRAM
- Resetting the SMC
- Since I wanted to do a clean install for a while, I did a Snow Leopard clean install.
After all of this, the mac mini fan starts and inmediatley goes quiet. It repeats this over an over every 20 seconds.
What else can I try? My Mac mini is from 2007 (2 GHz, Intel Core Duo 2)

Since you've done a clean install (and updated to current/latest release?), and the AHT didn't find any obvious issues, and an SMC reset didn't help, let's look at more causal sources.
Have you looked at the vents on the bottom to ensure they are free of lint/dust/animal hair/etc? Plugged intake vents can cause high temperatures and the fan behavior you're hearing.
Have you looked at the Activity Monitor (on your hard drive in applications/utilities) to see is any program is using much of the processor, which would drive heat in the system?
Do you have iStat Pro so you can see what the temps are on various components?

My mac mini doesnt start. i cant write my password. the box dialogue doesnt apear.

my mac mini doesnt start. i cant write my password. the box dialogue doesnt apear.help me please!
nicolas

What does apear on the screen? You could start up in safe mode by holding down the shift key while starting up. You should then go to a login screen. Or you could hold down the R key, which should get you to the restore option. Then you could use the utilities to repair permissions and repair you boot volume.If you use the restore option, do not restore. go to the top and use the utilities option.

Mac min wont start

gray screen comes up with the apple and the loader symbol spins but just does not come in, few days before i was having issues with the drive and graphics, is this a goner?
it is a g4 1.5 512mb superdrive model

If the drive is clicking, it may be defective, which could affect startup: I've had several G4 towers refuse to boot if the optical drive was dead, even with no disk in the drive.
Can you boot to single-user mode (hold apple+s keys on startup)? If so, use the "fsck -fy" command to run file system check (Repair Disk).
Another thing to try, if you have access to another Mac, is to start your mini in Target mode and see whether it mounts when you connect it via firewire to another Mac. If it mounts, you can try running Disk Utility and see whether that helps.
Andrew Penner

Mac mini gives start-up chimes, fans run, etc, but display says "no signal" was working until this randomly happened?

So, I bought a Mac mini the other day- an "open box" item from Best Buy (Mid 2011, i5 processor, 2GB of RAM running 10.8)
Anyhow, it was working fine all day, i had transfered all my itunes library over to the new Mac mini from my MacBook Pro, and put the programs I wanted onto the mac mini. (Including plug-ins etc.) It was working fine, even with 2GB of RAM.
Anyhow, it started to get kind of sluggish, so, I closed all the programs (I assumed this was because it has 2GB of RAM, and I had been pushing it pretty hard all day), and checkd "About this MAC" Low and behold, it said only one RAM card was in, and it was a 1GB card. Well, that explains the eventual sluggishness. Further though, I think it means that once of the RAM slots is messed up.
Problem A) One of the RAM slots/cards is not working properly.
Problem A.5) I actually have two 2GB sticks of RAM that I pulled out of my 2011 MBP which will work, so, my plan is to upgrade to that RAM once I get the RAM card/slot information squared away.
When I opened up the case to try to switch cards, or address Problem A.5), I noticed that one of the clips for the Mac Mini's RAM was broken. Perhaps this is why one of the RAM cards was not being read?
Problem B) One of the clips that holds the top RAM card in place is broken.
After I had seen this, (I didn't actually do anything to the RAM, since I know Apple doesn't cover anything if you broke it, so I want to be able to say that I actually didn't touch anything- my guess is the people at Best Buy may have broken it?) I reconnected the Mac Mini, and was going to get the email and calendar set up, as that was all that was left to get set up. Oops.
After reconnecting, restarting, everything a few times, the same problem presented itself.
Problem C) even checking all connections, thoroughly, etc, the Mac Mini chimes on, fans start whirring, etc, but the display reads "no signal." Tried reconnecting the display, disconnecting, etc, nothing worked. I knoe the display works because I hooked it up to my MBP and it worked fine.
So, I've got a few issues going on, and an appointment at the Apple Store in Providence, RI today at 7:45 PM.
But, does anyone know anything about any of these issues? So I may be able to try to tackle some of them on my own before going in? Or, what to expect from the Apple store?
Thanks guys- any help is greatly appreciated!
-Andy

Hi,
my guess is the people at Best Buy may have broken it?)
My guess is since it was Open Box, somebody bought it, broke it trying to replace RAM, then returned it as they no longer wanted it.
Safe Boot from the HD, (holding Shift key down at bootup), if that doesn't work, try a Verbose boot, CMD+v
But the new Mini's use RAM as VRAM, so I think it's the RAM/slot issue

My Mac mini 2012 started making whistling sounds during download after upgrading to Maverick.

anyone have a similar problem?
and some messages in terminal??
27.10.13 8:24:41,406 Finder[186]: FIXME: IOUnserialize has detected a string that is not valid UTF-8, "y".

