Home Phone and Internet $60/mo
- log in
- join CNET
- welcome,
- my profile
- log out

Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

Manufacturer: Apple Part number: MB139LL/A

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 Compare with most popular

$759.50 - $799.00 at 8 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.0 stars Good
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 27 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Mac Mini remains unique as the smallest mainstream desktop, but competition from Dell and HP has narrowed the gap in features while also offering room for expansion, and at a better price. If your goal is saving space, the Mac Mini is a winner. If you'd rather get the best deal, there are better options.
Read more

Where to buy

store	customer rating	inventory	tax & shipping	price
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock	Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price	$799.00 Shop now as of 11/21/2008 New
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$794.99 Shop now as of 11/21/2008
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$794.00 Shop now as of 11/21/2008
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$789.00 Shop now as of 11/21/2008
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$798.99 Shop now as of 11/21/2008
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$794.00 Shop now as of 11/21/2008
	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$799.00 Shop now as of 11/21/2008
iUnitek	Not yet rated Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$759.50 Shop now as of 11/21/2008

*Total price for the Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo) are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

show

CNET editors' review

Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

price range: $759.50 - $799.00

Reviewed by: Rich Brown
Reviewed on: 08/27/2007
Released on: 08/08/2007

The good: Fast new Core 2 Duo processor compares well with competing Windows desktops; useful iLife '08 software; supersmall chassis remains unique in the mainstream desktop market.

The bad: Comparable slim Windows desktops offer more features for the dollar, as well as expandability; no information from Apple on whether you'll have to pay for a Leopard upgrade two months from now; free phone support for only 90 days.

The bottom line: The Mac Mini remains unique as the smallest mainstream desktop, but competition from Dell and HP has narrowed the gap in features while also offering room for expansion, and at a better price. If your goal is saving space, the Mac Mini is a winner. If you'd rather get the best deal, there are better options.

Read full review

At the same time it revamped its iMac, Apple also more quietly updated its smaller-scale Mac Mini desktops, adding a faster Intel Core 2 Duo processor in place of the old Core Duo chips. The result is more or less competitive performance compared to similar Windows PCs. The problem is the cost. At $799, the 2.0GHz Mac Mini is roughly $180 more expensive than competing small-scale systems from Dell and HP. And for $200 more, you can get a vastly more capable Windows desktop from a number of vendors. Granted, those price differences do not account for Dell's 530s and 531s, and HP's SlimLine systems also have trimmer dimensions than typical PCs, but neither is as diminutive as the Mac Mini.

On the other hand, neither of those systems is as expensive as the Mac Mini. Both Dell and HP let you build comparable desktops for $620 or so, including wireless networking capabilities, mice and keyboards (which the Mac Mini lacks), and in Dell's case, Bluetooth. All of these desktops now use Intel Core 2 Duo mobile chips (Dell also offers an AMD-based model), with accompanying integrated graphics processors. You'll also find dual-layer DVD burners on all three systems. The Mac Mini comes up short on its hard drive, though. The 120GB, 5,400rpm default model in our review unit lacks in both capacity and access speed compared to the 160GB and higher 7,200rpm models in the SlimLine and Inspirons.

And although their expansion possibilities are limited to low-end 3D cards, Dell and HP at least let you expand beyond the integrated graphics chips that come standard. Due to the closed case and also to its notebook chipset, you have no 3D upgrade possibilities with the Mac Mini, restricting your gaming to lower resolutions and image quality, if any at all. This limited expandability has always been a downside for the Mac Mini, for gaming purposes and in general. You might be willing to accept that if you're in the market for a basic computer, and we also understand that there is cost involved in putting a relatively capable system in such a small case. Still, it's always felt counterintuitive that you should pay more for fewer possibilities, and compared to this new crop of small-scale Windows PCs, that's exactly what it feels like is going on with the Mac Mini.

