dave2010
11-04-2012, 09:01
I have been wondering about fitting a Mac Mini into my system. The new ones (or the ones yet to come) are powerful as computers, but relatively expensive. Older, G4 models, seem to fetch between £150-£200 on eBay, quite a bit cheaper, though perhaps overall not such good value - though some do have a CD or DVD reader. New ones will have HDMI, which is good for linking to the TV for use also as a video server.
My intention would be to leave the MM on 24 hours/day, so I am interested in power consumption. I don't know how effective the standby mode is on these models, or indeed on other Apple machines, such as the iMac. My iMac uses about 80 to 100 watts when active. I think it might drop to 25 Watts in standby, though it's a while since I measured that. Some machines, such as laptops, seem to have low power consumption when idle - perhaps as little as 10 Watts.
A 1 Watt device on continuously will consume 8.76 KwH per year, and that might cost £1 to £2 at current rates depending on tariff. That'd be £1.32p at 15p per unit. This would obviously scale up proportionately, so a 10 Watt average would cost about £13.20 per year, with a 25 Watt device costing about £33 per year.
Occasionally I might also want to use this as a computer, though as it would be hidden under the TV, the screen would probably be a Mac, or just possibly a PC, accesed via our LAN.
I would prefer a device which overall uses low power, though obviously it might be worth using slightly more power for increased speed and computer power when occasionally needed.
Here there are other considerations. Undoubtedly the new (newest) models would beat my current iMac for CPU performance. Against that there could actually be advantages in using older kit, as that might provide a means of continuing to run some older software. This is no longer possible with the Lion OS, which is one reason why I've not upgraded from Snow Leopard. OTOH, would software updates be a problem with older models? The main reason for wanting round the clock operation is to run audio streaming, and a music server - currently the Logitech one. Would an older Mac Mini do this, and would it be a pain perhaps having to run with older versions, and maybe disabling software updates? I think that the Logitech server will run even with older G4 Macs, though does that make finding tracks to play slower? I believe the audio isn't a problem, but the slow processors may have other effects.
Also, is it posible to control older systems running on G4 processors from newer Intel based machines running the latest OSs? I think so, but I'm not 100% sure.
Alternatively I could get the next Mac Mini, when it appears, and jump to Mountain Lion, and keep my current Snow Leopard system for backward compatibility (via Rosetta) with older software. That might not be such a good option energy wise, though.
My intention would be to leave the MM on 24 hours/day, so I am interested in power consumption. I don't know how effective the standby mode is on these models, or indeed on other Apple machines, such as the iMac. My iMac uses about 80 to 100 watts when active. I think it might drop to 25 Watts in standby, though it's a while since I measured that. Some machines, such as laptops, seem to have low power consumption when idle - perhaps as little as 10 Watts.
A 1 Watt device on continuously will consume 8.76 KwH per year, and that might cost £1 to £2 at current rates depending on tariff. That'd be £1.32p at 15p per unit. This would obviously scale up proportionately, so a 10 Watt average would cost about £13.20 per year, with a 25 Watt device costing about £33 per year.
Occasionally I might also want to use this as a computer, though as it would be hidden under the TV, the screen would probably be a Mac, or just possibly a PC, accesed via our LAN.
I would prefer a device which overall uses low power, though obviously it might be worth using slightly more power for increased speed and computer power when occasionally needed.
Here there are other considerations. Undoubtedly the new (newest) models would beat my current iMac for CPU performance. Against that there could actually be advantages in using older kit, as that might provide a means of continuing to run some older software. This is no longer possible with the Lion OS, which is one reason why I've not upgraded from Snow Leopard. OTOH, would software updates be a problem with older models? The main reason for wanting round the clock operation is to run audio streaming, and a music server - currently the Logitech one. Would an older Mac Mini do this, and would it be a pain perhaps having to run with older versions, and maybe disabling software updates? I think that the Logitech server will run even with older G4 Macs, though does that make finding tracks to play slower? I believe the audio isn't a problem, but the slow processors may have other effects.
Also, is it posible to control older systems running on G4 processors from newer Intel based machines running the latest OSs? I think so, but I'm not 100% sure.
Alternatively I could get the next Mac Mini, when it appears, and jump to Mountain Lion, and keep my current Snow Leopard system for backward compatibility (via Rosetta) with older software. That might not be such a good option energy wise, though.