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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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Apple Mac mini MB138LL/A (1.83 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Drive, Combo Drive)

(101 customer reviews)

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Availability: Out of stock

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.

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Product Details

Product Weight:	2.89 pounds
Package Length:	9.1 inches
Package Width:	8.7 inches
Package Height:	5.5 inches
Package Weight:	5.45 pounds
Average Customer Rating:	based on 101 reviews

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

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review: 4.5

( 101 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 110 found the following review helpful:

great little Mac Sep 21, 2007 By TechGeek "TXcrude"
I bought this mini to replace a 1.42 GHz G4 mini that just couldn't handle my 6,000+ pictures in iPhoto anymore. It took 1-2 minutes before I could do anything in iPhoto after I opened it.
When I got this machine, I immediately replaced the two 512 MB sticks with two 1 GB sticks that I bought online for about $35 each (much cheaper than Apple). I also had an existing 200GB external drive which is the same form factor as the mini and sits underneath it in addition to a Belkin USB hub (same form factor as well), since you can never have enough USB 2.0 ports.
The machine is great and much faster than my old Power PC mini. iPhoto opens very quickly and I can immediately browse through all my film rolls, even with other programs, such as Safari and Eudora, running. I am glad I waited until Apple changed from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo, although I am not sure how much difference there is between the newer and older Intel mini.
I also love the included remote for iLife. It's nice to be able to browse through iTunes, iPhoto, etc. without the keyboard/mouse.
There are rumors that Apple will discontinue this little machine soon, but I hope they don't as it is a great buy for anyone who already has a nice monitor/LCD. I would like to get a 24" iMac but they are too expensive and I would much rather just buy a Mac mini and hook it up to a 20" or 24" external LCD since I don't like all-in-one devices (printers or computers).

Update (11/2011): This Mac mini is still going strong. I have since upgraded the HDD to a 250 GB, 320 GB and recently a 1 TB drive. The upgrades went smootly and I even installed Bootcamp and Windows 7 (needed for work) onto a 300 GB partition without any problems.

57 of 59 found the following review helpful:

Pretty awesome for such a little guy. Nov 06, 2007 By Pigumon
I have a 3 year old powerbook and this cheap mac mini runs circles around it!! Even though it's completely low end, it's still fast enough to watch 720P HDTV and movies.

I upgraded it with 3GB of ram (though you have to do that yourself, apple will only install 2GB, but 50% more ram makes it MUCH faster. (the max it will recognize is 3.3GB but you'd have to install 4gb for that.. so it's kind of a waste)

You can EASILY hook it up to an HDTV through DVI-DVI, DVI-HDMI, or DVI-VGA. I do this when I download either a broadcast HDTV show or to watch a recorded show or movie from my cable box. You can record a digital stream to the mac mini through the Firewire connection of your cable box.

I recommend getting an external hard drive, and just using the internal drive for applications.
It seems to keep things snappy.

Anyway, I bought this mainly because I need to do 4 illustrations at 4 feet by 6 feet, I used Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, and Corel Painter X all at the same time with documents ipen in each. I saved them as pdfs, and really never had to wait for any functions.

Only 3D and Video apps take time to render, everything else in real time.

So if you want a fairly inexpensive desktop computer (and understand you have to know a bit about computers to do any sort of upgrades) this is really pretty solid.

46 of 47 found the following review helpful:

Especially for those who like to customize peripherals (4+ stars) Mar 16, 2008 By Debbie Lee Wesselmann
This little Mac CPU is perfect for people who want a powerful but inexpensive CPU without the frills. Just 2.5" high and 6.5" square, it fits almost anywhere: on a desk, in a drawer, on a narrow shelf. The unit comes with a Mac SuperDrive for burning and playing DVD/CDs, a remote control, BlueTooth technology, the iLife Suite (iPhoto, iTunes, Garage Band, Photo Booth, iMovie, etc.), and the newest OS X Leopard (on CDs, not installed.) That's it. You have to buy your own keyboard, mouse, monitor, and anything else you'd like to add.

Pros:

-- This little guy is fast and reliable. The 1 GB RAM is good enough for most users, although you can expand to 2 GB. (See Cons.)

-- Size. No more towers!

-- Leopard is utterly fantastic. Make sure you take the "tour" to fully appreciate its capabilities and features since many aren't immediately obvious. It allows easy sharing of files within a network, wireless or otherwise, automatics back-ups to an external hard drive (purchase separately) that can be accessed according to a specific date and time, and in-network video conferencing (again, you have to supply the web cam.) My favorite feature is setting my computer to turn on at the same time every day so it's ready to go when I walk into my home office.

-- The no-frills package allows users to buy their preferred size of monitor. Since monitors bought separately usually cost far less than what Apple charges, this ends up being a cost saver as well. The Apple keyboard works best with the Mac mini since there's a special key for ejecting CD/DVDs, but any keyboard will do.