Personally, I feel that it is the new OS. I downloaded memory clean (since I had lion), and no matter what I am now always running less that 1GB of RAM (8GB currently on board). Every time I switch between text (websites and documents), to video. I always find that when I switch between them, it takes at least 20 seconds for the video to play (and after I click it, I start to hear my fan blow like never before). Even tonight when I tried to play a video off an external hard drive, it took over 30 seconds to load...and when it did, it responded by the hard drive disconnecting (with the fan). And I think it was the worst update for the mac mini...at least.
But I do feel if your fan is blowing more than normal, it due to the update. But if it’s blowing. But sounding weird...there maybe a hardware issue with it.

2010 Mac Mini slow start up

Hi all,
All of a sudden our Mac Mini bought in early 2010 is very slow on start up. In fact it's been on the grey screen now for 20mins with the spinning timer & looking like not much is happening.
It's a Mac Mini Server but it's just used to hold our MYOB Account Edge Network Edition data file. We recently upgraded from MYOB Account Edge V8 to V13. It has been a bit troublesome since then, with FileConnect2013 cutting out. But it had been working OK the last few days. Then today I had to force quit & now it wont start back up again.
Any hints? Thanks.

Take each of these steps that you haven't already tried. Stop when the problem is resolved.
Step 1
The first step in dealing with a startup failure is to secure the data. If you want to preserve the contents of the startup drive, and you don't already have at least one current backup, you must try to back up now, before you do anything else. It may or may not be possible. If you don't care about the data that has changed since the last backup, you can skip this step.
There are several ways to back up a Mac that is unable to start. You need an external hard drive to hold the backup data.
a. Start up from the Recovery partition, or from a local Time Machine backup volume (option key at startup.) When the OS X Utilities screen appears, launch Disk Utility and follow the instructions in this support article, under “Instructions for backing up to an external hard disk via Disk Utility.” The article refers to starting up from a DVD, but the procedure in Recovery mode is the same. You don't need a DVD if you're running OS X 10.7 or later.
b. If Step 1a fails because of disk errors, and no other Mac is available, then you may be able to salvage some of your files by copying them in the Finder. If you already have an external drive with OS X installed, start up from it. Otherwise, if you have Internet access, follow the instructions on this page to prepare the external drive and install OS X on it. You'll use the Recovery installer, rather than downloading it from the App Store.
c. If you have access to a working Mac, and both it and the non-working Mac have FireWire or Thunderbolt ports, start the non-working Mac in target disk mode. Use the working Mac to copy the data to another drive. This technique won't work with USB, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
d. If the internal drive of the non-working Mac is user-replaceable, remove it and mount it in an external enclosure or drive dock. Use another Mac to copy the data.
Step 2
If the startup process stops at a blank gray screen with no Apple logo or spinning "daisy wheel," then the startup volume may be full. If you had previously seen warnings of low disk space, this is almost certainly the case. You might be able to start up in safe mode even though you can't start up normally. Otherwise, start up from an external drive, or else use the technique in Step 1b, 1c, or 1d to mount the internal drive and delete some files. According to Apple documentation, you need at least 9 GB of available space on the startup volume (as shown in the Finder Info window) for normal operation.
Step 3
Sometimes a startup failure can be resolved by resetting the NVRAM.
Step 4
If you use a wireless keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, replace or recharge the batteries. The battery level shown in the Bluetooth menu item may not be accurate.
Step 5
If there's a built-in optical drive, a disc may be stuck in it. Follow these instructions to eject it.
Step 6
Press and hold the power button until the power shuts off. Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed to start up, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards. Use a different keyboard and/or mouse, if those devices are wired. If you can start up now, one of the devices you disconnected, or a combination of them, is causing the problem. Finding out which one is a process of elimination.
Step 7
If you've started from an external storage device, make sure that the internal startup volume is selected in the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences.
Start up in safe mode. Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Post for further instructions.
Safe mode is much slower to start and run than normal, and some things won’t work at all, including wireless networking on certain Macs.
The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know the login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
When you start up in safe mode, it's normal to see a dark gray progress bar on a light gray background. If the progress bar gets stuck for more than a few minutes, or if the system shuts down automatically while the progress bar is displayed, the startup volume is corrupt and the drive is probably malfunctioning. In that case, go to Step 11. If you ever have another problem with the drive, replace it immediately.
If you can start and log in in safe mode, empty the Trash, and then open the Finder Info window on the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name.) Check that you have at least 9 GB of available space, as shown in the window. If you don't, copy as many files as necessary to another volume (not another folder on the same volume) and delete the originals. Deletion isn't complete until you empty the Trash again. Do this until the available space is more than 9 GB. Then restart as usual (i.e., not in safe mode.)
If the startup process hangs again, the problem is likely caused by a third-party system modification that you installed. Post for further instructions.
Step 8
Launch Disk Utility in Recovery mode (see Step 1.) Select the startup volume, then run Repair Disk. If any problems are found, repeat until clear. If Disk Utility reports that the volume can't be repaired, the drive has malfunctioned and should be replaced. You might choose to tolerate one such malfunction in the life of the drive. In that case, erase the volume and restore from a backup. If the same thing ever happens again, replace the drive immediately.
This is one of the rare situations in which you should also run Repair Permissions, ignoring the false warnings it may produce. Look for the line "Permissions repair complete" at the end of the output. Then restart as usual.
Step 9
If the startup device is an aftermarket SSD, it may need a firmware update and/or a forced "garbage collection." Instructions for doing this with a Crucial-branded SSD were posted here. Some of those instructions may apply to other brands of SSD, but you should check with the vendor's tech support.
Step 10
Reinstall the OS. If the Mac was upgraded from an older version of OS X, you’ll need the Apple ID and password you used to upgrade.
Step 11
Do as in Step 9, but this time erase the startup volume in Disk Utility before installing. The system should automatically restart into the Setup Assistant. Follow the prompts to transfer the data from a Time Machine or other backup.
Step 12
This step applies only to models that have a logic-board ("PRAM") battery: all Mac Pro's and some others (not current models.) Both desktop and portable Macs used to have such a battery. The logic-board battery, if there is one, is separate from the main battery of a portable. A dead logic-board battery can cause a startup failure. Typically the failure will be preceded by loss of the settings for the startup disk and system clock. See the user manual for replacement instructions. You may have to take the machine to a service provider to have the battery replaced.
Step 13
If you get this far, you're probably dealing with a hardware fault. Make a "Genius" appointment at an Apple Store, or go to another authorized service provider.

