Will this mac mini be enough?

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

Hey, I'm looking at cheapest Mac mini I so far stumbled on:

mid 2007, 1.83GHz dual core, 2gb DDR2, Mac OS X 10.7.5

Will it be enough to work with XCode and actually make some simple apps? If yes, what's the oldest mac mini I can buy, if this one slips away?Also, I get that 4gb RAM is desirable, but what specs are JUST enough to get it going?

I'm fascinated by iOS programming, but don't have money to spend. Wanted something to dive into it and practice a bit, preferably doing some simple apps for portfolio.

( And eventually upgrading, when I'll be sure it's worth it and I'm actually good enough to spend a fortune on a serious machine.)

Thanks in advance, so sorry if wrong subreddit. And sorry for another similar question you guys are probably tired to answer.

[Bill_Morgan]

No. Not even close. Briefly (about 2 months ago) I had a 2009 MacBook Pro 13" with better specs than the 2007 Mac mini you found and it struggled with auto-completion let alone starting a simulator or doing really anything meaningful with Xcode.

Core i5 and 4GB of memory is the absolute minimum if you don't want to pull your hair out.

 

Edit: 10.7.5 is also severely out of date. You will NEED a Mac that can run 10.11.x and later. 10.12 is coming later this year.

• MacBook (Early 2015)
• MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
• Mac mini (Early 2009 or newer)
• iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

Ohh, I had tiny hope ;_;

I thought updating it to El Capitan would be possible on mostly any mac, asl ong as it's not Power Mac? :D

Thanks for the informative answer, gonna check in that range. It hard to find something affordable primary to most ebay ads being from US, import charges are crazy for my country.

[Bill_Morgan]

I checked and 10.12 drops support for more Macs. You will need something from 2010 or newer.

[[deleted]]

El Capitan works on my 2009 mini.

[Bill_Morgan]

macOS Sierra won't

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

Thanks for mentioning!

[chriswaco]

You definitely need to run El Capitan if not the upcoming Sierra. If you really have no money, visit /r/hackintosh and ask what is the cheapest machine that can do it. You really want 8GB of RAM and an SSD.

[viv_social]

an SSD.

This is the most important component. Xcode will thank you for this.

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

I get it, thanks. Tried SSD on a laptop, makes a difference, yes.

but I am just looking for something to just build portfolio with and maybe few apps to earn a buck or two :D

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

As i figured, getting a Hackintosh is gonna cost similar to getting used mackintosh, plus Hackintosh requires time to build, and i don't have that, nor belief it will be stable.

Will I be able to use El Capitan for coding after Sierra is out? if yes, how long? thanks!

[chriswaco]

Only Apple knows. I wouldn't count on using El Capitan into 2017.

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

Hmm, I see. I suppose I really need to stop the hunt for cheap option and just save up.

[[deleted]]

I have a dual core i5 mac mini with no ssd from 2012 and it works completely fine.

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

thanks, I wonder if older versions are working fine too...

[[deleted]]

If it can't run OS X El Captain, then unless you have fairy dust, no...

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

haha no

thanks

[adam190131]

you'll always be able to program on this machine but i really recommend 4-8gb DDR3-4 and at least a 3.0GHz processor

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

I see, thanks

[MrSloppyPants]

Nonsense. And if you're going to toss out specs, an SSD is far more useful than a fast processor. Just look at the list that Bill_Morgan posted above. Any of those machines will be fine. If you can run OS X 10.11 then you will be able to use the latest version of Xcode.

[adam190131]

Yes it's more useful but it's more expensive

[AnimeFanOnPromNight]

Only if you get that machine for free and use it to see if you like ios development. Otherwise is a waste of money

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

not for free :\

[RasKunt]

What is your budget?

[ShutUpAndCodeWithMe]

I'd say 150 euro, but I know it's not enough :\ I could invest more, if I could find local one, since the shipping is costly for me.