[MAC] Broadcom Crystal HD Mini-PCIe Card in a Intel (GMA) Mac Mini?

Hi All

Has anyone successfully installed the Crystal HD card in a Mac Mini? I have 2 cards on order and am looking to buy a 2007 1.83GHz mini to test it on (before doing it on my main - already chipped to 2.33Ghz) mini. If I end up being the first to do this I will take some photo's for others to use

Further still, has anyone got the card working once it is installed?

Thanks

I'm interested in this as well. I didn't know the Mac Mini even had any PCI-E slots? Can you actually install it?

If someone could make a guide, that'd be great!

I think you have to remove the internal Bluetooth/wifi card to install it.

Only the Mini's pre 2009 (without the NVidia graphics) can take the card.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Mini

ijhammo Wrote:I think you have to remove the internal Bluetooth/wifi card to install it.

Only the Mini's pre 2009 (without the NVidia graphics) can take the card.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mac_Mini

Is the process the same as the ATV?

If someone could make a guide, preferably video, but pictures work, that would be great. I'm sure many of us would mess it up otherwise

I am a bit lost here too. Does the ATV method work on the Mac Mini? Is there anything else that I am supposed to be doing?

I have a 1.83Ghz mac mini sat on my desk waiting to be taken apart as soon as the HD card arrives Putting the card in should be easy - its what I do after that worries me

I am also very interested in this. If you have to remove the wifi/bluetooth card for the mini, what about the mouse and keyboard ? I could live without wifi but aren't the keyboard and mouse connected through bluetooth ?

Keyboard and mouse on my mac mini (old version, 1.83ghz I believe) are connected via USB.

Here is what ive gathered and what you should take into consideration before bastardizing your minis.

My 2008 2ghz core duo GMA950 and my 2009 2ghz core duo 9400M both will decode ALL my scene release 1080p movies but only the 9400M would play them smooth when i hooked them up to my 1080p projector. The GMA950 will however play the same files just as good on my Plasma @ 1072*600.

This leads me to believe GMA950 macs arent gonna be able to display 1080p properly regardless of HW acceleration, and that the GPU is the real limitation.
Hw acceleration would however make older minis able to decode 1080, and display it at lower resolutions. Not sure id pop open my mini for that though.

Both GPU`s does offer 1080p in display preferences, but it seems to me the GMA950 doesnt support it very well.

RckStr Wrote:Here is what ive gathered and what you should take into consideration before bastardizing your minis.

My 2008 2ghz core duo GMA950 and my 2009 2ghz core duo 9400M both will decode ALL my scene release 1080p movies but only the 9400M would play them smooth when i hooked them up to my 1080p projector. The GMA950 will however play the same files just as good on my Plasma @ 1072*600.

This leads me to believe GMA950 macs arent gonna be able to display 1080p properly regardless of HW acceleration, and that the GPU is the real limitation.
Hw acceleration would however make older minis able to decode 1080, and display it at lower resolutions. Not sure id pop open my mini for that though.

Both GPU`s does offer 1080p in display preferences, but it seems to me the GMA950 doesnt support it very well.

Not what I've seen under Crystal HD with pbo's enabled. A 1.6GHz coreduo MacMini has no problem handling 1080p content. Neither does a GM915 Intel box I have.

Well my 2009 2ghz seems to move the pixels fast enough to the gpu to handle 1080p video without the use of PBO, I dont understand why the 2008 2ghz wouldnt be able to do the same. Afaik, the cpu in these two macs are identical, and isnt enabeling PBO only meant to ensure fast pixel data transfer to and from a graphics card through DMA without involing CPU cycles?

As I understand it, as these CPU`s are the same, they should both be equally competent of delivering the same amount of pixels to the gpu at the same amount of time, and shouldnt my 2008 mini by that explanation be equally competent at displaying 1080p on screen?

Can you confirm that not only did your 1,6 ghz mini decode 1080p files properly, but that you also had it display that resolution on screen?