Mac mini Late 2009

The Apple Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 Server (Late 2009) is equipped with a 2.53 GHz Intel "Core 2 Duo" (P8700) processor, featuring a 3 MB on-chip L2 cache and a 1066 MHz frontside bus. It comes with 4 GB of 1066 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-8500), dual 500 GB Serial ATA hard drives, and a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics processor that shares 256 MB of memory with the system.

Its connectivity suite includes Mini-DVI and Mini DisplayPort, a Firewire "800" port, five USB 2.0 ports, combined "optical digital audio input/audio line in" and "optical digital audio output/headphone" minijacks, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, plus integrated AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR.

Late 2009 Mac mini models have their components housed in a compact and elegant 2.9 lb, 6.5-inch square, two-inch-tall case with a built-in speaker and an external power supply. All Mac mini systems are sold without a display, keyboard, or mouse, but many Apple and third-party options are available.

Please be aware that this model is identical to the Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 (Late 2009) model, with the exception that the "Server" version is fitted with dual 500 GB hard drives and lacks an optical drive, utilizing a modified case design without an optical drive slot. It was also shipped with an unlimited user version of Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server instead of the standard Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard.

The late 2009 Mac mini Server was heralded as a game-changer for small businesses, offering an affordable and straightforward server solution.[[4](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQE7DRDpN3CWRTMcWnF2qceUb3Mac98CPa10NuIrXySEzWwVHMyfbUFzLjAHYiCO4BxBKLwBGOZ91F65fZJs6ngkfYNQodAedsiRD_UHI3fvTGsYGnOGQXc1vLvJfdLV4fLUduHv_2w67_TQUhBVwe_CvyiQjxtYhcxyMyZt8JnVdffZnXOstw2c)][[5](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQGcLsTe65fd1izAza8WREuTNl0M1Zi5uy_MehZKwbH6priZVckX7gv1MwLYvY0xpvH1X1rHsGUXWXMqCn2ToZVtp9xpUq-cVEixZy0RwRZiZH4ScLLL_aJ5a5pcOkHhoWP3NF2Gjp0VcJCGSvlawf_YIQ%3D%3D)] By bundling a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo machine with dual 500GB hard drives and an unlimited client license for Snow Leopard Server, Apple created a package that was considered a steal at its price point.[[4](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQE7DRDpN3CWRTMcWnF2qceUb3Mac98CPa10NuIrXySEzWwVHMyfbUFzLjAHYiCO4BxBKLwBGOZ91F65fZJs6ngkfYNQodAedsiRD_UHI3fvTGsYGnOGQXc1vLvJfdLV4fLUduHv_2w67_TQUhBVwe_CvyiQjxtYhcxyMyZt8JnVdffZnXOstw2c)] It removed the optical drive to make space for the second hard drive, a practical trade-off for its target market.[[1](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQGWl9Ml0_4j6jN-BW6JYqYxPVEYQZkb3bf9As871OfUTvPO8JG4Jvq07ktu1aj69onpljXPOHktiuLSinTJd18lbHgUPE67TtrwIroN-_YKHNnxa9WbnyC4SZhe-U97BQt_kd6Pu7nclQ%3D%3D)] Performance was deemed perfectly speedy for typical office server tasks, and its compact, quiet operation made it an easy fit in any environment.[[4](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQE7DRDpN3CWRTMcWnF2qceUb3Mac98CPa10NuIrXySEzWwVHMyfbUFzLjAHYiCO4BxBKLwBGOZ91F65fZJs6ngkfYNQodAedsiRD_UHI3fvTGsYGnOGQXc1vLvJfdLV4fLUduHv_2w67_TQUhBVwe_CvyiQjxtYhcxyMyZt8JnVdffZnXOstw2c)][[5](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQGcLsTe65fd1izAza8WREuTNl0M1Zi5uy_MehZKwbH6priZVckX7gv1MwLYvY0xpvH1X1rHsGUXWXMqCn2ToZVtp9xpUq-cVEixZy0RwRZiZH4ScLLL_aJ5a5pcOkHhoWP3NF2Gjp0VcJCGSvlawf_YIQ%3D%3D)] The main criticism revolved around the difficulty of initial setup if RAID was desired, often requiring another Mac with a DVD drive due to the server's lack of an optical drive.[[5](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQGcLsTe65fd1izAza8WREuTNl0M1Zi5uy_MehZKwbH6priZVckX7gv1MwLYvY0xpvH1X1rHsGUXWXMqCn2ToZVtp9xpUq-cVEixZy0RwRZiZH4ScLLL_aJ5a5pcOkHhoWP3NF2Gjp0VcJCGSvlawf_YIQ%3D%3D)] Despite some minor frustrations with configuration, it was praised as a fantastic value proposition that significantly lowered the barrier to entry for a Mac-based server.[[4](https://www.google.com/url?sa=E&q=https%3A%2F%2Fvertexaisearch.cloud.google.com%2Fgrounding-api-redirect%2FAUZIYQE7DRDpN3CWRTMcWnF2qceUb3Mac98CPa10NuIrXySEzWwVHMyfbUFzLjAHYiCO4BxBKLwBGOZ91F65fZJs6ngkfYNQodAedsiRD_UHI3fvTGsYGnOGQXc1vLvJfdLV4fLUduHv_2w67_TQUhBVwe_CvyiQjxtYhcxyMyZt8JnVdffZnXOstw2c)]