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As my primary computer, a first generation Intel Core Duo Black MacBook, starts to struggle in keeping up with my ever growing iPhoto collection a new Mac was on the horizon.

Earlier in the year when the new updated unibody Mac Mini was released, I was really tempted to get it as a media computer in the living room. However, a good deal on a used early 2009 Mac Mini was a better choice. It was half the price and had an upgraded ram of 4 gb memory but with a slower processor and graphics card. Functionality would not be much different but I would have extra cash in my pocket.

The iMac’s were tempting compared to the Mac Minis as once the screen, keyboard and mouse are included, the prices will be comparable. Plus the iMac would still be faster based on the specifications. Although I did not have a spare or old LCD screen, I did have a spare apply keyboard and mouse.

What swayed me to purchase the Mac Mini was it’s minuscule power consumption and Snow Leopard Server that came with the Server model. I would now be able to tinker with and setup a server and small home/ office network.

Now that the Mac Mini has arrived, it’s time to get an LCD monitor and start planning the network setup. The Mac Mini Server will store Time Machine backups of all the rest of the macs and act as a file server. It will also be setup to host email and websites for a start.

Performance wise, the two internal hard drives will be setup as a Raid 0. It will have the full 1 terabyte of storage and be faster for sequential read and write. However, failure rate is higher than Raid 0 where both hard drives are a mirror of each other.

An external 1.5 terabyte hard disk will be connected as a time machine backup. This could be alternated with another hard disk to be stored off site.

The memory is upgraded to the maximum 8 gb from the standard 4 gb in the Mac Mini Server edition and 2 gb compared to the stock Mac Mini.

AutoDesk has officially launched AutoCad for Mac and is now available for sale.

A free 30 day trial is available for download from their website. A form is required to be filled before downloading the trial version.

According to the product information, AutoCad for Mac will have similar functions as it’s Window’s counterpart. However, there is no cheaper Lt version at the moment for the Mac platform.

The PowerBook G4 12 inch LCD is one of the smallest laptops produced by Apple. Even the new MacBook Air although thinner has a bigger footprint due to the 13 inch screen.

This particular unit is the first generation with a 867mhz processor. It is also the only 12 inch PowerBook G4 with USB 1.1 ports. Today with most peripherals using the faster USB 2.0 ports it’s better to go for the newer models with a 1 ghz, 1.33 ghz or 1.5 ghz processor.

As the computer is more than 5 years old, the battery is already dead. The combo drive is also faulty and has been removed by the previous owner while he had the logicboard replaced and hard drive upgraded. The casing has got scratches and a few dings, definately a well used unit.

As the iBook G3 clamshell is acting up, this will make a good replacement for sharing the wireless access and acting as a file server through an external firewire hard drive.

One of the 20th Anniversary Macintosh (TAM) is also acting up. Perhaps I should pursue the dream of modding this powerbook into the TAM? Perhaps a newer machine like the Mac Mini would be more suitable as it will have more computing power than this PowerBook G4.