Mac Mini Core 2 Duo

It was a welcome surprise when Apple quietly updated the Mac mini to include Intel Core 2 Duo processors.

With its low price and small size, the Mac mini has always offered a versatile and economical Mac experience. But, while Apple has regularly updated its line of consumer notebooks and desktops, this year the Mac mini seemed to have been all but forgotten by the company.

In fact, many industry pundits predicted that the mini would be eliminated from Apple's product line. So it was a welcome surprise when Apple quietly updated the Mac mini to include Intel Core 2 Duo processors, the same processors the MacBook, MacBook Pro and iMac have been using since the end of 2006.

The good news for those remaining loyal to the Mac mini, or for people just looking for the least expensive Mac available, is that this under-hyped upgrade gives the Mac mini an impressive performance boost in several applications.

Out of the box

Externally, the Mac mini continues to use the same white plastic and aluminium design that it has sported since it was introduced. The Mac mini still requires you to supply your own keyboard, mouse and display, and there are plenty of ways to connect these peripherals.

On the back of the Mac mini you'll find four USB 2.0 ports, one FireWire 400 port, a power button and combination optical and analogue audio in and out jacks. There is also a security slot, a gigabit Ethernet port, and a DVI port for connecting an LCD display with up to 1920x1200 resolution (the same as Apple's 23in Cinema HD display); a DVI-to-VGA cable is included for hooking up an analogue LCD or CRT monitor.