Posted by Jeffrey Kabbe on June 16th, 2010 in Apple, Hardware, News | Permalink
Mini Workhorse
June 16, 2010When the first Mac Mini with Snow Leopard Server was announced in October 2009, I was intrigued. A Mini with two hard drives totaling 1TB could certainly work as a file, mail, and calendar server for a small office. And now Apple has upped the ante.
At first blush, the new Mac Mini Server seems like mostly a cosmetic change with a minor processor bump. The headline always seems to be the processor, but a 2.53 GHz to 2.66 GHz jump is pretty negligible (and mostly irrelevant for file servers). It’s nice to see that Apple now supports an 8GB RAM configuration. RAM is at a premium on servers. But even if you don’t want to spend the $400 to upgrade from 4GB to 8GB, you’re definitely going to enjoy the new 7200 rpm hard drives.
Previously, the Mini came with what were essentially laptop hard drives, 5400 rpm. The server version now comes with two 500GB 7200 rpm drives. It’s a subtle difference, to be sure. But even minor increases in data access speed will start to add up over the weeks and months.
I have been looking into getting a server for some time. At the moment we are using primarily syncing and sharing technologies. But a central server has some appeal. Now it’s just a matter of finding the time to implement it. The new Mini is cute, but I don’t need another desk accessory.
The new Mac Mini Server is extremely attractive, especially with the big fast drives and the unlimited seat license. Push email to iPhone (without a MobileMe account) is still not supported but the price is still outstanding!
Posted by Rick Holzer | June 19th, 2010 at 8:35 pm
I have gone from solo, to solo with paralegal and law clerk (both part-time). We’re a total Mac office. Where can I learn more about self-implementing a server solution for my office? We, too, are cobbling together our computers via syncing and sharing … Thanks!!
Posted by William C. Ferry | July 16th, 2010 at 12:03 pm