Mac mini refurbs?

Hope it isnt a problem posting a similar thread as on the older mini pages...
I am dying to get a mac mini refurb.
I thought I had snagged one on the AppleStore refurb pages but until you have it in the shopping cart and see a confirm purchase it can go byebye. I fumbled getting my credit card and UGH!!!
Anyone know of another source for refurb minis than the apple store?
btw, what are the minimum specs I need of a mini to use the 20" AppleCinema Display LCD (model # A1081) that has been sitting around waiting for its mini mate!
Thanks for any info.

btw, what are the minimum specs I need of a mini to use the 20" AppleCinema Display LCD (model # A1081) that has been sitting around waiting for its mini mate!
The base model should be fine. And it should ship with an Apple min-DVI to DVI adapter, so you should be plug & play!
Dah•veed

Similar Messages

Are Mac Mini refurbs a good deal? Relaible?

Are Mac Mini refurbs a good deal? Relaible?

I've purchased three minis, two Mac Pros, two MacBooks and a MacBook Pro as refurbs. They have been just as reliable, if not more reliable, than buying new. It was said before: you get the same warranty and AppleCare options as if you were buying new. I would not purchase a refurb from anyone but Apple though. There can be some side benefits too, you just have to be lucky I guess. One of the minis I ordered was only supposed to have an 80GB hdd and 1GB RAM, when it was delivered, I was delighted to see that it had a 120GB hdd and 2GB RAM. One of the Mac Pros was supposed to have the 7300GT card but shipped with the 1900XT upgrade. I called Apple to see if there was some mistake, but was told not to worry about it.
I would recommend buying a refurb if you are comfortable with it.
D.

Mac Mini + DVI- HDMI + Toshiba 42RV530U = black screen

Hi all, I have a new Intel Mac Mini 2GHz and a Toshiba 42RV530U REGZA HDTV that I'm trying to connect, with only a black screen so far.
I believe the DVI output on the Mini is working - I can at least get a picture with a DVI-S-Video cable, but it's obviously lower resolution. The DVI-HDMI cable works - I tried it on our cable box.
When the DVI-HDMI cable is hooked up to the HDMI-1 input on the TV, the "No Signal" warning vanishes, but it's replaced by a black screen. No amount of fiddling with SwitchResX has worked so far.
I've tried coming up with values for SwitchResX based on these numbers from the manual (don't know why the H Freq and V Freq give 2 values for each). I couldn't get exact values, but pretty close. I'd ideally like to get 1080p working.
Name Resolution Vert Freq Horizontal Freq Pixel Clock
480i 720 × 480i 59.940/60Hz 15.734/15.750kHz 27.000/27.027MHz
480p 720 × 480p 59.940/60Hz 31.469/31.500kHz 27.000/27.027MHz
720p 1280 × 720p 59.940/60Hz 44.955/45.000kHz 74.176/74.250MHz
1080i 1920 × 1080i 59.940/60Hz 33.716/33.750kHz 74.176/74.250MHz
1080p 1920 × 1080p 23.976/24Hz 26.973/27.000kHz 74.176/74.250MHz
1080p 1920 × 1080p 59.940/60Hz 67.433/67.500kHz 148.352/148.500MHz
I've also tried repairing permissions, rebooting many times, deleting the windowserver.plist files, zapping the PRAM, etc. SwitchResX identifies the TV as "TSB-TV", which sounds the same as other posts with different Toshiba TVs. I'm able to remote into the Mini via Remote Desktop Connection to play with settings, etc.
Any suggestions? Would a DVI to Component cable work? The TV does have an analog RGB in, but this won't support high def. Thanks for any help!
-Frank

An unforeseen twist... I tried hooking up the Mac Mini to a DVI computer monitor, also with no picture. When I hook up my Powerbook to the Toshiba via the DVI->HDMI cable.... Picture! So, looks like my new (refurbed) Mac Mini has a bad digital video output. Seems a little strange though, since the analog video output on it is working fine.
Off to the Mac store tomorrow.

