Summary:
This guide shows you what and how to upgrade your base-model Mini Core Solo into a speed machine. Total cost is roughly $1,539 for everything.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Buy an Intel Mini
Upgrade your RAM
Upgrade your Hard Drive
Upgrade your Processor
Conclusion
Additional Notes
Overview:
This guide offers advice on what to buy and links on how to modify a base-model Intel Mini in order to turn it into a powerhouse. There are three components that will be upgraded: the RAM, the Hard Drive, and the Processor. These modifications require you to delve into the guts of your Intel Mini. If you are not comfortable with this, OWC offers a $99 installation service for everything but the processor upgrade.
Buy an Intel Mini:
As of March 9th, 2006 (the date this article was written), the Apple online store is offering the base Intel Mini for $599. The base model consists of a 1.5ghz Intel Core Solo processor, 512mb of 667mhz DDR2 SDRAm, a 60gb 5400rpm 2.5" SATA hard drive, a combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, Airport (802.11g), and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. The three main component upgrades they offer are the ram, the hard drive, and the optical drive. The maximum amount of ram the Intel Mini can handle is 2gb. Apple offers this upgrade for $300; it can be had for $229 elsewhere. The next upgrade is the hard drive. Apple offers up to a 120gb SATA hard drive, but all of the models are only 5400rpm. Since we want a 7200rpm hard drive for maximum speed, we will look elsewhere. Lastly, Apple offers a Superdrive upgrade over the combo drive, which gives you a dual-layer DVD burner instead of just a CD-RW/DVD-ROM. They offer this for only $50. The cheapest I have found a slimline slotload DVD burner is about $86 online (Pioneer DVR-K05L).
From the available choices, only the DVD burner upgrade is worth it for the purposes of this article. Apple pre-installs the drive for you and offers it for $36 cheaper than anywhere else. Selecting the Superdrive option changes the subtotal to $649. If you are a student, you can get this configuration with your discount for the slightly cheaper price of $624, saving you $25.
Upgrade your RAM:
The Intel Mini takes 667mhz DDR2 SDRAM sodimms (basically laptop-sized memory), up to 2gb (2 slots, up to 1gb each). Apple does recommend using matched pairs for best performance in the Intel based Mac mini. Apple offers the 2gb ram upgrade for $300 ($270 if you're a student), but we can do better than that. OWC offers a matched pair of 1gb sodimms for only $229, which is $70 cheaper than Apple offers them for. This will give you 2gb of Mini-compatible ram.
Visit OWC's website here. Click on Memory, select the Mac Mini on the right, then the Core Solo and click the "Show Upgrades" button (memory should be selected by default). There are plenty of options to choose from; their upgrades are not just limited to 2gb. Memory installation videos are available here on the bottom left in low, medium, and high quality versions.
Upgrade your Hard Drive:
The Intel Mini takes a 2.5" SATA hard drive internally, another laptop product. Apple offers internal drives anywhere from 60gb to 120gb. Unfortunately, Apple only offers 5400rpm models. Currently, the fastest laptop hard drives available are 7200rpm and can be had in up to 100gb capacities. 120gb 7200rpm 2.5" SATA drives are not available at the time of this writing. Also, 160gb drives are coming down the line, but again are not available at the time of writing (nor do we know for sure if the Mini can handle drives over 120gb).
There are currently two contendors for top-dog 2.5" 7200rpm hard drives: Hitachi and Seagate. OWC carries both brands. The Seagate model is $250 and the Hitachi comes in at $240, $10 less than the Seagate drive. Those prices are fairly competitive and you might as well order from OWC if you're going to get the ram from them, too. From my research, the Hitachi is a slightly better drive. Hitachi also offers their 2.5" 7200rpm SATA drive in 60, 80, and 100gb capacities. This is actually Hitachi's second-generation 7200rpm laptop drive, which should give them an edge over Seagate anyway. I would recommend going with the Hitachi 100gb 7200rpm 2.5" SATA hard drive if you want to upgrade the internal drive. Alternatively, you can go with an external Firewire hard drive and use that as the primary boot disk; more details are available at the end of this article in the "Additional Notes" section. Hard drive installation videos are available here on the bottom right in low, medium, and high quality versions.
