I actually would always buy Macs in "overkill" configs, because they last a long time. When you look at the depreciation costs over a lifetime the initial cost differences are really not that much - except the new Mac Pro with its studly pricing.
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2012 Mac Mini vs 2018 Mac Mini..Which to get??!??
- Thread starter ShinRich
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Thank you for the greetings! Yes there seems to be many knowledgeable people on here and have helped me a great deal so far. I'm going to take this weekend to see what I realistically need for an internal drive with what I currently have on my PC. I know I have around 400GB currently. I will certainly check out those 2 programs you mentioned as I have not used them before. Thanks for the info!
You are most welcome! Also, regarding the drive currently inside your PC, how much space are you using?
So currently in my PC setup i have separate drives for much of my stuff. My system drive is an SSD that has windows 7 and any programs that I install. So far that's taking up about 75gb. I then have all my music, videos, pics, and miscellaneous stuff on another drive and that's about 380gb. Like you I have all
my movie and tv series stuff on another drive. So my next decision is how big of an internal drive to get.
I'm sure I can get away with the 256gb but for sure I will have to get at least 1 external SSD. Now I see my usb ports are somewhat limited with the mini so either I have to get some sort of USB expansion or find a USB-C/Thunderbolt external SSD. Any advice on which is the better way to go?
Yeah that's what I was thinking. Ideally I would love to get the 1TB but I can't justify the price they're charging
As I mentioned earlier, I plan on purchasing a 2018 Mac Mini soon (possibly on February 1st), with a core i5 Processor, 8 gig of Ram, and a 256 gig SSD. But as you noted, the number of USB 3.1 ports on that machine (or similar 2018 models) is limited, especially when compared to the late 2012 model like I have. I actually have that problem solved, as I have 7 port USB external Hub that I use, and it works well. Yeah, while it does not satisfy one's "need for speed", I am fine with it.
Unfortunately, external enclosures with a USB-C/Thunderbolt interface are still expensive (as far as I know, as I have not checked recently). If I was needing to access the information on an external SSD a lot more, then such USB 3.1 connectivity would be a detriment. But such is not the case for me. This is the one I have:
USB™ 3.0 7-Port HUB
The JUH377 USB™ 3.0 SuperSpeed 7-Port HUB allows up to seven USB™ 3.0 devices to be connected simultaneously at a transmission speed of 5 Gbps, while still providing connectivity and support for the older USB™ 2.0 (480 Mbps) and 1.1 (12 Mbps) devices. It works with high-bandwidth SuperSpeed USB™...
en.j5create.com
However, I did not pay that much for it when I purchased it a while ago.
Regarding a 512 gig SSD, I just tried, via the Best Buy site, to configure this Mac Mini:
Apple Mac mini Intel Core i5 8GB Memory 256GB Solid State Drive Space Gray MRTT2LL/A - Best Buy
Shop Apple Mac mini Intel Core i5 8GB Memory 256GB Solid State Drive Space Gray products at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.
www.bestbuy.com
with a 512 gig SSD, but when I do that, the processor changes to either a core i3 or a core i7! For some reason, it seems the one i want cannot be configured with a 512 gig SSD (at least via Best Buy's site). Thankfully, a 256 gig SSD easily satisfies my needs.
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I replaced a 2011 quad core i7 mini to a 2018 i7 1TB SSD and upgraded ram to 32GB, but work was paying.
If I was doing it at home, I'd get:
2018 i5 mini 256GB SSD 8GB RAM and upgrade RAM myself to 32GB.
The 2018 mini is a great computer for not a massive price.
However...if you need a screen keyboard and mouse, it is VERY hard to say no to the amazing value of a 27 inch i5 iMac.
Compared to mini; quieter, faster CPU, more storage (fusion, but for regular use, so what?), faster GPU, easy access to ram (and cheaper upgrades). Keyboard and mouse included too!
If I was doing it at home, I'd get:
2018 i5 mini 256GB SSD 8GB RAM and upgrade RAM myself to 32GB.
The 2018 mini is a great computer for not a massive price.
However...if you need a screen keyboard and mouse, it is VERY hard to say no to the amazing value of a 27 inch i5 iMac.
Compared to mini; quieter, faster CPU, more storage (fusion, but for regular use, so what?), faster GPU, easy access to ram (and cheaper upgrades). Keyboard and mouse included too!
So, so true!
One would think that anyone who considers a Mac Mini either already has a keyboard, mouse, and monitor (like myself), or plans on purchasing such items shortly.
