Apple Mac mini MB138LL/A (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive)  | 
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| Brand: Apple
Category: Personal Computer
List Price: $599.00
Buy New: $589.00
You Save: $10.00 (2%)
New (6) Used (1) from $589.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 50
Media: Personal Computers
CPU Manufacturer: Intel
CPU Speed: 1.83
CPU Type: Intel Core Duo
Processors: 2
System Memory: 1000
Memory Type: DDR2 SDRAM
Hard Drive Size: 80
Shipping Weight (lbs): 6.2
Dimensions (in): 6.5 x 5.6 x 12.6
MPN: MB138LL/A
Model: MB138LL/A
UPC: 885909175598
EAN: 0885909175598
ASIN: B0006HU49Y
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with 667 MHz system bus | | • | 1 GB DDR2 SDRAM (expandable to 2 GB), 80 GB SATA hard drive, and slot-loading slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW) | | • | One FireWire 400 port (8 watts); four USB 2.0 ports (up to 480 Mbps); DVI output; VGA output (using included adapter); S-video and composite video output | | • | Built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T (Gigabit), built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi (802.11g)3; built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module | | • | Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard, iLife '08, and Front Row software included |
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Product Description
The Mac Mini features the powerful 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor. It has two cores, so it's like having two 1.83GHz processors in one! Another great feature is the suite of applications in iLife '08. A full-featured collection of programs that are designed to let you easily take control of your creative projects. iPhoto organizes your digital pics, and has a cool feature that groups them by event. iWeb makes it easy to create your own website. iMovie & iDVD lets you edit your videos and make your own DVD movies. GarageBand gives you the tools to make your own music, and even start your own virtual band! All of this and more is packed inside a svelt and stylish 6.5" body that can fit anywhere! 2 RAM Slots (occupied) 80GB 5400RPM SATA HDD Slot-loading DVD-ROM/CD-RW Combo Drive - reads DVDs up to 8x, writes CD-Rs up to 24x, & writes CD-RWs up to 16x Intel GMA 950 Graphics Processor with 64MB of shared memory (memory is shared with the main system) Ports - 1 10/100/1000 Gigabit Ethernet, 1 Firewire 400 (8 watts), 4 USB 2.0, 1 DVI Out, 1 VGA Out (using included adapter) Built-in Speakers Built-in AirPort Extreme Wi-Fi 802.11g wireless network card Built-in Bluetooth 2.0+EDR (Enhanced Data Rate) module Unit Dimensions - 2 (h) x 6.5 (w) x 6.5 (d) Unit Weight - 2.9 lbs.
Amazon.com Product Description
A great choice for home computing tasks and creating a digital media hub, Apple's Mac mini desktop PC combines design simplicity with powerful computing resources. Nicely compact at just 6.5 inches square and 2 inches high, the Mac mini offers an affordable avenue to dual-core processing power via the 1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo and Apple's latest suite of digital media applications--iLife '08. It also comes with the Apple Remote and Front Row media display software, which enables you to easily play your music, enjoy photo slideshows, and watch DVDs, iMovies, music videos and television shows from across the room. 
Inside its 2-inch-tall, 6.5-inch-square anodized aluminum enclosure, the Mac mini houses the fast Intel Core 2 Duo processor. | This Mac mini also features 1 GB of installed RAM (with a 2 GB maximum capacity), 80 GB hard drive, a combo DVD-RAM/CD-RW drive for watching DVD movie discs and burning your own mixes to CD, Gigabit Ethernet wired networking and 802.11b/g wireless LAN, and the Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system. You'll have to supply your own keyboard, mouse, and display. Preinstalled with iLife '08
Every Mac mini includes iLife '08, the latest version of Apple's award-winning suite of digital media applications, with major upgrades to iPhoto, iDVD, iWeb, and GarageBand and a completely reinvented iMovie. iPhoto '08 now automatically organizes photo libraries into Events that let you more easily manage your growing photo collections, and iMovie '08 can import video from the latest AVCHD, HDV and DV camcorders, as well as from digital cameras, and displays your entire video library whether it's stored on internal or external drives. Both iPhoto and iMovie integrate seamlessly with the new .Mac Web Gallery, Apple's new service for .Mac members to instantly create and host websites for their photos and videos. 