Mac Mini - Screensaver starting on its own and clock is fast ...

Hi there experts ....
I've got a 4 month old Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini3,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2.53 GHz
I've noticed for the past couple of months the clock is 4 minutes fast ....
And the screeensaver is coming on by itself out of nowhere ...
I/ve run disk repair ... Maintenance ... put screensaver to never and even disabled front row screensaver
I've reset pram and nvram ... ANy clues ....?

So even if you put the screensaver to never it still starts on its own?
Also you clock runs faster by 4mins?
I smell an OS issue. Partition your drive and install a fresh OS onto it. If it works(no problem there) then restore the partition into 1 drive. Zero out the drive and put a fresh OS in it
**back it up first
If the fresh OS on the new partition still fails. it could be a hardware failure.

Mac mini 2010 start up stuck at greay screen

Just purchased a brand new Mac mini this past weekend. 2.4 GHz, 320 hard drive. Updated to 10.6.6, migrated files from an eMac. Everything was working fantastic. Then played a Star Trek game (Elite Force II) and the disc froze. Had to shut down. Couldn't get the disc out at first, then restarted and held the eject and disc was out but would not start up past the grey screen with Apple. Ran disk utility from install disc, said drive was fine. Ran permissions repair, repaired whatever needed, re-ran disk utility again, no problems found. Ran Apple Hardware test, no problems found. Thought of re-installing OS X 10.6.3, won't allow me to (I assume I have to erase the disk then install). Stuck in grey, can anyone please help. Thanks!

Welcome to Apple Discussions!
migrated files from an eMac
That's the problem. You can't use the Migration Assistant reliably from PowerPC to Intel. See this tip on how to do it:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=435350&tstart=10
I would boot using the startup manager the 10.6.3 disc and erase and install, and try again using the instructions above.

Mac mini's best choice of external hard drive?

What would be the best way to back up a Mac mini; using a G-Tech,Lacie,Iomega, or something else?

Buy from a reputable vendor and try to keep to brand names that have a good reputation as well. I've been pleased with the Western Digital external drives as well as Seagate's. Maxtor has had some issues in the last 18 months and I'm not sure those have been resolved yet. For backing up FireWire is slightly more preferable because it tends to have better sustained write/read speeds than USB2 but heck, my backup is done in the background and doesn't affect my ability to surf or write so I really don't care one way or the other.

