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Case Mod - In Progress Bid on a Black Mini - a modified black Mac Mini. For sale July 2010

Discussion in 'Project Logs' started by AT0MAC, 22 Jan 2010.

  1. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    crap... just found out I put this in the wrong category, it should have been under project logs :( how do I change that?
     
  2. jhanlon303

    jhanlon303 The Keeper of History

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    Friendly neighborhood mod will move it.
     
  3. null_x86

    null_x86 Thread Closer

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    Nice! Ok, I have to ask, thats the C2D Mini that was released after they got rid of the G4 Mini? It looks identical to it, so :p Looking good though.
     
  4. llamafur

    llamafur WaterCooled fool

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    Nice, now you need to water cool it. :D
     
  5. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    I thought about it for a while, but if so then I would have to put it into a different case.
    Actually I have an old amplifier chassis on stock I could have used for the purpose, but then again - how many watercooled computers have you seen and how many black mac mini's have you seen?
    ;)
     
  6. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    This is the mini 2.1, the one you are talking about is the version 1.1.
    But yes, it's a Intel C2D version, released about august 2007 (referred to a lot of places as the mid-2007 model version) and I bought it January 2008.
     
  7. Krikkit

    Krikkit All glory to the hypnotoad! Super Moderator

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    That looks absolutely fantastic - love that black. What a good finish you got just from a rattlecan and hard work!
     
  8. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    oh sorry to disapoint you but the can is for painting the plastic bottom, the black surface is anodized aluminum made at Computer Choppers in the US.
     
    llamafur likes this.
  9. llamafur

    llamafur WaterCooled fool

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    I was thinking of somehow water cooling it in the same case.:lol: Now that would be "cool" are their any 3rd party cooling solutions you've been looking at for this mod? btw this looks promising. +rep
     
  10. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    I don't remember were I found it, but somebody in another blog mentioned maybe using a Koolance gpu block for the CPU cooling, but would have to figure out some way to mount it. www.koolance.com/water-cooling/product_info.php?product_id=87 ..there is absolutely no room inside a Mini. Also about changing the fan out for something better but at same low noise level will be extremely hard, it's completely integrated into the hard drive mount. But sure, would be cool to even take the cooling to the next level ;)
     
  11. llamafur

    llamafur WaterCooled fool

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    You could probably pull it off by using thin heat pipes like the ones in laptops then have them attached to the aluminum shell.
     
  12. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    Thats actually not a bad idea... Actually the reasson why I choose to anodize the shell instead of powder coat it is because the paint would make it warmer inside - by doing as your say I would take more advantage of the cooling capabilities of the shell. Any idea about were to look for thin heatpibes?
     
  13. PureSilver

    PureSilver E-tailer Tailor

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    Like the black! It's looking good and it's nice to see an individual take on a Mac design (that isn't the G5, at any rate!).
     
  14. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    Thanks M8 :) I have searched and searched but never seen anyone modding a Mac Mini like this and posting to the web
     
  15. null_x86

    null_x86 Thread Closer

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    Ah, gotcha, thats why it has the same HSFs :p btw, I thought 3,1 and up were Core 2 Duos, and 2,1 was only Core Duo and Core Solo?
     
  16. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    The 2006 models were the first Intel models, and sure they came in Core Solo and Core Duo versions at first - the 2.1 versions that came late 2007 got the Core2Duo's. Read more about the timeline of Mini's here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Mini ..version numbers I have from MacTracker app for OSX but am not at home so don't know the version number of the solo models, am writing this from my Nokia E71
     
    Last edited: 23 Jan 2010
  17. llamafur

    llamafur WaterCooled fool

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    I just spent 20 minutes looking and couldn't find anything. I remember seeing a webpage selling just heatpipes. You might want to try ebay.
     
  18. shakka65

    shakka65 What's a Dremel?

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    That case definitely looks awesome. I agree with your decision to change the white top. It doesn't fit. Great mod so far. really like where this is going. Mod on brother.
     
  19. skunkmunkey

    skunkmunkey Minimodder

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    really like this mod, im somewhat of a music fanatic myself, having upgraded to a set of sennheiser hd-650s and Graham Slee solo intro amp. Not graduated to using a DAC yet but its something I am looking to do. Will be following this mod closely as im doing something similar with my media mod, possibly using one of these

    Keep up the good work mate. Btw how do those Denons perform?
     
  20. AT0MAC

    AT0MAC Pirate Captain

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    Thanks :D
    Just send the psd file to the printer today, so hopefully he will start working on it in the comming week, should have it within 3 days after he started (as what he told me)
     

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