The pre-installed iLife '08 software suite includes a completely redesigned iMovie, which makes it even easier to share your videos on the Internet. | iLife '08 also features iWeb '08, with live web widgets such as Google Maps that let you create even more dynamic websites, and GarageBand '08, with its new Magic GarageBand feature that makes it fun and easy for both musicians and non-musicians to create great sounding songs. Intel Core 2 Duo Processor
The Intel Core 2 Duo T5600 processor has a 1.83 GHz processor speed, fast 667 MHz front-side bus (FSB), and large 2 MB L2 cache. (An L2, or secondary, cache temporarily stores data; and a larger L2 cache can help speed up your system's performance. The FSB carries data between the CPU and RAM, and a faster front-side bus will deliver better overall performance.) The Intel Core 2 Duo's 128-bit SSE3 vector engine handles 128-bit computations in a single clock cycle, accelerating data manipulation by simultaneously applying a single instruction to multiple data. And its two execution cores are designed to share resources and conserve power, helping it to achieve higher levels of performance since it uses fewer watts. Wired and Wireless Connectivity
The small form of the Mac mini features several ports for a variety of different devices. | The Mac mini gives you plenty of room to grow with four USB 2.0 ports on the back--for connecting devices such as cameras, iPod, printer, camcorder, or keyboard--as well as a FireWire 400 port, which enables super-fast connectivity to hard drives as well as digital video camcorders. Share files around your house with built-in 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet as well as 54g Wi-Fi (802.11b/g). The integrated Bluetooth wireless connectivity--version 2.0 + Enhanced Data Rate (EDR)--allows you to use a wireless keyboard or mouse, and synchronize peripherals such as cell phones and PDAs. Enjoy high-quality sound on almost any speaker system with double-duty analog/digital audio. Record digital and analog sources through audio line in, perfect for your latest podcast in GarageBand. Graphics and Video
The Mac mini has a DVI video output that supports digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels and is compatible with the 20-inch Apple Cinema Display and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display. It also supports coherent digital displays up to 154 MHz, and non-coherent digital displays up to 135 MHz. Using the included VGA video adapter, you can connect to analog displays at a resolution up to 1920 by 1080 pixels. Video is powered by the Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, which uses Intel Dynamic Video Memory Technology (DVMT) and provides up to 64 MB of shared video memory. Other Features
- 1 GB of 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM (PC2-5300) on two SO-DIMM with a 2 GB maximum capacity
- Slot-loading Combo drive (DVD-ROM/CD-RW): reads DVDs at up to 8x speed, writes CD-R discs at up to 24x speed, writes CD-RW discs at up to 16x speed, and reads CDs at up to 24x speed
- Built-in speaker
- Meets ENERGY STAR requirements with maximum continuous power of 110 watts
Included Software
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard operating system (includes Spotlight, Dashboard, Mail, iChat AV, Safari, Address Book, QuickTime, iCal, DVD Player, Xcode Developer Tools); iLife '08 (includes iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iWeb, GarageBand); Microsoft Office 2004 for Mac Test Drive; iWork (30-day trial); and Front Row What's in the Box
Mac mini, Apple Remote, power cord, install/restore DVDs, printed and electronic documentation
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 Very dissapointed September 21, 2008
0 out of 3 found this review helpful
Ok, first of, I LOVE apple and their products. I own the original Mac Mini 1.25 GHz motorola G4, and iPod nano, an iPod video, and an iPod touch. But let me tell you, this here is the worst product from apple I have ever purchased. It is CONSTANTLY crashing, even though I have all up-to-date software. Apple made a HUGE mistake switching to Intel. Personally, I prefer my old one to this.
