I have the 27" iMac with 3.06 Intel Core 2 Duo, ATI Radeon 4670 256MB, and 12GB RAM. I only get occasional, minor stuttering / beachballs with 1080p and other stuff playing.
I'm thinking of getting the $700 Mini and hook it up to Transcend 512GB external SSD (usb 3.0) for media. I'm a pretty average mac user--iTunes, Chrome, and occasional Youtube/Netflix/Hulu Plus. Would it do okay running 2560x1440 with Intel Iris Graphics?
What would be the downgrades and upgrades? Please?
2560x1440 is the default resolution of the Apple Thunderbolt Displays, it will have no problem running that. While onboard Intel graphics are not as powerful as a dedicated video card they have become much more powerful in recent years. I have a 2012 mini with a supposedly lower grade onboard graphics and have never had a problem with that resolution on the Thunderbolt display.
The new mini should be a nice upgrade for you. It's possible you could save a small amount of money if you look for a 2012 mini, either used from a third party, or refurbed from the online Apple store. The 2012 can upgrade the ram to 16gb yourself and even install a 2nd hard drive or swap out the 1st hard drive for an SSD, neither of which are possible with the 2014. They have a quad core cpu instead of a dual core that is in the 2014, but either the 2012 or 2014 will do fine for what you mention. The price of the 2012's has gone up since the 2014 came out though because of the lack of quad core cpu's in the newest model, so you might not be able to get the older version for less. The new Core i series CPU's are excellent and much more powerful than the old Core 2 Duo CPU's, regardless of which model you buy.
I had a 2010 mini with Core 2 Duo, upgraded to the 2011 and then the 2012. Both the 2011 and 2012 had Core i series CPU's and were much more powerful than the 2010 model. The 2014 has a dual core Core i series CPU.