Intel Mac Mini Pink hue display problem

Originally purchase a refurbed Mac Mini 1.66 Intel Core Duo, and over the years I've upgraded the RAM (w/ 2 Gigs) replace wifi "G" card with "N" card. Unfortunately, my mac mini died. Went to the Apple store in Tampa, and the genius said the logic board was toast.
I replaced the logic board with 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo board, and everything is working fine except for the display.
When it starts up, the standard grey screen now has a pink hue. After booting is finished the screen still has the pink hue. However, after a bit, the screen turns to normal, but there is some flicker. My mini is connected to a Samsung LCD 17" display that is working fine. There are no cable issues, I connected the display to my iBook, and it works fine.
Has anyone come across this before? Do I need to reseat the RAM sticks? Is there a software setting that I need to change since I upgraded from a 1.66 logic board to a 1.83?
The logic board is under warranty, but I was hoping to get some answers that can be easily fixed instead of sending it back.

I took the mac mini to work, and hooked it up to my monitor. It still displayed the pink hue at start up. I'm leaning toward this being a bad logic board.
One thing that is curious is that the screen will loose most of the pink hue as the Mac Mini warms up. It's almost back to normal, but the colors still have a little too much pink even after adjusting the monitor. Also, you can see flicker as it warms up as well.
I'm sending back the logic board for replacement.

Can I daisy chain a DisplayPort-only monitor through the 2nd TB connector on a WD 8TB My Book Thunderbolt Duo to a mid-2011 Mac Mini?

I'm very tempted by a refurb HP Smartbuy ZR2740w 27" WQHD display, but it doesn't have a HDMI port. It does have DisplayPort.
Since the mid-2011 Mac Mini I have has either HDMI or Thunderbolt to choose from, plus I've just bought an external TB storage system, I think I'd need to connect the monitor to the second TB port on the external TB storage and hope that the external storage would pass the DisplayPort signals along.
I've read that DisplayPort connections are compatible with TB ports on Macs, and that you can daisy chain TB devices.
I don't want to assume those statements hold when I'd need to connect the DisplayPort cable to the 2nd TB port on the external storage.
Anyone know if this will work?
Is it "supported"?
Thanks!
Andrew

23. How do I connect my Mini DisplayPort monitor or monitor using a Mini DisplayPort adapter to my Thunderbolt-equipped Mac when I have other Thunderbolt devices connected?
When connecting a Mini DisplayPort display or a display using a Mini DisplayPort adapter to a Thunderbolt peripheral (except as described in question 24), make sure the display is connected at the end of the Thunderbolt chain. You can use only one Mini DisplayPort device in the Thunderbolt chain.
Note: Systems with more than one Thunderbolt port, like an iMac, can have more than one Mini DisplayPort monitor or monitor connected with a Mini DisplayPort adapter connected as each Thunderbolt port can support one Mini DisplayPort display.
24. Can I connect my Mini DisplayPort monitor or monitor using a Mini DisplayPort adapter to my Apple Thunderbolt Display?
Mini DisplayPort Monitors or Monitors connecting with Mini DisplayPort adapters will not function when connected through a Thunderbolt Display. They must be connected directly to the Thunderbolt port on the computer or to a non-display device as indicated above.
from
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5219#23

Please help me choose a Mac Mini

I have not owned any mac computer and have been waiting for the new mini for a few months. I need a decent mac computer without having to spend too much to program iOS and maybe some photo viewing and casual editing. So the OS X is important to me.
The new Mac mini is kind of disappointing. I would expect a better quad CPU and user expandable memory (still uncertain so far). So I am struggling between two choices:
1. I may choose the new 2.6 G model and definitely need the memory to be 16GB. I am not sure if I want the 1TB fusion drive for $200.
2. There are still some old 2012 quad models available at some online stores and I may get one and expand the memory to 16 myself. Can we easily swap out the hard drive and install one 1TB SSD? How do we transfer the OS and app with the box to the new SSD? The biggest concern on this option is if I can update the OS to OS X Yosemite and even later versions because I will use it for programming iSO apps and must be able to update to the latest OS X.
Thanks.