I fell bad about writing a poor review for this item, because I have NEVER had a problem with an Apple product until this.
 My second Mac Mini, perfect for my home theater/media center September 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is my second Mac Mini. My first one still works great, never had a problem with it ever, despite upgrading the original memory and clumsily performing a delicate overclocking operation that brought me up to 1.5Ghz on the old CPU. Still, my old Mac Mini kept on ticking. Never crashed once in over 3 & 1/2 years. Not once. Never once had any issues or problems at all. I just wanted the Intel Core 2 Duo chip and all of the new software (Leopard). I love this new Mac Mini ... much faster at 2.0 Ghz with the Intel Core 2 Duo chip. I sincerely recommend buying an upgrade to the stock memory from 1G to 4G, for around $80, since this Mac Mini shares system memory with the video card. It greatly increases the speed of virtually everything. Some people have said the 4Gig upgrade to the Mac Mini is a waste because it will only recognize 3.5 Gig of the memory. Nonsense. I installed the 4 Gig and my system profiler shows 4 Gig available, installed, and functioning properly. Awesome speed and power. Can now run Windows XP in Parallels faster than on a PC. I also recommend buying a NewTech MiniStack external drive accessory, because it give you a bunch of extra firewire and USB ports.
A new Mac user's review September 21, 2008
The aluminum casing feels strong, and the plastic cover is glossy yet it doesn't seem to show that it gathers too much fingerprints. On the bottom of the Mac Mini is a large rubber grip that's just about the size of the bottom itself. It helps quite a bit should an excess of rocking should happen, that you won't have to worry about it slipping off and falling.
One of the few gripes I have with the Mac Mini so far in my few days of owning one is the location of the USB ports. They are located bottom left on the backside of the mini. Now they are placed in a spot where it won't intrude on the overall aesthetics of the mini, but the location of the audio cable is just above the four USB ports. Someone with larger fingers might have a little bit of trouble should there be a need to take a USB accessory out for whatever purpose. Then again, it could just be some getting used to.
The superdrive is quite noisy at first and there is a bit of a hum when its running. It's completely understandable considering it's less than an inch of being exposed if it wasn't for the mini's casing. My only worry is about how hot the disc gets after even a little bit of use.
I'm mostly a writer, so when buying this, I wanted a word processor and I knew that a good one wouldn't be installed on it beforehand. I also gave a try at iWork '08 with it being only $79 instead of $149.95 for Office 2008 for Mac - Home and Student Edition. With that I'm glad about the purchase, it didn't take too much trouble getting used to it. As a writer, I've hundreds of books lying around both on my desk, and whatever spot can hold a few books. So the small footprint of the mini also persuaded me to buy it.
I could have went for a slimlime tower that some PC manufacturers offer such as what HP offers. I could have got one for more than half the price of what the mini costs. However I dislike the possibility of a virus attack while doing research online. Reading up on 15+ tabs of websites, there was always a possibility of a virus attack. With Mac OS X, I've little worry for any sort of malicious attacks.
A plus side with the built-in speaker is I could listen to music without having to attach any speakers or use my current built-in speakers on my lcd screen. They aren't strong speakers, but for being at a desk, it certainly does it's duty.
For me, I'll take the added security and the small footprint of the Mac Mini.
A little dream computer August 31, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is my first Apple product since the original Apple computer that was my introduction to computers in the early eighties. What a nice change from win computers. No installation crashes--no glitches at all.
I purchased the Mac Mini to connect to a Samsung 46 inch LCD TV for the living room. Connected to an Apple wireless keyboard/mouse combo (more kudos on the Apple design here as well), I can connect to the internet with a BIG monitor and switch back to viewing normal TV without leaving the comfort of my recliner.
