Mac Mini :: Mac Mini - HDD And Thermal Grease Replacement?
Feb 2, 2010
At the moment I'm looking to upgrade my late 2009 Mac mini's hard drive (with 2,5" WD Blue 640GB).
I was looking photos on ifixit on how to do it and get an idea that if I dissassemble mini I can also replace thermal grease too (I have AC's MX3). Usually default thermal greases are silicon based and are not so efficient than MX3.
My basic question is if anyone replace thermal grease on mini already? Is it difficult to remove heatsinks from CPU and GPU? What was the temperature drop? Does mini have "push-pull" based pins for mounting heat spreaders?
I've just bought a dual 1GHz G4 PowerMac MDD off of ebay. I can imagine after a few years the original thermal paste or whatever it is shot (dried up) by now. So fresh application of Arctic Silver Fox grease should help out ---- are there any links to removal / service of CPU heat sinks for MDDs
One of the drives in our 2009 mac mini server 2009 has died. I have taken apart many minis so have no problem taking it apart to replace, but does anyone know which drive is the primary, "Server HD" drive? Would it be the top drive (first drive you come across during disassembly) or the bottom drive closer to the logic board with the two pads stuck on? Just wondering if anyone knows for sure so I can avoid removing the drive that's still working fine.
Also, to keep the server running in the mean time, I am booting to the second drive which is working fine. Just curious, once the dead primary drive is replaced , can I simply use carbon copy clone to copy back from the 2nd drive, or will I need to install snow leopard server back onto the new drive?
With a sharp fingernail I seem to have damages the internal ribbon cable that connects the audio card in my 2009 Mac Mini, and am looking to source a replacement, preferably in the EU. I'm currently in the UK.The part number is 922-8809.
A Google search reveals a few parts suppliers in Europeland, but they are all charging silly prices for the cable, and US suppliers impose ridiculously high postage charges.
had a mac mini hd fail - 3 months from new, light use - and so have just fitted a new sata drive and am trying to install the os from the dvd. It always fails on a random package midway through - failed to verify package, or some such.
I bought another mini, anticipating trouble fixing the first - but i note that it won't let me install from the os dvd's from the new machine! I also have a time-machine external connected to the new mini. I could also link the new and the old via firewire, i believe.
So my question is - how do I get an OS onto the new HD, given the flakyness of the old mini's os dvd's?
I have just listed my mac mini on eBay and I have found out that the DVD drive has died, bugger!
Does anyone have a link to a UK based reseller where I can buy a replacement DVD drive from. I tried eBuyer and Amazon but couldn't find anything that I though was suitable.
If there is ever going to be a new Mac mini, I think it will also lose FireWire. Apple has conceded that FireWire has lost as an general consumer computer interface. This maybe so. Still, if the new Mac mini loses its FireWire port, this will cause people to have less choice when purchasing a new Mac in case they still have an old or new FireWire-based DV or HDV camera. I have a nice Sony HDV camera, and I would hate to sell it. Apple is now telling me I should (but I won't). It is strange to see this new development at Apple, just when other manufacturers are adopting FireWire (an Apple conceived technology) as standard in their offerings.
Over the christmas holidays I decided to re-install my good old PowerPC Mac mini. Over this procedure by accident I attached the power cable from the Mac mini C2D (2007 model) to the PPC mini. Suddenly I noticed a hard humming noise coming from inside the Mac mini that didn't vanished after some shutdowns. I opened the Mac mini and noticed that the noise was coming from the fan. I cleaned it as good as possible but the noise ist still there. All other components are acting quite usual. But the fan is still making this newly humming noise.
So I think I have damaged the fan somehow and now I'm looking for a suitable replacement. Maybe you have any idea which fan's are good and silent?
I've been waiting a long time for the 2010 MPs. My G5 still works for everyday stuff but when I start working on RAW files from my Canon 7D, in LightRoom2 and CS4 it really bogs down. When I look at the activity monitor both CPUs are 100% for extended periods of time.
