Mac mini (late 2009) v. latest 2010 model

[lelpep]

Am looking to get latest 2010 mac mini but have seen the late 2009 model(MC239AB) for £80 less. This is from an Apple authorised reseller so will have the normal warranty etc. This has 2.53Gb processor and 4Gb of ram. Also external power supply.
Any thoughts please?

[oVerboost]

The general opinion is that if you can get the 2009 model at a good price then opt for that unless styling is important, in which case get the 2010. I bought a 2010 model because here in the UK there were no older models available, and I wanted to try the new one after having a G4 Mini before.

I am happy every single time I've used my 2010 model, no noise, no problems, as with anything mac - it just works! It is fast, does everything I need it to and the reason I opted for a mini over a iMac was because I can change the monitor in the future (which I have done for an HP 2010i which looks like it could be an Apple monitor anyway as it matches so well) and I can take it to different places with ease.

The external power supply could be an issue in the future, but I cannot see it being a major problem on the majority of units lots of electrical devices have a built in power unit, and they don't have any problems.
The RAM can also be upgraded easier on the 2010 model, but can be done on the 2009 just involves a bit more work.

Personally, I would opt for the latest one as the difference is only £80. I've also found it a lot less noisy than my older mac mini was but that was probably down to it's age.

[lelpep]

Not just £80 or so cheaper but also extra 2Gb of memory.
Also 5 USB,my main sticking point is the lack of HDMI socket on the late 2009 model.

[mdgm]

You can purchase a 3rd party mini-display port to HDMI adapter. If your TV has a DVI/HDMI port this should hopefully be smart enough to realise that audio needs to come from the PC Audio in, not from the HDMI.

If your TV doesn't have a HDMI port that is smart like that then getting a 2010 Mac Mini would probably be the way to go.
_________________
Laptop - 2012 15" base rMBP with 16GB RAM
HTPC - 2.0Ghz Mac Mini (Early 09), 120GB 5400 RPM HDD and 4GB RAM
Another Mini - 2.53Ghz Mac Mini (Late 09), 320GB 5400 RPM HDD and 4GB RAM
2011 Mini Server
NAS - 10 x ReadyNAS units

[bnumerick]

One thing to keep in mind is if you need anything that uses the video card (games for example) the new one is substantially faster than the 2009 model. If you don't though the '09 is a better deal.

[philiparcario]

yes if you game the new machine is better, but don't think that it is a killer gaming machine it isn't.
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2010 Mm 2.4 C2D oem 320gb hdd 8gb ram
2012Mm base 2.5 with 16gb ram diy fusion drive
2012Mm quad with 8gb ram oem 1tb hdd

promise pegasus r6 3x 3tb + 3x 4tb =21tb hdds
lacie little big disk 2x 512gb ssds
synology 2tb disk station

[bnumerick]