OS X Mac Mini 2010 - What is the best version of MacOS and Kodi?
#1
Hi there Smile

Please, could you tell me, which version of MacOS and Kodi is the best for my old Mac Mini 2010?

Earlier I was trying to run Kodi on Mavericks (10.9), but I have some serious issues with the picture. So I was told to use Snow Leopard because is light weight and "clean". So Im using Snow Leopard (10.6.8) and Kodi 14 more than 1 year. I dont have any problems with it, but I have urge to update the system Smile

Is it the situation better or do I have to stay on Snow Leopard?
And after that, what is the best version of Kodi? The latest one? Smile

Thank you for your help! Smile
Mac Mini (2012),  2,3Ghz, i7, 8GB 1600MHz DDR3,  macOS Mojave 10.14.5 Windows 10. Ext HDD 4TB (USB 3.0) ExFAT NTFS, . Kodi 18.3 (compiled 2019-06-28). 
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#2
I can't tell you which versions you'll like best. You would probably have to do your own testing. My own opinion is that if you like what you have then don't update, but I understand that people like to try something new. Very important though that before you do any changes you should create a bootable backup (I use Carbon Copy Cloner) of your current system. That way if you don't like the changes it's easy to revert back.

Many people do believe that Snow Leopard is the best recent version of OSX, but I don't think you'll be able to update Kodi without updating your OS first.
ASUS Chromebox M004U (LibreELEC 8.2/Aeon Nox SiLVO)--->HDMI--->Onkyo TX-NR646--->HDMI--->Panasonic P65VT30
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#3
Hi everyone!

I hope you're enjoying 2017 so far.

I've been a long time user of Kodi, in fact well before the name change when it was XBMC.

I have an Apple Mac Mini "Core Duo" 1.66, Early/Late 2006 - MA206LL/A - Macmini1,1. I couldn't upgrade past Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, so I'm running Kodi 14.0 as I couldn't upgrade past that either. The Kodi 32 Bit version was dropped in favor of the 64 Bit.

For the most part I've been OK using a dated version of Kodi, but lately I've been wanting to upgrade. Although I'm not sure what I should do in order to use the latest Kodi. I know it depends on whether:

1. I'm limited by my hardware
2. I'm limited by my OS
3. Or all of the above


If its 1, does anyone know of an reliable upgrade for my Mac Mini so I can use the latest Kodi?

If its 2, could I change OS to the latest Ubuntu and then install the latest Kodi?

If its 3, I'm stuck as I'd probably need to buy new hardware. Is the Raspberry Pi the best way to go?

Thanks in advance!
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#4
@Solidly
i have a mac mini late 2009 with mountain lion that was my only kodi box until
in the last year i added two chromeboxes/GalliumOS and a Raspberry pi 3/LibreElec
i am thrilled with both and each has its advantages

take a read in the hardware thread for more info
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#5
Hi mxlance

Thanks for your reply.

So you didn't consider an upgrade for your Mac Mini which is understandable. I've just done some research and although it doesn't cost much to upgrade the processor and memory (£15 and £32 approximately at this time)

I am curious about a Raspberry Pi, but a new version is probably due in the few months.
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#6
use the mini as a server and for some time general use.
i wanted dedicated kodi devices so the chromebox and pi3 fit the bill and the budget.

if you are not a power user then (IMO) you can not go wrong.
the chromebox is more powerful i think and we need to use a flash capable browser so galliumOS and firefox or chrome does the job.

hope this helps and good luck
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#7
Hi mxlance

Thanks for your reply.

So you didn't upgrade your Mac Mini which I can understand now I've done some research.

Although it doesn't cost much for a T7600 Intel processor (64 Bit) and 1GBx2 memory (£15 and £32 approximately), its seems a real pig of a job to open up a Mac Mini and disconnect everything to facilitate the upgrade (2-3 hours work if done properly). You then have further challenges to overcome which eventually result with an upgrade to Mountain Lion 10.7 but no further.

Its encouraging the latest requirements http://kodi.wiki/view/Supported_hardware do support Mountain Lion 10.7, but Kodi's next version Krypton will require Mac OSX 10.8 ouch! So that'd be a short while with the latest Kodi Jarvis, then back to being a version(s) behind after Kodi Krypton is released and future versions.

Therefore I'd have to install the latest Ubuntu https://www.ubuntu.com/download/desktop if braving the hardware upgrade as above (and successful). Again https://wiki.debian.org/MacMiniIntel there are several more challenges that can go wrong along the way!

Yes it'd be cheap to upgrade (and I'd feel better breathing new life in to my Mac Mini rather than retiring it), but the time it'd take (more than a day all in all), many headaches, and the odds of success are just too slim for my liking.

I think I'll wait for the new Raspberry Pi, or an alternative as at least it'd be simple to get started, and I wouldn't have to worry about the hardware. There is the added bonus of not having an OS like Ubuntu or Mac OSX sitting in the background taking up CPU resources either.

Thanks for instigating thought mxlance!
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