- #MAC MINI SERVER VS HOW TO#
- #MAC MINI SERVER VS INSTALL#
- #MAC MINI SERVER VS PRO#
- #MAC MINI SERVER VS SOFTWARE#
- #MAC MINI SERVER VS PLUS#
#MAC MINI SERVER VS SOFTWARE#
It featured more advanced components and internal software updates, and it switched the CPU to the Intel Core Solo. In February 2006, Apple announced the second-generation lineup. In January 2005, the original Mac Mini was introduced with the PowerPC G4 CPU. The machine was initially branded as "BYODKM" (Bring Your Own Display, Keyboard, and Mouse) as a strategic pitch to encourage users to switch from PCs running operating systems such as Microsoft Windows and Linux. Since launch, it has shipped without a display, keyboard, and mouse.
#MAC MINI SERVER VS PRO#
As of 2022, it is positioned between the consumer all-in-one iMac and the professional Mac Studio and Mac Pro as one of four current Macintosh desktop computers. Mac Mini (stylized as Mac mini) is a small form factor desktop computer developed and marketed by Apple Inc. IMac, Mac Pro, iMac Pro, Developer Transition Kit, Mac Studio Intel Core Duo, Core 2 Duo and Core i3 (previously).Apple M1, Intel Core i5 and Core i7 (currently).In System Preferences > Sharing, just check the Media Sharing box. Ensuring your Mac mini is also a solid computer should help media files play well from the server to whatever device you’re using.Īt least macOS makes setting your Mac mini up as a media server fairly simple. Regardless of the Mac mini model you’re starting with, you’ll need the space for photos, videos, and music.
Storage is really key if you want to use your Mac mini as a media server.
#MAC MINI SERVER VS INSTALL#
If you’re tech-savvy you can even install dual hard disks into some models to make them more capable computers, and therefore better servers. If you have an older version of the Mac mini, though, it can still be customized with things like external hard drives. So it’s great that you can just buy a Mac mini that can handle a lot right off the bat. The more activity the server will be seeing from different users and devices the more computing power you’ll want. These Mac minis can have up to 2TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. The M1 chip available in them makes them really powerful computers-more powerful than their Intel chip predecessors. That might not be necessary with recent Mac mini models. It’s also a rare Apple product that can be physically opened and altered by users, should you want to add or alter hardware inside of the machine. With four Thunderbolt ports fast enough for external accessories that add things like storage, the Mac mini is pretty customizable. Thankfully the Mac mini is easily outfitted with such hardware. But if you want multiple people accessing your server, or to stream media from it, you’ll need some additional hardware in addition to the macOS features we described above. Many features built into the Mac mini can make it into a good private server.
#MAC MINI SERVER VS PLUS#
Then hit the plus button ( +) under the Shared Folders menu that appears to add folders you want accessible via the server. Note that this is different than the Family Sharing option.Ĭheck the box for File Sharing under the Service menu on the left. Once that’s done, you can set the Mac mini up for file sharing by opening System Preferences and clicking on Sharing.
#MAC MINI SERVER VS HOW TO#
Related: How to Keep Your Mac From Sleeping: Methods That Work Namely, you have to make sure your Mac mini is set up to stay powered on and won’t go to sleep due to inactivity so you can continuously access it. If you’re looking to make a server mostly to access or back up your own files, and to share across devices rather than several users at once, this is the perfect setup method for you.įirst, there are a few hardware adjustments to make. Turning a Mac mini Into a Server the Simple Wayįortunately, macOS already has many sharing features available that make turning a Mac mini server incredibly easy, particularly when everything is on the same network. We’ll help you figure all that out, and help you decide if the Mac mini is the best device to use as your server. Which one you choose depends on your needs in a server. There are a few ways to set up a Mac mini to have it specifically act as a server rather than a computer. You can create that server pretty easily and pretty cheaply with just a Mac mini. Having a server is the best way to easily share and back up files or stream media across multiple devices.