Upgrade to Mac Mini

Wonder if anyone could advise:
I am currently using my beloved G4 PPC FW800 (1Ghz Power PC, 1.75 GB DDR SDRAM, 250GB HD, ATI Radeon 9800 Pro).
However I have noticed that most NEW software being made available to OSX requires Intel processor eg Imovie (iLife), zbrush 3 etc.
I am planning on using Photoshop, Blender, Poser & ZBrush as the major tools and may upgrade to the latest iLife.
Therefore, would the Mac mini cope with the work load or do I have no choice but to opt for a Mac Pro? The big issue here is finance. I could probably stretch to a mini but the Pro is out of reach. Then again I don't want to waste my cash on something that won't cope. The iMac doesn't really float my boat as I have just bought a 22" Samsung monitor.
I feel an upgrade will eventually become inevitable as soon all software upgrades will become Intel based.
Any feedback would be appreciated.
Thanks
Mark

If you upgrade to Universal (or Intel) versions of your software and get the new Mini with 4 Gig of RAM, it should run circles around your old rig.
I'd also suggest a large external firewire-800 hard drive when finances permit.
If you run legacy (pre-Intel) apps on the new mini, you will incur a significant performance penalty on those apps, because it will invoke the Rosetta emulation layer. Rosetta will also eat up extra RAM, so be sure that you don't skimp there.
If deciding between the faster CPU option or the 4-Gig RAM option, I'd take the 4-Gig RAM. You don't want the Mini to be starved for RAM, because it would then use the Virtual Memory system harder, and this involves the hard drive, which would be the bottle-neck for performance.

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Caught in a conundrum while trying to upgrade a Mac Mini (mid 2010) from Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion

Hi gang,
I am in a very frustrating position as I try to upgrade my Mac Mini (mid 2010) from OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard to whatever the latest version of Mountain lion is. The reason I am doing this is because the original hard drive died and the Mini sat there for 6 months before we decided to get a new hard drive and revive it.
I installed a new 500GB 7200rpm SATA drive and the problems began.
First I couldn't get Mountain Lion installed as a fresh OS installation (using both a USB drive and a DVD to no avail). It just wouldn't go. The grey Apple logo/loading screen would come up and just sit there doing nothing while the loading icon spun.
I then tried installing Snow Leopard (the OS that the Mini came with when it was new). After some messing around, that got done.
However, a peculiar thing happens when the Mini boots. Everything loads up into Snow Leopard, but although the mouse curser moves, I cannot click on anything or use the keyboard for 4-5 minutes. Then it just work (I am typing this on the Mini). This happens every time.
Now, when I updated to 10.6.8, I was able to load up the App Store and download the Mountain Lion install app. I clicked it and went through the initial copying of files and then the restart, but after the reboot, the grey loading screen would not progress. I rebooted again and held down the Option key to check out the available boot volumes, and all I saw was the installation DVD I had in there for Snow Leopard and a hard disk volume called "Mac OS X Installer."
So I booted into the Snow Leopard install DVD and opened Disk Utility to check things out. I did a verify disk and a permissions repair. Interestingly, the first repair I did gave me the message that the ACL was missing from Volumes and that is was fixed. I read something somewhere which talked about the Access Control List and mouse/keyboard issues. But who knows. When I boot back into the Mini as normal I am returned to the fully-functioning Snow Leopard installation, like nothing happened.
And now here is the kicker: it appears that the Firewire bus is hooped. In the Profiler, when I view the FireWire settings I get the message, "Warning: Unable to list FireWire devices." So I am pretty sure the one thing I cannot do is boot the Mini into target disk mode attached to my Mac Pro and installed Mountain Lion that way.
So to recap: I can't finish the Mountain Lion installation because the install won't continue after rebooting because there is something wrong with the underlying base system, which might be hardware (FW bus) related. I think.
Some things I have tried:
Resetting the SMC
Resetting the PRAM
Reparing permissions
Booting into Safe Mode (doesn't work)
Booting into Verbose Mode to observe what happens (I get the "Can't load the Bootcache.playlist" error, which I suspect is related to the screwed up FW bus)
Trying to boot using Internet Recovery (doesn't work)
Booting into Single User Mode and attempting the "fsck -y" etc. sequence to try and repair the ACL that way
So I am stuck.
I guess the question is, should I get an external HD enclosure and install Mountain Lion onto the hard drive that way and hope it works when I put it back into the Mini?
Any other ideas? I have spent a couple days ******* around with this is am running out of ideas...
Any advice would be appreciated!