With the Dell Inspiron 531S as the key competitor (the HP SlimLine we tested is older, and thus it has out-of-date Photoshop and iTunes results), we will say that the Mac Mini, with its 1 gigabyte of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM and its new, 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip, holds its own on our performance tests. The Dell we reviewed uses a 2.3GHz Athlon 64 X2 4400 processor and 2GB of 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM in a configuration that costs $659. And you can see that the Dell and the Mac Mini are virtually tied on iTunes and CineBench performance. It's perhaps no surprise that the Mac Mini has a significant leg up on Photoshop CS3, now available in a Mac OS X-native version. Our Quake 4 test reveals the Mac Mini's 3D gaming limitations, though. Compare the Mac Mini's 10 frames per second to the Velocity Micro's 94 fps. On balance, the Mac Mini shows that it's capable as far as current PCs. That $999 Velocity system is a good example in general of the significant performance leap you can make over the Mac Mini if you're willing to spend a little more.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 image-processing test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Velocity Micro VectorGX Campus Edition

157

Apple Mac Mini Core 2 Duo

163

Dell Inspiron 531

232

Dell Inspiron 531S

250

eMachines T5230

341

Apple iTunes encoding test (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Velocity Micro VectorGX Campus Edition

136

Dell Inspiron 531

172

eMachines T5230

193

Dell Inspiron 531S

193

Apple Mac Mini Core 2 Duo

194

CineBench
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Rendering multiple CPUs

Rendering single CPU

Velocity Micro VectorGX Campus Edition

923

503

Dell Inspiron 531

709

384

eMachines T5230

632

341

Apple Mac Mini Core 2 Duo

625

331

Dell Inspiron 531S

625

339

'Quake 4' (in frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

1,024 x 768 (4x AA, 8x AF)

Velocity Micro VectorGX Campus Edition

94.1

Dell Inspiron 531

69.5

Apple Mac Mini Core 2 Duo

10.3

Of course, there's more to the Mac Mini, or any Apple system, than simply the hardware. The Mac OS X operating system and Apple's iLife '08 digital media productivity suite go a long way toward making up any price differences with Windows PCs. We remain operating-system agnostic, and in a way so does the Mac, given the various means by which you can load Windows on it as well. As we mention in our iMac review, though, we're still annoyed that Apple has a new version of its operating system coming out and hasn't told current and potential Mac owners whether they'll have to pay to upgrade to the new OS. History suggests that you will, and for $129. That makes us wary of purchasing a new Mac right now, especially if we're recommending a lower-priced system to a cost-conscious shopper.

As for iLife '08, we like some elements of it--iPhoto and iMovie's editing capabilities, and GarageBand overall--but we don't like the integration with .Mac that requires you to spend more money on an account for various features. It's also hard to criticize, since it's free with all new Macs. iLife '08 in particular arguably closes the gap in price compared to the HP and Dell systems, assuming you don't already own more fully featured Windows software and that you're interested in the various applications it has to offer.

And as always, one of the gotchas with Apple systems is its support. Yup, it has Genius Bars, which are convenient if you happen to live near one. And the year of parts and labor coverage is what we expect for a mainstream computer. We also find Apple's online support useful, although there's no chat option available. All that is great, but our bigger hang-up remains the limited telephone support availability. Ninety days of coverage is too short, especially for a mainstream system such as this one.

Find out more about how we test desktop systems.

System configurations:

Apple Mac Mini (2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)
Apple OS X; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 64MB (shared) Intel GMA 950 integrated graphics chip; 120GB 5,400rpm Hitachi hard drive

Dell Inspiron 531
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.6GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+; 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT graphics card; 250GB 7,200 rpm Western Digital hard drive

Dell Inspiron 531S
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.3GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+; 2GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 64MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 6150SE integrated graphics chip; 250GB 7,200 rpm Western Digital hard drive

eMachines T5230
Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.3GHz AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400; 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 6150SE graphics chip; 250GB 7,200 rpm Western Digital hard drive

Velocity Micro Vector GX Campus Edition
Windows Vista Home Premium; Intel Core 2 Duo 6320 overclocked to 3.0GHz; 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB Nvidia GeForce 8600 GT graphics card; 320GB 7,200rpm Hitachi hard drive.