Upgrade your Processor:
Apple currently offers the Intel Mini in 1.5ghz Core Solo and 1.66ghz Core Duo configurations. The good news is that these processors are upgradable. From my readings on the G4 Mini, the processor was soldered on, which prevented a user from going from a 1.25ghz G4 CPU to a 1.42ghz G4 CPU. Such is no longer the case with the Intel chip. Someone has already upgraded their Mini to a 2.16 Core Duo processor; read about it here. The link offers a variety of photos; no installation video is available as of yet.
Intel currently offers four Core Duo chips that I know of: 1.66ghz, 1.83ghz, 2.0ghz, and 2.16ghz. The first three are easily available and relatively cheap compared to the latter model, which currently runs about $700. You can snag the other three for much cheaper from Newegg. The 1.66ghz T2300 Core Duo is $248, the 1.83ghz T2400 Core Duo is $294, and the 2ghz T2500 Core Duo is $421. Personally, I think that the 2ghz T2500 is the way to go right now; it's a nice, round number and is nearly $300 less than the 2.16ghz T2600, which only offers an extra .16ghz of Core Duo performance. For $300 extra, it's just not worth it in my opinion. $700 can go a long way in another system like a MacBook Pro or even a PowerMac G5.
Although I recommend buying the cheaper 1.5ghz Core Solo Mini model, it may not be a bad idea to buy the 1.66ghz Core Duo model instead for resale of the chip later. The upgrade really only costs $100; Apple offers the basic Core Solo for $599 and the basic Core Duo for $799, but they throw in the $50 Superdrive and $50 upgraded 80gb hard drive in the basic Core Duo configuration. You'll probably have much better luck selling a 1.66ghz Core Duo on ebay than you will a 1.5ghz Core Solo, plus you'll have a larger hard drive if you decide to stick with it instead of upgrading the internal drive (or a larger internal backup drive if you choose to go with an external boot drive). Of course, you can always ebay the 80 gig drive or stick it in an external 2.5" case for backup, too.
Conclusion:
Upon completion of these upgrades, you will have a much more powerful Mini than even Apple's high-end offering for only $315 more than Apple sells their Mini Core Duo for. For $1,224, Apple gives you an Intel Mini with a 1.66ghz Intel Core Duo processor, 2gb ram, 120gb 5400rpm hard drive, and a Superdrive. For $1,539, you can build an Intel Mini with a 2ghz Intel Core Duo processor, 2gb ram, 100gb 7200rpm hard drive, and a Superdrive. The $315 gives you a boost in hard drive speed from 5400rpm to 7200rpm and an increase in processing speed from 1.66ghz (Core Duo) to 2.0ghz (Core Duo), as well as the pride of doing the mods yourself.
There are a few things you can do with the leftover parts. First, you can keep them. The processor won't do you much good unless you have another system to put it in, but may be nice to have on hand "just in case". The ram is in the same boat. The hard drive can be utilized in an external enclosure; just make sure you get an SATA enclosure, not an ATA enclosure. Alternatively, you can try to sell the hardware on ebay or a for sale/for trade forum. This will let you recoup some of the money you invested in the upgrades.
Regarding cost, I know that there is a lot of discussion between upgrading a Mini and just getting a nice iMac with an integrated screen. You can get a refurb 20" iMac for less than the cost of doing a total Mini upgrade as laid out in this article. Actually, that's what I did after I wrote an article on the G4 Mini. I ended up saving about $500 by buying a new iMac over an upgraded Mini (that included a screen and all the other peripherals too). However, you'll be hard-pressed to find a system as small and as cool as the Mini with a DVD burner, built-in wireless and Bluetooth, a 2ghz Core Duo processor, 2gb ram, and a 7200rpm hard drive for under $1600.
