Mac mini benchmarks:

The Geekbench score typically reflects CPU performance only. Speed of storage device, GPU performance, RAM, etc, is not a factor.

What are you trying to discover, exactly?

Benchmarks are to be taken with a grain of salt, as "real world" performance may vary significantly, depending upon the task in hand -- sometimes a machine will seem [comparatively] faster than benchmarks might indicate; sometimes slower.

You definitely should save money and upgrade the RAM yourself, in case you were thinking of getting it straight from Apple.

Buying the better CPU is definitely worth it. It is just a little bit more expensive, but it's a higher performing CPU, and in addition will be more future-proof.
One really noticeable thing is that the 2.6 Turbo-Boosts to a higher speed.
http://www.barefeats.com/imac12b.html
Those are some benchmarks, if you'd like some more, I can do some more looking.

timsun said:

I want to buy a new mac mini, with a fusion drive and quad core and 16 GB ram , but will it make a diferents if I take the 2,6 instead of the 2,3 GHz quad core i7?
Will it run much faster for 100 bucks or just 0,2 % or something?
And where can I find benchmarks for the graphics/speed of storage device etc.?

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It will make a small difference during processor intensive tasks(Audio encoding, Video editing). If what you are doing isn't processor intensive, you won't notice the difference. I originally planned on getting the 2.6Ghz upgrade, but opted for the 2.3Ghz with 16GB RAM and a Samsung 840 Pro SSD instead. I haven't regretted my choice. This thing is a beast.

BTW my 32-Bit Geekbench score is 11087.

tejota1911 said:

It will make a small difference during processor intensive tasks(Audio encoding, Video editing). If what you are doing isn't processor intense, you won't notice the difference. I originally planned on getting the 2.6Ghz upgrade, but opted for the 2.3Ghz with 16GB RAM and a Samsung 840 Pro SSD instead. I haven't regretted my choice. This thing is a beast.

BTW my 32-Bit Geekbench score it 11087.

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Can I ask how easy it is to install the SSD?

englishman said:

Can I ask how easy it is to install the SSD?

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Depends on your skills I'd say. iFitIt says Moderate.
Take a look and judge:
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Installing+Mac+Mini+Late+2012+Dual+Hard+Drive+Kit/11713/1

If you're comfortable opening stuff up and messing around with tiny things then you should be fine. I find it quite easy as long as you stay on route and know exactly what you do.

dasx said:

depends on your skills i'd say. Ifitit says moderate.
Take a look and judge:
http://www.ifixit.com/guide/installing+mac+mini+late+2012+dual+hard+drive+kit/11713/1

if you're comfortable opening stuff up and messing around with tiny things then you should be fine. I find it quite easy as long as you stay on route and know exactly what you do.

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+1

tejota1911 said:

BTW my 32-Bit Geekbench score is 11087.

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For reference, my Geekbench (2.6, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD)
32-bit score is 12011, so it doesn't look like the OP would be loosing too much if they just went with the 2.3.

Nate392 said:

For reference, my Geekbench (2.6, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD)
32-bit score is 12011, so it doesn't look like the OP would be loosing too much if they just went with the 2.3.

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Exactly why I went with the 2.3Ghz i7. There's a significant difference going from the 2.5Ghz i5 to the 2.3Ghz i7, but not so much going from the 2.3Ghz i7 to the 2.6Ghz i7. I reached the conclusion that, for what I use it for, I'd rarely notice the difference. I also plan on upgrading as soon as the Haswell minis come out. If for some reason I decide I need more computing power, I'll opt for the faster CPU then. For right now, I'm more than impressed with the speed of this setup.

tejota1911 said:

Exactly why I went with the 2.3Ghz i7. There's a significant difference going from the 2.5Ghz i5 to the 2.3Ghz i7, but not so much going from the 2.3Ghz i7 to the 2.6Ghz i7. I reached the conclusion that, for what I use it for, I'd rarely notice the difference. I also plan on upgrading as soon as the Haswell minis come out. If for some reason I decide I need more computing power, I'll opt for the faster CPU then. For right now, I'm more than impressed with the speed of this setup.

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Voice of Reason right there!

Regardless of whether you upgrade when the Haswell Mini's come out, the 2.3 to 2.6ghz quad core at best will be 10% increase in processor speed. IT WILL NOT FUTURE PROOF YOU (as stated by someone previously in this thread). I don't know how many ways I can state this on this forum yet people keep saying it will. When the 2.3ghz quad core becomes too old to do things you want it to, the 2.6ghz will not be any better. Generally speaking any processor of the same generation will become archaic at the same time (okay a quad core will probably outlive a dual core, but I'm comparing same core counts). Further, the 10% is only going to help you in super processor intensive tasks such as video encoding or rendering. Even then, will 10% faster really help you? I generally load up a bunch in my Handbrake queue before bed and come back in the morning. Doesn't much matter to me if the encoding finished at 4AM or 5AM....

Go with the base Mid-Mini and buy RAM separately. This is the best advice I can give you.

englishman said:

Can I ask how easy it is to install the SSD?

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I used the OWC vid, and it was a straight forward procedure. If I had smaller hands, it might have been easier, but I finished it up in about an hour.