Mid-2010 Mac mini 4.1 as a retro emulation machine: Tips, fixes, and general knowledge base

[Dr. Dro]

The mid-2010 Mac mini is a very affordable system nowadays, with a compact form factor, both HDMI and DisplayPort with analog video out compatibility, versatile I/O and powerful enough to run RetroArch, MAME and retro console emulators, but it does have its quirks. In this thread, I'm sharing my findings after about a month with this machine.

My particular unit has an Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 mobile processor (2.4 GHz Penryn), GeForce 320M integrated graphics and 8 GB of RAM on a 160 GB SSD, currently dual-booting Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.8 and Windows 8.1 64-bit. It is identical to this model in the EveryMac database:

Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 (Mid-2010) Specs (Mid-2010, MC270LL/A, Macmini4,1, A1347, 2364): EveryMac.com

Technical specifications for the Mac mini "Core 2 Duo" 2.4 (Mid-2010). Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.

everymac.com

1. MacOS compatibility

The maximum officially supported OS for this machine is MacOS High Sierra 10.13.6. This is now considered to be a legacy version and browsers have already dropped support for it. If you want to keep the Apple operating system in a partition, it can be upgraded to a newer unsupported version such as Monterey by use of the OpenCore legacy patcher:

OpenCore Legacy Patcher

Experience macOS just like before

dortania.github.io

The default OS for this machine is Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.4 and this is the version that comes in the software restoration DVDs. The ability to run Snow Leopard may prove useful as it is the last version of Mac OS that supports PowerPC Rosetta, meaning you can run Power Mac applications on it.

If you don't have access to this media, the Mac can download High Sierra directly from Apple by pressing command + option + R after you power it on.

2. Windows compatibility

Officially, this machine supports up to Windows 7 64-bit, but it is possible to install Windows 8.1 and 10 on it. This Mac is supported by Boot Camp 4:

Boot Camp Support Software 4.0.4033 - Apple Support

This download contains the Windows Support Software (Windows Drivers) you will need to support Windows 7 on your Mac.

support.apple.com

Upon installing Boot Camp on Windows 8 and newer the operating system will say that the software is known to have compatibility issues. It is safe to ignore these warnings, run the installer in Windows 7 compatibility mode and proceed to upgrade the graphics drivers as outlined in (3).

The NVIDIA nForce chipset drivers will need to be updated to work correctly as the SATA driver is either omitted from the Boot Camp package or will not install. After installing Boot Camp, you must update them manually. I have found a compatible driver installer from Dell, which you can download here:

nVidia MCP79 Chipset, v.15.57, A02 | Driver Details | Dell US

There is also an update available for the Broadcom NetXtreme ethernet adapter:

Download Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver 20.6.0.5 for Windows 10

Download Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet Driver 20.6.0.5 for Windows 10 Anniversary Update - Network Card

drivers.softpedia.com

After following this step, your Mac should be fully setup, with Bluetooth, networking and everything else working correctly.

3. GeForce 320M/MCP89 GPU issues

The newest drivers for the Tesla microarchitecture will exhibit corruption issues that would normally look like a dying GPU in some applications, with scrambled graphics and frequent TDRs. I have run into this problem with RetroArch, Kega Fusion and the BGB emulators, as well as some applications' windows, oddly including Wagnard's Display Driver Uninstaller tool under Windows 8.1. It is not a hardware defect but a software compatibility problem and it can be solved by rolling back to an earlier driver branch. The following link in another forum has a documented case of this issue on Windows 10:

Graphics problems on an old Mac Mini running Windows 10

Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number) 2008 Mac Pro / MacOS 10.13.6 / Roon 1.6 build 416 Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet) Wired Gigabit Ethernet, Netgear GS116 and GS105 Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re...

community.roonlabs.com

To solve this problem, install the last driver that supports the Curie microarchitecture, version 309.08:

Windows 64-bit:

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/results/82758/

Windows 32-bit:

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/drivers/results/82701/

This is the newest r304 branch driver available and the same one you would use on an old GeForce 7000 series GPU. I have tested the r337 and r340 branch drivers (up to 342.01) and all of them cause the graphics scrambling problem, reverting to the r304 branch restores support for the temperature sensors regarding chipset and memory temperature that do not seem to be working on the later drivers.

4. HDD replacement warning

If you choose to upgrade your Mac to an SSD or install a higher capacity HDD, BE EXCEPTIONALLY CAREFUL WHEN REMOVING THE ORIGINAL HDD. There is a pair of very fragile thermal probe cables that attach to each end of the HDD that have a very high likelihood to snap off the motherboard and potentially break the connector. If this occurs, the Mac's SMC will cause the fan to run at full blast (5500 RPM) at all times.

Step by step guide on iFixit:

Mac mini Mid 2010 Hard Drive Replacement

Use this guide to completely replace your mini's hard drive. Completing this guide requires rubber cement to stick the old thermal sensors to your...

www.ifixit.com

5. Fan control issues and temperature sensors

You can use Macs Fan Control to manually control the Mac's fan speed or change the temperature source. It can be used to remedy the situation caused by (4.) if you haven't been careful. This application is available on both Mac OS (Snow Leopard and newer) and Windows:

Macs Fan Control - control fans on Apple computers, also on Windows via Boot Camp

Control fans on Apple computers, also on Windows via Boot Camp. Monitoring of fan speed and temperature sensors. Solve fan noise and overheating problems, iMac HDD replacement

crystalidea.com

6. ThrottleStop

I've found that despite temperatures being in check, the Mac may get stuck in a perpetual state of PROCHOT: this will cause the processor and GPU to run at the minimum performance level at all times, on my P8600, this meant a 33% reduction in clock speed (going from 9 to 6 multiplier) and it's a very noticeable hit. You can check if this is happening to you if Task Manager says that your CPU clock is around 1.6 GHz. Download it here from TechPowerUp, and its developer is also very active here on the forum should you have any questions for him.