(see additional notes in the next post; it wouldn't fit all in one posting)
This guide shows you what and how to upgrade your base-model Mini Core Solo into a speed machine. Total cost is roughly $1,539 for everything.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Buy an Intel Mini
Upgrade your RAM
Upgrade your Hard Drive
Upgrade your Processor
Conclusion
Additional Notes
Overview:
This guide offers advice on what to buy and links on how to modify a base-model Intel Mini in order to turn it into a powerhouse. There are three components that will be upgraded: the RAM, the Hard Drive, and the Processor. These modifications require you to delve into the guts of your Intel Mini. If you are not comfortable with this, OWC offers a $99 installation service for everything but the processor upgrade.
Buy an Intel Mini:
As of March 9th, 2006 (the date this article was written), the Apple online store is offering the base Intel Mini for $599. The base model consists of a 1.5ghz Intel Core Solo processor, 512mb of 667mhz DDR2 SDRAm, a 60gb 5400rpm 2.5" SATA hard drive, a combo CD-RW/DVD-ROM drive, Airport (802.11g), and Bluetooth 2.0+EDR. The three main component upgrades they offer are the ram, the hard drive, and the optical drive. The maximum amount of ram the Intel Mini can handle is 2gb. Apple offers this upgrade for $300; it can be had for $229 elsewhere. The next upgrade is the hard drive. Apple offers up to a 120gb SATA hard drive, but all of the models are only 5400rpm. Since we want a 7200rpm hard drive for maximum speed, we will look elsewhere. Lastly, Apple offers a Superdrive upgrade over the combo drive, which gives you a dual-layer DVD burner instead of just a CD-RW/DVD-ROM. They offer this for only $50. The cheapest I have found a slimline slotload DVD burner is about $86 online (Pioneer DVR-K05L).
From the available choices, only the DVD burner upgrade is worth it for the purposes of this article. Apple pre-installs the drive for you and offers it for $36 cheaper than anywhere else. Selecting the Superdrive option changes the subtotal to $649. If you are a student, you can get this configuration with your discount for the slightly cheaper price of $624, saving you $25.
Upgrade your RAM:
The Intel Mini takes 667mhz DDR2 SDRAM sodimms (basically laptop-sized memory), up to 2gb (2 slots, up to 1gb each). Apple does recommend using matched pairs for best performance in the Intel based Mac mini. Apple offers the 2gb ram upgrade for $300 ($270 if you're a student), but we can do better than that. OWC offers a matched pair of 1gb sodimms for only $229, which is $70 cheaper than Apple offers them for. This will give you 2gb of Mini-compatible ram.
Visit OWC's website here. Click on Memory, select the Mac Mini on the right, then the Core Solo and click the "Show Upgrades" button (memory should be selected by default). There are plenty of options to choose from; their upgrades are not just limited to 2gb. Memory installation videos are available here on the bottom left in low, medium, and high quality versions.
Upgrade your Hard Drive:
The Intel Mini takes a 2.5" SATA hard drive internally, another laptop product. Apple offers internal drives anywhere from 60gb to 120gb. Unfortunately, Apple only offers 5400rpm models. Currently, the fastest laptop hard drives available are 7200rpm and can be had in up to 100gb capacities. 120gb 7200rpm 2.5" SATA drives are not available at the time of this writing. Also, 160gb drives are coming down the line, but again are not available at the time of writing (nor do we know for sure if the Mini can handle drives over 120gb).
There are currently two contendors for top-dog 2.5" 7200rpm hard drives: Hitachi and Seagate. OWC carries both brands. The Seagate model is $250 and the Hitachi comes in at $240, $10 less than the Seagate drive. Those prices are fairly competitive and you might as well order from OWC if you're going to get the ram from them, too. From my research, the Hitachi is a slightly better drive. Hitachi also offers their 2.5" 7200rpm SATA drive in 60, 80, and 100gb capacities. This is actually Hitachi's second-generation 7200rpm laptop drive, which should give them an edge over Seagate anyway. I would recommend going with the Hitachi 100gb 7200rpm 2.5" SATA hard drive if you want to upgrade the internal drive. Alternatively, you can go with an external Firewire hard drive and use that as the primary boot disk; more details are available at the end of this article in the "Additional Notes" section. Hard drive installation videos are available here on the bottom right in low, medium, and high quality versions.
