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How about this setup for a 2018 mac mini.

philipma1957

philipma1957

macrumors 603
Original poster
Apr 13, 2010
6,414
281
Howell, New Jersey
Buy the base unit >>>>>>>>>>>> 800
Get the i7 upgrade>>>>>>>>>>> 300
Buy 3 sticks of 8gb ram>>>>>>>> 150
Buy an egpu with a rx580>>>>>>> 550
Buy an external TB3 ssd 500gb >>> 279
total cost 2079

add a killer screen say a 32 inch 4k for 800

you are at 2879

an imac I configured would have a

5k 27 inch with
an older cpu
same gpu
32gb of slower ram
and a 512gb ssd at a cost of 3300
 
Last edited:
philipma1957 said:
add a killer screen say a 32 inch 4k for 800
Click to expand...
It's far from a "killer screen" once you compare it to the 27" 5K. Frustrating that Apple didn't give the iMacs a refresh this year, as the built-in display usually makes them a better value overall compared to buying the Mac mini and a display to go with it.
StellarVixen said:
You need to buy your Mac Mini with i7 preinstalled, if you want i7, you cannot add it later, unless you intend to do a reball and void the warranty, which is not worth it at all.
Click to expand...
$300 is the price to BTO the base model with an i7, so I think that's what he meant.
 
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I'm not clear on what you really want? 16gb total? If so, you can get the i7/16gb/512gb Mini directly from Apple for $1699. So, setting aside the eGPU, that is $170 more than your proposal. I would go for that since the SSD will be faster and you won't have to mess with your own RAM (still seems unclear whether that will void the warranty).

Now if you actually want a 32gb machine, that's another matter. But as the others have said, there are only two slots so you will need to throw away the pre-installed 8gb and replace with two 16gb sticks.
 
Yeah, if you go i3 >> i7 and are good with 128GB of internal storage, that saves you $200 ($1099 vs. $1299).

I have a couple friends - who are also developers - and they go fairly low on internal storage (and opt for external like DAS/NAS). I can see that making a little more sense with a Mini (i.e., desktop vs. notebook/portable).
 
StellarVixen said:
OK, OK, I thought you wanted to buy the i3 and then upgrade on your own. My bad.
Click to expand...

Seems to me it is pretty good for under 3k

The key is order the i3 ungraded to the i7

barebone the ram
barebone the ssd.

Add on ssd will just get cheaper.

The mini will have 2 attachments an egpu and a big ssd.


Yeah I did but the cpu is the i3 8300b and the i7 8300b which are mobile. they said these are desk top but intel says they are mobile.

I thought that it would be the i3 8300 and the i7 8700.

Socket is different
FCBGA1440INTE

L® CORE™





i7-8700B PROCESSOR

(12M Cache, up to 4.60 G
Technical Specifications
Essentials
​
Vertical Segment
Mobile
Processor Number
i7-8700B
Status
Launched
Launch Date
Q2'18
Lithography
14 nm​

Performance
​
# of Cores
6
# of Threads
12
Processor Base Frequency
3.20 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency
4.60 GHz
Cache
12 MB SmartCache
Bus Speed
8 GT/s DMI3
TDP
65.0 W​

Supplemental Information
​
Embedded Options Available
No​

Memory Specifications
​
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)
64 GB
Memory Types
DDR4-2666
Max # of Memory Channels
2
ECC Memory Supported ‡
No​

Graphics Specifications
​
Graphics Base Frequency
350.0 MHz
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
1.20 GHz
Graphics Video Max Memory
64 GB
4K Support
Yes, at 60Hz
Max Resolution (HDMI 1.4)‡
4096x2304@30Hz
Max Resolution (DP)‡
4096x2304@60Hz
Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)‡
4096x2304@60Hz
DirectX* Support
12
OpenGL* Support
4.5
Intel® Quick Sync Video
Yes
Intel® InTru™ 3D Technology
Yes
Intel® Clear Video HD Technology
Yes
Intel® Clear Video Technology
Yes
# of Displays Supported ‡
3
Device ID
0x3E9B​

Expansion Options
​
PCI Express Revision
3.0
PCI Express Configurations ‡
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4
Max # of PCI Express Lanes
16​

Package Specifications
​
Sockets Supported
FCBGA1440
Max CPU Configuration
1
TJUNCTION
100°C
Package Size
42mm x 28mm
Low Halogen Options Available
See MDDS​

Advanced Technologies
​
Intel® Optane™ Memory Supported ‡
Yes
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡
2.0
Intel® vPro Technology ‡
No
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡
Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡
Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
Yes
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) ‡
Yes
Intel® TSX-NI
Yes
Intel® 64 ‡
Yes
Instruction Set
64-bit
Instruction Set Extensions
Intel® SSE4.1,Intel® SSE4.2,Intel® AVX2
Idle States
Yes
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology
Yes
Thermal Monitoring Technologies
Yes
Intel® Identity Protection Technology ‡
Yes
Intel® Stable Image Platform Program (SIPP)
No​

Security & Reliability
​
Intel® AES New Instructions
Yes
Secure Key
Yes
Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX)
Yes
Intel® Memory Protection Extensions (Intel® MPX)
Yes
OS Guard
Yes
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡
Yes
Execute Disable Bit ‡
Yes
Intel® Boot Guard​

NoHz)

INTEL® CORE™ i7-8700B PROCESSOR

(1
INTEL® CORE™ i7-8700B PROCESSOR

(12M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz)
processor-badge-8th-gen-core-i7-1x1.png.rendition.intel.web.225.225.png
2M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz)
processor-badge-8th-gen-core-i7-1x1.png.rendition.intel.web.225.225.png
​
 

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philipma1957 said:
Yeah I did but the cpu is the i3 8300b and the i7 8300b which are mobile. they said these are desk top but intel says they are mobile.

