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Apple Announces New Mac Mini Starting at $499
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If Apple had released a 5K display AND a Mac Mini with dedicated GPU to drive the thing, that would be a compelling sell to many, and would entice switchers, also. Wasn't the original G4 Mini created to entice switchers over from Windows? With theses lowish specs at such high prices, I think Apple forgot how to market this little computer.
In a few years time I won't be surprised if the Mac Mini followed the same path as the Xserve.
In a few years time I won't be surprised if the Mac Mini followed the same path as the Xserve.
Now it's "My First Mac".It wasn't the big "Mac Pro" update I thought it would be, but SO many people are going to be happy. And now it's cheaper
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Downgrading specs in this case.Nice fresh design and I truly don't think I've seen anything like this before.
I'm glad Apple is still innovating, or rather still updating specs
I can't believe that 1TB is the largest storage capacity
I was looking to upgrade my 2.5Ghz i5, 4GB, 500GB Mac Mini to something with 2TB of storage!
Might have to look at a NAS device, can anyone recommend one that will work with iTunes?
Thanks in advance, so disappointed
I can't PM you a link because you are too new to MR, so hopefully you'll see this here.
I've since found out that Seagate and Sammy are now making 2TB hard drives that will fit inside a mini, though it would be a bit of a manual process to take the guts of the mini apart to swap the drives.
Not sure if you're up to that or not, and we won't know for certain until the iFixit crowd tears one of these apart in the next few days.
I have a similar setup with 16GB RAM and 6630M as yours except it is an i7 2.7GHz with 240GB SSD. Able to play undemanding DOTA2 with medium graphics (lots of other settings off) smoothly.
I am able to play with the same smoothness using same setting on another mac mini 2012 quad core i7 2.3GHz running on HD4000. Pushing it up with more demanding graphics settings will make it unplayable.
From here, I suppose HD4000 is about the same as 6630M (there are people who feel that 6630M is still slightly better though).
I would believe Iris Graphics will have a noticeable edge over 6630M, if not more.
If I were to buy a new Mac mini, it would definitely be the $699 with Iris Graphics.
While Apple claims the new Mac mini is cheaper now(by $100), in reality, it is pushing many existing Mac mini owners to buy a more expensive ($100 more) entry "2012 model with Iris Graphics, small 2.6GHz dual core CPU and 8GB upgrade"
Looking like it's soldered; to upgrade you'll have to CTO at the time you buy it.
Where do you see that? The 2011 and whatever came after it have a lid at the bottom where you can just unsnap the existing RAM and replace it.
This is something that I think most people aren't getting with these new minis. The quad core option on the previous model was definitely a pro option. And at the time, it probably benefited Apple to have that in the lineup. But in the two years since, they now have a new Mac Pro model that they want to push people towards. I can definitely see how being able to get a quad core i7 for less than $1000 would deter some people from getting a Mac Pro -- I was one who opted for the mini over another iMac or a Mac Pro at the time.
As for Haswell vs Ivy Bridge, the major improvement with Haswell was Iris/Iris Pro and improved power consumption. For raw CPU performance, it just isn't that big of a jump. And given that, there is no way the 3GHz 2 core i7 is going to come anywhere near the performance of the 2.6GHz 4 core i7 of the previous generation.
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Exactly -- most people have multiple tabs open in the browser, probably iTunes running somewhere in the background, perhaps Mail, perhaps other apps. They all would benefit in some way from having more cores.
Add in all the work Apple has been doing on the developer side to make it easier to use multiple cores and you end up benefiting even more.
Of course, it comes at a price and for many the extra performance may not be worth the extra cost to them personally. But that's a different argument than nobody other than pros will benefit from having more cores.
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And the previous high end mini was basically a high-end 2.5GHz 15-inch MacBook Pro without the discrete NVIDIA GPU and about $1000 US cheaper (give or take a bit based on if you upgrade the mini RAM/SSD yourself).
Today's mac mini announcement would have been my first mac.
I've been babying a six or seven year old DELL waiting for what I was sure would be the right mini for me. A six or seven year old PC with 4-cores with good graphics card, an extra drive installed, a bit more memory popped in a few years ago that breathed new life into the thing...
Hmm.. actually this is one thing the PC has right. I should re-think this switch.
I've been babying a six or seven year old DELL waiting for what I was sure would be the right mini for me. A six or seven year old PC with 4-cores with good graphics card, an extra drive installed, a bit more memory popped in a few years ago that breathed new life into the thing...
Hmm.. actually this is one thing the PC has right. I should re-think this switch.
