I ordered an Intel Mac mini i5 8GB 512GB - here is why

[djc6]

2. UI animations feel somewhat choppy.

I have a 2018 mac mini bought in 2018. After I got it, I went into Accessibility settings and ticked the boxes for "Reduce Transparency" and "Reduce Motion" and I feel like the UI is much smoother and faster. I have two 4K monitors and I use scaled resolutions on both.

 

[InuNacho]

I upgraded the RAM to 32GB, and the Mac mini is working fine. A few observations:

1. The Bluetooth signal is weaker than MP6,1

4. Geekbench scores are higher than MP6,1 but the MP6,1 feels more fluid, perhaps due to the GPU.

1. The 2018 Mini is notorious for it's lackluster Bluetooth. I personally have never ran into any issues with interference directly with bluetooth BUT I have with Logitech Wireless mice. I've found that running a simple USB extension cable with the nub at the end and placing it far away from the Mini helps.

4. That is why I love my Mini. I went from the Power Pig Mac Pro 5,1 12 core 3.46 to this little Mini and got much better single core performance! Multi was about the same but having a beefed up single when doing a big software transition like I am now from Adobe Photoshop to Affinity Photo is a real time saver.

 

[vddobrev]

1. The 2018 Mini is notorious for it's lackluster Bluetooth. I personally have never ran into any issues with interference directly with bluetooth BUT I have with Logitech Wireless mice. I've found that running a simple USB extension cable with the nub at the end and placing it far away from the Mini helps.

4. That is why I love my Mini. I went from the Power Pig Mac Pro 5,1 12 core 3.46 to this little Mini and got much better single core performance! Multi was about the same but having a beefed up single when doing a big software transition like I am now from Adobe Photoshop to Affinity Photo is a real time saver.

Thank you for sharing. Yes, I found about the bluetooth issue interference during a zoom call with AirPods. I use Bluetooth keyboard and mouse - the magic ones. At the end I plugged in my keyboard with a USB-A to lighting so it will not interfere.

But I still love my MP6,1 and I may keep it for a little longer.

 

[InuNacho]

Thank you for sharing. Yes, I found about the bluetooth issue interference during a zoom call with AirPods. I use Bluetooth keyboard and mouse - the magic ones. At the end I plugged in my keyboard with a USB-A to lighting so it will not interfere.

But I still love my MP6,1 and I may keep it for a little longer.

Are you referring to the crap audio quality on bluetooth Zoom calls? When I do zoom calls with my Bose QC35 the audio quality is that of an old 90s RealMedia Player video. Its weird in that the second the Zoom call ends, audio quality returns to normal.

 

[vddobrev]

Are you referring to the crap audio quality on bluetooth Zoom calls? When I do zoom calls with my Bose QC35 the audio quality is that of an old 90s RealMedia Player video. Its weird in that the second the Zoom call ends, audio quality returns to normal.

No, not really. I use AirPods 3. It seems the bluetooth connection was not stable, but quality was OK.

 

[Ashbash75]

I've got one too (2020, ssd spec bump for the same price). Used it for a music / homebridge server for a while. Then upgraded the memory to 16gb and now it's connected to my electronic drum kit with superior drummer 3.

unlike my 2017 i5 8gb 128gb mbp which is now sitting in drawer as it useless as I can not repurpose it.

I will keep this probably until it becomes obsolete and then decide whether to get another low end mac or windows. I hope by then windows audio will be as good as apple's coreaudio & midi.

 

[idktbh]

2. UI animations feel somewhat choppy. I am running a 4K at looks like 2560x1440@60Hz, but some UI animations like Launcher seem like they are locked at 30Hz
3. It gets warmer than M1 Mac mini

it's the scaled resolution, try running it on "looks like 1080p", even apple warns you

 

[Ziperix]

My typical workload with around 22GB RAM used, and the Intel Mac mini is running cool and completely silent.