Has anyone got any experience or opinions on if a new 2010 Mini Server would be a significant upgrade to my PPC dual 2.0 G5? From what I could find the G5's GeekBench is a lowly 1816 , and Engadget tested the 2.4 GHz 2010 Mini at around 3385. That's more than double.
I plan on buying the new MP whenever it might come out but this old G5 is really starting to cramp my work flow and honestly keeps me from doing the photography work that I like to do.
FYI- I don't make any money with my equipment it's purely a hobby thing, and I've picked the Mini Server edition because of the faster HDDs, and I don't need the price and peripherals that an iMac comes with.
I want to replace the Combo drive that's in my 1.83GHz Core2Duo Mini with a Superdrive - has anyone got any suggestions for a UK store that sells one for less than ?40? All I can find are SATA ones, and I think I need a (P)ATA one?
I have an Early 2009 Mac Mini with Mini DVI and Mini DisplayPort. And I have two 1080p HDTVs. The Mac Mini is capable of dual display, and I've gotten it to work before, so the issue is not the TV or Mac. And I have tried both Mirroring and No Mirroring.
I got a Mini DisplayPort to HDMI Adapter (#5311) and a Mini-DVI to HDMI Adapter (#4852) both from MonoPrice. And for some reason I can't get the Mac Mini to dual display, it's only one or the other.
Before I had a Mini Displayport Male and USB Male AUDIO to HDMI Female Converting Adapter (#5969) and I got video on both HDTVs, but not audio at the same time b/c one was USB and one was TOSLINK.
I'm not sure why I can't get video on both monitors. Any help?
I need to connect my 09' Mac Mini to my Yamaha RX-V2700 receiver which outputs to my Sony XBR HDTV. I know the mini has both mini-dvi to dvi and mini-dp to dvi or hdmi available via adapters. I was thinking to go with option 1 however I was wondering what is your opinions? Is mini-display port better over mini-dvi or are they the same? Audio will be carried over optical toslink.
Option 1: Using mini-dvi adapter to dvi: Connect Dvi-Hdmi cable to receiver and output audio with toslink adapter.
Option 2: Using mini-dp adapter to dvi or hdmi: Connect Dvi-Hdmi cable to receiver and output audio with toslink adapter.
The old Mini worked fine with my Westinghouse 24" LCD monitor (HDMI input -connected to Mini via DVI->HDMI cable).The new Mini Server 2010 has HDMI out, so I used a straight-through HDMI cable. The display looks terrible! All of the fonts appear to have a 'shadow' next to them - almost like an old analog VGA with 'interference'.Thinking it could be the cable, I went back to my old Mini's DVI->HDMI cable (and used the new Mini's HDMI->DVI adapter to connect to it). Same results.The Westinghouse monitor's native resolution is 1920x1200. The Mac says that it's configured for 1920x1200.
I do have a copy of the the Mac Mini SL Client software but I don't have another Mac to create the USB restore disc in order to load the client on the Mini Server via usb drive. I don't intend to use the Server Software and don't want to 'activate' the license so I can resell it instead. Can I just use the Server to create the bootable restore disc without 'activating' the Server License and locking it to my serial number? Or is there another way to create the restore disc if you don't have access to another Mac to run disc utility?
Have a new Mac Mini, using an external drive but I can't get it to show up in finder. It's a Lacie 1TB Porsche design HDD, using a USB connection directly into the mini. I tried it at first by connecting to an open usb on my cinema display..no good. Also no good when connected directly into the mini.
My old Mini is in the next room to the wireless DSL modem. It gets one to three max bars, usually two, and it's just through one interior wall. I don't want to spend a bunch of money, I just want to get a little better reception in the next room. I have seen USB wifi antennas advertised. Would that do anything for me? My iBook G4 in the same spot gets full reception no problem.