Addendum: I read on a post here (http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=420169) about removing some kext files in order to trick OSX into thinking that there were no FireWire ports.
I followed the instructions and removed from /System/Library/Extensions/ the following files:
IOFireWireSerialBusProtocolTransport.kext
IOFireWireAVC.kext
IOFireWireFamily.kext
IOFireWireIP.kext
IOFireWireSBP2.kext
I restarted and BAM...Snow Leopard booted crazy fast and the mouse and keyboard worked instantly.
The System Profiler says "No FireWire ports were found."
So this tells me that the FW port is probably the culprit and is messing up the installation.
So how do I hack the Mountain Lion installer and tell it to ignore the FW port, which is obviously quite dead? Or is there something I can do to the Base system that is similar?

HT1444 As an obvious novice I want to know how to upgrade my mac mini OSx 10.4 to a newer system can anyone help?

As obvious novice I want to know how to upgrade my mac mini 10.4 OS X to a more uptodate system

At the Apple Icon at top left>About this Mac.
Then click on More Info>Hardware and report this upto but not including the Serial#...
Hardware Overview:
Machine Name:          Mac mini
Machine Model:          PowerMac10,1
CPU Type:          PowerPC G4 (1.2)
Number Of CPUs:          1
CPU Speed:          1.42 GHz
L2 Cache (per CPU):          512 KB
Memory:          512 MB
Bus Speed:          167 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          4.8.9f1

My mac mini is 2007 and has a core duo so I cannot install lion which needs a 2 core duo. Does this exclude me from the iCloud or is there a way I can upgrade my mac mini?

Mac mini duo core. I want to join the iCloud as I have MobileMe . However my mac mini has a dou core and not a 2 duo core I cannot by the lion app to install. Is there anyway I can upgrade my mac mini to 2 duo core? Or get the iCloud installed any other way?

You must have Lion to use iCloud, although you can still access iCloud.com for the web services. Your email is unaffected.
Basic Information About Moving From MobileMe to iCloud
Apple IDs and iCloud
Creating an iCloud account- Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about the MobileMe transition and iCloud
MobileMe services that no longer sync after moving to iCloud
MobileMe- About moving to iCloud

No sound after Mountain Lion upgrade in Mac Mini.

I upgraded my Mac Mini (Early 2009) to Mountain Lion and I have no sound anymore - I do not see internal speakers in sound system preferences. I tried resetting PRAM and NVRAM, tried headphones jack plugging-in-out trick, nothing works so far. Any ideas?
I used to watch movies in 5.1 sound, but even a simple stereo does not work.
My pref pane looks like this:

I have the same problem: Almost a year later. Like you, I tried all the suggestions given in these forums. Nothing has worked. Is it possible that there is still not a solution after all this time?
Does Apple have a fix yet?
Do any users have a fix?

If I upgrade my Mac mini to Lion, can I still boot from Snow Leopard on another drive/partition?

If I upgrade my Mac mini to Lion, can I still boot from Snow Leopard if it is on another partition/drive?