I thought that it would be the i3 8300 and the i7 8700.

Socket is different
FCBGA1440INTE

L® CORE™





i7-8700B PROCESSOR

(12M Cache, up to 4.60 G
Technical Specifications
Essentials
​
Vertical Segment
Mobile
Processor Number
i7-8700B
Status
Launched
Launch Date
Q2'18
Lithography
14 nm​

Performance
​
# of Cores
6
# of Threads
12
Processor Base Frequency
3.20 GHz
Max Turbo Frequency
4.60 GHz
Cache
12 MB SmartCache
Bus Speed
8 GT/s DMI3
TDP
65.0 W​

Supplemental Information
​
Embedded Options Available
No​

Memory Specifications
​
Max Memory Size (dependent on memory type)
64 GB
Memory Types
DDR4-2666
Max # of Memory Channels
2
ECC Memory Supported ‡
No​

Graphics Specifications
​
Graphics Base Frequency
350.0 MHz
Graphics Max Dynamic Frequency
1.20 GHz
Graphics Video Max Memory
64 GB
4K Support
Yes, at 60Hz
Max Resolution (HDMI 1.4)‡
4096x2304@30Hz
Max Resolution (DP)‡
4096x2304@60Hz
Max Resolution (eDP - Integrated Flat Panel)‡
4096x2304@60Hz
DirectX* Support
12
OpenGL* Support
4.5
Intel® Quick Sync Video
Yes
Intel® InTru™ 3D Technology
Yes
Intel® Clear Video HD Technology
Yes
Intel® Clear Video Technology
Yes
# of Displays Supported ‡
3
Device ID
0x3E9B​

Expansion Options
​
PCI Express Revision
3.0
PCI Express Configurations ‡
Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4
Max # of PCI Express Lanes
16​

Package Specifications
​
Sockets Supported
FCBGA1440
Max CPU Configuration
1
TJUNCTION
100°C
Package Size
42mm x 28mm
Low Halogen Options Available
See MDDS​

Advanced Technologies
​
Intel® Optane™ Memory Supported ‡
Yes
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology ‡
2.0
Intel® vPro Technology ‡
No
Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology ‡
Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡
Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d) ‡
Yes
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) ‡
Yes
Intel® TSX-NI
Yes
Intel® 64 ‡
Yes
Instruction Set
64-bit
Instruction Set Extensions
Intel® SSE4.1,Intel® SSE4.2,Intel® AVX2
Idle States
Yes
Enhanced Intel SpeedStep® Technology
Yes
Thermal Monitoring Technologies
Yes
Intel® Identity Protection Technology ‡
Yes
Intel® Stable Image Platform Program (SIPP)
No​

Security & Reliability
​
Intel® AES New Instructions
Yes
Secure Key
Yes
Intel® Software Guard Extensions (Intel® SGX)
Yes
Intel® Memory Protection Extensions (Intel® MPX)
Yes
OS Guard
Yes
Intel® Trusted Execution Technology ‡
Yes
Execute Disable Bit ‡
Yes
Intel® Boot Guard​

NoHz)

INTEL® CORE™ i7-8700B PROCESSOR

(1
INTEL® CORE™ i7-8700B PROCESSOR

(12M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz)
processor-badge-8th-gen-core-i7-1x1.png.rendition.intel.web.225.225.png
2M Cache, up to 4.60 GHz)
processor-badge-8th-gen-core-i7-1x1.png.rendition.intel.web.225.225.png
​
Click to expand...
The only difference is mount. One is LGA and other is BGA. Other than that, it is exactly the same chip. That's probably why Apple calls it "non mobile", this is not the chip from MBP.

EDIT: And i3 appears to be custom made i3-8100B
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: strawbale
philipma1957 said:
Buy the base unit >>>>>>>>>>>> 800
Get the i7 upgrade>>>>>>>>>>> 300
Buy 3 sticks of 8gb ram>>>>>>>> 150
Buy an egpu with a rx580>>>>>>> 550
Buy an external TB3 ssd 500gb >>> 279
total cost 2079

add a killer screen say a 32 inch 4k for 800

you are at 2879

an imac I configured would have a

5k 27 inch with
an older cpu
same gpu
32gb of slower ram
and a 512gb ssd at a cost of 3300
Click to expand...

Without knowing what this machine will be used for, my gut reaction to reading this is that I’d be inclined to spend the extra $400 on the iMac (based on at least one post above, it looks like the difference may actually be less than that).
 
Last edited:
Your prices are all on the high side. The official eGPU kit from sonnet is available @ $399 today. External TB3 SSD, that's probably a luxury option and unless you have an NVMe SSD you won't get past SATA III speeds. If you DYI you can get a 1TB SSD for closer to $200.
 
killawat said:
Your prices are all on the high side. The official eGPU kit from sonnet is available @ $399 today. External TB3 SSD, that's probably a luxury option and unless you have an NVMe SSD you won't get past SATA III speeds. If you DYI you can get a 1TB SSD for closer to $200.
Click to expand...
Yeah you can do

800 base
300 i7
50 8gb ram

1150

Wait on a screen

Pretty sure that would be good.

I have four tb1 enclosures I assume this will work with a t1case.
 
... and then there are those setups, where 2 or even 3 nice screens already do exist and an iMac would make no sense (esp. with Target Display mode not available anymore on recent iMacs).
 
StellarVixen said:
You need to buy your Mac Mini with i7 preinstalled, if you want i7, you cannot add it later, unless you intend to do a reball and void the warranty, which is not worth it at all.
Click to expand...

It's the 8700 b and is soldered to the board. Upgrading cpus after purchase is a non-starter.
 
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