Hello!

I own an old Mac mini from 2006 (maybe early 2007). It's got an Intel Core Solo 32-bits CPU and 512 MB RAM. 160 GB HDD. The GPU is an integrated chip…

Currently, my Mini is sitting under my LCD TV (720p). It's plugged in via a DVI to HDMI cable. It's currently running Leopard. And unfortunately, Snow Leopard can't be installed on a device with less than 1 GB of RAM…

So, my Mac mini isn't exactly powerful. Also, it's slow and Mac OS X is not a pleasant experience on my Mini right now. It feels slow and heavy.

I want to use my Mac mini as a media center/player. I want to be able to play video files in 720p (H.264, Matroska/MOV files). So basically, playing high-def videos is all I want to do with my Mini.

What OS should I install? Stick to OS X? Optimize for video playback? Or should I install another OS — like Win XP, Ubuntu or any other Linux dist? Then, will my Mini be able to play 720p videos smoothly, even though the CPU and GPU aren't that powerful and with the limit of 512 MB of RAM?

Appreciate all help. Thanks in advance!