See pricing

show

User reviews

Write Review

Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 27 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 27

Sort by:
9 stars

Not exactly a fair comparrison, is it?

by plamasney on August 29, 2007

Pros: Small footprint; Easy to use.

Cons: Ease of use is apparently not quantifiable.

Summary: I look to c|net for thorough, objective reviews that shed light on the pros and cons of today's technology. The review seen here is a little off in ...

Read more

Summary: I look to c|net for thorough, objective reviews that shed light on the pros and cons of today's technology. The review seen here is a little off in that the reviewer has compared the performance of the Mini to that of more powerful machines. Case in point: the Mini used in tests had a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip; the Velocity Micro machine used to compare the performance of the Mini had an Intel Core 2 Duo 6320 overclocked to 3.0GHz. Unless my math is off, that's 50% more processor power! Secondly, the Mini was equipped with 1GB 667MHz DDR2 SDRAM whereas the same machine mentioned above was equipped with 2GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM. So, not only is there 100% more RAM, the front-side bus is just under 20% faster. Thirdly, the hard drive on the Velocity Micro machine was spinning at 7,200 rpm?s whereas the Mini?s hard drive merely putters along at 5,400 rpm?s. Now, I realize that you?d probably have to compare the performance of the Mini with that of a laptop in order to compare component performance fairly, but maybe that?s the point! (The Mini is made with laptop components!! When you compare the Mini with a comparable laptop, the benefits of the Mini suddenly come to the surface: you can change out monitor and you can change out the keyboard.) And we, the unwashed masses, are expected to accept test results that show, not surprisingly, that the Mini doesn?t compare favorably to more powerful machines. The argument the reviewer appears to want us to focus on is cost. Well, for an additional $150 the reviewer could have at least added an additional 1GB of RAM that could have at least evened out the QUANTITY of RAM, setting aside the differences in the speed of the front-side buses. This would have brought the cost difference to $50 ? the Mini still being the cheaper of the two. What would the test results have looked like if that one minor upgrade had been made to the Mini? One wonders. I?m giving c|net the benefit of the doubt that the setup for this review was not made with malicious intent.

Show less

15 out of 20 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Don't Judge A PC By Its Cover

by More Beer on August 29, 2007

Pros: Runs MAC OS X and Windows XP for Under $1000

Cons: Needs More Dedicated Video RAM

Summary: I am an individual that is stuck between my day job and my nightly hobby. During the day I work for a firm that is Microsoft Office based (and other ...

Read more

Summary: I am an individual that is stuck between my day job and my nightly hobby. During the day I work for a firm that is Microsoft Office based (and other Microsoft based back-office applications), and the week nights/weekends have me recording music with some of the top talent in the Midwest. After many years of pretending a Windows OS based machine can handle the requirements within a digital recording/studio setting, this little gem allows me to play the corporate suit-wearing role by day, and then get down to some serious musical creativity at night. I beefed up the RAM to 2 GB and have added an external HD for archival purposes. Simply put, if you were to go out and buy a XP OS based machine, and then turn around and buy a Apple MAC, you are easily looking at $1500+ to have both worlds. With the purchase of this machine, I have been able to use my existing monitor, keyboard, mouse and other USB devices/applications. I highly recommend this little powerhouse. Just make sure you have a large external HD and a budget for adding the Parallels application that brings the XP OS and compatible applications and all its glory to this Intel-based friendly unit. Nice job Apple. Keep up the good work!

Show less

8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Works great, no problems

by desertragweed on August 29, 2007

Pros: No Windows Registry to get hosed. Always works.

Cons: 2 GB max memory, not good for gaming, but I don't do that anyways.

Summary: Gee I haven't had to re-install OS X every few months to straighten out the non-existent registry. I can't count the number of times I had to reinstall ...

