Apple Mac Mini 2.5GHz Mid 2011

Apple kills off the optical drive in its latest version of the Mac Mini, its smallest and cheapest desktop computer, but there's more to this compact little desktop than meets the eye as Kat Orphanides discovers.

IT Pro Verdict

The lack of an optical drive, very limited upgradeability and the comparatively small base 500GB hard disk won't be ideal for some users. However, these are common traits of Apple's systems; but if your business requires the efficiency of a system where the OS is designed to work with exactly the hardware it runs on, it's easy to make a few compromises. Mac OS X continues to be the default choice for serious design, illustration and layout software largely because of the predictability and stability of both hardware and OS. This latest version of the Mini continues to develop those strengths, with the added benefit of a major performance boost. As ever, you pay a premium for Apple products, but this entry-level option is ideal if you need Mac stability without the painfully high costs associated with iMac models.

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The Mac mini has a decent range of ports, assuming you have no interest in eSATA or USB3. The most noteworthy is Thunderbolt, the combined mini-DisplayPort graphics and external PCI Express device connection standard. It is actually of some use for storage now, but only if you have lot of money to burn - the only Thunderbolt external storage peripheral currently available is Promise's Pegasus R6 RAID storage array, which starts at 615 ex VAT for a 4TB model from the online Apple store.

The Mac Mini is aimed at businesses who already have monitors they can use.

Although the Mac Mini is aimed at businesses who already have monitors they can use with the diminutive little Mac, Apple does sell its own 27in Thunderbolt-capable display for 719 ex VAT. A key advantage of this Thunderbolt display is its resolution of 2,560x1,440 pixels, compared to a maximum 1,920x1,080 for a HDMI monitor. However, unless you need this high resolution and want its dual Thunderbolt ports for less fussy cabling, using standard HDMI or DVI displays is both more cost-effective and allows you to use a greater range of monitors. Thunderbolt is backwards compatible with monitors that have mini-DisplayPort, DVI or HDMI ports using adaptors

However, even with its dedicated AMD 6630M graphics chip you'll only be able to connect a maximum of two displays to this Mac Mini - either one to the HDMI port and one to the Thunderbolt port or daisy-chain two Thunderbolt displays. Triple-head displays aren't an option for the Mini, as the HDMI port is disabled when two monitors are connected via Thunderbolt.

K.G. Orphanides
K.G. Orphanides

K.G. is a journalist, technical writer, developer and software preservationist. Alongside the accumulated experience of over 20 years spent working with Linux and other free/libre/open source software, their areas of special interest include IT security, anti-malware and antivirus, VPNs, identity and password management, SaaS infrastructure and its alternatives.

You can get in touch with K.G. via email at reviews@kgorphanides.com.

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