Upgrade your Processor:
Apple currently offers the Intel Mini in 1.5ghz Core Solo and 1.66ghz Core Duo configurations. The good news is that these processors are upgradable. From my readings on the G4 Mini, the processor was soldered on, which prevented a user from going from a 1.25ghz G4 CPU to a 1.42ghz G4 CPU. Such is no longer the case with the Intel chip. Someone has already upgraded their Mini to a 2.16 Core Duo processor; read about it here. The link offers a variety of photos; no installation video is available as of yet.
Intel currently offers four Core Duo chips that I know of: 1.66ghz, 1.83ghz, 2.0ghz, and 2.16ghz. The first three are easily available and relatively cheap compared to the latter model, which currently runs about $700. You can snag the other three for much cheaper from Newegg. The 1.66ghz T2300 Core Duo is $248, the 1.83ghz T2400 Core Duo is $294, and the 2ghz T2500 Core Duo is $421. Personally, I think that the 2ghz T2500 is the way to go right now; it's a nice, round number and is nearly $300 less than the 2.16ghz T2600, which only offers an extra .16ghz of Core Duo performance. For $300 extra, it's just not worth it in my opinion. $700 can go a long way in another system like a MacBook Pro or even a PowerMac G5.
Although I recommend buying the cheaper 1.5ghz Core Solo Mini model, it may not be a bad idea to buy the 1.66ghz Core Duo model instead for resale of the chip later. The upgrade really only costs $100; Apple offers the basic Core Solo for $599 and the basic Core Duo for $799, but they throw in the $50 Superdrive and $50 upgraded 80gb hard drive in the basic Core Duo configuration. You'll probably have much better luck selling a 1.66ghz Core Duo on ebay than you will a 1.5ghz Core Solo, plus you'll have a larger hard drive if you decide to stick with it instead of upgrading the internal drive (or a larger internal backup drive if you choose to go with an external boot drive). Of course, you can always ebay the 80 gig drive or stick it in an external 2.5" case for backup, too.
Conclusion:
Upon completion of these upgrades, you will have a much more powerful Mini than even Apple's high-end offering for only $315 more than Apple sells their Mini Core Duo for. For $1,224, Apple gives you an Intel Mini with a 1.66ghz Intel Core Duo processor, 2gb ram, 120gb 5400rpm hard drive, and a Superdrive. For $1,539, you can build an Intel Mini with a 2ghz Intel Core Duo processor, 2gb ram, 100gb 7200rpm hard drive, and a Superdrive. The $315 gives you a boost in hard drive speed from 5400rpm to 7200rpm and an increase in processing speed from 1.66ghz (Core Duo) to 2.0ghz (Core Duo), as well as the pride of doing the mods yourself.
There are a few things you can do with the leftover parts. First, you can keep them. The processor won't do you much good unless you have another system to put it in, but may be nice to have on hand "just in case". The ram is in the same boat. The hard drive can be utilized in an external enclosure; just make sure you get an SATA enclosure, not an ATA enclosure. Alternatively, you can try to sell the hardware on ebay or a for sale/for trade forum. This will let you recoup some of the money you invested in the upgrades.
Regarding cost, I know that there is a lot of discussion between upgrading a Mini and just getting a nice iMac with an integrated screen. You can get a refurb 20" iMac for less than the cost of doing a total Mini upgrade as laid out in this article. Actually, that's what I did after I wrote an article on the G4 Mini. I ended up saving about $500 by buying a new iMac over an upgraded Mini (that included a screen and all the other peripherals too). However, you'll be hard-pressed to find a system as small and as cool as the Mini with a DVD burner, built-in wireless and Bluetooth, a 2ghz Core Duo processor, 2gb ram, and a 7200rpm hard drive for under $1600.
(see additional notes in the next post; it wouldn't fit all in one posting)