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What a waste of money to buy 32gb when you are not even using 16. Apple gets a lot of money from less tech literate people nowadays because they think "Memory used" is what the programs use

 

[vddobrev]

What a waste of money to buy 32gb when you are not even using 16. Apple gets a lot of money from less tech literate people nowadays because they think "Memory used" is what the programs use

Are you calling me a "less tech literate"?

If you read my original post, then you will see that I purchased the Mac with 8GB and upgraded myself to 32GB for less than $120. So your statement that "Apple gets a lot of money" is false.

Also, if you bothered to see the screenshot, then you will see that my App memory is 17.93GB and wired is 3.78GB (the minimum that the system is using).

If you have not read about the Mac OS memory report, then you are welcome to do so at this link.

Also, I stated this was my typical use. At any given time, I can fire up another JVM for testing that will eat up another 4GB to 8GB.

Of course, I can get by with a 16GB system, but then I would have most of my JVMs compressed or swapping - why should I?

So next time before you copy-paste a statement like that, be sure to check the thread and facts before you try and insult someone with "less tech literate". I hold two MS degrees in computer science, how many do you have?

In addition, how much RAM I install in my system is none of your business and is my decision.

If you have something constructive to contribute to this thread - you are welcome to do so.

But don't go and try to insult me with "less tech literate", OK?

 

[George Dawes]

After experiences with 3 minis with intel cpus overheating and now the cool bliss of the m1 mini , I’m never going back to intel , everything is apple silicon for me from now on

 

[gagigu]

I just ordered a heavily discounted 2020 Intel Mac mini i5 3GHz 8GB 512GB in Europe for 800 Euros (from 1 259 Euros). Here is why:

• ...
• Reportedly the power LED "breathes" when the Mac is sleeping, just like the 2014 Mac mini (this remains to be tested when I receive it). For me, this is one of those small things that matter
• ...

I tested the M1 Mac mini, but it did not make it for me because of these things:

• ...
• Power LED is constantly on, annoying while sleeping
• ...

Doesn't the M1 Mini show the sleep LED "breathing"? I thought I saw them on few videos.

 

[vddobrev]

Doesn't the M1 Mini show the sleep LED "breathing"? I thought I saw them on few videos.

No. Even the 2018 Intel Mac mini does not. Not sure what clever designer approved the removal of the breathing LED, and how much Apple is saving by removing it, but certainly this was a nice feature and attention to details.

 

[opeter]

At least this mini is the right colour. I am hoping Apple gets it right with the M2 mini.

Nah, standard silver. Howerer, there will be some options, like pastel pink, sunset gold and zombie green. Of course if you pay the additional fee.

 

[opeter]

Doesn't the M1 Mini show the sleep LED "breathing"? I thought I saw them on few videos.

No. The last Mac mini, that has this "function" is the 2014 model.

 

[Orionfox]

After experiences with 3 minis with intel cpus overheating and now the cool bliss of the m1 mini , I’m never going back to intel

Once I added an eGPU so I could play the 2 games I play better, my entire system stays cool even after-hours of gaming. Still shocked how much it helps

 

[Heindijs]

I guess I'm the only one who has always disliked the breathing led on Macs
Always cover my Mini's led when I can. Even worse is my 2006 iMac which has a bright and large LED and illuminates my entire room at night, despite Apple claiming it has a sensor for adjusting to light levels

 

[G5-PowerLifter]

I just ordered a heavily discounted 2018 Intel Mac mini i5 3GHz 8GB 512GB in Europe for 800 Euros (from 1 259 Euros). Here is why:

• I need BOOTCAMP Windows for some of my tasks
• I can upgrade the RAM to 64GB myself aftermarket. I will upgrade to 32GB as of now, as that is the minimum I need.
• It has 4 TB3 ports
• Reportedly HDMI audio rate is not fixed at 48KHz like the M1 mini (this remains to be tested when I receive it)
• No added "Rosetta" cost when running x86 apps, and I do run such apps
• Reportedly the power LED "breathes" when the Mac is sleeping, just like the 2014 Mac mini (this remains to be tested when I receive it). For me, this is one of those small things that matter
• I do not care about video processing or encoding, I only need CPU and RAM for software development

I tested the M1 Mac mini, but it did not make it for me because of these things:

• HDMI audio rate is fixed at 48KHz, this is my number one complaint
• Only 16GB RAM
• Rosetta is fine, but it adds to RAM usage, and when you have only 16GB, it is a problem
• No BOOTCAMP Windows
• Power LED is constantly on, annoying while sleeping
• Only 2 TB3 ports

Let's see how it goes, I will report back when I get it, if anyone is interested in similar use cases as mine stated above.

