Early Impressions and Benchmarks on Apple's 2012 Mac Mini

I'm looking to buy the 2.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 Mac Mini.

Main uses are going to be for encoding movies and also as a HTPC.

Since the Mac Mini lost the discrete graphics card, will this affect me much for what I am needing for?

From my understanding, the encoding process strictly uses CPU resources and not GPU. Is this correct?

Want to see the insides of a "fusion" drive one... wonder if it's a 2.5" SSD, or MBA/rMBP blade storage?

If it had a NVIDIA 640 / 650M chip in it this little beast would be an instant buy.

MacintoshMan said:

Don't insult us with Xserves and say that the two are comparable. Does the new Mac Mini support ethernet bonding? oh wait, it only has one ethernet port.

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http://www.sonnettech.com/product/xmacminiserver.html

Insert PCIe Dual or Quad ethernet port (plus a fiber channel or whatever card) and you have a worthwhile server for halve the price of the original.

I fully understand the hesitation about where apple is going, but from my perspective I am pretty happy with Minis+ xmac's for where they are needed. For real server tasks we are running vsphere or xenserver clusters with windows server and linux guests serving mac clients. It works better that way (and has since before the xserve died)

Karl P

Cactii said:

If it had a NVIDIA 640 / 650M chip in it this little beast would be an instant buy.

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I concur

Why would you colocate a Mac Mini??

They're really nice, and while I'd rather have one of those than my Sandy Bridge Quad-Core Server, I think I'll stick with it for now.

Benchmarks approaching the 2010 mac pro? I'm assuming we're talking highest end mini and lowest end mac pro. Nonetheless, I'm impressed. Too bad it uses a laptop drive and integrated graphics, otherwise it might be a viable option.

I love the idea of the Mac Mini. You can get a giant screen and everything, and then replace a cheap but ultra powerful computer every few years, and have a perfectly up-to-date system all the time for a small amount of money. That sure beats buying a new MacBook Pro every 3 years! Sure it's not a laptop but it's cool.

Does it use the asymmetric fan found in the rmbp and MBA?

Do we know yet if the OWC dual disk tray for last years mini will fit the new minis?

Custom Build of OS X

I wanted to know whether or not Fusion Drive required a new build of OS X. Looks like it does. 10.8.2 12B2080.

KindredMAC said:

...Between this and the iMac, the only pros that need the Mac Pro have been dwindled down to maybe 750-1000 potential customers possibly?

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I think more like 632-657 potential customers. Possibly add another 13 at low probability.

Older models upgardeable SSD?

Was the previous gen's SSD upgradeable to a standard notebook SSD like the Samsung 830?

If so, I will get that and a thunderbolt display. Not sure the 27" iMac is worth it, but it does have better options (gpu, storage).

We have an older 2008 MacBook white as the family computer. It never leaves the dock in our study.

My wife and I have iPhones and iPad, which take care of 80% of our personal computing needs. The base Mac Mini might be perfect for us, since we already have monitor, wireless kb, and mouse. $599 mini < $1299 iMac. Why spend the extra cash when we primarily use the mobile devices? I suspect others are in the same boat.

It's interesting to note that the previous mid-level Mac mini had the best GPU which made it a better option for many people over the other two that had the Intel HD3000s in them. Now the mid-level option has a quad core CPU but the same weaker Intel HD4000 GPU as the other two options.

I just want to know what SSD is going to be used. Samsung 830?

accidental said:

It's interesting to note that the previous mid-level Mac mini had the best GPU which made it a better option for many people over the other two that had the Intel HD3000s in them. Now the mid-level option has a quad core CPU but the same weaker Intel HD4000 GPU as the other two options.

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What was the GPU and was it good enough to run games? Did it have a quad core option?

Not familiar with the mini line but I may get one for home use.

2012 MMS
85% the geek bench score of the 2010 Westmere Mac Pro 6 core....
33% of the price....

Wonderful!

davidcmc said:

They forgot the GPU benchmark.

Oh wait...

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Yeah, it's pathetic, had my finger on the trigger til I saw the integrated graphics.

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propower said:

2012 MMS
85% the geek bench score of the 2010 Westmere Mac Pro 6 core....
33% of the price....

Wonderful!

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Try making a living running Geekbench. My Hex Core laughs heartily at the lack of a dedicated GPU, me, I just sneer.

I wonder how it would handle continuous medium load 24x7.
How good is the airflow/heat buildup on these machines?
How easy is it to remove dust buildup inside?

Sacird said:

Scores are good. Imagine the increase if the case was...dare I say...a little bigger and fatter, with the ability to have a nice GPU as well as a desktop CPU. Wait I said bigger? WHOA Johnny Five Ive don't pass out.

Mini is a good machine though not knocking it really, it could be so much more.

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I think they should bring back the cube. (with a 2012 design), that woud give them lots of room, and I really don't care if it's a bit bigger.

Also, they could move the PSU back to being external, that would give them more room, and have one less heat making component inside.

My Dad is getting one for Christmas to replace his 2006 Mac Mini, which has proudly served its purpose for 6 years. It's pretty much on its last leg in terms of speed and compatibility. Nothing works with it anymore and it's painfully slow.

I'm actually excited about it. The price point is right for someone who doesn't need a very robust computer. Perfect for someone in his age range. And I think he'll like it a lot.

He still doesn't know what the USB ports are called, but he knows enough that he can plug devices into "the skinny slots" without a lot of hassle when he has to pick up the computer and move it around.

I know the Mac Mini isn't a big money maker for Apple, but it's perfect for a niche market and I think he'll love the upgrade. Plus, I kind of enjoy helping him get everything set up. There's something fun about a brand new Mac computer.

MacintoshMan said:

Don't insult us with Xserves and say that the two are comparable. Does the new Mac Mini support ethernet bonding? oh wait, it only has one ethernet port.

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For the price of a single Xserve you could buy 2 to 4 Mac Mini's and end up with two or more ethernet ports as well as full system redundancy. If you are constrained by power and cooling to your server room, you can probably support even more Mini's in place of a single Xserve.

accidental said:

It's interesting to note that the previous mid-level Mac mini had the best GPU which made it a better option for many people over the other two that had the Intel HD3000s in them. Now the mid-level option has a quad core CPU but the same weaker Intel HD4000 GPU as the other two options.

Click to expand...

I got one of those in my mid 2011 mini and it was almost adequate, so I was looking forward to getting something better this time around.

No luck I guess.