Yes

Upgrade my mac mini (2010 mid 2.4ghz) memory

hi everyone
i am planning to upgrade my mac mini memory. i have a 2010 mid model mac mini which is support 1066mhz, pc3-8500, ddr3
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No take or send them back, you need PC3-8500.
Computer memory upgrades for Apple Mac mini (Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz) DDR3 - Mid 2010 Desktop/PC from Crucial.com
Apple Mac mini Memory DDR3 / Ram upgrades for 2009 Mac mini & 2010 Mac mini unibody models

Upgrading a Mac Mini

I recently acquired a Mac Mini belonging to my brother after he died. His brother-in-law, a computer programmer, wiped it clean and took it back to factory. I'm confident he did it right. Now I need to bring it up to the highest standard possible. I have already upgraded it to Leopard 10.5.8, from 10.5.4. I don't know the year of this computer. Here is the hardware overview if that would help:
Hardware Overview:
Model Name:          Mac mini
Model Identifier:          Macmini2,1
Processor Name:          Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed:          2 GHz
Number Of Processors:          1
Total Number Of Cores:          2
L2 Cache:          4 MB
Memory:          2 GB
Bus Speed:          667 MHz
Boot ROM Version:          MM21.009A.B00
SMC Version (system):          1.19f2
Serial Number (system):          YM*******YL4
Hardware UUID:          00000000-0000-1000-8000-001FF346AEAC
What is the highest OS I can upgrade to? Can I do it all at once, or do I have to do it in increments? I would love to take it to Maverick, but wonder if that is possible?
~~Margo
<Personal Information Edited by Host> .

1. The newest OS for that computer is Lion 10.7.5.
2. You need to go through Mac OS X 10.6.3 and 10.6.8 to get there.
3. It isn't.
(101278)

I bought a mac mini with Lion pre-installed. If I upgrade my mac mini to Mountain Lion, am I free to install Lion on my older macbook using the mini license?

I currently have two macs. A 2008 macbook which is running Snow Leopard, can run Lion, and cannot run Mountain Lion. I also have a mac mini which came with Lion pre-installed. I plan on upgrading my mini to Mountain Lion when it's available. After I upgrade, it seems like I should be able to install Lion on my macbook using the license that came with my mini.
I have found many articles about making a DVD or bootable USB drive to recover, or install Lion onto other macs. So, I am not tied to the mac app store. And I am not worried about how to install Lion onto the macbook.
I have also read a few discussions about upgrading using pre-installed Lion license. From what I've read, if someone buys Lion through the app store, they can install it on all of their macs. But, if they have a machine the came with Lion pre-installed they can only use Lion on one machine. However it is unclear if that license can be transferred to another machine.
Another common answer that I have seen is, "Don't be cheap! Just buy Lion throught the app store." This is not about money, I'm interested in the technical challange, and the leagal question.
Does anyone have experience with this, or opinions?

If your machine came with Lion preinstalled, you cannot use it on another machine. It is tied to the machine it came with. You are allowed to make a one time transfer of the OS when you sell the machine as long as it remains with that machine.
If you purchase Lion from the app store, you are free to install it on as many Macs as you own - however, if/when you sell one of those Macs, you are required to uninstall Lion as the license is not transferable and you need to reinstall the original OS.
You can read the SLA for yourself - the link to the downloads to all licenses is here:
http://www.apple.com/legal/sla/

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I wanted to know if I bring in a Mac mini to the Apple Store, can they upgrade the mac to a AMD Radeon 6330M? If not, what can I do to play games a bit better?

Nope, sorry, I believe it's part of the Logic board, not much you can do, but how much RAM do you have?

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I tried "Manually select..." but when I insert original CD of Acrobat 5, I'm not able to select it. Version 5 is not a drag and drop install,...i must click on the installer to install 5.

