07-31-2009, 11:01 PM

hi i am thinking of purchasing my first apple its between an imac or a mac mini but the person in pcworld told me a mini is not suitable because i have it on probably 18hrs a day he said it would probably overheat is this true any help would be very much appreciated thanks

07-31-2009, 11:09 PM

I've had my Mini on for months at a time. Your friend is mistaken I believe.

08-01-2009, 10:39 AM

If I can be sarcastic for a moment. A person at pcworld said that a Mini was a bad idea?

Ok. In all honesty, I bought a Mac Mini back in March and from that time I've turned it off 3 or 4 times (Lepoard and other updates) and for the rest of the time it's running. I have it set to sleep after 3 hours of inactivity which is something you should also consider. I haven't had any issues with overheating or anything..

08-01-2009, 01:03 PM

I've had a Mini since January that I use as a media center. It is one upwards of 6+ hours at a time, playing HD video. I've had absolutely no problems with it.

08-01-2009, 01:07 PM

As long as the Mini is properly ventilated, you shouldn't have any problems. I agree with Raz0rEdge in that you should set the Mac to sleep after a certain period of inactivity - it's good for energy consumption (and the environment). There is no point having it on all day if you're not using it.

What are you planning on using the Mac Mini for?

08-01-2009, 02:12 PM

Originally Posted by heccy1

hi i am thinking of purchasing my first apple its between an imac or a mac mini but the person in pcworld told me a mini is not suitable because i have it on probably 18hrs a day he said it would probably overheat is this true any help would be very much appreciated thanks

Mac Mini's have been out for quite a number of years. If they truly had an over-heating problem...don't you think it would have been solved by now.

The point is...they don't have an over-heating problem.

- Nick

08-01-2009, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

Mac Mini's have been out for quite a number of years. If they truly had an over-heating problem...don't you think it would have been solved by now.

Not necessarily. Just because a first gen product doesn't have overheating issues doesn't mean successive generations are exempt from heating issues. Look at the claims for instance of heating issues with the iPhone 3GS, the third iteration of the iPhone. I'm not saying the Mini is known for overheating (at least to my knowledge) but just because something in the past didn't have a problem doesn't mean it won't now.

08-01-2009, 04:01 PM

My Mini does generate lots of heat! I used to set it on top of my DSL modem/router, but when that went kaput after less than two years, I decided not to set it on the new one. (I hadn't really noticed the heat before.) After reading your post, I lifted the Mini and felt the desk under it. It's very hot, and the wood seems to be drying out. I decided to put a hot pad like you'd use for a hot pan on in the kitchen.

The Mini does not seem to be hot on top. Of course, that's where the slot for inserting discs is located; just under the "lid".

08-01-2009, 06:00 PM

Originally Posted by vansmith

Not necessarily. Just because a first gen product doesn't have overheating issues doesn't mean successive generations are exempt from heating issues. Look at the claims for instance of heating issues with the iPhone 3GS, the third iteration of the iPhone. I'm not saying the Mini is known for overheating (at least to my knowledge) but just because something in the past didn't have a problem doesn't mean it won't now.

Nothing in this world is perfect...but I would like to think that if a company wants to continue selling a product & remain profitable...that they continue to improve their products.

Maybe you do or maybe you don't remember when Apple back in the Mid-90's or so had a problem with batteries "bursting into flames" in some of their laptops.

Well how long to you think that could go on unresolved?...well Apple addressed the problem in a BIG hurry!!!

Give this a read:

PowerBook at AllExperts

If Mac Mini's had an over-heating problem...as the original poster's "PC World" friend suggested...then I'm sure Apple would be very sure that successive products did not have the same problem.

Yes I agree that successive generations of Mac Mini's would not be exempt from heating issues just because previous generation's were free of problems.

But when a product like the Mac Mini that was first released in early 2005...and is currently on something like it's 5th generation WITHOUT over-heating issues...that's a pretty darn good track record to expect that generation #6 will also be free of over-heating issue's.

The main point is...the original poster's "PC World" friend was wrong about saying that Mac-Mini's have over-heating problems...and no one should decide against a Mac Mini due to heat related issues.

- Nick

08-01-2009, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by pigoo3

If Mac Mini's had an over-heating problem...as the original poster's "PC World" friend suggested...then I'm sure Apple would be very sure that successive products did not have the same problem. [...] But when a product like the Mac Mini that was first released in early 2005...and is currently on something like it's 5th generation WITHOUT over-heating issues...that's a pretty darn good track record to expect that generation #6 will also be free of over-heating issue's.

I agree and do believe that if an issue arises in one generation that work is done to prevent it from occurring in the next. While this may be so, new technologies mean new potential problems. So, upgrading a part of the Mini may allow for unforeseen consequences, one of which may be unexpected heat production (or a lack of proper ventilation/cooling). So, while gen 2 may have fixed the problem of gen 1 (hypothetical here), gen 3 may have a new processor for example that may not be cooled properly.

All in all, I agree that with new generations come awareness of the flaws of previous generations but no engineering can account for everything. I don't disagree with your argument - I just think there needs to be caution by assuming that because it hasn't happened before, it will never happen.

08-01-2009, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by vansmith

All in all, I agree that with new generations come awareness of the flaws of previous generations but no engineering can account for everything. I don't disagree with your argument - I just think there needs to be caution by assuming that because it hasn't happened before, it will never happen.

Agreed...nothing is ever perfect...and new products or new generations of current products when redesigned can always develop a problem that wasn't there before.

My main argument is...if a product like the Mac-Mini did (and it doesn't) have an overheating issue...it most likely would have shown up in the first generation.

This is because the Mac Mini & it's new form factor was brand new. No matter how much product abuse testing a company does...the true test is when millions of consumers get hold of your product...and do things to it that the company never dreamed of.

Since Mac Mini's with their new form factor have been out in the hands of consumers for 4.5 years at this point & it's 5th generation (without any over-heating issues). That's a pretty good track record for such a small electronic component packed heat generating device.

If I was a betting man...I would go with the historical statistics...and bet that Mac Mini generation #6 and #7 will also be free of any over-heating issues.

- Nick

08-01-2009, 06:42 PM

Originally Posted by Stretch

I've had a Mini since January that I use as a media center. It is one upwards of 6+ hours at a time, playing HD video. I've had absolutely no problems with it.

This will be exactly why I purchase a Mac Mini. Now, I just need to get to the states. LOL

08-01-2009, 06:54 PM

Mine hosts a firewire external Time Machine backup disk, serves it's iTunes to my AppleTV, and is plugged into my TV for boxee, web browsing and frontrow display. I just set it to reboot every Saturday morning at 3am in System Preferences > Energy Saver > Schedule. No issues with it overheating, even when running Handbrake while all of the above are going on. Good luck, and don't worry about overheating IHMO.