Read more

Summary: Gee I haven't had to re-install OS X every few months to straighten out the non-existent registry. I can't count the number of times I had to reinstall Windows XP Pro or use tools to fix the registry on the last couple of Windows PC's I used to have. The Windows Registry is extremely fragile. I can use a VPN client and Microsoft Remote Desktop Client to log into my office PC, and do everything I need to do remotely. I don't have to worry much about viruses and worms getting on the Mac Mini either. OS X takes very little system administration ... just install the updates and it works.

Show less

5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Bad C-Net Review

by kittyhawknyc on September 7, 2007

Pros: Runs OSX and Windows!

Cons: No keyboard/mouse

Summary: First off, the reason I signed up for a C-NET account was to refute a big mistake in the review. The Mac Mini DOES have wireless networking. Unless they removed ...

Read more

Summary: First off, the reason I signed up for a C-NET account was to refute a big mistake in the review. The Mac Mini DOES have wireless networking. Unless they removed it, our first gen 1.66ghz duo has it so I'm sure the new model does too. It has both WIFI and bluetooth.

Secondly the entire review strains so hard to remain OS neutral that they completely gloss over the fact that you can easily load a legal version of Windows which lives happily side-by-side with OSX on this computer. We got our Windows XP Home legally on ebay for about $65 with shipping. For that extra $65 we have a monster machine that allows us to run apple apps where they are happiest and windows apps where they are happiest.

We also have a high performance PC laptop for audio work and even tho it does it's job well, it feels like 1/2 a computer by comparison. I run the Mac Mini on a gigabyte ethernet network with the laptop and have rock solid performance. I also access an apple airport express from both the mac and the windows side with no trouble at all. I will never buy another computer that won't run both OSes again. I know some people have hacked OSX to run on PCs but when you see the simplicity and stability of Apple's Bootcamp software, which is FREE, you'll see why it's such a nice solution. Incidentally, windows XP screams on this computer. It runs natively and again, is rock solid.

Consider that a mouse and keyboard (decent ones) can be had for $50 and a dell 20" monitor for under $200. It's pretty good. What the review also failed to mention was that the starting price on a new Imac which supplies the monitor/mouse/keyboard is not too much higher. If they were going to review $1000 PCs they should've mentioned that option too.

Show less

4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Just bought one! I love it!

by benjiernmd on August 29, 2007

Pros: almost everything in it

Cons: needed to upgrade it to 2 GB

Summary: All my slow-poke programs from G5 ran blazingly fast. I was really waiting for this. Never mind the leopard; tiger is enough.

Summary: All my slow-poke programs from G5 ran blazingly fast. I was really waiting for this. Never mind the leopard; tiger is enough.

2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Great little Machine

by hexen862 on July 26, 2008

Pros: Small form factor very quiet

Cons: Higher price than average

Summary: I originally purchase Mac Mini as 1.5 Intel core solo 512 rams 60GB HD.
Brand New at discount price $C300.00, I was very hesitant at first consider no
...

Read more

Summary: I originally purchase Mac Mini as 1.5 Intel core solo 512 rams 60GB HD.
Brand New at discount price $C300.00, I was very hesitant at first consider no core duo CPU only offer 32 bit processing power.
After much research online reviews , I was planning to upgrade as much as possible.
Used it for about 6month without any problems, now was time to upgrade my little mini.
First I removed the original CPU which I sold on Ebay for $50.00
Installed Intel Core Duo T7200 4meg cache 667FSB support 64Bit processing purchase locally used for $C100.00
Next upgrade maximum ram 2 X 1GB ram apple original removed from MacBook Pro again used $C40.00
And last upgrade 60 GB Seagate to 320gb HD 8meg buffer 5400rpm final price includes taxes $C124.00
Total $C300.00 Mac mini and upgrades $214.00= $C514.00
I feel I was well within budget compare with new Mac Mini 2.0 sell retails for $C849.00 plus taxes (13%)
Now I have a superior machine used as a PVR lots of storage 5yr warranty on HD
Very happy with my purchase
Any one would consider going this route would
invest in base model only

Show less

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Don't Underestimate the small thing.

by GSTWOSEF on February 8, 2008

Pros: All features included and shipped for Mac Mini.

