Mac Pro to Mac mini

[iJny9956]

Hi,

I have am a mac pro owner, I am a designer (web/graphic) I do a lot of audio work as hobby. not too much with video. I love my mac pro but its heavy and not fun when i move around. I have a macbook air 11 for the road but would love to reduce clutter at home. Is it worth it / wise for me to go from a pro to a mini?

Mac Pro: 2010
2.8Ghz Quad Xeon
12Gb Ram
120 SSD

----------------------------

8GB Ram
Mac Mini: 2012
2.6GHz Quad i7
120GB+1TB Fusion Drive

----------------------------

advice? am i crazy?

[mabaty]

I don't think it is a bad idea, do you have a decent monitor already? Do you have a budget? perhaps for a little more an iMac would better suit you.

[iJny9956]

Originally Posted by mabaty

I don't think it is a bad idea, do you have a decent monitor already? Do you have a budget? perhaps for a little more an iMac would better suit you.

i have a good monitor.

i've looked into iMacs, but they are so expensive! + mac mini seems more upgradable over imacs in terms of ram and drive

[mabaty]

Sounds like you already know what you want, I say if you have a good monitor go for the mini, it is much faster than your mac pro, and uses very little electricity.

[thekev]

Originally Posted by mabaty

Sounds like you already know what you want, I say if you have a good monitor go for the mini, it is much faster than your mac pro, and uses very little electricity.

That is greatly overstated. CPU is a little better, but it will throttle more than the mac pro under heavy loads. GPU is a significant step down, but it shouldn't affect the OP much. Next year it should support OpenGL 4 and OpenCL 1.2 out the door. That would be better, but I don't think we'll see a new mini before next fall. They're usually updated after the imac, which is typically updated later than the macbook pro. I don't mention the Air because it's possible for the Air to slide depending on how long it takes Intel to optimize ulv cpus for that generation.

Originally Posted by mabaty

I don't think it is a bad idea, do you have a decent monitor already? Do you have a budget? perhaps for a little more an iMac would better suit you.

The imac is what I would call a budget solution if someone was considering the single mac pro and a cinema display. If you have your choice of displays, you have other arguably better options.

[mpowered]

Originally Posted by thekev

That is greatly overstated. CPU is a little better, but it will throttle more than the mac pro under heavy loads. GPU is a significant step down, but it shouldn't affect the OP much. Next year it should support OpenGL 4 and OpenCL 1.2 out the door. That would be better, but I don't think we'll see a new mini before next fall. They're usually updated after the imac, which is typically updated later than the macbook pro. I don't mention the Air because it's possible for the Air to slide depending on how long it takes Intel to optimize ulv cpus for that generation.



The imac is what I would call a budget solution if someone was considering the single mac pro and a cinema display. If you have your choice of displays, you have other arguably better options.

If your Mini throttles, it's defective and needs to be replaced.

If your Mac Pro throttles as your post indicates, it's defective and needs to be replaced.

We've been replacing Mac Pros with Mac Mini and iMacs for all of our CS and C4D work and users are pleased. Compared to a 2010 single-proc Mac Pro, render times are reduced by 30-60%. Not to mention the system is quieter, uses much less power and as such, produces much less heat.

[mabaty]

Originally Posted by thekev

That is greatly overstated. CPU is a little better, but it will throttle more than the mac pro under heavy loads. GPU is a significant step down, but it shouldn't affect the OP much. Next year it should support OpenGL 4 and OpenCL 1.2 out the door. That would be better, but I don't think we'll see a new mini before next fall. They're usually updated after the imac, which is typically updated later than the macbook pro. I don't mention the Air because it's possible for the Air to slide depending on how long it takes Intel to optimize ulv cpus for that generation.

I don't think so, Those Xeon's are old, I manage about 6 Mac Pro's in my office, the Mac mini's 3720QM; core for core is MUCH faster, by about 30%, same for efficiency. Also, the Mac mini will not need to run @ 100% all of the time, so who cares? The OP stated he does not do video work, just design and music. Also, I have seen Mac mini's running 100% of the time as build servers for QA, we also have an original first gen. Intel Mac mini in our conference room thats been running non-stop for years in a ventless closet.

[jjhoekstra]

Originally Posted by iJny9956

Hi,

I have am a mac pro owner, I am a designer (web/graphic) I do a lot of audio work as hobby. not too much with video. I love my mac pro but its heavy and not fun when i move around. I have a macbook air 11 for the road but would love to reduce clutter at home. Is it worth it / wise for me to go from a pro to a mini?

Mac Pro: 2010
2.8Ghz Quad Xeon
12Gb Ram
120 SSD

----------------------------

8GB Ram
Mac Mini: 2012
2.6GHz Quad i7
120GB+1TB Fusion Drive

----------------------------

advice? am i crazy?

With the mini you will get about the same performance, maybe even a bit more, in a very small package. But the mini is not build for running at 100% for a long time, it will throttle down quite a bit, whereas a Pro will never ever throttle down, no matter what you throw at it. BUt design tasks and audio should be perfectly fine.
If space and less clutter is important than go for it! You will not regret it. The fusion drive is a smart move.

[Larry-K]

I just don't get how people are getting by with the onboard GPU of the new Mini. It's kind of a cruel joke. Don't know why they couldn't at least get a base level iMac board in the thing, they did it in the past.

As for Mac Pros, I've never had mine choke on a file, which is more than I can say for all the iMacs in the office, and they're pretty new.

I like having a decent monitor, lots of SSDs and memory, just me I guess, but I could live with a little less real-estate use.

[blanka]

Originally Posted by Larry-K

I just don't get how people are getting by with the onboard GPU of the new Mini.

Just use it. Tell me one app that has serious issues on the HD4000. The only thing I have problems with is some high-quality games, but that does not count for work.

The TS is web/graphic designer, and an old 7300GT is letting all apps fly around the screen already.

Oh and check the Dell U2713HM. Perfect sRGB out the box, great ergonomic features, DP for easy connection to the Mini and a price of 550$. It is better than a TB display at just above half the price.

[_bnkr612]

Originally Posted by blanka

Just use it.

Well put.

[Starfia]

I switched from an 8-core Mac Pro to an entry-level 2011 Mac mini. Even when doing video editing and effects, it's still perfectly capable for virtually everything and just requires a little more patience for longer renders and complex effects. It almost never has a hitch with dozens of tracks in Logic Pro unless I'm seriously multitasking.

I can tell it's not faster when it comes down to it, but with Mountain Lion and a (quite affordable) 8GB RAM upgrade, it's turned out to be my most reliable and loyal desktop. I think I can tell my next upgrade will be to a new Mac mini with Flash and 16GB of RAM (unless the 2013 Mac Pro turns out to be revolutionary), but I could live happily with this machine for years as it is. If you're just doing web work, you should be totally fine.

[jablko]

If the Mini had a real GPU, it would be much more tempting to me. In my experience, OpenCL really does make a marked difference, especially in CS6 apps.

The good news is though, you could replace your Mini much more frequently than an iMac or MBP for the same (or less) money. In the case of a Mac Pro, it would be a lot less money. Instead of trying to buy a computer you're planning to replace in four years, you could plan to replace it every two years. Over time, that would negate the performance gap.