Just put the money you would spend on diminishing returns options aside, and use it in the future to get a WAY BETTER future generation a year earlier than you otherwise would have.
It's not rational to get gouged unless it's the last computer you'll ever buy.
My Apple keyboard works fine, but I certainly agree with you about an Apple mouse. I have never really used one, always preferring to ones made by Kensington, and more recently Logitech.
I have a Mac mini 2012 i7 with 16gb, 512 ssd and 1tb. With a lot of load the machine is just fantastic and doest get any tired and its so quiet. Undoubtedly the 2018 is better than the 2012 model, after all the 2012 is an 8 years old machine. If i were to buy today i would definitely buy 2020 technology. But, for you guys saying its not supporting 4k, this is not true. Officially it doesn't but with a little searching on the internet there is a good work around through the mini display port. Mine plays great on a 4k dell monitor at 60hz!
I've read the 2012 Mini supports up to 2K because of the integrated Intel GPU. Are you getting 4K? If so please post a link because I would like to try that on my 2012 Mini.
its not easy but its doable, you will have to make a research. I really don’t remember the exact way i did it. I remember that first you have to install a core display patcher which will enable your graphics cards to run faster. After that once you have connected a 4k monitor ( you need to do it via mini display port) you can try using an app like switch res x and it will enable you to do 4k. The problem is that every time you update your osx you lose everything and in order to make it work again you need an updated version of the core display patch. But if you don’t update osx no problem. I think osx mojave is the latest supported. I found some links.
discussions.apple.com
github.com
Late 2012 Mac Mini 4K Video - Apple Community
GitHub - Floris497/mac-pixel-clock-patch-V2
Contribute to Floris497/mac-pixel-clock-patch-V2 development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
It might be a bit late to the game, but why not respond.
I had an i5 mac mini 2012 for the past 6 years. I bought it used. Sadly it died this past week so I was left with the side of what to do. I have a full 27" iMac 5K (late 2013) so it's not like I was computerless, but the rest of the family use the mac mini. They too have older laptops that work and can do web and stuff on, but my daughter uses the mac for school work video editing and playing some games.
My breakdown is that the i7 is a great on paper powerhouse that you will never max out so you really are paying for the added resources that never get used. In the 5 years I've had the i7 iMac, I can say that its a rare time that I've really maxed out the cpu. Like i did convert a whole load of FLAC to MP3 for my car that maxed it out for 20min.
The 2012 has got the advantage of you can add memory to it. Again, great on paper but in real life unless you are doing some pretty dramatic and heavy loaded apps you'd never need more than 8gb of ram. I have 32 in my iMac but can't say that I've ever thought about it. The old mac mini I had loaded Logic Pro X and used it to do music editing and never once thought that I was running out of memory with the 8gb that was inside of it. And likewise never did I think I was pegging the CPU.
So the other side to consider are the ports on the back. The 2012 has the really old FireWire that nobody uses now at all so I'd say it's a bit of a waste. It has 4 USB3 and a single Thunderbolt 1 port. The 2018 has the 4 usb3 and 4 Thunderbolt3/USB3.1 ports.
For myself, I ended up buying a 2.6ghz i5 mac mini 2014. Why. it has the same ports on the back of it as my iMac. I got a Thunderbolt2 enclosure for a real steal on Facebook Marketplace so I could buy SSD drives and run them at a full speed with easy hot swap. And the unit cost me $350cdn + $250 for the thunderbay and SSD's are really cheep now.
I had an i5 mac mini 2012 for the past 6 years. I bought it used. Sadly it died this past week so I was left with the side of what to do. I have a full 27" iMac 5K (late 2013) so it's not like I was computerless, but the rest of the family use the mac mini. They too have older laptops that work and can do web and stuff on, but my daughter uses the mac for school work video editing and playing some games.
My breakdown is that the i7 is a great on paper powerhouse that you will never max out so you really are paying for the added resources that never get used. In the 5 years I've had the i7 iMac, I can say that its a rare time that I've really maxed out the cpu. Like i did convert a whole load of FLAC to MP3 for my car that maxed it out for 20min.
The 2012 has got the advantage of you can add memory to it. Again, great on paper but in real life unless you are doing some pretty dramatic and heavy loaded apps you'd never need more than 8gb of ram. I have 32 in my iMac but can't say that I've ever thought about it. The old mac mini I had loaded Logic Pro X and used it to do music editing and never once thought that I was running out of memory with the 8gb that was inside of it. And likewise never did I think I was pegging the CPU.