Can't download/install on upgraded 2006 Mac Mini

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If you have a rescue email address (which is not the same thing as an alternate email address) set up on your account then go to https://appleid.apple.com/ and click 'Manage your Apple ID' on the right-hand side of that page and log into your account. Then click on 'Password and Security' on the left-hand side of that page and on the right-hand side you should see an option to send security question reset info to your rescue email address.
If you don't have a rescue email address (you won't be able to add one until you can answer 2 of your questions) then you won't get the reset option - you will need to contact iTunes Support or Apple to get the questions reset
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or try ringing Apple in your country and ask to talk to the Accounts Security Team : http://support.apple.com/kb/HE57
When they've been reset (and if you don't already have a rescue email address) you can then use the steps half-way down this page to add a rescue email address for potential future use : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5312

How do I upgrade my Mac Mini running Snow Leopard to Mountain Lion? Thanks

I have a Mac Mini running Snow leapard. I believe i can update it to Mountain Lion but have read I have to first update it to Lion. This is where Im struggling. How do I get a copy of Lion as I cant download it as there is not an App Store on Snow Leapard.
Any help would be great!

Upgrading to Snow Leopard, Lion, or Mountain Lion
You can upgrade to Mountain Lion from Lion or directly from Snow Leopard. Mountain Lion can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for $19.99. To access the App Store you must have Snow Leopard 10.6.6 or later installed.
You can purchase Snow Leopard by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service. The price is $19.99 plus tax. You will receive physical media - DVD - by mail.
Third-party sources for Snow Leopard are:
Snow Leopard from Amazon.com
Snow Leopard from eBay
After you install Snow Leopard you will have to download and install the Mac OS X 10.6.8 Update Combo v1.1 to update Snow Leopard to 10.6.8 and give you access to the App Store.
You can purchase Lion by contacting Customer Service: Contacting Apple for support and service. The cost is $19.99 (as it was before) plus tax. It's a download.
Be sure your computer meets the minimum requirements:
Apple - OS X Mountain Lion - Read the technical specifications.
Macs that can be upgraded to OS X Mountain Lion
1. iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
2. MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
3. MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
4. MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
5. Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
6. Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
7. Xserve (Early 2009)
Are my applications compatible?
See App Compatibility Table - RoaringApps - App compatibility and feature support for OS X & iOS.
Am I eligible for the free upgrade?
See Apple - Free OS X Mountain Lion upgrade Program.
For a complete How-To introduction from Apple see Apple - Upgrade your Mac to OS X Mountain Lion.
Model Eligibility for Snow Leopard and Lion.
Snow Leopard General requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel processor
2. 1GB of memory
3. 5GB of available disk space
4. DVD drive for installation
5. Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
6. Some features require Apple’s MobileMe service; fees and terms apply.
Lion System Requirements
1. Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
2. 2GB of memory
3. OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
4. 7GB of available space
5. Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.

Is it possible to upgrade the mac mini hard drive?

I have a 2009 mac mini (so before the most recent redesign). Would Apple be able to upgrade my hard drive to a 500gb or 1TB drive? Is it feasible to do it myself?

Michael, you did ask "is it feasible to do it myself?" so Jolly Giant reasonably showed you some legitimate online guides which confirmed it is.
You need to decide if money is no object (in which case ask Apple, and they'll charge you a lot) or consider DIY if you're handy with tools.
Sure, there's a risk, but it's small and that comes back to balancing the risk against the costs. Many, many people have upgraded the HD in their mini, just as you asked, for just the cost of the new disc: c.$50??
"dubious and invasive" is a bit extreme. How else do you think you might swap out the HD?

Want to upgrade my Mac Mini Server OS

I have a Mac Mini with OS 10.6.8, and was wanting to upgrade the OS to a newer version. I'm a bit confused on which version to buy. The Apple App Store has OSX Server for $19.99, but this looks like an add-on for existing mountain lion users. Am I wrong on this, or is there another version of server operating system somewhere out there?
Also, do I have to use a server OS in this model of Mac Mini, or could I just switch to a stand-alone version of OS 10.8? My model has 2.66 GHz, Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3, dual 500 GB HD's. I don't really use this unit as a server at all, and have almost all of the server features disabled anyway.

You can do everything you like.
If you want to upgrade to OS X Server you will have a stand alone version of Mountain Lion at some point during that process, in order to get OS X Server you need to install Mountain Lion first and thus your server will be a non-server.

Upgrade to Mac Mini

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