Mac Mini 1.42Gh as media centre - video stuttering

Question

Mac Mini 1.42Gh as media centre - video stuttering

I bought one of the early Mac Mini's (a 1.42Ghz with 500Mb to be exact). I have been using it as my main computer but since buying a macbook it has been collecting dust. So therefore I've given it a format, installed leopard and connected it to my 37 inch lcd tv in the lounge.

The problem I'm having with it is that if I play any video the audio is ok but the video stutters every so often. This happens in VLC, Frontrow (using Rowmote on my iPhone) and Quicktime.

I'm thinking of giving it a speed boost by upgrading the hard drive on it, but will this sort the problem or is the MacMini 1.42 just underpowered??

MacMini 1.42Ghz, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Aug 22, 2009 12:11 AM

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Answer 1

joshuacuk

Level 2

197 points

Aug 22, 2009 1:18 AM in response to JumpingHunger

It really depends on the size of the video you're trying to play - if its High Definition content, then your Mac Mini is really underpowered for that kind of task. You might find it runs faster with Tiger. How much RAM does the machine have?

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Answer 2

Boece

Level 5

6,264 points

Aug 22, 2009 8:27 AM in response to JumpingHunger

I would agree with Joshua's comments, and that 512 Meg Ram is a bit tight for Leopard.

If you are going to open up the G4 Mini, up the RAM to 1 Gig.

Whether or not you get a new hard drive, make sure that you don't fill your startup hard drive past 90%.

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Answer 3

Aug 22, 2009 9:22 AM in response to Boece

Thanks for the quick replies. As you say that 512mb is not enough for leopard I've still got tiger so maybe I'll install that as a first port of call and then move on from there.

I will give that a go and let you know how it goes

cheers

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