5. "New Mac Mini is Cheap....And Expensive" In response to Reply # 4
If you go for the base model the Mac Mini is cheap.
If you want performance then the new Mac Mini is going to cost you a lot. PCI-E Flash SSDs only available on the top end of the new Mac Mini. Quad Core is no longer available on the Mac Mini.
Depends on what you are looking for but an idea might be to buy the base model and then do the upgrade yourself for a SSD and max out the RAM.
7. "I'm kind of pissed at the Mac Mini "upgrade"" In response to Reply # 6 Thu Oct-16-14 03:09 PM by handle
I have a 2012 Mac Mini with the i5.
Here's what I wanted:
A 2014 QUAD CORE i7 for the same price as the 2012 quad core i7.
Instead they got rid of the quad core all together and replaced it with a dual core - which sounds lame as hell. (We'll have to see the benchmarks when they're released, but the higher spepd of 2 cores plus Hasswell may not be faster than the qad Ivy Bridge in the current ones.)
Also, the Retina iMac ships with an i5??? Come on, that's lame.
The "old" 2012 Mac Mini i7 2.3HGZ has a Intel i7-3615QM , which has: GeekBench single thread has 2756 Geekbench all Threads has 10627.
The new 2014 Mac Mini $699 model comes with an Intel Core i5-4278U , which has: GeekBench single thread has 3125. Geekbench all Threads has 6636.
The new 2014 Mac Mini Dual Core i7 BTO option at $999 comes with an Intel i7-4578U (I think), which has: GeekBench single thread has 3521. Geekbench all Threads has 7397.
So in day to day single thread activities the new machines are faster processor wise. (I know the old one has HD 4000 graphics, and the new come with HD 5000 or Iris depending on model, ram, disk speed, etc.)
For video compression/audio work the old model is faster, processor wise.
I don't game on the mini, or edit video or audio, so the old one looks pretty good to me now. (I have an SSD I can put in ready to go!.)
21. "I'm saying, I bought the i7 version earlier this year." In response to Reply # 15
I meant, I couldn't have made it from Feb-Oct/Nov on my old laptop. I copped the i7 joint, and maxed it out with 16GB RAM. I can run Ableton and Maschine without my computer bursting into tears.
28. "I just ordered the 2012 i7" In response to Reply # 21
Fry's put it on sale for $699.
I have 16GB of Ram and a fast SSD from my current Mac Mini that'll fit in it.
I've got a "slow" 128GB ssd in a PC that I can put in the old one and use it as an HTPC - or sell it on Craigslist. (Or give it to my mother when her PC breaks.)
I'll configure the old one as a PC or an HTPC and keep it around.
42. "I know of some video pros who you'd think" In response to Reply # 41 Tue Oct-21-14 06:26 PM by b.Touch
would be buying Mac Pros, who are instead buying the high-end iMacs.
Aside from the faster single-threading and now the 5K display, the iMacs also had NVIDIA graphics cards vs. AMDs, meaning better CUDA compatibility. The 5K Retina iMacs, however, have AMD graphics cards.
18. "Looking seriously at the Nexus 9" In response to Reply # 17 Fri Oct-17-14 08:06 AM by jetblack
as my next tablet. I've had a Nexus 7 (first gen) for a year. It's been a mostly positive experience but it's very slow for basic things. iPad Mini with touch ID is getting a serious look though.
20. "Nice. Do you know what the available largest Android tablet is?" In response to Reply # 18
I'm at the point now that I only use my iPad as a reader - either for reading sheet music at gigs or for reading my notes when doing presentations at work. I'd love a bigger tablet - like a 12 inch screen or something that will be as close as possible to an 8.5x11 inch sheet of paper. (With a hi-res screen of course.) Is there something out there those specs that I don't know about?
32. "New 2014 Mac Mini Has Soldered RAM, Not User Replaceable" In response to Reply # 0
This is a major L from Apple. If you want increased RAM you have to pay Apple's rates at the time of purchase. $300 for what would cost $80 on the open market. Absolutely no need to cripple the Mac Mini and its user base like this.
35. "It's not that big a deal." In response to Reply # 32
It is to a small minority but to me it isn't. I was going in with 16 GB in the first place. If you need more RAM than that get an iMac or hell any current Windows PC with a 64-BIT OS to address >4GB.
I can see who so people can be upset though. This is going to be my mid range Mac before I get a retina iMac or Mac Pro.
36. "it kind of is , IMHO" In response to Reply # 35
The reason people traditionally have pointed to reason why Apple has made RAM non-user upgradeable is due to form factor - in the laptops having it soldering on made space for more batter, or a thinner computer - but here I see no consumer advantages.
If they'd have introduced a new form factor I could see that being a reason.
I think the real reason is that Apple is buying massive quantities of RAM and is soldering them on all the "new " laptops , which makes it more cost efficient to use the same techniques on the new Mac Mini.
(Apple sells the non-retina MacBook pro - which still has user replaceable ram.)
Also 4GB is not enough for anything other than a light web browsing and iWork editing Machine without hitting the disk for swap. browse two web tabs and launch iTunes and you'll see a slowdown.)
The other rumor is the HD is not user replaceable - we'll have to see how that plays out in the next few weeks,
The price has also gone up for anything other than base configurations. The 2.3GHZ Mac Mini from 2012 has a processor vastly faster than any option available on these new machines and was $200 cheaper than the $999 BTO with a dual-core i7.
What I expected to see was either: 1)The 2012 form factor with the equivalent (quad core i7) new processors for the same price. 2)A new form factor following Apples new direction with a BTO option that had at least one way to match the performance of the old not-BTO machine. (Benchmarks are coming out showing Geekbench scores of the new machines being 6358, while the old i7 has 10400 http://www.macrumors.com/2014/10/19/mac-mini-2014-benchmark/)
If Apple updates these in a year with Broadwell chips that beat or match the 2012 machines than this will just be a bump in the road.
Until then I actually bought a quad-core i7 for use for the next year.
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