From what I see in the Apple Store, the new Mini still does not have a quad-core cpu
nor did the older Mini (Late 2012) across any they had listed. However if you need a
quad core model and performance, looking into the future, you should seek to inspect
the higher specification computers in the line. Since there is a limited upgrade, I can
see why the Mini is desired. If you get a Mini server model, internal storage options
can be increased. New MINI 16GB RAM upgrade is an Online Store-only upgrade.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-mini
The only small computer with quad-core cpu technologies in the Store, is 15" MB/Pro
portable, offering several features but at a higher price; including a Retina display.
Of these, two models; both near & above $2K USD; the dual GPU model may have
gotten past the hardware earlier model owners cited issues with over a few years.
http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/macbook-pro
An SSD and RAM upgrade could make the MINI a fair computer, even though it only
has the Dual-Core technology. However the upgrade may affect AppleCare coverage.
There often are Late 2012 model Mini Macs in the official online refurb store page, &
they qualify for the optional AppleCare; however they don't offer custom upgrades.
The low-end MINI has similar specs to the low-end non-Retina MacBook Pro 13-inch.
A little faster bus speed, and a slightly newer graphic processor...
At least the newest Mini, according to the online Apple Store, says it will ship with
Yosemite; so with 16GB RAM, that can be a good start. You should ask an Apple
genius or specialist what they can do for you in the way of an upgrade to larger SSD
or HDD, after delivery, so AppleCare is not affected. If they still let you do anything.
In any event...
Good luck & happy computing!

2011 Mac Mini, 10.8.3, SSD - System CPU at constant 10%, frequent 0.5 sec cursor freezes

Hi. I have a Mid-2011 Mac Mini with 8GB of RAM. I have an SSD installed in it as the primary drive, along with another internal 2TB drive and an external USB 2TB drive for media. This machine is mostly used as a media server and player. It's been running Mountain Lion since I bought it (refurb) last year. I upgraded to 10.8.3 as soon as that came out, and was running for a while without any problems. This evening, though, I started to notice some problems.
The main issue is that the CPU (well, one core) seems to be constantly under load. Under Activity Monitor I'm watching the system load (but not user load) hover between about 8% and 12%, all of the time. But looking at the program list, I don't see anything taking up more than about 2% of CPU, and that is taken up by Activity Monitor itself.
The annoying way that this manifests itself in the UI is that if I'm just randomly moving the cursor around in a circle, I can watch it periodically hang and freeze for about half of a second every 3-4 seconds or so. Meanwhile, everything else on the system also seems to freeze up for about half a second at the same time, which makes watching Netflix extremely irritating. (With Netflix the sound plays as normal, but the video freezes briefly every few seconds - I verified this in both Firefox and Chrome so I doubt it's a browser thing.)
I've already tried some troubleshooting steps myself. (None of this has worked yet.)
I saw a lot of messages in console about "mdworker deny mach-lookup com.apple.ls.boxd", which googling around for led me to this page; per the instructions there I booted into safe mode, waited a bit and rebooted, and now I don't see those messages any more. (I didn't mess with the sandbox.sb file, about which, really? Apple implemented this in Scheme or something?) Just to be on the safe side, though, I disabled Spotlight indexing with sudo mdutil -a -i off.
I opened Disk Util and ran a verify on all three disks, no errors. I found one or two permissions that needed repairing on the startup SSD and repaired them. The problem persisted. I also cleared out my caches with Maintenance while I was at it.
As a side note, even when I rebooted in safe mode, I was still seeing the same behavior (periodic half-second mouse freezes, system CPU averaging a constant 10% or so in Activity Monitor).
I also spent some time reading this other thread which looked like it had some very useful advice (unlike that poster, though, my Spotlight processes aren't crashing). So I went ahead and followed Linc Davis's first set of instructions in that thread. Here's what I've got for steps 1 and 2.
1. Activity monitor
Highest-CPU process is Activity Monitor at about 1-2% CPU
CPU: User 1%, system ~10%, idle ~90%
System memory: Page outs 0, swap used 0 bytes
Disk activity: Reads in/sec 0, Writes out/sec 0 (these infrequently spike up to about 40 or 50 max)
2. System log
I put up a gist for this here. It's my last 50 messages or so, probably some are coming from the most recent reboot. I can see the "IOHIDSystem cursor update overdue. Resending" messages which I presume are linked to my cursor freezes, but nothing else looks obviously suspicious to me. The stuff about "menucracker" is down to MenuMeters; I uninstalled it and rebooted at one point just to check, but it didn't seem to make a difference so I reinstalled it.
As far as kexts go, the only one I had that wasn't Apple was SoundFlower. I actually need that one, I use it to stream files from Plex, but I went ahead and uninstalled it anyways, and it didn't make a difference. My launchd lists start up sickbeard, sabnzbd, and plex, but I've manually quit all of those and the problem persists, so I highly douby any of them are to blame.
Any advice greatly appreciated. Is there a better way that I can see what exactly is causing the high system CPU load, like can I list processes by number of kernel calls or something? I did try top and ps but I didn't see anything obviously different from Activity Monitor in their output.

