{"id":63857,"date":"2006-02-28T15:30:52","date_gmt":"2006-02-28T20:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lowendmac.com\/?p=63857"},"modified":"2025-05-07T15:36:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T19:36:27","slug":"mac-mini-core-solo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lowendmac.com\/2006\/mac-mini-core-solo\/","title":{"rendered":"Mac mini (Core Solo)"},"content":{"rendered":"

We cannot recommend the Core Solo version of the Mac mini unless you plan to upgrade to a Core Duo or Core 2 Duo CPU. Performance of the Core Solo model is so sluggish that most buyers who have written us express regret at their purchase. We call the Core Solo Mac mini\u00a0a Compromised Mac<\/a>.\u00a0Because of this, used prices should be<\/em> lower than for the 1.66 GHz Core Duo model, although this is not always the case. If you can find one inexpensively enough, it\u00a0makes it\u00a0an excellent candidate for a CPU transplant.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MacThe Mac mini was the third Mac to make the switch to Intel CPUs \u2013 and the entry-level 1.5 GHz model was the only Mac ever to use Intel\u2019s single-core Core Solo CPU. Both versions of the Intel-based mini include AirPort Extreme, Bluetooth 2.0, Apple\u2019s remote control, gigabit ethernet, and Front Row with Bonjour.<\/p>\n

The Intel-based mini has a 667 MHz memory bus, four times as fast as the G4-based mini<\/a>. The Early 2006 Mac mini supports two memory modules for up to 2\u00a0GB of RAM. There is one bank with two memory sockets, so to upgrade RAM, you have to remove the 256 MB modules that came with the computer.<\/p>\n

Apple says that memory upgrades should always be done in matched pairs, but Other World Computing has discovered that you can use \u201cmismatched\u201d memory in the Mac mini (and some other Intel-based Macs where Apple specifies that upgrades should only be done with matched pairs). Their test results<\/a>show that in general there is more benefit from having more RAM \u2013 even mismatched \u2013 than there is from having less RAM that is matched.<\/p>\n

Front Row with Bonjour allows users to share music, photos, and video over a local network, and the Mac mini can be connected to a television set, making it more of a digital hub than ever.<\/p>\n

The Core Solo Mac mini runs at 1.5 GHz and includes 512 MB of RAM, a 60 GB hard drive, and a Combo drive. It retails for US$599 \u2013 $100 more than the entry-level G4 Mac mini did. Apple claimed the Intel-based Mac mini was \u201cup to four times faster\u201d than the old G4 Mac mini, but that only applies to the Core Duo model<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2006 Mac mini was Apple\u2019s first computer to use Intel graphics and the first Mac in a long, long time to use \u201cvampire video\u201d (that\u2019s where the video bites into system memory). The Intel GMA950 graphics processor uses 80 MB of system memory, so increasing memory beyond 512 MB is a good idea.<\/p>\n

\"BackThe Intel-based Mac mini looks just like the G4-based one from the front, but the rear panel is different. The Intel-based mini has four USB 2.0 ports and no internal modem.<\/p>\n

The tiny Mac mini (6.5\u2033 square, 2\u2033 high, 2.9 lb.) has a minimalist design. On the front, there\u2019s just a slot-loading optical drive and a power light. On the rear, just enough ports to do everything important.<\/p>\n

The Mac mini doesn\u2019t include a keyboard or mouse. Apple says buyers can plug in their favorite USB keyboard and mouse \u2013 or buy Apple\u2019s offerings. Mac OS\u00a0X 10.4<\/a> and later includes support for remapping<\/a> the Windows alt<\/em> and option<\/em> keys to option<\/em> and cmd<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Apple offers several Build-to-Order options, such as 80, 100, or 120 GB hard drives; a dual-layer SuperDrive; Mighty Mouse and a keyboard, or a wireless mouse and keyboard. And with a $19 DVI to Video Adapter, you can connect the Mac mini to most modern TVs using S-video or composite video.<\/p>\n

What You Need to Know<\/h3>\n

Using the\u00a032-bit only Core Solo and Duo CPUs allowed Apple to introduced Intel-based Macs before the Core 2 Duo, which supports both 32-bit and 64-bit operation, came to market. Because\u00a0OS X 10.7 Lion<\/a>\u00a0is a 64-bit only operating system, Core Duo Macs do not support it, so\u00a0OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard<\/a>\u00a0is the end of the Mac OS road for the earliest Intel Macs.<\/p>\n

The most important thing you can do to the Core Solo Mac mini is\u00a0upgrade to\u00a0a\u00a0faster, more efficient\u00a0Core 2 Duo Socket M CPU, although even that won\u2019t give you 64-bit operation. The 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo T7700 is a popular upgrade option, currently $35 and up on eBay. The 2.0 GHz T7200 Core 2 Duo is a bit slower than that but a lot more economical at $12 and up and a huge improvement over this model\u2019s\u00a0single-core 1.5 GHz CPU.<\/p>\n

With a 2 GB memory ceiling, this Mac mini\u00a0would\u00a0never\u00a0run Lion decently, but\u00a0the first generation Intel Macs run Snow Leopard very nicely with 2 GB of RAM, especially after you\u2019ve replaced the poky Core Solo CPU.<\/p>\n

If your Early\u00a02006 Mac mini\u00a0has 512 MB, upgrade immediately. You really need 1 GB to get okay performance from\u00a0OS X 10.4 Tiger<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a010.5 Leopard<\/a>. As of June 2016, you can upgrade to 2 GB for $15 from\u00a0Other World Computing<\/a>, and with Snow Leopard just $20 from Apple, take this Mini\u00a0as far as it will go with RAM and operating system.<\/p>\n

These Minis\u00a0shipped with 5400 rpm 60 GB notebook hard drives, which is not at all practical these days. Newer drives will often provide much snappier performance due to larger data buffers, and 7200 rpm drives will provide faster overall performance. Pulled 7200 rpm drives\u00a0start at $35<\/a>\u00a0for 250 GB these days, new 500 GB drives for $50. For a serious speed boost\u00a0\u2013 like starting up twice as fast \u2013\u00a0Other World Computing<\/a>\u00a0offers a 60 GB solid state drive (SSD) for just $43 ($49 with a USB enclosure for the old drive), although you\u2019ll probably want\u00a0more\u00a0more capacity than that.<\/p>\n

Finally, you can upgrade to\u00a0a\u00a0faster, more efficient\u00a0Core 2 Duo Socket M CPU, although that won\u2019t give you 64-bit operation unless you update to EFI firmware 2,1. The 2.33 GHz Core 2 Duo T7600 is a popular upgrade option, currently $26 and up on eBay. (See CPU Upgrade Options for 2006 and 2007 Mac minis<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Intel-based Macs use a partitioning scheme known as GPT. Only Macintel models can boot from GPT hard drives. Both PowerPC and Intel Macs can boot from APM (Apple\u2019s old partitioning scheme) hard drives, which is the format you must use to create a universal boot drive in Leopard. PowerPC Macs running any version of the Mac OS prior to 10.4.2 cannot mount GPT volumes. PowerPC Macs won\u2019t let you install OS X to a USB drive or choose it as your startup volume, although there is a work around for that<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Details<\/h3>\n