Apple Introduces New Mac Mini With Faster Processors and Quad-Core Option

[KrisLord]

looks like they expect the euro to plummet.

It's actually gone down in the UK from 529GBP to 499

 

[fpsBeaTt]

Well, there goes my Mini purchase; was going to use one for Steam Big Picture. No way in hell does this suit my console purpose now.

 

[deyorew]

I have the early 2009 Mac Mini with upgraded RAM (I did myself) and find it slow these days with OS Mountain Lion.

I mainly do itunes, internet, mail and iPhoto. Will the new mid level with Fusion option be blazing past my current '09 model?

 

[tbrinkma]

This Intel HD 4000 does have 512MB of graphic power though, so I would imagine, you might be surprised.

While the 'weak' integrated graphics cards of today aren't really 'weak', except in comparison to the high-end stuff, nothing you said makes any sense at all...

 

[steveh]

Waste of time manufacturing this out.

It's nothing but a door stop and a use for surfing the web and email. Too bad. You put in more ram, hybrid drives and you can't manage a 7 series Mobile from AMD or a 6 series mobile from Nvidia. Pathetic.

Yeah, it's only hugely better performing and capable than what we were using to develop professional multimedia just a few years ago.

Too bad it can't get out of its own way today.

 

[KrisLord]

I did not realize that the newer intel integrated graphics came with their own memory, and no longer ate up system memory. Thanks for clearing that up! It makes me feel a bit better about the mini, although let's face it - one can't really build a better small computer for that price.

it's sooooo tiny and quiet without an external power brick. That's nuts.

I don't think that's right - the specs relate to the system memory reserved for graphics. The GPU is integrated into the processor, so has no separate RAM.

 

[El Burro]

A lot of complaints about the lack of dedicated graphics. Folks, the Intel HD 4000 is actually a very powerful graphics card and beats many if not most dedicated graphics card in its price range. Of course, if you want to play the latest most graphics intense video games (and if you are then macs really aren't for you) then yeah this may not apply to you but most if not all recent games will play on medium to low settings. If you want to stream 1080p video, and anything video based, it will do it without duress.

What will be the real bottleneck is not the graphics card, but rather the slow, traditional HD over the SSD. It's a shame that the Mac Mini comes default with an HDD and not an SSD and I was hoping that it comes standard like it does on the base model Macbook Airs (afterall, a Mac Mini really is just a Macbook Air without a screen)

Now I have to buy this, and replace it myself, because I'm not going to pay Apple a premium to install the hard drive (and we all know Apple loves to charge exorbitant prices for RAM and HDD).

 

[AppliedMicro]

I have the early 2009 Mac Mini with upgraded RAM (I did myself) and find it slow these days with OS Mountain Lion.

I mainly do itunes, internet, mail and iPhoto. Will the new mid level with Fusion option be blazing past my current '09 model?

I'd look at upgrade your current mini with an SSD.
Took mine from feeling sluggish to great (probably having similar usage as you).

 

[deyorew]

I'd look at upgrade your current mini with an SSD.
Took mine from feeling sluggish to great (probably having similar usage as you).

Wow, I wouldn't have thought that. I am mainly interested because my current 09 Mac is being used 95% of the time as a music server which is does great. But I am interested in buying a second new model as a desktop for my wife to do photos and internet work on. I would switch the photo storage duties of my old one (which seem slow) to the new one. I like the idea of the Mini over a new iMac for some reason (cost mainly)

 

[RKilbane20]

So my 2011 Mac Mini has a better graphics card then the new 2012 model? Mine has the AMD Radeon HD 6630M 256 MB. Awesome for me!

 

[AppliedMicro]

Wow, I wouldn't have thought that.

The difference between SSD and conventional HD seems more pronounced to me in Mountain Lion than it did under 10.6.

If your '09 mini is primarily (95%) as a music server as a music server, I'd leave it as it is (including the bigger non-SSD hard drive) and move photos over to the new one. Just make sure you get a model with enough storage for your photos.