Nope, I don't have a "/Users/charon/Library/Mobile Documents" directory, let alone anything underneath it. Is that like an iCloud thing or something? I tend to avoid the Apple-supplied services when I can (I don't use iTunes either unless I can help it).
As an update, as of about two days later this problem seems to have solved itself. Possibly sleeping and waking did something to it (though that seems unlikely given how many times I rebooted), or else there was just some long-*** kernel process that finally worked itself out. But my system CPU is back down to normal and the cursor freezes are gone.
??? it is a mystery! ???

Mac Mini or iMac good for graphic apps?

I currently have an older G4, dual processor, 450 MHz, 768mb RAM running Tiger. I'm a graphic designer working mainly with Quark, Freehand, Photoshop. I'm not a heavy Photoshop user. I'm trying to decide if I should upgrade to a G5 tower, or if the new iMacs or Mac Mini would work for me. I've heard that the Mac Mini could be a step backwards for my type of use. Any informed opinions would greatly help. Obviously speed is not my number one concern, but I wouldn't want to be slower! I do have an external CD/DVD burner and I need to keep my external ZIP drive.
Thanks,
Kristi

The Mac Mini may not be good for your use (Intel Macs in gerneral) do not have a native version of Photoshop (PPC only app so it would run under PPC emulation), so unless you have 1+GB RAM it would run slow, not as slow as on your current machine though so you might not notice the way some others might. The Mac Mini (even the core solo 1.5Ghz) will be much faster than your current machine, any modern Mac would be.I would go for an iMac since it, IMO, is going to be a better buy, since it doesn't cost that much more, and is a top of the line consumer machine. If you don't do much Photoshoping the G5 Power Mac is overkill, IMO. You may even want to look at refurb G5 iMacs if you want to save a little money.

HT4938 New mac-mini server setup without keyboard and mouse

Im trying to use the server app to setup my new mac mini server without mouse and keyboard, but the server is not listed. I have tried using its IP address with no username and the serial number as password but it won't connect. Any ideas?

You may have a version mismatch. If I recall, setup assistant is OS version dependent so if the refurb is 10.5 and the Mac Pro is 10.6 you will likely not be able to use setup assistant.
However, just use ARD or Screen Sharing to connect. If the mini is visible on the network and in the ready for setup mode, you can ssh into the machine using the root user and the first 8 digits of the machine serial number. Then you can use the kickstart command to startup the ARD agent on the system. Use these commands while in the SSH session.
cd /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources
sudo ./kickstart -activate
sudo ./kickstart -configure -access -on -privs -all -users <shortname>
For now, the user will need to be root because there is no user. Then screen share the system to complete the remainder of the initial setup.
In theory this will work. Works on Xserves, so I believe the minis work the same for initial setup.
Hope this helps

New Mac Mini - is it capable?

I can't say I'm thrilled about the new update (2014 model), in fact I'm disappointed.
However, it still may be able to cater for my needs.
At the minute I'm using a PC with Win 7. My main usage is browsing the 'net, downloading music and running a few music software programs
which really aren't power/memory hungry. I don't play games on it either.
PC specs: Intel Pentium dual-core G630, 2.7GHz, 4GB RAM.
I'm thinking, after hours of research, that the new Mini 2.66GHz, dual-core Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive maybe ample for my usage.
Does anyone think differently? Should I upgrade to 16GB RAM? Will Core i7 have any advantage over i5 for me?