Cons

-- The memory upgrade is not as easy as it should be. Look online for detailed instructions, including removing the Blue Tooth antenna. (Ignore instructions for the old version of the Mac Mini.) You'll have to take the unit partially apart to get to the memory slots. If you are at all intimidated by working inside a computer, get the extra memory pre-installed.

-- The power button is on the back of the machine, while the Super Drive slot is in the front. This means that the unit must be accessible, both front and back, unless you set the system to turn on automatically. This is the main reason I cannot give this unit five stars.

-- The Super Drive is noisy when it starts up.

For people who want to keep their current monitor and other peripherals, the Mac Mini is an excellent and economical choice. If you need to buy all the accessories, the price can start to add up, and you might want to look at a different computer. Even so, the small size can be a huge bonus for those who are short on space.

I love my Mac Mini, and I've never regretted purchasing it.

26 of 26 found the following review helpful:

Outstanding Computer for the Money Feb 12, 2008 By Charles W. Houseworth
I have been a Windows hacker for over 25 years. In that time I have owned many Intel/Windows based computers, several of which I built myself. But I always felt that Windows was a pain, not to mention unreliable. The latest Vista version is a perfect case in point. Hence my decision to invest in the 1.83GHz Mac Mini to see what the fuss with Apple and Leopard was all about. All I have to say is "Wow". This is one nice computer, especially with a couple of minor upgrades that I did myself in about 30 minutes (1G to 2G memory, 80G 5400 RPM hard drive to 100G 7200 RPM hard drive). Coupled with Fusion, which allows all of my critical Windows apps (Office for example) to run virtualized under Leopard, this little jewel is a very solid, impressive unit. It even fit right in with my home network consisting of three desktops, a laptop, and a home server. I will always use Windows for some complicated jobs, but for everyday use, I will be using this Mini and the accompanying Leopard. They are a pleasure to use. I only regret not having tried Apple sooner. If you are even remotely considering Apple, I highly recommend this unit.

69 of 77 found the following review helpful:

Frustrating at first, but getting better Feb 29, 2008 By Charles Troy Tripp
Getting my Mac to work the way I want has been a little frustrating. First, I purchased the version with only 1GB of memory with the intention of installing additional 3rd party memory (what Apple charges for additional memory is nothing short of criminal). As I am a very old hand at cracking open PCs, I thought this would be a straight-forward process, but it isn't.

First off, opening a Mac Mini on your own violates the warranty! This is an absolutely ridiculous policy on the part of Apple and harkens back to the days of the old Mac 128K. But I plowed on, and found myself stunned by what I needed to open the case: a spackling knife! I'm trying to upgrade a computer, not a house!

Anyway, I get the case off, and am amazed at what a tight fit everything is inside. Things are even more cramped than in a notebook. The directions I found online on how to proceed at this point had me confused and concerned that I was about to convert this Mac into a $600 doorstop, but I finally found the screws I had to remove (note: they are the 4 black screws in the four corners of the mount that holds the Combo drive in place above the motherboard, after you pop off the WiFi antenna). CAREFULLY, I set the Combo drive aside, removed the old memory, and installed two 1GB modules I bought off Amazon from Crucial.

I put everything back together, plugged a DVI-to-HDMI cable from the Mac to my hi-def TV, powered on and: nothing. Panic-stricken, I swapped the original memory back in place, and everything worked fine. Putting the Crucial memory in place: nothing. So I had bad after-market memory. I went back to the original memory, and I had a working computer.

Setup at this point was almost painless. The OS found my wireless network, plus the wireless Apple keyboard and mouse I bought specifically for the Mini, without a hitch. Before I even knew it, I was wirelessly connected to my old laptop; I didn't even have to configure a connection! Neat.

But the picture quality was sub-par. After a day, I swapped out the HDMI cable for a straight PC video cable, and plugged it into the PC port on my TV (fortunately, it had one). I finally found a screen resolution that worked and that was readable from across the room.

However, I didn't have sound. There was a 1/8" headphone jack on the back of the Mini, along with a Toslink cable jack, but I didn't see anything resembling a stereo out jack. After a couple of days surfing the web, I decided that the 1/8" headphone jack must be a plain old unamplified stereo out jack. I used an old 1/8" stereo-to-RCA analog splitter cable, plugged it into the TV, configured the TV to accept the signal, and I finally had what I wanted: a secondary computer I could run from my living room without having a laptop melting its way into my groin.

Now that I've got it set up right, I'm becoming increasingly happy with my purchase. However, the difficulty of upgrading the memory is just inexcusible. Laptops have a simple access port on the bottom where memory can be swapped out, and Apple should have put a similar port on the bottom of the Mini. That way, you could upgrade without cracking the case, and without voiding the warranty. And the case itself shouldn't require a spackle knife to open!

See all 101 customer reviews on Amazon.com