From experience I can tell you, that most of your arguments don't really hold up. When the new M1 Macs came out, I bought my first new Apple Computer in 10 years (got a 27" i7 iMac in 2010, still runs great). After a lot of back and forth, because I really disliked the overpriced and underpowered Macs that defined most of the 2010's. Then I got my 16GB RAM M1 Mac mini in 2020, convinced I didn't get fooled by the hype train. All I can say is, the performance is outstanding, it does everything with ease, I don't even have to think about it, I rarely do some video and audio editing and convert large movie files. But when I do it's a blast. I remember my decked out i7 iMac (a top of the line machine at the time) really starting to sweat with a large amount of 1080p clips back in 2012. But my low end Mac mini is everything I ever hoped for, fast quite, resposive and most of all, not overpriced! And I lost my interest in gaming ever since the bitcoin craze, it's just not fun building a PC anymore when I know, I was able to sell my gaming Vega 56 for over 600€ (a card which I got for 260€ 2 years earlier, brand new)

The reason I shre my personal M1 experice here is, that I got an complementory 6-Core i7 Mac mini for a very good price. And while it's very fast, it doesn't hold a candle to the M1. It is very warm and the integrated graphics are really holding it back. It makes no difference if the M1 has 16GB and the Intel got 64GB. The M1 will use what it got much more efficently. Rosetta also is unnoticable, it's just like PPC on Intel felt under Leopard back in the day. Despite being translated, Apps run as fast as on a high end Intel Mac. At least for my use cases.

In short, a base model M1 MacBook air is now capable of doing things, you needed a high end Intel MacBook Pro for, for only a quarter of the price, no heat and much longer battery life.

 

[vddobrev]

From experience I can tell you, that most of your arguments don't really hold up. When the new M1 Macs came out, I bought my first new Apple Computer in 10 years (got a 27" i7 iMac in 2010, still runs great). After a lot of back and forth, because I really disliked the overpriced and underpowered Macs that defined most of the 2010's. Then I got my 16GB RAM M1 Mac mini in 2020, convinced I didn't get fooled by the hype train. All I can say is, the performance is outstanding, it does everything with ease, I don't even have to think about it, I rarely do some video and audio editing and convert large movie files. But when I do it's a blast. I remember my decked out i7 iMac (a top of the line machine at the time) really starting to sweat with a large amount of 1080p clips back in 2012. But my low end Mac mini is everything I ever hoped for, fast quite, resposive and most of all, not overpriced! And I lost my interest in gaming ever since the bitcoin craze, it's just not fun building a PC anymore when I know, I was able to sell my gaming Vega 56 for over 600€ (a card which I got for 260€ 2 years earlier, brand new)

The reason I shre my personal M1 experice here is, that I got an complementory 6-Core i7 Mac mini for a very good price. And while it's very fast, it doesn't hold a candle to the M1. It is very warm and the integrated graphics are really holding it back. It makes no difference if the M1 has 16GB and the Intel got 64GB. The M1 will use what it got much more efficently. Rosetta also is unnoticable, it's just like PPC on Intel felt under Leopard back in the day. Despite being translated, Apps run as fast as on a high end Intel Mac. At least for my use cases.

In short, a base model M1 MacBook air is now capable of doing things, you needed a high end Intel MacBook Pro for, for only a quarter of the price, no heat and much longer battery life.

Three points made the purchase worth it to me:

- BOOTCAMP
- 192KHz/24bit output via HDMI
- 32GB RAM

I also have a 16GB M1 mini, it serves a different purpose.