Cons: No Cons.................

Summary: If you have the monitor, keyboard, and mouse and do not need to buy a new computer with everything shipped, this computer is for you. Apple Computer design a compact ...

Read more

Summary: If you have the monitor, keyboard, and mouse and do not need to buy a new computer with everything shipped, this computer is for you. Apple Computer design a compact desktop computer in which it is bulk-free and most of all, runs in full speed with no fan while the computer is on. The uniqueness of the computer is the philosophy of BYODKM (Bring your Own Display, Keyboard and Mouse), a way to use any monitor, keyboard or mouse with your choices. The possibility are endless!

Show less

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

The mini powerful mac with good features.

by Yelonde on January 9, 2008

Pros: A powerful machine. 2 GHZ dual core, 2 gigs of ram, and OSX leopard. How can it get any better?

Cons: A relativly small 120 gig drive, and a GMA 950 video card. Phooey

Summary: Overall, if you are an artistic person, and you want to buy things on your budget, the mac mini is perfect for you. First of all, the mac mini has ...

Read more

Summary: Overall, if you are an artistic person, and you want to buy things on your budget, the mac mini is perfect for you. First of all, the mac mini has pure power. A 2ghz dual core with 2 gigs of ram is pretty killer compared to today's computing standards. Heck, all my windows computers only have 1 gig, or 512 megs of ram with a single core. 2 gigs of ram with dual cores is a good upgrade. I bought it when it came out with leopard, and I have to admit that the stuff that comes with the OS is pretty nice. I can now say goodbye to my crappy windows movie maker, and I can finally upgrade to something that actually has some real moviemaking capability.

There are a few cons that come with the mac mini, and I have had a particularly bad time with the graphics card. Even my WindowsXP with a 1.5 Ghz single core, 512 meg, and radeon 9600XT gets at least 30 more FPS on halo than the mini can. Halo isn't even playable on the mac mini just considering it. Gamers will not be enthusiastic about the mac mini at all.

However, if you are looking for a fast, small, powerful, intuitive, and simple computer, then I recommend the mac mini. Just make sure you get a large external hard-drive for time machine before you buy one.

Show less

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great Small Form Desktop!

by TwoPynts on September 20, 2007

Pros: Sleek, quite, uses very little space, all the computer you should need.

Cons: Limited expansion, but do you really need it?

Summary: My wife uses a MacMini and our experience with it has tempted me to get one as well. It is just overall a great little machine and powerful to boot! ...

Read more

Summary: My wife uses a MacMini and our experience with it has tempted me to get one as well. It is just overall a great little machine and powerful to boot! It runs games and graphics software with no issues and looks good doing it. We added a miniStack to it for the extra drive and expansion ports and it is a more capable computer than my old G4 tower system.

Running OSX, this thing is a tiny powerhouse. I really can't say enough good things about it.

Show less

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

A Solid Value a Beautiful Package

by Mars21 on September 13, 2007

Pros: Great cross-platform (OSX/Windows) performance. Tiny footprint, Elegant looks. Media PC Capable.

Cons: No 802.11n, only 802.11G. Slower hard drive than needed. Could have more memory at the price. Challenging for most consumers to upgrade.

Summary: Apple has not developed a lowest cost box here. You can certainly find a configuration that has higher performance on some measures, but as an overall package, there is nothing ...

Read more

Summary: Apple has not developed a lowest cost box here. You can certainly find a configuration that has higher performance on some measures, but as an overall package, there is nothing like the mini.

As anyone who read the C|Net review, they really strained to find comparable, mainstream alternatives. The best example were windows-oriented mini-towers but as you can see, these are hardly in the same league. The Mac Mini is tailored to those who want good (not the best) performance in a tiny package. The elegance of the design also lets you put it in your living room as

Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo)

Where to buy

CNET editors' review

User reviews

Submit your review