Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

General discussion

Mac Mini Product Study

Jun 16, 2007 9:39PM PDT

Hey all

I'm doing a Product Study of the Mac Mini for my A Levels (like the UK equivalent of SAT's) and would love it if anyone could give a bit of help. It's all about the design issues that arise from the lack of a fan. If anyone knows any gd links or could give me some info, it would be awsome!!

This is a long shot, but if anyone has a Mac Mini they are willing to part with, i'd be happy to pay for delivery costs. The thing doesnt even have to function properly, just be more or less intact.

Cheers all!!

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Actually there are no such issues.
Jun 16, 2007 11:22PM PDT

Nothing beyond your normal heat dissipation design. A fan is not always required so I'll skip all the stuff you can read on google.com about heatsinks and share a condensed version.

Passive heatsinks can dissipate so many Watts per square inch of surface area. The Mac Mini doesn't use the highest speed CPUs so that plus choosing the right size heatsink is all that was required.

No magic here.

Bob

- Collapse -
Thats rather anti-climactic
Jun 17, 2007 4:13AM PDT

thanks!!

now i just need to get an old mac mini

- Collapse -
Mac's without a Fan
Jun 17, 2007 4:35AM PDT

There were a whole range of Mac's that did not have any cooling fan at all and they ran quite happily for years.
2nd generation iMacs, the fruit flavor ones, had no fan.
iMacs right up until the Globe one, had no fan.
The G4 Cube, one sitting on my desk running 10.4.9, has no fan.

If you design the machine in such a way as to benefit from natural air flow, be smart with the heat sinks and generally get your thermodynamic math correct, your machine will run within the required heat tolerances.

The No Fan deal is not a recent phenomenon.

Of course, this could just be a scheme to get yourself a free Mac Mini! Happy

P

- Collapse -
Mac Mini, HAS a fan!!
Jun 17, 2007 4:44AM PDT

Thats research for you!! I'm still doing the product study on the heat dissipation issues from a tiny computer.

I admit this seems like a wicked scheme, but its not. The fact that I walk away with a mac mini is just a lovely coincidence.

I actually bought a Macbook a few days ago, its coming at the end of the week!! (NO CHANCE of me disassembing that)

- Collapse -
You are correct
Jun 17, 2007 10:25AM PDT

the mini does have a fan. One that runs, or not, depending on the internal temp.

However, I never said that the Mac Mini did not have a fan. You were the one saying that you were doing research on computers without a fan and that if anyone had a mac mini that they didn't want.....etc.

So it really is a scheme for you to get a free mac mini because, as the mini actually has an internal fan, it would have absolutely nothing to do with your survey.

P

- Collapse -
(NT) Not a scheme, a lovely coincidence :P
Jun 17, 2007 5:40PM PDT