How much faster in practice would a FireWire 800 network be compared to a gig-e network be? I know FireWire is usually more efficient than competing standards (FW 400 would usually beat out USB 2 with it's "faster" 480Mbps speed, for example), but how well does that hold up here?
It seems like it would be more likely for me to run into two machines with gig-e (or TB and a gig-e adapter) than two machines with FW800 -- especially on the PC side. In that case, wouldn't a cheap Cat-5E/6 cable beat a FW800 cable for a cheap fast network?
My other concern is that since FireWire isn't a priority for Apple these days, it means less testing/greater likelihood of bugs, IMO. At least gig-e and TB will have a lot more testing behind them.
Yes, as an add-on option
http://store.apple.com/sg/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter
http://store.apple.com/sg/product/MD464ZM/A/apple-thunderbolt-to-firewire-adapter
Where? That's not at the apple store page or http://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs/.
No, us "idiots" were expecting the next generation of quad core which would have been a decent update. Seriously, you think the duals are so good that they are an upgrade from the previous top quad in the mini? Come on.
This satisfies the only reason for using FireWire today: you have some device you need to connect to, and Firewire is the only way.
Just get this adapter.
Forget about Firewire for networking, connecting hard drives, or anything goofy like that. It's a has-been for these purposes. You got old stuff you want to keep using? Or a camcorder, audio stuff, etc.? Sure, get the adapter. No, you won't suffer any performance hit.
But it enrages me that my 2011 with 6630m (Radeon) is not *that much* behind in the graphics department.
Guess I'll wait to 2017 maybe then...
Well I've been rocking a Mini '11 and I do graphics design (amateur), software developing, music composition, video editing, some light 3D rendering, retro console emulation. It works decently. Takes time. You need to remember Safari is a memory hog and you *must* close those damn 75 tabs opened since last year. But works. So it's not just for mail and internet, as pointed in the Mac Mini forum several times in several threads (I know I'm not the only crazy person that went from Windows to Mac with just the Mini and a HD TV).
However it's disappointing as I said before in the GPU department and well I don't see any groundbreaking stuff. Guess I'll wait next year or next couple years then maybe consider updating. Will give a go to Yosemite hopefully it will run as smooth as Mavericks.
Click Buy Now button and scroll to more detailed Tech Specs on next page. That has the "Only at Apple Store" language on the RAM specs.
no upgrades
A live chat guys says the RAM is soldered and you cannot add a second HDD/SSD (to make a fusion drive). The guys even said that removing the bottom plate will void the warranty (I am not sure if he knew whether the bottom of the new mini can be removed.)
I guess I have to wait for iFixit to find out more about the inside.
A live chat guys says the RAM is soldered and you cannot add a second HDD/SSD (to make a fusion drive). The guys even said that removing the bottom plate will void the warranty (I am not sure if he knew whether the bottom of the new mini can be removed.)
I guess I have to wait for iFixit to find out more about the inside.
It use LPDDR3, so yes it is soldered
LPDDR3 means low-powered (all the way down to 1.2 volts or thereabouts) RAM. It does not mean soldered. Whether it IS soldered on or not is undetermined, but being LPDDR3 simply means very low power.
Firewire
T H I S.
Because my 2007 FW400 Digidesign 003R still beats my newer 2013 USB Apogee Duet as far as real-world CPU strain goes. -Even though it doesn't beat the Apogee on paper. There's "spec" and there's "reality"...
-Also professional A/V drives use Firewire 400/800 or Thunderbolt (Firewire Deluxe) http://cdn.macrumors.com/vb/images/smilies/biggrin.png
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And this.
T H I S.
Because my 2007 FW400 Digidesign 003R still beats my newer 2013 USB Apogee Duet as far as real-world CPU strain goes. -Even though it doesn't beat the Apogee on paper. There's "spec" and there's "reality"...
-Also professional A/V drives use Firewire 400/800 or Thunderbolt (Firewire Deluxe) http://cdn.macrumors.com/vb/images/smilies/biggrin.png
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And this.
So, Apple took a DUMP on the Mac Mini
NO quad core anymore
NO more FIREWIRE connection
(NO I dont need 2 &#(($()% thunderbolt connections)
The "OLD" MINIS will now be worth more
They slapped the base model with Yosemite (FREE) and a Haswell
thats IT.
NOT AN UPGRADE AT ALL.
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YOU CANT UPGRADE the RAM on the new MINI?
Youre JOKING RIGHT?
RIP MINI
So just curious, I see a few complaints that it is not quad core chips inside the new mini's. But everyone praises the Air lineup which have all dual core chips across the board as well. So my question is will the performance be as good as the Macbook air's and sufficient enough for my light needs?