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mac mini quad core removed!

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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Sep 2012
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    mac mini quad core removed!

    so I was looking at mac mini quad this week ., was on the fence got advised to wait - new model coming rumour! ., bad move for once cos the announcement was they stopped the quad core mac!

    then all the refurbs disappeared from the apple store


    I called apple was told - there was a few quad core left at festival walk.. the 2.6 qaud i7 with 8 gig was supposed to be 5270 - but they wouldnt hold it..

    so I burned donw on the bike -


    when I got there - the ,mall was a mad house - as was the shop.. insane!

    anyway they had sold all the 2.6 - so I end up with a 2.3 quad - ( thats OK i think! )

    but its got 2TB drives in side ( was the server edition )

    only 4 gig RAM

    actually I am having a bit of regret....




    wondering about takign it back

    need to price up changing the 1TB for a SSD

    and memory to 8 or 16 gig ( do I *have to have matched pairs? i think 10 gig could be fine?>


  2. #2

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
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    YOu can buy the RAM and fit yourself. It couldn't be easier, just twist the circular cover underneath and pop in the new ram.

    Mrs D has the quad core with 1tb fusion drive - it flies!


  3. #3

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    Sep 2012
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    I guess its the 2 x 1TB drives.. I really want an SSD drive.. I guess I will just have to try an offload them on ebay or sometign,,

    anyone want a brand new 1 TB drive? ( or 2 )

    I was wondering about the fusion drives - but I thought I would just get a SSD becos I work with lots of media files..

    tend to put video on its own drive - away from system - massive increase in drive wear if u are playing video all day long,,,


    must google on the matching RAM pairs - is that ***still***** necessary? I think 10Gig is enuff for me - but 8 could be ropey...


  4. #4

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    Aug 2006
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    > tend to put video on its own drive - away from system - massive
    > increase in drive wear if u are playing video all day long,,,

    Not sure where you read this but I'm pretty sure it's not true, either for traditional hard disks or SSD.

    There is a limit to write (vs read) cycles to SSD but it's very high.

    The reason to use separate big hard drives instead of SSD is cost.

    mobtrio likes this.

  5. #5

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    from experience when running media files - and OS system on same hard drive every day all day ( thats what I do ) the OS drives tend to fry after 2 years - suppose it could be co-incidence..

    also drive thru put can be an issue - s0 better on these big sessions to have drives allocated per use.. long standing tradition in my field..


  6. #6

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    Aug 2006
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    It's a tradition to have different disks for OS and data usually because:

    1. It's a legacy holdover from the days of when a full OS disk would bring down the whole machine.

    2. Makes replacing the (usually very small) OS disks a simple documented procedure if you don't have to worry about a data partition. Classically you'd mirror 2 small OS disks with RAID 1.

    3. If you need faster data access, you can RAID 0 stripe it. If you need it cheaper, you run it in RAID 5. Neither RAID levels lend themselves intuitively to just running an OS.

    On a home setup, you'd probably separate out data because then you can have it reside on big, cheap, semi-disposable disks and allocate your OS/apps to precious SSD space.

    I've never entertained the idea that disks get worn out through read/write operations. They get worn out simply from spinning 24x7 for multiple years or being kept in crappy environments (e.g. vibration within a chassis is bad).

    I hadn't even realised you could fit two hard drives in a Mac Mini. Are they both 2.5"?

    Last edited by jgl; 19-10-2014 at 08:19 PM.
    scrambler likes this.

  7. #7

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    Dec 2009
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    You can add your own SSD to the mini, I have done the very same myself. I have a 250GB SSD + 1.5TB drive inside my 2.3 quad.

    All good.

    scrambler likes this.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Jun 2010
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    So . . . while in a panic you knowingly bought a product with specs less than what you wanted and you have regret now?

    What kind of voodoo magic does Apple cast on people to cause them to go stupid?! It's amazing!

    Skyhook and HK_Katherine like this.

  9. #9

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    Sep 2012
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    thanks for the link - I guess when I got the shipping I am a few $$$ down - beer money mainly - cos I didnt really want the 2 1TB drive - I might just keep one as a back up and swop out a SSD - 256 is enough for system drive,,

    any one have a recommendation where to buy the RAM from in HK?

    its just Lap top RAM? so mong kok should rock?

    perhaps disappoiinted in Apple - maybe communicaiton error - I asked if they could 'hold' it for me on the phone - actually I would have happily bought it over the phone.. it sold in the 30 ins it took me to get to the store... the store was getting into the MTR at rush hour -

    and they had no more - or werent able to confirm stocks else where - ie arm twisted into it... and I am not so free with kids and business to tap my broomstick and go to the stores these days...