Macworld Mini Benchmarks compared with new iMacs

philipma1957 said:

but apple is drifting towards arms that they built.

http://9to5mac.com/2012/09/15/apples-a6-isnt-an-arm-processor-design-it-is-apples-first-cpu-design/

my guess is 2013 brings us the haswell not a new arm, but it is a guess.

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ARM-based Macs would require a wholesale re-write of MacOS. This will take years not months. There has been zero evidence that Apple is rewriting or even considering to rewrite MacOS for ARM.

At this point, Intel-based refresh for the 2013 Mini is as much of a guess as "sun will rise next morning" is a guess

ctyrider said:

ARM-based Macs would require a wholesale re-write of MacOS. This will take years not months. There has been zero evidence that Apple is rewriting or even considering to rewrite MacOS for ARM.

At this point, Intel-based refresh for the 2013 Mini is as much of a guess as "sun will rise next morning" is a guess

Click to expand...

well I think haswell will be next.. having lost so many sure bets in my life I no longer bet on my guesses! LOL

Guess they made a Typo. 49 seconds vs. 1min 03.
I think Cook personally paid them for this mistake. He thinks it sucks the Mini is so much power for so little money.

ctyrider said:

Dude, you seem to be logically challenged, so let me spell this out for you one more time. The next gen Mini will come with next gen Intel processors. The next gen Intel CPU architecture (Haswell) includes updated GPU, which is HD5000. You can keep playing silly semantic games and call this a "guess", but it's a fact based on the published Intel roadmaps, history of Mini updates, and just basic common sense.

Click to expand...

Still a guess. Instead of trying to impose your word you could've asked why I call it a guess since the very first beginning.

Why? Because you can't even know Apple is gonna mount Intel's Haswell chips. They probably will yes, but they might end up adding an NVidia or ATI GPU and leave the HD5000 for basics.

Also, this last iteration of Minis took more than 365 days. Maybe there isn't an upgrade for the next 2 years. So maybe, and following your logic, next Minis mount HD6000.

Can I say that's a fact? No. Why? Because I CAN'T KNOW IT. So, it's a guess. Mine and yours. Both.

I think another factor to consider is that while the MM might be slightly less capable performance wise than the top end iMac, the iFixit teardown analysis pretty clearly reveals that the iMac given the glued on display to the chassis is going to be a bear to repair or upgrade, even for memory or HD/SSD. The MM is a relative breeze. I opted for the MM primarily for this reason.

A Mac Mini is slower than an iMac, that's for sure.
But for a non-gamer (like me), the difference isn't that great. Yes, sure I'd notice that extra CPU power, but considering all the extra money it takes it just isn't worth it. (In my case)

Plus I also have an Apple Cinema Display, so let's take a look:

My Mini:
Mid Level: €849
+ 2.6GHz CPU: €100
+ 256GB SSD: €300
+ 16GB RAM: €75

Total: €1324

Similar? iMac (***)
Base 27": €1899
+ FD 1TB: €250
+ 16GB RAM: €75

Total: €2224

(***) That's assuming a 2.9GHz i5 is similar to a 2.6GHz i7. Something tells me the i7 is better though. Also no SSD option in the iMac except for a super expensive 768GB one…

My point being, if you change your computers every 5-6 years an iMac is a great option. If you like/need to change it every 2-3 years I think a Mini + an external monitor is the better choice.

You can always get an external GPU if you really need it.