[dkaris]

I would love it if I could replace the conventional and ordinary Hard Disk with an SSD but the only "user upgradeable component" is the RAM. I have heard that replacing the HD is VERY involved and requires some nerve.

Unless the insides of the Mini have changed drastically it is not hard to replace the drive, i actually found it pretty easy.

There are tons of YouTube videos showing such an upgrade. It doesn't seem that hard.
The question is if both an ssd and the hard drive can fit in there. I think there is a mini that has space for both but I am not sure which one.

[smitopher]

I would love it if I could replace the conventional and ordinary Hard Disk with an SSD but the only "user upgradeable component" is the RAM. I have heard that replacing the HD is VERY involved and requires some nerve.

Unless the insides of the Mini have changed drastically it is not hard to replace the drive, i actually found it pretty easy.

There are tons of YouTube videos showing such an upgrade. It doesn't seem that hard.
The question is if both an ssd and the hard drive can fit in there. I think there is a mini that has space for both but I am not sure which one.

I'm not sure I'd like to tackle this. Maybe for a good SSD

The Server Edition Mac Mini come with 2 5400 rpm 1TB drives and 2.3GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i7 for $999 USD.

[dieselboy27]

Is anyone concerned about the integrated gfx over the discrete amd of the previous generation?

[smitopher]

Is anyone concerned about the integrated gfx over the discrete amd of the previous generation?

The consensus here seems to be that for HTPC usage, all of the Intel Sandy and Ivy Bridge integrated GPUs are just fine for 1080p videos. Games (for which I have zero interest) are a different matter.

All Mac Minis have the top end Intel integrated GPUs, the HD 4000.

[T800]

I take it to get HD audio from one of these it would have to be running Windows?

[Ned Scott]

I take it to get HD audio from one of these it would have to be running Windows?

I don't know much about the hardware abilities for HD audio, but I do know that Mac OS X currently does not handle HD audio passthrough options, so Windows or Linux will be the minimal requirement for HD audio output.

[runnernorth]

I've asked in another thread in here, if the new mini with Intel HD4000 is able to bitstream, and yes, it is, I was told

---

Ohh, forgot, in windows only!

[gizmotoy]

Is anyone concerned about the integrated gfx over the discrete amd of the previous generation?

The consensus here seems to be that for HTPC usage, all of the Intel Sandy and Ivy Bridge integrated GPUs are just fine for 1080p videos. Games (for which I have zero interest) are a different matter.

All Mac Minis have the top end Intel integrated GPUs, the HD 4000.

Personally I would be a bit concerned. I have the 2011 2.0GHz i7 Quad (Server version from the previous generation) with Intel HD3000 graphics. In Linux and OS X it works perfectly, but in Windows it struggles to animate the XBMC menus. They're extremely choppy, and the framerate drops significantly. Playback seems to be unaffected, though. I thought maybe it was a setup issue or bug, and had two huge threads here of ideas on how to fix it, but nothing was ever found. I filed a bug, but there's been no change there.

So if you're using it in Windows, be cautious. I've been thinking about trying to sell mine and trying to pick up a used/refurbished 2011 with the discrete graphics card. If anyone's tried this out this latest generation with Windows yet, I'd be very interested in the results.