The guys at XtremeSystems.org, the home of hardcore modders and computer enthusiasts (they always dominate the Futuremark Hall of Fame for benchmarking), have finally proven that my prediction was correct. It is possible to purchase the cheaper 1.5GHz Core Solo Mac Mini and upgrade it to a Core Duo processor, such as the 2.16GHz Core Duo that XS member Fugger did. I went more in depth about this over at 123MacMini, where I will be posting occassionally about little snippets of Mac news. But don’t worry, nothing will change over here. Read the rest.
The XtremeSystems thread is very impressive, showing the steps necessary to complete such an upgrade yourself. The CPU swap involves removing the motherboard completely, taking off the heatsink and the old CPU. The process is definitely not for the faint of heart when it comes to dismantling a new Mac Mini.
After I sell my Mac Mini I will be purchasing an Intel Mac Mini 1.5GHz Core Solo, 2GB of DDR2-667, a 7200RPM 80GB SATA hard drive, a 2.0GHz Intel Yonah Core Duo and upgrade to the 8x SuperDrive from Apple. I figure that will be a monster web development and media creation machine.
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There we go, this is what I like to hear. Now all you need is a way to tweak the FSB and slap a waterblock on there, there is enough room. Maybe future Mac’s will let you do that, I just want a 2.6ghz Mac Mini, nothing more, nothing less.
Very nice. The future of Apple with Intel is looking very bright.
I think it’s cool that all of the current Intel Macs are using power saving mobile processors. It really makes you wonder what they’ll be using in their Tower Model’s. I can’t see Apple using the an Intel Extreme edition. Just doesn’t sound Apple enough.
Awesome! Looks like Apple is turning an even better company.
Instead of spending so much money on modding your Mac Mini wouldn’t it be nearly the same if you just bought an iMac instead? C’mon, you’ve got to admit that an iMac is one neat machine although it may not have the same processing speed as your ‘modded mini’.
The iMac isn’t an option for me as I already have a 20″ Apple Cinema Display.
Great site paul, i will add it to my blog!
Actually you can get a firmware hack online that allows you to rock an iMac 20′ with an external extended desktop using an external monitor. Im not talking about mirroring the screen, but actually extending it like you can using a powerbook, etc…
Since we are talking about Intel Core Macs here, there’s actually no need to hack the firmware on the new Core Duo iMacs. They do
support extended desktop natively, through a DVI port. I use my iMac 2Ghz 2GB paired to a 23″ Cinema Display. Writing using my also new MacbookPro Duo 1.83Ghz, this one
is not as amazing as the iMac – my opinion. It does heat too much, really. Waiting for the T2700 2.33Ghz to be available, then I’m
gonna upgrade the iMac. Sweet! ciao!
I am an avid mac fan but it is disturbing to see these fake comments put up by Apple employees. Sprinkle in a few mild negatives an lots of explination points and it looks like a real conversaition!!! I’m a mac nerd and I know a lot of mac nerds. These people were paid. Nice try.
Are you referring to Fugger and the guys at XS? They are not affiliated with Apple in anyway. He owns XS and has been at the forefront of computer modding, almost strictly only PC modding/overclocking, for many years. I have been following the XS forums for a long time and have no reason to believe any of what you claim.
I like the idea of overclocking a duo mac mini. But really upgrading a mac mini just not worth it at the moment when the cost of a new duo processor is roughly the same as buying a new mac mini, it might be later when the costs fall though.
In my opinion the mac has always lagged in hardware, lag in real world sw operations could always be felt, while PC’s have been fast for a good 10 years. With the intel platforms that’s over. Being a able to do something as simple as upgrading the CPU, and run a competitive OS (with Bootcamp) are promising signs that Apple is finally opening their systems.
I haven’t owned a mac for over 10 years. I’m writing this comment on a MacBook Pro, borrowed from my mom. While my PC at home (otherwise rock solid for a year) crashes whenever I try and plug in my webcam, I can enjoy a superior quality video conference from a cabin in the mountains of Wyoming (connected to the internet by a long point to point wifi link, no less). This is a fine computer. I might just replace my desktop with oodles of wires hanging out of it with one of these hot-rodded Minis!
I just upgraded my core solo mini to core2 with a processor left over from another project. It was fairly minor surgery that has resulted in the perfect home theatre system:
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini1,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 1.83 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per processor): 2 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 667 MHz
Boot ROM Version: MM11.0055.B08
SMC Version: 1.3f4
Serial Number: G86380MBW0D