ThrottleStop 9.6 Download

ThrottleStop is a small application designed to monitor for and correct the three main types of CPU throttling that are being used on many lapto

www.techpowerup.com

Open ThrottleStop and untick the checkbox that says BD PROCHOT: this should restore the Mac's full CPU and graphics speed:

If you have any questions - feel free to ask! I will also regularly update this thread with my findings and reports on this machine's limitations as I play more with it over time.

 

[wNotyarD]

Out of curiosity (also considering its GPU), how would it fare as an emulation box under a Linux distro?

 

[Dr. Dro]

Out of curiosity (also considering its GPU), how would it fare as an emulation box under a Linux distro?

No idea under Linux just yet, but I'm using it for this purpose with Windows 8.1. It runs pretty much all the Sega arcade games on MAME flawlessly, RetroArch emulators seem to work very well too and is even powerful enough to run bsnes accuracy profile without choking. I'm going to be trying PCSX2 on it later, although I suspect I'll have to find an older build that still supports this hardware range.

For reference, since you're also Brazilian, I paid 600 on mine complete with a magic keyboard, magic mouse, magic touchpad and all, so it's a really cheap computer particularly considered it has the apple on it.

Apologies though, I accidentally hit post before I finished writing and formatting the thread

 

[wNotyarD]

For reference, since you're also Brazilian, I paid 600 on mine complete with a magic keyboard, magic mouse, magic touchpad and all, so it's a really cheap computer particularly considered it has the apple on it.

If you're talking R$, impossible bargain of the decade. The accessories alone are worth that.

 

[Dr. Dro]

If you're talking R$, impossible bargain of the decade. The accessories alone are worth that.

Yep, it was a super good deal. The mouse didn't work, but the keyboard was in good condition and the touchpad is practically new. I was even sent the original Apple AA battery charger with them, seems the former owner ordered everything from the Apple BR shop way back then. Machine in excellent condition too, looks like it was barely used. I looked it up and in global stores and it's practically the cheapest "current" Mac there is. I've been figuring out some of its quirks (many of which like the graphics issue no one seemed to have a solution), so I decided to make this thread.

 

[Beginner Macro Device]

Does it run Crysis? 720p60 at Low is fine.

Is it possible to plant a C2Q in it?

 

[Dr. Dro]

Does it run Crysis? 720p60 at Low is fine.

Is it possible to plant a C2Q in it?

It'd probably be a slideshow. The GPU core is very similar to the GT 220's, but it doesn't have dedicated memory. Seems to be a special nForce chipset developed specifically for this machine. The processor is BGA and not upgradable, but you can upgrade RAM, ODD and storage on this model too.

 

[Beginner Macro Device]

The processor is BGA and not upgradable

I guess the soldering iron can change its mind...

 

[wNotyarD]

I guess the soldering iron can change its mind...

If there's something Mac OS is famous for, is hardware restrictions. If the kernel doesn't have the code to run a C2Q natively, a lot of workarounds would be in order.

 

[Beginner Macro Device]

If there's something Mac OS is famous for, is hardware restrictions. If the kernel doesn't have the code to run a C2Q natively, a lot of workarounds would be in order.

I hackintoshed a Coffee modded Z170 with an 8600K on top of it and some RX 470 GPU that was on the "could be problematic" list. Might be possible to make this work, too.

 

[Dr. Dro]

I hackintoshed a Coffee modded Z170 with an 8600K on top of it and some RX 470 GPU that was on the "could be problematic" list. Might be possible to make this work, too.

The work to do that is already done with all the custom bootloaders and kexts. I think all Core 2 Quad Penryn CPUs are PGA478, though. If there's a BGA version, I'm sure there is someone that owns a BGA station and would be willing to do it for science lol

 

[Dr. Dro]

I had some time to kill today, and with the OpenCore patcher linked above, I managed to get macOS Monterey installed on this thing. I tried to install Sonoma, but I ran into the known issue about USB 1.1 support being removed and got stuck.

It is fully functional, but performs extremely slow: not even VLC or mpv manage to play 1080p video without skipping frames, something that it is capable of doing under Windows even inside browsers (YouTube and all). macOS High Sierra, the highest supported version, performs much better, but browsers don't seem to support anything older than Catalina these days, so it puts this old Mac in a bit of a tight spot to be used as a Mac.

As such, after experiencing it for myself, I do not recommend that you upgrade your 2010 mini this far. It doesn't seem worth it. Quite interesting to play with, though.

 

[Dr. Dro]

Playing around with the mini again, it's currently running Windows Vista.

To get this OS to work, you'll need the Boot Camp 3.1 driver set included with original support disc that has Mac OS X Snow Leopard 10.6.3 for this machine, since Boot Camp 4 only runs on Windows 7. The chipset drivers sourced from Dell in the OP are still compatible, and the recommended graphics drivers remain the 309.08 listed in the OP. W1zzard's C++ bundle from the TPU download section still works on Vista and is a massive time saver. ThrottleStop 9.6 doesn't work, but you can get an older version (8.5 is fine and a version without the timebomb is bundled with 8.6 on TPU download section) - and the legacy version of Macs Fan Control works great. All things considered, it's probably the best OS for this machine overall.

Can I request the ability to edit the OP again?