If the 21.5" iMac does really come with a standard 2.5" 5400rpm hard drive rather than an SSB / "Fusion" drive, I'd rather go with the mini instead of the former for your intended usage (which should be rather non-CPU intensive). Especially if you already have display/mouse/keyboard.

 

[graycrow]

Uhhh... How about anything more than web browsing? Just because you use your computer only to look at macrumors doesn't mean everybody does!

Well, I'm a software developer and I do a lot of things on my PC. I can understand if someone needs more RAM, faster HDD or SSD, better CPU, etc. But HD4000 will render your desktop and UI with same speed and quality as standalone chip will do. Of course 3d games is different thing. But because you use your computer only to play games doesn't mean everybody does!

But now seriously, I really want to know, is there any reason to have more GPU power other than 3d games? Or photoshop is so advanced now that it uses GPU for filters? Maybe 3d modelling tools?

 

[ryedarrow]

I don't think that's right - the specs relate to the system memory reserved for graphics. The GPU is integrated into the processor, so has no separate RAM.

This is actually correct. I was wrong. From another thread:

"Because it is not really fast enough for a detail level that would require more VRAM anyway.
Also since it has no dedicated RAM access to System memory is much less troublesome for the HD 4000 than for say 650M.
It has full speed access to the LLC aka L3 and the copy path from to memory is full speed low latency (direct). There is no latency problem or limited bandwidth as the x8 PCIe lanes pose. A 650M needs to pull data over the PCIe lanes which is a much longer way and slower. The Intel GPU practically has full speed access to the system memory. You can do a lot with drivers here.

More VRAM just is of little to no use and limits how much RAM you can use for the OS. It cannot be dynamically adjusted at runtime thus it would be foolish to make it any bigger than reasonable."

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1425353/

 

[steve333]

People are crying. It's post after post of bitching and complaining. It's not discussing. It's "You screwed me Apple and I'm mad." People going on about how they won't be giving them their dollars. It's a whole "I'm taking my ball and going home." attitude. The old graphics option was hardly any better than the integrated graphics. This integrated graphics should be slightly better than it.

Remember, Apple makes this machine to sell to those looking for web browsing, email, word processing and maybe light game. It's not meant to be a gaming machine. For 99% of those that consider the Mac mini, it's more than enough as it stands. Those looking to game should look elsewhere as that has never been what this machine was about.

Apple could have and should have put in a 7200 hard drive in both the Mini and 21 inch iMac and not having a separate graphics card in the Mini as even a build to order option shows what little regard Apple has for it's customers.
You can drink the Apple Koolaid, some of us aren't thirsty

 

[AppliedMicro]

I'm always on edge and really couldn't stand sluggishness in my computer. I'd consider myself an internet "power user", often having dozens of tabs open at the same time. Yet I always really enjoyed my 2009/2010 Mac minis (base model, which were Apple's "low-end" offerings, mind you) for my internet and "office" use. Fast enough for anything that I threw at them, cause I (previously) didn't do anything CPU-heavy on them.

Having had an SSD and enough RAM was and still is key for me. It was only for video conversion that I recently replaced my mini at home with a 2011 one (faster CPU).

 

[banemicic]

Strange, but server model doesn't have 1TB or 2x1TB Fusion drive option!? Is it possible to install second hdd into the $799 model?

 

[calvol]

Strange, but server model doesn't have 1TB or 2x1TB Fusion drive option!? Is it possible to install second hdd into the $799 model?

I would like to know this, as I have a Samsung 830 256SSD, and would like to retain the 1TB drive for storage.

 

[AppliedMicro]

Is it possible to install second hdd into the $799 model?

Provided that you get the 2nd hard drive carrier and cables:
Quite probably - in the same way the 2011 (with Intel graphics) is upgradeable.

