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VMware ESXi Install on a Mac Mini - A1347

I sucessfully installed VMware ESXi on a Mac Mini ( A1347 ). This is an older Mac that I bought off of eBay. It works great as a home lab box.

VMWare should probably be compatible with most Intel Mac Minis ( maybe not the oldest onece ). I’ve only tested it with this model so I can’t confirm which other models work for sure. If I were to pick out another model and it didn’t end up working I would just install something else on it like Proxmox, Debian, or Ubuntu. These older Macs aren’t ideal for running Mac OS anymore because the are no longer supported and won’t be getting updates. Mac OS may still continue working on them but you are generally better off installing Linux on them ( or VMWare in this case ).

Some of the things that made this a good choice:

Here is an install / demo video:

There are a lot of other really great option options out there including HP EliteDesk Mini PCs. You can find some terrific used hardware at really low prices on places like eBay.

I’ve setup a couple of these running VMware and a couple also running Proxmox. They are compact and you can stack them nicely so you can have a pretty neat little home lab packed away in a closet on a shelf.

Depending on how much you want to run the RAM and CPU cores might be a bit limiting. If you really want more power at a good price point it is probably a better idea to buy used server hardware. If you have the space you can pickup some relativley powerful systems with loads of RAM and multicore Xeon procesors.

Overall building a home lab is absolutly worth the time and money. You could think of it as an investment that will pay for itself when you improve your skills and get a higher paying job.