Ian R. Brown wrote:
I know a new 27" iMac will always beat a Mac mini in speed but as I am currently using a 2008 iMac, even the lowliest off the shelf 2012 mini would be a tremendous improvement . . . any comments?
I have owned and repaired many Imacs, and owned several of every (2007 and onward) Mac made except the newest mac Pro........ As for the Imac,.....Theyre a HORROR to repair (I despise fixing them, especially the newer ones are near impossible),
and they have FOR A FACT the worse resale value relative to purchase cost.
As for the Mac Mini, I own 4 of them (one is a real OLD clunker however), .......saying "I hate everything" is an understatement, but the Mac Mini is the BEST computer bar none Ive ever owned, and Ive owned a LOT of computers ..... far far more than most anyone.
(used to repair computers ,and had a lot I got free or next to free).
grab a refurb or new 2012 Quad core Mac mini. Even a dual core is fine unless you plan on vid edits.
Only reason I still own an Imac is because I got it for free broken and fixed it.
Ive told people the BEST "Imac" is a 27" monitor with a Mac Mini on the back (industrial velcro)
why?
Far cheaper
MUCH MUCH easier to repair
more versatile
best computer resale value (the Mini of course) that exists (Mac or PC)

Mac Mini Compatibility

I am considering buying a used Mac Mini off of ebay because they are so reasonable. All I'm want it for is to run my home automation. I have 3 other Macs and don't want them to be tied up. I'm not familiar with the Mac Mini at all. Are there any issues with using it with today's monitors, wi-fi, software, etc? I know this question is pretty vague, but now I'm looking to try and understand better what I don't know to ask the right questions. Thanks in advance!!!
Greg

I'd avoid a PPC G4 Mini for several reasons:
1) They can't run the latest OSX
2) Likely will have lots of "miles" on the components
3) Limited RAM capacity
4) Only 2 USB ports
5) Some early models didn't have Wifi
Generally a Core2Duo Intel model will be a better choice than a CoreDuo or CoreSingle. RAM can be up'd to 3 or 4 Gig on the Core2Duos, vs only 2 Gig on the earlier Intel chips.
Mini's can be a chore to open and work on the components. But it is doable if you are patient and careful. I recommend the guides at www.ifixit.com since they are clear and provide necessary cautions at just the right places.
Personally, I wouldn't buy a *bay Mini. I've seen so many people come to this forum trying to fix mysterious problems of their second-hand Mini -- generally one that the previous owner couldn't fix either and had dumped on *bay.
Apple's official refurbs from the Apple online store have more value IMHO. They look brand new and have full warranties.
(BTW, if you are looking for a computer for home automation, I'd personally choose a MacBook with similar specs to an Intel Mini: the notebook computer's battery means that you will have power backup without having to use a UPS.)

Top spec mac Mini as a workstation?

Hi,
My studio needs to replace two old G5's and i would like to know how a couple of maxed out mac Minis would perform. I'm thinking of these owing to the massive price of two Mac Pros and also because we already have monitors. The spec i am thinking of is 2.66ghz, 500gb and 8gb ram. We can't have iMacs as due to already having screens and our designers don't like the glossy screens. Also what would we need to run two monitors of each Mac mini? We would be using Photoshop, AVA (like Photoshop), printing large images to 24" printers, occasional illustrator work and general Office 2008 work.
Question is i can buy one Mac Pro now and wait till, next year for the second but this would leave our studio a quarter Power PC and three quarters intel. All our other Macs are intel with the exception of the two G5's.
What is my best option and will the Minis be up to the task?

I think you would be more than happy with the minis. I really do.
I have been using a C2D 2.4 ghz macbook pro I bought in late 2007. It replaced my 2.66 Mac Pro back at the time. I run the full Creative Suite CS4 on this. There has really never been a moment that I wished it had more power.
I recently bought a new mini, put 4 gigs of ram in it and have been using it as a music workstation. Same 2.4 processor, but some slightly newer bits inside (but actually, a slower 5400 drive than my macbook pro). It feels very fast.
Now, 2 weeks ago I bought a dual 2.3ghz G5 tower from a local source. Got a deal. I bought it to use for my music workstation, and was going to move the new mini somewhere else.
However, as powerful as a dual G5 was, when I opened the same Logic Audio songs on the Mini and G5, the mini used WAY less cpu meters than the G5. It wasn't even close. It really blew me away. The C2D 2.4ghz may not be the current state of the art, but seriously, with 8 gigs of ram and a proper 7200 RPM internal drive, it will run circles around the G5.
For $1K (700 for mini, $120 for 8 gigs ram at OWC, and if your brave, $100 for a 7200 internal) you will have a very capable machine for what you do.
If you can buy a few years with them, then sell them you'll be ahead of the game. The resell on mini's is extremely high, even older G4 minis get a few hundred bucks.
So, I'm with you 100%. I would love another MacPro. But after ram, tax, etc, $3K for a low end one new is crazy. Refurbs are great, but they aren't that much cheaper.
Grab two mini's, load them up, and run.
Oh, I'm totally with you on the iMacs. Perfect compromise on cost/performance, but no way am I going back to a glossy screen like that. Just not going to happen.