I have just read a ton of forum posts and want to make sure I am going to buy the right accessories to make my new Mac Mini all it needs to be to run my home theater.1. For 5.1 audio, do I need to buy this product and then just use a standard Optical audio cable to plug into my receiver?2. The new Mac Mini comes with a mini DVI to DVI connector correct? So all I will have to buy is a DVI to HDMI cable?3. Is OWC (other world computing) the best place to buy upgrades for the mac mini? I have looked at the videos on youtube and it seems like something I should be able to do no problem.
I have a Mini Media center that I installed Front Row onto. When I updated to 10.4.11 I found that Front Row was broken and I finally figured out how to get it going again. I'm posting this simply for the spreading of knowledge. What you'll need:
Enabler [URL] Front Row 1.3.0 [URL] Front Row 1.3.1 [URL] Pacifist [URL]
Installing: Put Front Row 1.3 package on desktop. (don't open) Open Enabler and Install Front Row. Enable Front Row (if you get an error you probably already have it enabled). <Restart> Use Pacifist to open FrontRow 1.3.1 package. Find Front Row App (System>Library>Core Services) Install the app and Replace when prompted.
Soo...I just picked up a mini to run plex and use as a media center. Hooking it up to my projector via VGA cable. When I set the display settings to the native resolution on the projector there is a small black line or bar down the left hand side of the screen. Not on the right but only on the left. why this would be happening?
Just a warning, I bought a Mac Mini (2009) and wanted it to hook it up to my TV. My TV does not have HDMI or DVI inputs so I bought a Mini DVI to Video adapter from Apple.But I could not get it to work, then I googled for it and it seems this adapter does not work with 2009 Mac's since it does not output an analog signal anymore!
URL
So anyone that wants to hook up his new Mac to an older TV set with the Video adapter, you are warned.I guess i'll have to buy a Mini-DVI to VGA adapter and then a VGA to SVIDEO converter..
Are there any Wireless USB Adapter Cards to pick up wifi for the Mac mini? I don't have an wifi card built in to mine. So that would help a lot if there was.
When I plug my Intel iMac into our old Sony Trinitron via the S-Video input no connection can be made. Is this a problem with leopard not recognizing my TV or possibly something else?
I have my Mini hooked up through a usb/minidisplayport to HDMI adapter. On my keyboard when I push mute or volume up or down, the computer shows the mute/vol up/vol down icon on the screen when I push it and it makes the volume sound, but it does not actually mute the tv or make the volume go up or down. Only the actual TV controls will make it work.
So our church just purchased a nice refurb iMac to use for media presentations during weekly worship services. We have a projector with a VGA cable, so I bought a mini display port to VGA adapter from apple so that we can connect our shiny new iMac to our big screen.
However, when we attempt to connect our VGA to our adapter, they don't fit together properly. It's like the screws on the VGA cable aren't long enough to screw into the adapter...thus, the cable won't stay connected to the adapter (it just falls out).
Someone suggested getting an S cable to replace the VGA cable, but Apple tells me there's no adapter to link the S cable to the iMac. I'm absolutely clueless...surely there is a way to connect my wonderful new iMac to the big screen.
I'm presently using the Toslink connection for my DAC to room speakers. Can anyone confirm that a second USB connected DAC for headphones would also be live? In short, run two DAC's simultaneously?
I installed a Kingston SSD drive in my 2010 mac mini. If I put the OSX install DVD (grey disc 1), the SSD is not visible in either the installer or disk utility.
The SSD is a Kingston 64 GB SATA 2.5-inch SSDNow V Series Solid State Drive. Cheap drive.
The funny thing is that before i started all this I restored a SuperDuper image of 10.6.4 from my old mini to the SSD using a usb to SATA adapter. Installed and it worked! The SSD booted OS X but the ethernet jack was not working.
Does anyone know of a workaround for installing OSX onto a drive that is not being recognized in disk utility?
I'd like to find a way to reinstall OSX using the grey DVD without having to remove the SSD drive.
