$499 Mac Mini for me? - Home Theatre/Server

[nidserz]

I waited until the new minis were announced as I wanted to set up a home theatre in my apartment.

I will hook it up to my 55" Samsung UDHD TV.
Programs I will use:

Sick Beard
uTorrent
Plex Media Server
Maybe ESPN3/stream sports via Internet/Websites

Is the $499 model ok for my needs? I will get an external HDD for storage.

Or should I try to grab a 2012 model from some of the stores here in Dubai?
Edit: I have an old Aluminum MacBook - will the 256GB SSD I bought work with the old 2012 Mini?

Basically all I will be doing is auto downloading my shows, running Plex Media Server, and playing the tv shows on the Plex Player.
I have a MacBook Pro Retina for all my computing needs (photo editing, video, photoshop etc).

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

Get a used Mac Mini. They're far better specs for the money and all of them are overkill anyway. Any i5 or i7 Mac Mini will do you just fine and will last a long time. The heaviest use item on your list is Plex Media Server and basically any i5 or better can transcode 1080p without issues in my experience. The 2012 Mac Mini uses standard 2.5" hard drives so your SSD will work fine in it.

FWIW I'm using a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac Mini connected to my TV as a Plex player. That's one old machine and I have no need/desire to replace it any time soon. The computer I run Plex Media Server on is a first generation i7 (2.66 GHz quad core) and it can transcode anything without me noticing - even 3D 1080p.

 

[blanka]

Get a Intel Q1900 board for 100 bucks. It is as fast as the entry Mini and allows 4 internal Sata drives with only 10 watt load use.

 

[nidserz]

Get a used Mac Mini. They're far better specs for the money and all of them are overkill anyway. Any i5 or i7 Mac Mini will do you just fine and will last a long time. The heaviest use item on your list is Plex Media Server and basically any i5 or better can transcode 1080p without issues in my experience. The 2012 Mac Mini uses standard 2.5" hard drives so your SSD will work fine in it.

FWIW I'm using a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo Mac Mini connected to my TV as a Plex player. That's one old machine and I have no need/desire to replace it any time soon. The computer I run Plex Media Server on is a first generation i7 (2.66 GHz quad core) and it can transcode anything without me noticing - even 3D 1080p.

Thanks - I looked for a used Mac Mini here in Dubai, but no quad-core available. I can find one brand new.

I would love to install my SSD and boot the OS with it but I am not so sure how to do that. It's $870 for the mid-range 2012 Mac Mini here. Or I go for the Base 2014 model or Mid Model.

Anybody else have input? Thanks!