Is new 2014 mac mini good for audio production

I want to learn how to use logic pro/audio production software. Is the 2014 mac mini powerful enough to run logic pro/audio production software efficiently? any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

+1...
My 'problem' with the current range is that the memory is no longer upgradable.... (What you buy initially is what you get) and i7 Quad Cores are no longer available for the MMs.. just Dual Cores....
This is why earlier MM models via the Apple Refurb store, have been is such short supply because they sell out within an hour or so of becoming available!
You might find this site useful for tracking down Refurbs....
https://www.refurb.me/us/
Note: Apple refurbs are excellent value for money as they come with the same warranties as new models... plus you can purchase the extended Applecare as you can for new models... but typically sell for 15-45% less. I haven't bought a non-refurbed Mac in several years now... and couldn't be happier with the quality and reliability of the refurbished ones.
Example: In 2012 I bought a 27" 2011 iMac 3.4Ghz 16GB AMD 2GB 1TB plus 3 years of Applecare for 40% less than the then current new cost.... Great deal indeed!

Mac mini keeps restarting itself....

Hi,
I've just bought a refurb mac mini. The problem is it keeps restarting itself every so often. I've read a post from about a month or so ago saying that it could be something to do with RAM. Can anyone confirm that? I was just wondering if there was anything I could try before having to take it back the the apple store.
Thanks x
Mac mini Mac OS X (10.4.8)

There are a number of possible causes of random restarts, but RAM is certainly one of the more common ones.
Given that the unit has just been purchased, I would return it rather than try and effect a resolution yourself, particularly since many of the potential fixes involve opening the system up, and the common causes would indicate that the system had previously been worked on.

Which Mac Mini

I think that a Mac Mini may be best for me. On another thread I ID'd a system under $1000 that looks fine. But, I have quesitons.
Sometimes it may be best to buy a refurb, as there is no educational discount, etc. for a mini anyway. I thought an i7, non-server, if/when available might be a good buy - any issues with them? What is the 'best buy' refurb in a Mini?
Should I WAIT till the new release? (I am starting to knuckle under becuase my son MAY need it (actually my old iMacG5) for home schooling quicker than I thought).
I MAY try a 23" HDTV (1080) as the monitor for starters.
I am reading of video issues, etc., and need to ask HOW are these computers?
Thanks.
(My history - I had the old G3 iMacDVSEs (2) and both were buggy as heck, and despite that I bought the G5. It is still running solid after 7 years. My oldest son's powerbook has been fine. So when I read any issues I get a bit leery (although I know problems get posted much more readily).

Factory refurbished Macs are fine and come with a factory new warranty. The downside is there are few available and those that are get snapped up very quickly, but don't expect a huge discount from new. Usually they go for $50 to $100 below new list. The best sources I know of are Apple and SmallDog Electronics. The only difference between a Mac mini and a Mac mini Server is the Server comes with two drives and the $30 OS X Server application already installed.
There have been some issues reported with HDMI monitors, but supposedly that will be corrected with a OS X update.
I have a Late 2012 Mac mini with 2.6 GHz quad core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, a 1.1 TB Fusion drive and a 27" Apple Thunderbolt monitor running the "fusion drive" version of OS X 10.8.4. I have had zero problems and the performance is excellent.
Note: if you are upgrading from a G5 none, I repeat none, of your G5 software will work, but of course that is true of all new Macs.

Mac mini refurbs?

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