Right, my very inexpensive Mac Mini server just landed on my desk. I ordered it because it was 55% off, and with 8 gigs RAM, 1 TB storage, and 64 bit computing, it’s a definite upgrade over my aging iMac and I want to avoid the spinning beach ball of death when rendering baby or hockey video, or editing large RAW files of the same.
But, before I hook it up to the tv for the big screen experience and make a regular desktop of it, should I be thinking about using it as a server and setting up a home network? I’ve got my iMac, wife’s got a ten year old IBM laptop she’s wedded to, and that’s it… until I get a camera-equipped iPad and Sprout starts chatting with the grandparents on a regular basis.
Just wondering what the possibilities are for getting the most out of this.
Thanks.
Uhm, by the sounds of it, you’re better of using it as a regular computer rather than a server. I mean, what would the benefits be of using it as a server? You can still set it up so you share out disk space if you want to allow the other computers to store files on it, as long as you have a network that all of them are connected to.
I think I’m missing something here from your explanation though…
Probably not. Rather, I’m missing something from my question: the technical know-how to pose it properly.
I’m just wondering how to get the most out of what I’ve got. Was hoping to run the Mini off of the computer, in part to give the rug rat Blues Clues on the big screen tv, and the wife an easier time. Also hoping to milk some of the Mini’s power while sitting at the iMac, so that I would be interrupting the wife’s Korean dramas.
Whatever. I’ll probably end up with the Mini hooked up to a semi-decent monitor and give the iMac to the folks or stick it in my office so I have something easy on the eyes when I’m editing.
It’s not like you can share the processor with other computers, at least not unless you’re using some very specific software.
What you bought yourself might be sold as a server, but pretty much any computer today can be used as a server. The word server doesn’t make it magically different somehow.
What you should be able to do, with the help of an adapter (mini DisplayPort to whatever) is to connect it up to two displays, or a display and a TV (as long as it has digital input). This way you could display video on the secondary display and carry on doing whatever you want to do on the primary display. This would slow down the machine a little bit, but not significantly.
I would get a mini DisplayPort to DVI adapter, something like this shopping.pchome.com.tw/?mod=item … 7103&c=A10 and then get a screen with DVI input. That way you can use the HDMI to connect to the TV, as it also allows for the audio to be played back on the TV without the need of any additional cables.
Does this make sense?
Yep, makes sense. Thanks.