And, of course, provided a 2nd SATA/drive connector is available on the logic board

----------

I recently purchased a 2011 Mac mini: 2.3 GHz base model, with Intel graphics, coming with only one hard drive factory-installed and no 2-drive configurations offered by Apple. Got the plastic drive carrier, cables and screws and installed a 2nd hard drive into it.

Replaced the default HD as well - now happily running a Samsung 830 SSD as startup volume, while a 1TB Western Digital drive is installed as a second internal drive for additional (video) storage.

I believe the same should be possible on the new Mac mini, seeing it still coming in the same aluminum housing as the previous and Apple offering a 2nd-HD upgrade on the top model themselves. And there's really no reason to believe the logic board layout to be different between different configurations of the 2012 model.

----------

PS: But please don't just take my word for it. Ifixit will probably confirm or disconfirm this rather sooner than later.

 

[PeterQVenkman]

I don't think that's right - the specs relate to the system memory reserved for graphics. The GPU is integrated into the processor, so has no separate RAM.

Ah, so I was right originally. I don't like integrated graphics eating into my ram when I push the system. it gives me less to work with.

A lot of complaints about the lack of dedicated graphics. Folks, the Intel HD 4000 is actually a very powerful graphics card and beats many if not most dedicated graphics card in its price range.

It's not a graphics card. I don't know how one would compare intel integrated graphics price range with that of a dedicated piece of graphics hardware.

Of course, if you want to play the latest most graphics intense video games (and if you are then macs really aren't for you) then yeah this may not apply to you but most if not all recent games will play on medium to low settings. If you want to stream 1080p video, and anything video based, it will do it without duress.

This is good to hear since that's how I'll use it most of the time. I may have to use it in a pinch for something heavier, though. For those times I wish I could have paid for more horsepower in the mini form factor.

I am simply in love with the tiny, silent design of this machine. i want it to be even more powerful.

 

[magbarn]

I'm always on edge and really couldn't stand sluggishness in my computer. I'd consider myself an internet "power user", often having dozens of tabs open at the same time. Yet I always really enjoyed my 2009/2010 Mac minis (base model, which were Apple's "low-end" offerings, mind you) for my internet and "office" use. Fast enough for anything that I threw at them, cause I (previously) didn't do anything CPU-heavy on them.

Having had an SSD and enough RAM was and still is key for me. It was only for video conversion that I recently replaced my mini at home with a 2011 one (faster CPU).

Wait for the next Samsung 830 SSD sale and pick up a 128gb for $70 or a 256gb for $150. It'll be just as fast as the fusion (if not faster overall) when accessing data AND you get to keep your discrete GPU as well.

 

[czeano]

I take it the integrated graphics will drive two displays, unlike the previous model's capability to run three (when ordered with discrete graphics)? There's nothing on the tech specs page about the number of monitors supported.

 

[englishman]

It's actually gone down in the UK from 529GBP to 499

Yeah. Had to buy one at that price - sucker for new stuff.

 

[RaceTripper]

Discrete graphics would have been nice. Meh...it is what it is.

I just ordered the 2.6 GHz i7 version with the extra DVD drive, along with a 240 GB Mercury Extreme Pro SSD and 16 GB RAM kit from OWC.

This will run headless with a pair of 4 TB RAID0 FW800 drives in my two-channel music room as a media server, serving high resolution audio to my Naim network streamer, and video to my AppleTV. Still deciding whether I want to run OS X Server on it or not.

 

[wildmac]

This is nice small computer with good specs. And for all that people who's crying that there is "no graphics card": Intel HD4000 IS A GRAPHIC CARD and I can't imagine what are you planing to do on your macs if HD4000 is not enough for you.

Simple. Gaming and Photoshop.

And for the price, the graphics cards in the outdated MacPros are a total joke, especially since you can't upgrade them to anything good.

I'll give Apple till Feb. After that, I go PC.

 

[Technarchy]

The lack of graphics muscle is very disappointing.