What do you use your mini for?

Futa_Mill · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:13 pm Post subject: What do you use your mini for?

I started off using my mac mini as a desktop, cause it was my first mac. Then I got a macbook for university, so my mac mini was still used as a desktop for a while then i set it up with my sdtv and played my media files on it. Then i got fed up with the quality so i put xbmc on my xbox and ran my mac mini headless as file server, and show getter, and it's been like that since. Just sitting on a metal rack with a couple of external's hooked up to it. I aslo use toast on it, so i keep my dvi to vga adapter hooked uo to it cause toast is picky and want's a monitor hooked up on it to use it.
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Fox · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:34 pm Post subject:

We use both the minis in our house as desktops; both backed up on a Time Capsule. We don't have a big collection of photos, music or videos that would require a server. In fact, the 320gb internal drive on my home office mini isn't even close to being half-full, despite all the virtual machines I have stored on it.
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Mini 1: 2.3 ghz Core i5; 8 gb RAM, Corsair 240gb SSD, 500 gb Seagate XT
Mini 2: 2.26 ghz Core 2 duo, 8 gb RAM, 500 gb Seagate
Also a Cube, 13" MacBook Air, 20" 2.66 ghz iMac & 11.6" Acer 1810TZ running Ubuntu & openSuse

JohnnyBoy · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 1:12 pm Post subject:

The Mini's my little desktop workhorse. I use it far more than I do my MacBook. It's a shame that the 2.0GHz processor isn't in my Mini and the 1.66GHz chip isn't in the MacBook.
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Intel Mini 2.0GHz C2D (4GB/120GB/SuperDrive/10.5.8 ), 120GB WD Passport, Logitech ergo k/b
iPod Touch (32GB, 3rd gen), iPod Shuffle (512MB, 1st gen)

Smithcraft · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 3:04 pm Post subject:

I think my sig says it all. Wink

SC
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Grumpy old man of computing.

[Desktop] G4 mini - 1.5Ghz 1GB 80GB HDD - Newer miniStack v2 500GB - 10.5.8

[Media System] Intel i5 mini - 2.33Ghz 8GB 500GB HDD - 4 x Hitachi 2TB HDD in a qBOX-SF - 10.7.5 (Thanks Phil!)

Make sure it has pins!

Bandit Bill · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 5:14 pm Post subject:

I use my mini for

-internet
-video server (feeds my PS3/home theater)
-audio server (usually listen to songs via high end speakers/amp connected directly to mini)
-photos

It's pretty much a home entertainment device and an extension of my home theater. If I didn't have a PS3 I would have another Mac mini to fill it's role.

p.s. I use an app called MediaLink to stream content from the mini to the PS3.

devo · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:26 pm Post subject:

Bandit Bill · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:38 pm Post subject:

jazzman · Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 8:45 pm Post subject:

I had been using Mac laptops as main desk machines from 2000 through Nov 2008 when I bought the Mini.

However, while I'm waiting to find a solution for multiple monitors on the Mini, I'm running it as the 'server' with a laptop 'slave' either side of it. All thee machines are networked and run seamlessly together from one keyboard and mouse through the free Teleport software. teleoprt allows dragging of files from one machine to another, and synchronises the clipboard. One has the impression of using just one machine.

I use the Mini for everything.
I'm not interested in watching TV on it or using it as any kind of media server, or playing games. I use it for my work that mainly consists of business communication, web design, architecture, some software development for linguistics, and of course writing. My background music while I work comes from iTunes on the laptop on the left; the laptop on the right serves mainly as the office fax machine, for news, and any apps that have not (yet) been ported to OSX.

This set up also provides a streamlined solution for checking websites quickly in different browsers on different configurations. This is the most time consuming and most boring of all web work - there are just too many browsers around these days.

Teleport occasionally drops the connection between the machines, but this may be due to Bonjour. Anyway, the snags are far outweighed by the advantages.
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What are MacMini users listening to now?
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Mac+, SE30, Classic, 4400 (metal), 603, LC475, iMac bondi (3), iBk orange. In use: iBk 'ice' G3/500, PB12" G4, Mini C2D 1.83, MacBkPro 13", WiFi hub, 1 mouse & 1 keyb thru Teleport, 3 Acer 19", 1 Acer 23"

ESUNintel · Posted: Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:26 pm Post subject:

My Mini works harder than my Windows Home Server Very Happy

It has an elgato tuner to record shows, runs a MagicJack, gets used as a desktop, runs a Linux and a few Windows Virtual machines, runs games, and probably a whole lot more. I have a Windows based media center PC, so it transfers the recorded shows into that or the home server for storage.

MacNcheese · Junior Member Joined: 03 Mar 2010 Posts: 35

My Mini is going to replace my BlackBook as my desktop.
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"You cannot run out of time. There is infinite time. You are finite. Zathras is finite."

Mini~2.66GHz/4GB/320GB/LaCie 2TB, 1TB, 1TB HD /LaCie DVD/CD drive/M2 Tech HiFace digital output/LaCie 324 monitor.
Blackbook (07)
iPod Classic
iPhone 3G


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