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Apple Mac mini - nVidia 9400M Edition Review

Author Hugo Jobling
Published 23rd Mar 2009
Manufacturer Apple
Supplier Apple Store UK/Ireland
Price From £499
Latest Price Click here
Design Score 10 for Design
Features Score 9 for Features
Performance Score 8 for Performance
Value Score 8 for Value
Overall Score 9 for Overall
Apple Mac mini - nVidia 9400M Edition
award recommended

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The only Windows-based system I can think of that is really worth considering as an alternative to the Mac mini is Dell's Studio Hybrid. Not only do I think the Hybrid looks almost as good as the Mac mini, but it can also be specced nearly identically for around the same price. Moreover, the Hybrid offers a standard DVI output and HDMI connectivity!

Of course at this point the mini pulls out the "I run Mac OS" trump card and, it should be pointed out, also has a significantly more powerful graphics chip. Nonetheless, if OS X isn't your cup of tea or you want a simple-to-setup under-the-TV computer, the Hybrid is probably the better choice.


Some competition to the Mac mini also comes, oddly enough, from Apple itself. Unless you're adamant about keeping your current monitor, keyboard, mouse and such like the iMac - especially the new £1,199 24in system - is a tempting alternative and offers an even more compact and powerful solution.

However, while configuring a system with a faster CPU, a load of RAM or a higher capacity hard drive may well push the price up, none of those upgrades are needed for the kind of day-to-day computing the Mac mini is geared towards. Simply add 2GB of RAM to the base system and the resulting £539 Mac mini will be more than happy to chew through any task the average user could possibly throw at.

Verdict

For general everyday computing - web browsing, sending and reading emails, perhaps the odd bit of word processing or even kicking back and watching a DVD, the Mac mini is a more than capable machine. That it just so happens to look fantastic and have an almost infeasibly small form-factor is all the better. To see and use a Mac mini is to want one, and I can't imagine any owner being disappointed with the purchase.

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Latest 4 of 44 Comments

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comment TheVoice said on 24th March 2009

"Andy said on 23rd March 2009

As a discussion point, were this version of the Mac mini to cost the same but have 2GB of RAM instead of 1GB, what difference woul... more

comment GoldenGuy said on 24th March 2009

You know what might clear this up? If Apple declared a standard 'OS X tax' on the surcharges column of your bill! That way they would actually clear up exactly how much o... more

comment GherkinG said on 25th March 2009

Hi Hugo, could you comment on the fan noise of the mini?
All aspects of this box look great, but I'm worried that packing a C2D in with a hot chipset might make the uni... more

comment Hugo said on 25th March 2009

It was completely inaudible in all my testing - running HD quicktime videos, playing around in iLife stuff etc et.

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