Mac mini server start and restart times

I have a new Mac Mini Server that i jsut purchased 2 weeks ago. It arrived a few days ago and i have already put ram in it and configured it as a raid 1. It seems slower now than before the ram and raid.
Current configuration
late 2012 Mac mini server
osx 10.9.3
2.6ghz i7
16gb 1600mzh ddr3 corsair vengence ram
(2) 1Tb factory apple hard drives configured as raid1(mirrored)
Start time
(4gb) 0:52m
(16GB) 0:52m
Restart time
(4GB) 1:52m
(16gb) 2:14m
Shutdown time
(4gb) 0:24m
(16gb) 1:04m
Any clue as to why my restart and shutdown times are so slow with more ram? i thought ram did not affect this. Secondly does a raid1(mirrored) affect this? it also seems a bit slower to open apps and while on the web
my late 2011 mbp smokes this thing, but it is running an ssd so its understandably going to. what I dont understand is on internet browsing the MBP is still faster. thought webspeed had nothign to do with the hard drive. im a bit new to all this.
Any help would be appreciated

I have a new Mac Mini Server that i jsut purchased 2 weeks ago. It arrived a few days ago and i have already put ram in it and configured it as a raid 1. It seems slower now than before the ram and raid.
Current configuration
late 2012 Mac mini server
osx 10.9.3
2.6ghz i7
16gb 1600mzh ddr3 corsair vengence ram
(2) 1Tb factory apple hard drives configured as raid1(mirrored)
Start time
(4gb) 0:52m
(16GB) 0:52m
Restart time
(4GB) 1:52m
(16gb) 2:14m
Shutdown time
(4gb) 0:24m
(16gb) 1:04m
Any clue as to why my restart and shutdown times are so slow with more ram? i thought ram did not affect this. Secondly does a raid1(mirrored) affect this? it also seems a bit slower to open apps and while on the web
my late 2011 mbp smokes this thing, but it is running an ssd so its understandably going to. what I dont understand is on internet browsing the MBP is still faster. thought webspeed had nothign to do with the hard drive. im a bit new to all this.
Any help would be appreciated

Mac mini good for photoshop, lightroom and large files?

Hello all,
My brother finally wants to switch from windows to mac and asked me for advice. He is a young photography professional so his primary need is to run photoshop, lightroom and be able to use large RAW files and 100+ MB photoshop files.
He still has a 27" high resolution screen, so my first option to look at is the Mac Mini with the 2.7 GHz dual core i7, 8GB of ram and the standard 5400 rpm drive (as SSD is too expensive). Is this machine capable of handling the above mentioned things? I think that the processor and memory are more than enough, but i have my doubts about the videocard, since 256 mb of video memory is not that much in these days..
In the future he wants to buy an iMac or Macbook Pro, but for now that's still a little to expensive. Although, if the mac mini is not that good, he has to decide whether to wait a while and then buy an iMac or something.
I hope that anyone can give us some advice:-)
Kind regards,
Mark van Dam

Thank you everybody for all the replies!
First off, I think we'll wait what the 11th of june will bring us, hopefully a new mac mini. As Michael Wasley stated, the glossy imac screen isn't going to work for him. So that brings us to a Mac Mini or Macbook Pro. I'm using the macbook pro myself for the last couple of years and i'm a great fan of it's capabilities.. but my brother prefers a fixed 'computer' and not a laptop..
At this point i think he's going to buy (the new?) mac mini (and use his own screen), upgrade the RAM to somewhere between 12-16 GB, possible get a SSD drive and for sure get the biggest i7 processor available.
Hopefully that will get things running.
Kind regards,
Mark

Mac mini auto start pblm

My Mac mini system is not starting itself in every power cycle.
We are using this system for product demo and the sytem kept inside the fixture.
So everyday morning we had to open the fixture just press the POWER button of the system . If you can help me to make the system as auto start on powerup. Kindly help

go to energy saver in the system preferences, go to schedule, set the mini to start up every day when you need it to.
you can also schedule the computer to shut down or sleep in the same place.

Mac mini not starting up after startup sound and activity indicator

hi my mac mini was just working slow, so i restarted it and it doesnt start. it just shows loading indicator after startup sound.WTH
I tried resetting the v-ram/p-ram with command-option-P-R but to no avail. Please help!
thanks in advance !!!!

Hello,
Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.
If that doesn't help Reinstall the OS.

Mac Mini good starting choice?

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