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Apple Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 (Server) Specs

Identifiers: Late 2009 - MC408LL/A - Macmini3,1 - A1283 - 2336

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

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

Late 2009 Mac mini models have the internal components enclosed in a tiny 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 ship without a display, keyboard, or mouse, but numerous Apple and third-party options are available.

Please note that this model is identical to the Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 (Late 2009) model except the "Server" version is equipped with dual 500 GB hard drives and no optical drive and uses a revised case design without an optical drive slot. It shipped with an unlimited user version of MacOS X 10.6 Snow Leopard Server rather than the standard MacOS X 10.6 Snow Leopard as well.

Also see: What are the differences between the "Late 2009" Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" configurations? What are the differences between these Mac mini models and the models replaced?

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  • Tech Specs
  • Ports
  • Global Original Prices
  • Popular Q&As

Click on a category for related details. The most commonly needed info is "open" by default, but all info is important. Asterisks (*) reference data in details fields.


October 20, 2009 June 15, 2010
Details: The "Introduction Date" refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The "Discontinued Date" refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended.

Also see: All Macs introduced in 2009.
1 (2 Cores) 64-Bit
Details: Also see: All models with a 64-Bit processor courtesy of EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Sort.
3526 3866
Details: Geekbench 2 benchmarks are in 32-bit and 64-bit modes, respectively. These numbers reflect an average of user provided 32-bit and 64-bit results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit and 64-bit Geekbench 2 user submissions for Macs with the Macmini3,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

To dynamically compare Geekbench 2 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison.
1372 2385
Details: These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 32-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the Macmini3,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

To dynamically compare 32-bit Geekbench 3 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison.
1481 2596
Details: These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 64-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all 64-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the Macmini3,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

To dynamically compare 64-bit Geekbench 3 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison.
1603 2595
Details: These Geekbench 4 benchmarks are are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. All Geekbench 4 benchmarks are 64-bit. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all single core and multicore Geekbench 4 user submissions for Macs with the Macmini3,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

To dynamically compare Geekbench 4 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison.
334 592
Details: These Geekbench 5 benchmarks are are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. All Geekbench 5 benchmarks for the Mac are 64-bit. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all single core and multicore Geekbench 5 user submissions for Macs with the Macmini3,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

To dynamically compare Geekbench 5 results from different Macs side-by-side, see EveryMac.com's Ultimate Mac Comparison.
2.53 GHz Core 2 Duo (P8700)
Details: The Intel "Core 2 Duo" (P8700) processor includes two independent processor "cores" on a single silicon chip.

Also see: How fast is the "Late 2009" Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" compared to earlier Mac mini models?
N/A N/A
Details: N/A
Soldered Integrated
Details: The processor is soldered directly to the motherboard.

Also see: Is it possible to upgrade the processor in the Intel Mac mini models?
1066 MHz 2.53 GHz (Built-in)
Details: 1066 MHz frontside bus.
EFI 64-Bit
Details: Also see: Does the Intel Mac mini have a ROM or BIOS?
32k/32k 3 MB (on chip)
Details: Includes a 3 MB shared "on chip" level 2 cache that runs at processor speed.
PC3-8500 DDR3 1066 MHz
Details: Supports 1066 MHz PC3-8500 DDR3 SO-DIMMs. Also see: How do you upgrade the RAM in the polycarbonate Intel Mac mini models? How much RAM of what type do they support?
4 GB 8 GB*
Details: By default, 4 GB is installed as two 2 GB modules.

*Officially, this model is capable of supporting 4 GB of RAM, but as first reported by MacminiColo, this model unofficially can use 8 GB of RAM.

In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells memory -- as well as other upgrades -- for this Mac mini.

In the UK, site sponsor Flexx sells memory and other upgrades for this Mac mini.

In Germany, site sponsor CompuRAM sells memory and other upgrades for this Mac mini.

In Australia, site sponsor Upgradeable sells memory and other upgrades for this Mac mini.

Also see: Actual Max RAM of All G3 & Later Macs.
None 2
Details: N/A
GeForce 9400M Integrated
Details: This model has a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M that shares memory with the system.

In Spain, site sponsor iRepairs provides affordable repair and data recovery services. In-person and by mail repair services include the graphics card, power supply, and more for this Mac mini.
256 MB 256 MB
Details: *Apple reports that this model has 256 MB of memory shared with system memory. Please note that this is the minimum graphics memory usage but the memory available to MacOS X "may vary depending on graphics needs".
Dual Displays 1920x1200*
Details: *This model simultaneously supports 1920x1200 on a DVI or VGA display using the Mini-DVI port and 2560x1600 on a dual-link DVI display using the Mini DisplayPort (with an optional Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter).
Dual/Mirroring* 2560x1600*
Details: *This model simultaneously supports 1920x1200 on a DVI or VGA display using the Mini-DVI port and 2560x1600 on a dual-link DVI display using the Mini DisplayPort (with an optional Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter).
500 GB HDD x2 5400 RPM
Details: Also see: How do you upgrade the hard drive in the Intel Mac mini models? What type of hard drive do they support?

In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells storage upgrades for this Mac mini.

In the UK, site sponsor Flexx sells storage upgrades for this Mac mini.