So the other side to consider are the ports on the back. The 2012 has the really old FireWire that nobody uses now at all so I'd say it's a bit of a waste. It has 4 USB3 and a single Thunderbolt 1 port. The 2018 has the 4 usb3 and 4 Thunderbolt3/USB3.1 ports.
For myself, I ended up buying a 2.6ghz i5 mac mini 2014. Why. it has the same ports on the back of it as my iMac. I got a Thunderbolt2 enclosure for a real steal on Facebook Marketplace so I could buy SSD drives and run them at a full speed with easy hot swap. And the unit cost me $350cdn + $250 for the thunderbay and SSD's are really cheep now.
I purchased my late 2012 Mac Mini in June 2013, brand new, from Best Buy. It came with a Core i7 processor, a (slow) 5400 rpm 1 TB drive, and 4 gig of Ram. It ran fine right out of the box, but due to my "I have the need, the need for speed", in October 2013, I replaced the 1 TB drive a fast Samsung 840 Pro 256 gig SSD, and that definitely made a very pleasant difference. Finally, sometime in 2016, I upgraded the Ram to 8 gig.
In those 6 years and 7 months of use, the machine performed very well. In fact, if it were not for the fact that (most likely) Catalina will be the last Mac OS that can run on it, I would still be using it. But on February 1st, I purchased a late 2018 Mac Mini, with a Core i5 processor, 8 gig of Ram, and a 256 gig SSD. Within a week thereafter, I sold the late 2012 model (got a pretty good price for it), and the individual I sold it to has stated that the machine performs well, and satisfies his needs.
Of course, it helps quite a lot that I took care of the machine (like I do with all my Macs (and in fact with numerous "devices" in our place, and both of our automobiles)). I always keep my machines "lean, mean, and clean", and that goes a long, long way to me having hardly any issues with it (in fact, just about never). Same is true for my Mac Book Air.
In those 6 years and 7 months of use, the machine performed very well. In fact, if it were not for the fact that (most likely) Catalina will be the last Mac OS that can run on it, I would still be using it. But on February 1st, I purchased a late 2018 Mac Mini, with a Core i5 processor, 8 gig of Ram, and a 256 gig SSD. Within a week thereafter, I sold the late 2012 model (got a pretty good price for it), and the individual I sold it to has stated that the machine performs well, and satisfies his needs.
Of course, it helps quite a lot that I took care of the machine (like I do with all my Macs (and in fact with numerous "devices" in our place, and both of our automobiles)). I always keep my machines "lean, mean, and clean", and that goes a long, long way to me having hardly any issues with it (in fact, just about never). Same is true for my Mac Book Air.
Honestly, this should not be a question unless $$$ is a huge factor. You get TB3 with 2018 which opens up wide options including eGPU, TB3 external storage which is fast as internal SSD, better thermal management, and etc. 2018 can easily last you 10 years and recycled into media server down the road. 2012 will be a security hazard moving forward in few years.
Well stated! And yes, in a few more years, there will no longer be security updates to Catalina (most likely the last Mac OS that can run on the late 2012 model), and sooner for earlier versions of the Mac OS. Also, some third party applications might become obsolete without updating the Mac OS (up to and including Catalina), and a similar issue could arise with security updates.
Nothing „dramatic and heavy loaded“ required to fill up 8 GB easily. Just having a couple of tabs open in Safari can eat up a significant chunk of memory. Depending on the websites and the number of open tabs (doesn’t even need to be excessive), 8 GB can fill up pretty quickly. Now add 1-2 (even “light“) apps and macOS will start paging.
Also, there are some instances when "leaving" a site, all the memory it utilized is not "given back". I use an application called Memory Clean where this happens somewhat often, and when I apply it, I get just about all that memory back.
There might be a 2020 mini launching this month. So I suggest to wait for that one. There could also be great deals on the discontinued 2018 model.
Seems questionable, at best. In the first sentence, it states "according to previously-reliable leaker CoinX". Previously reliable? But later on it says "CoinX has an accurate track record". So, which is it?
Also, no indication in that link that any kind of announcement would be coming in March 2020 (this month). About the only time frame given is this:
"iMac and Mac mini rumors have been slim, but analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently said a new iMac Pro will launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 with a Mini-LED backlit display"
That says fourth quarter of 2020, not March 2020.