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Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac Mini by Belkin Components
Digital Photo Product DetailsManufacturer: Belkin Components Audio: English (Original Language) Format: CD Platform: Mac OS X Model: F5U507 Product features: Accessories:
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac MiniCustomer Review: 5 stars for the "older" mac mini... Summary: 5 Stars
IF YOU HAVE Firewire 400 on your Mac mini, then this is PERFECT
If you have FIrewire 800 (Newer Mac mini), then this may not be what you want...
I used this for a 1.25 GHz PPC Mac Mini and it woks perfect. If you have a newer mac mini with Firewire 800, than you may not want to use this because you'll have to get a Firewire 400 to 800 adaptor and the cable still might not fit properly. For an older Mac Mini with the Firewire 400 port, this is PERFECT! It adds an additional Firewire 400 port on the front ( I almost wish it were on the back or side since I'll use it for a permanently installed 2nd Firewire drive) and a front USB port with 4 USB port on the back. It is the exact size as my mac mini width-wise and looks great.
I have this installed on top of my Mac Mini with an LG USB DVD burner on top of it, instead of underneath the Mac Mini, because it's easier for me to insert and disconnect my thumb drives that way. It does move a bit when installed on top rather than underneath, but it's easer for me to access the USB port when it's on top because I have large hands. When it's installed underneath the mac mini, it doesn't move at all and provides a steady base for the mini.
I had a 7 port (powered) Rosewill usb hub and a 4 port (now powered) Belkin hub attached to the Mac Mini previously and all was fine until I needed to plug in a thumb drive or my camera etc... and had to reach around the back of my monitor to find an open port... and of course once in a while I'd disconnect something I didn't want to when I pulled out the thumb drive and screwing up one of my USB external drives.... Now I have a USB port and a Firewire 400 Port in front and easily accessible... no more unplugging the wrong drive and getting disk errors for me! I've got 4 1 TB USB drives and 2 2 TB USB drive hooked up to this old mini and it was a Pain in the A** before when I needed to hook up a camera, thumb drive, iPod, or portable drive, now it's right out in front and with an additional Firrewire 400 port to boot (boot from literally).
Bottom line... If you have an older mac mini with Firewire 400 (just check your setup, "About this Mac" from Finder), then this is perfect.. If you have a newer Mac Mini with FIrewire 800, than you might want to pass and call Belkin and tell them to make a 800 version of this product. For Firewire 400 machines this is a no brainer at under $20. I got mine from J&R and it was shipped quick and packed perfectly.
BTW - I have not had any of the noise issues that some other reviewer have mentioned... I think that's from the FIrewire 800 to 400 adaptor.. but I can't say for sure since mine is perfectly quiet on my "old" mini... It's old, but has never crashed on me in years, and I have it running 24 x 7 and download at least a Gig a day onto it, an upload 5x that everyday. I've had numerous windows based machines and have never had one run without the blue screen of death at some point.
Description of Belkin USB 2.0& Firewire 6-Port Hub For Mac MiniOur newest Hub has a low-profile design specifically engineered to stack on top of or below the Mac mini-helping to organize and save your valuable desktop space. The Hub provides four downstream USB ports compatible with both Hi-Speed USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 (low- and full-speed) devices. It also features two FireWire ports to connect up to two of your FireWire devices. A single USB and a FireWire port are located on the front of the Hub to give you easy access for quick, temporary connections of USB thumb drives, media readers, small accessories such as the Apple iPod and iPod shuffle, and more.
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