The Mac Mini is sleek, quiet and unobtrusive. Though pricier than other options for small footprint computers from HP (and a new one from Dell), the change from a windows computer has been a breeze, and the error free performance has been refreshing. I still have my Gateway in the other room and have set up wireless networking for connecting to the outside world. I am still adding programs and exploring the Mac. So far, not a single regret.
I will eventually add a tuner card, probably and Elgato product, and a separate mass storage device. Looks like I have finally found the best alternative for me for both normal computing and home entertainment.
Simple, fun computing that doesn't take forever to load at startup August 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Let me start first-off that product loyalty is important to me. Marketers love me. When something impresses me with quality, I stick with it.
I made the switch. I still hate the commercials, but I love my new, fast, ready-to-get-to-work computer and if you'll allow me, take you on the journey I took to get here.
My last Windows computer died of natural causes last week. It's not the first Windows PC that did that to me, but this time it was *different*. For months I knew it was barely chugging to the next day, but I kept crossing my fingers every time I hit the "ON" button. It was old, obsolete and completely not worth upgrading, but I stuck with it because I loved Windows XP and the familiar wheeze of an old machine coming back to life. I've had many computers and started with MS-DOS and made the trip all the way through Windows 95, 98, 2000, and XP. I am not a Microsoft hater. I like their products and appreciate their contribution to personal computing.
I built PCs and considered myself a decent techie. Until Vista. I hate Vista. The bloat, the driver situation, and the lack of compelling reasons to upgrade to an OS told me that this was not an improvement over XP. I searched for an XP loaded machine (computers are so cheap now, building one from scratch was out of the question) and came up with some choices that sucked less than others, but nothing to my satisfaction. Again, I could build one as a project but I needed one for work and remembered the last nightmare I had mounting a RAID array for a gaming computer and have been on the wagon since then. That project was like a DoD contract that went overbudget and overboard very, very quickly.
Finally I stopped by the local Apple store and found this odd looking napkin boxed shaped "computer" called the Mac Mini and laughed. Was that a toy? Does a Kleenex come out of it? Ok, I said to myself. I'll be thorough. So, I took a test drive, fully expecting to walk away with a snarky comment on the Mac Mini. I opened the applications and had no idea what I was fooling with, but soon got into the groove and found myself spending serious time with the applications. The Mac staff (I think they were called "Geniuses"?) kept coming buy trying to sell me a computer, but I wanted to keep on test driving it, opening up the applications and doing my best to fend off other people looking over my shoulder.
When I left, I could hear the collective sigh of the "Geniuses," and came back later. I wanted a Mac Mini and wanted them to add 1 GB of RAM. I wasn't happy that they discouraged you from doing this on your own and apparently you void your warranty for even trying to open the box. Fine. I had a spare monitor and compatible pointing device at home. I'd need a Mac Bluetooth keyboard and got one (see my other review).
A week later I am happily integrating my Apple mail program with web mail and installing Firefox. Safari is a nice Apple Internet browser, but not my cup of coffee. I like Firefox more. I picked up the Missing Sync application for my Pocket PC PDA and found drivers for my printer and scanner. I downloaded OpenOffice.org to replace MS Office, which I had already been phasing out of my life. Google Documents is also part of my toolbox, so "cloud computing" is already something I am comfortable with doing. For desktop publishing, I armed myself with a new copy of Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro and was ready to go to work.
Within a few days I was back in business. My dead HP laptop lies in state in a box awaiting scavenging. Maybe it will lie there forever like Chairman Mao or Lenin or like Countrywide Financial Corporation's Living Mummy/CEO Angelo Mozilo.
I can also imagine that someday it will find itself atop a pile collected by WALL-E. I won't be there, I'll be dead and happy that I walked into a pretentious looking Mac store one sweltering summer afternoon with a low expecations and left with a little white plastic bag holding a 3 lb. computer only a few hours later (it took 1.5 hours for them to install the extra GB). Yes, it is worth installing that 1 GB.
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