I found a mac mini locally. Late 2012 I7 2.3ghz, 8gb of ram and 1tb fusion drive. They want $500 for it. I'd like a desktop mac and i'm just wondering if this a good deal?
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Good deal on Mac Mini?
- Thread starter davidjacobs21
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Sounds like a good deal, if everything is in good condition. I have a 2012 2.6ghz i7 quad and it's a great machine. But it's not getting any younger. 
Your last sentence pretty much sums up a certain 500+ page post on this siteSounds like a good deal, if everything is in good condition. I have a 2012 2.6ghz i7 quad and it's a great machine. But it's not getting any younger.
Well played 
So sad we need to buy 6 year old hardware because Apple won't update their "current" Mini's.
I was going to ask a similar question (not to hijack this thread). There's an upgraded 2012 i7 2.3 Mhz Quad Core Server with 16 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD. Asking $1400 Cdn for it - a little rich, maybe I can talk it down a bit. However, how would it hold up in 2018 against current machines? Too slow? Too dated?
So i bought on ebay a quad core 2.3 ghz 2012 mac mini, with 8 gb of ram and 1tb fusion drive for 430.. Then the guy cancelled the order because he didnt actually have the item. He says his shipment was delayed. I'm still fighting with him to get my refund. freaking ridiculous!
I then found a local guy who had the 2.5 ghz dual core one with 16gb of ram and regular 500 gb hard drive, but sold it to me for 250. I then upgraded to a samsung evo 860 500gb ssd and installed it all last night. It's running great, fast and everything. Very happy with how it worked out, once i get my refund from paypal
I then found a local guy who had the 2.5 ghz dual core one with 16gb of ram and regular 500 gb hard drive, but sold it to me for 250. I then upgraded to a samsung evo 860 500gb ssd and installed it all last night. It's running great, fast and everything. Very happy with how it worked out, once i get my refund from paypal
In terms of CPU it is still respectable, with a geekbench rating ~10,000, similar to the 2017 13" MBP (IIRC). That's about 50% better than the fastest 2014 mini. The HD4000 graphics chip is the biggest weakness IMO, although it is still supported by Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and lots of other software (unless it requires a dedicated graphics card). I see dropped frames working realtime with unrendered Final Cut Pro 1080p30 video, but it's still quite usable.
The 2012 mini still has the old, slow wifi - I don't care though, mine is on gigabit ethernet. It also only has one thunderbolt 1 port that can be used either for peripherals or a monitor. I use it to drive a Blackmagic Ultrastudio box connected to a Sony production monitor for video editing. The other 2012 port is firewire, which may not be useful, but it's perfect for me because I still use a Sony DVCAM/HDV deck for legacy video. Another nice feature (for me) is that I can boot the 2012 into MacOSX 10.8.5 and run all the legacy software that I paid thousands of dollars for.
$1400 CDN is $1060 USD, seems a bit high although it is nicely maxxed out. MacSales (OWC) sells the 2012 2.6ghz quad with your same specs for $1300. So $240 USD buys you a faster CPU plus a 90 day warranty. That makes the price of your machine seem pretty comparable (if it's in good condition)
https://eshop.macsales.com/configure-my-mac/UAEE3H66XX2XXXC
My 2012 2.6ghz quad should continue to meet my modest video/audio needs for a couple more years. I have 16gb RAM, original Apple internal 256gb SSD and external 1TB and 500GB Samsung T3 SSD's plus over 20TB of external hard drives.
In terms of CPU it is still respectable, with a geekbench rating ~10,000, similar to the 2017 13" MBP (IIRC). That's about 50% better than the fastest 2014 mini. The HD4000 graphics chip is the biggest weakness IMO, although it is still supported by Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro and lots of other software (unless it requires a dedicated graphics card). I see dropped frames working realtime with unrendered Final Cut Pro 1080p30 video, but it's still quite usable.
The 2012 mini still has the old, slow wifi - I don't care though, mine is on gigabit ethernet. It also only has one thunderbolt 1 port that can be used either for peripherals or a monitor. I use it to drive a Blackmagic Ultrastudio box connected to a Sony production monitor for video editing. The other 2012 port is firewire, which may not be useful, but it's perfect for me because I still use a Sony DVCAM/HDV deck for legacy video. Another nice feature (for me) is that I can boot the 2012 into MacOSX 10.8.5 and run all the legacy software that I paid thousands of dollars for.
$1400 CDN is $1060 USD, seems a bit high although it is nicely maxxed out. MacSales (OWC) sells the 2012 2.6ghz quad with your same specs for $1300. So $240 USD buys you a faster CPU plus a 90 day warranty. That makes the price of your machine seem pretty comparable (if it's in good condition)
https://eshop.macsales.com/configure-my-mac/UAEE3H66XX2XXXC
My 2012 2.6ghz quad should continue to meet my modest video/audio needs for a couple more years. I have 16gb RAM, original Apple internal 256gb SSD and external 1TB and 500GB Samsung T3 SSD's plus over 20TB of external hard drives.
Thanks for the good insight and assessment. I don't use Final Cut Pro.. my needs are general office, plus Lightroom and other photoediting.
I just wish Apple would release a small form factor desktop bigger than a mini, but not a huge desktop tower. Probably won't happen, and frankly, when I'm at my desk, I'm always using an external keyboard and monitor anyways, so I'm thinking why not a Mac Mini if nothing new comes out? I've had Mac Minis in the past, and they (mostly) worked out.
Just be sure that your photo software works well with the HD4000 graphics chip. The computer should be fast enough for what you do. Now, as to whether it’s *worth* the going price, that’s totally up to you. Two years ago I had no problem paying a premium price, but this is 2018 and prices don’t seem to have dropped on the 2012 quads.
If mine died, I doubt that I’d buy another 2012 today...
If mine died, I doubt that I’d buy another 2012 today...
I would agree with this advise as well. I have a 2012 2.3Ghz quad core mini with 16 Gig RAM and 500gb Samsung SSD and 1TB WD Black HDD. It runs quite well for most tasks including light photo editing in Lightroom, but with more complex Brush/Blur edits (which I believe rely on GPU as well), it’s a little slow.
Also, the HD4000 Graphics max out at 1440p 60Hz, so no 4k support.
For that price, I would not recommend a 2012 Mini at all. I bought mine for 400$ (to replace a 2011 Mini). Spent 100$ for RAM upgrade to 16GB, and another 100$ for the SSD.
Hope this helps.
Also, the HD4000 Graphics max out at 1440p 60Hz, so no 4k support.
For that price, I would not recommend a 2012 Mini at all. I bought mine for 400$ (to replace a 2011 Mini). Spent 100$ for RAM upgrade to 16GB, and another 100$ for the SSD.
Hope this helps.