In Australia, site sponsor Upgradeable sells storage upgrades for this Mac mini.

Also see: SSD Compatibility Guide for All G3 & Later Macs.
2.5" (9.5 mm) x2 Serial ATA (3 Gb/s) x2
Details: This model supports dual SATA II (3 Gb/s) 2.5" hard drives or SSDs that are each up to 9.5 mm thick.
None* None
Details: *This Mac mini has dual hard drives rather than a single hard drive and an optical drive. Site sponsor Adorama offers the external Apple USB SuperDrive for US$79. It writes DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL at 4X, DVD-R and DVD+R at 8X, DVD-RW at 6X, DVD+RW at 8X, reads DVD at 8X, writes CD-R at 24X, writes CD-RW at 16X, and reads CD at 24X.

Site sponsor Other World Computing also has a variety of compact external optical drive options that may be of interest, including some with Blu-ray capability.

Also see: What are the full capabilities of the external SuperDrive? Can it be used with other Macs?
None 10/100/1000Base-T
Details: N/A
802.11a/b/g/n 2.1+EDR
Details: AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR standard.
5 (2.0) 1 (800)
Details: Five 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire "800" port.
None None
Details: In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor Other World Computing sells a wide variety of external expansion options and hand-picked accessories like external storage, stands, keyboards, cables, adapters, speakers, and more for this Mac mini.
None None
Details: No Mac mini systems ship with a keyboard or mouse.
Cuboid Mac mini
Details: Uses a tiny and elegant 6.5 inch wide, 6.5 inch deep, and 2 inch tall case.
MC408LL/A Late 2009
Details: The Apple order number should be unique to this system.
A1283 (EMC 2336) Macmini3,1
Details: Please note that these identifiers refer to more than one model.

Also see: All Macs with the A1283 Model Number, the 2336 EMC Number, and the Macmini3,1 Model Identifier.

For more about these identifiers and how to locate them on each Mac, please refer to EveryMac.com's Mac Identification section.
N/A N/A
Details: N/A
X Server 10.6.1 X 10.11.6*
Details: *This system can run the last version of OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion", OS X 10.9 "Mavericks", and OS X 10.10 "Yosemite", as well as OS X 10.11 "El Capitan," and Apple Server software, although advanced features like AirDrop, AirPlay Mirroring, and Power Nap are not supported. It is not capable of running macOS Sierra (10.12) or subsequent versions of the macOS at all.

Also see: Which Macs are compatible with OS X El Capitan (10.11)? What are the system requirements? Which Macs support which features?
XP SP2 (32-Bit)* 7 (32-Bit)*
Details: *Apple's Boot Camp 4 formally supports the 32-bit versions of Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. However, the system does meet Microsoft's minimum requirements for Windows 8 and readers have reported successfully running the 32-bit version of this operating system with appropriate drivers.
None Boot/Virtualization
Details: Also see: Are there any third-party programs to run Mac OS 9/Classic applications on Intel Macs?

For more on running Windows on Intel Macs, please refer to the exhaustive Windows on Mac Q&A.
2.0 x 6.5 x 6.5 2.9 lbs. (1.31 kg)
Details: In inches - height by width by depth, (5.08 cm, 16.51 cm, 16.51 cm).
US$999 US$50-US$100
Details: Please note that on average the estimated current retail pricing of used systems is updated twice a year (please refer to the date on the bottom of the page for the date last updated).

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.


Click on a category for additional details. The most commonly needed info is "open" by default, but all info is important. The icons correspond with the icons for each port on the computer.


2* None
Details: *1 Mini-DVI and 1 Mini DisplayPort.

Supports dual simultaneous displays -- 1920x1200 on a DVI or VGA display using the Mini-DVI port and 2560x1600 on a dual-link DVI display using the Mini DisplayPort (with an optional Mini DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter). Includes a Mini-DVI to DVI adapter.
None None
Details: N/A
None None
Details: N/A
5 (2.0) 1 (800)
Details: Five 480-Mbps USB 2.0 ports, one Firewire "800" port.
None 1 (RJ-45)
Details: External Apple USB Modem (56.6k v.92) offered for US$49. Gigabit Ethernet, AirPort Extreme (802.11g/n), and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR standard.
None None
Details: N/A
None 1
Details: Combined "optical digital audio input/audio line in minijack."
1 1
Details: Single combined "optical digital audio output/headphone out minijack."
1 None
Details: N/A
1 N/A
Details: 100V-240V, 110W maximum.

Global original prices for the Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.53 (Server) in 34 different countries and territories follow; organized alphabetically by region.

For global original prices for Intel Macs in one particular country on a single page, please refer to EveryMac.com's Global Original Prices section.

Original Prices - North & South America

C$1099 N/A
N/A US$999

Original Prices - Europe

€949 N/A
DKK 7,299 €949
€949 €949
€949 €949
N/A €949
N/A €949
€929 SEK 9.995
CHF 1'249 £799

Original Prices - Asia

RMB 8,298 HK$7,988
N/A N/A
¥104,900 N/A
N/A N/A
N/A NT$36,900
N/A N/A

Original Prices - Australia & New Zealand

A$1399 NZ$1749

If you have additional original prices for this model, please get in touch. Thank you.


Ten of the most popular Q&As about the Mac mini models follow.



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