i3 or i5 “2020” mini?

[76Nico]

I currently own a 2012 i7 mini (16gb, 1TB, Mojave) and after nearly 6 years, want to upgrade to the current model. My uses are the usual stuff with occasional photoshop, illustrator, indesign and light excel use. I run two 32” monitors, one at 2560x1440 (native) and the other 1920x1080 (probably irrelevant but thought it might be useful to know).


I’m looking at the i5 with 512gb and 32gb. I’m (and I cannot stress this enough) fully aware that it‘a a lot cheaper to upgrade it myself but I’m not confident enough to do it. I’ve only used 130gb so thought the 512 should be more than enough.


However, after reading a few threads on here, I was wondering if I was wrong to dismiss the i3?


Any advice/thoughts is much appreciated as I’ve been going round in circles trying to work out what would be best for me.

 

[calderone]

I’d really stress upgrading the RAM yourself. It is really a silly premium to pay $600 for something that will cost you ~$120 (+ a nice toolkit of your choosing). If that is all that is holding you back from the i5 (and hell maybe the i7), I’d recommend watching some video and getting the confidence you need.

Based on your usage, I’d recommend the i5 - assuming you’re going to keep it for a number of years.

 

[timidpimpin]

This is what you need to consider most... if the software you plan to run will actually benefit from more than 4 cores. Occasional use of content creation apps doesn't warrant extra cores IMO. 4 cores is plenty for your use.

Honestly, your money would be better spent on other things than the i5 upgrade. The i3 8100 is no slouch, and is even found in many modern gaming rigs on the Windows side.

 

[yellowhelicopter]

Do not do it. Your 2012 i7 is more than enough until new ARM mac minis appear. It's unwise to buy 2018 now, IMHO. They are too hot and have wifi/bluetooth problems.

 

[r6mile]

Do you have an SSD in your 2012 Mini? If not, and you are not confident to do the upgrade (which is fairly straightforward however), you could pay someone to put in an SSD in there - it will be a fraction of the cost of a new machine, and it's plenty fast still.

 

[opeter]

It's unwise to buy 2018 now, IMHO. They are too hot and have wifi/bluetooth problems.

You can always install a software, that controls you computers fan(s). Like this:

Macs Fan Control - control fans on Apple computers, also on Windows via Boot Camp

Control fans on Apple computers, also on Windows via Boot Camp. Monitoring of fan speed and temperature sensors. Solve fan noise and overheating problems, iMac HDD replacement

crystalidea.com

Also, the first thing I did, when upgraded the RAM in my i3, was, that I upgraded the thermal paste. I also have to wirte, that I buyed the i3 used.

 

[76Nico]

Do you have an SSD in your 2012 Mini? If not, and you are not confident to do the upgrade (which is fairly straightforward however), you could pay someone to put in an SSD in there - it will be a fraction of the cost of a new machine, and it's plenty fast still.

No it's a spinner. I could always go down the external SSD route (which hadn't crossed my mind), less of a faff and zero chance of doing any damage internally. Looking at Samsung SSD's on Amazon, the price differences between external and internal are £10 more for the 500 GB and £16 more for the 1TB T5 externals. Like you say, it's cheaper doing that than a new machine and I can follow yellow's advice by persevering until an ARM mini is released.

 

[r6mile]

That's an excellent choice. The best £80 (for the 500GB T5) you could spend. Your 2012 Mini has USB 3 which will be fast enough for a boot device, and after you eventually upgrade to another mini, you'll still have a very useful external SSD which can serve as backup storage or whatever.

 

[timidpimpin]

No it's a spinner. I could always go down the external SSD route (which hadn't crossed my mind), less of a faff and zero chance of doing any damage internally. Looking at Samsung SSD's on Amazon, the price differences between external and internal are £10 more for the 500 GB and £16 more for the 1TB T5 externals. Like you say, it's cheaper doing that than a new machine and I can follow yellow's advice by persevering until an ARM mini is released.

An external will rob you of at least 200MB/sec vs an internal SSD. And the 2012 is easier to take apart than a 2018-2020 mini.

 

[Boyd01]

I don't think there is anything wrong with the idea of getting a new Mini. I just replaced my 2012 quad and couldn't be happier. I also don't think there is anything wrong with getting Apple memory, I did that also. Yes, it was a lot more expensive. Yes, I could have done it myself. This has already been beaten to death in other threads, Apple says it voids your warranty, however they may not actually enforce that.

Anyway, the i3 Mini CPU has about the same geekbench rating as your 2012 quad mini, but there are many other improvements that will enhance performance and offer other advantages. You obviously keep computers for a long time however, so you might want to go with the i5 to ensure longer usefulness. Only you can decide if that is worthwhile.

The ARM Macs won't be a viable option for awhile. They hold a lot of promise, but I'll wait a few years. And I also am running Windows on my Mini, which the ARM machines won't do (or at least, not for awhile).

An external SSD is an excellent way to make your 2012 Mini faster however, and it can be moved to a new machine if you decide to upgrade later. It's really easy to setup, just format it for MacOS and use Carbon Copy Cloner to clone your existing hard drive to it. Select the external SSD in the startup disk preferences, re-boot and you're all set.

But also consider, you're using an 8-year old computer. How long do you think it will last? Would it be better to upgrade now and be all set for another 8 years?

 

[Boyd01]

An external will rob you of at least 200MB/sec vs an internal SSD.

It's not quite that bad. Here is the original Apple internal 256gb SSD on my 2012 quad mini

And this is a 500gb Samsung T3 external SSD. The T3 is the older version of the T5, you might actually see a bit better performance with a T5

Perhaps you are thinking of the 2014 Mini? It has a much faster internal SSD interface so the difference is much greater. I have used my 2012 quad mini for a number of years with a 1TB Samsung T3 external system drive. It works great and this machine was used extensively with Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Although the internal SSD is faster, from a user standpoint it really feels about the same. About the only thing I notice is that it boots faster from the internal SSD.

 

[Fishrrman]

I was a 2012 Mini user who upgraded to the 2018 models.
I was VERY pleased with the performance increase.
I also wanted a late-model Mac that was capable of running 32 bit software and could last that way 6-8 years into the future. Having said that, I want no part of the early-generation ARM Macs.
I'm a "hard conservative" -- I prefer for things to stay "as they are" (or even go back to "the way they were").

Get the i5 -- nice performance jump over the i3.
I think you'd do fine with 16gb of RAM "from the factory".
I'd suggest a 512gb SSD unless you feel like paying for 1tb.

 

[76Nico]

An external will rob you of at least 200MB/sec vs an internal SSD.

It'll still be quicker than whats already in there!

I also don't think there is anything wrong with getting Apple memory, I did that also. Yes, it was a lot more expensive. Yes, I could have done it myself. This has already been beaten to death in other threads, Apple says it voids your warranty, however they may not actually enforce that.

Exactly. Yes it's more expensive to let Apple fit it, but it's my money I'm spending, nobody else's. I definitely would do it myself if it was as easy as the 2012. But it's not. I don't want to spend £1k on a computer only to inadvertently damage something.

But also consider, you're using an 8-year old computer. How long do you think it will last? Would it be better to upgrade now and be all set for another 8 years?

A valid point. The mini wasn't showroom new to me, I bought it second hand off eBay and it came with an Apple wireless keyboard and magic mouse. The only infrequent issues I've really had with it are the logitech mouse (I couldn't get on with the magic mouse) loses bluetooth connection, the keyboard plays up and displays random characters when I press a key and the external drive will eject incorrectly by it's self even though it's still showing on my desktop.

How much longer it will last? Who knows, it could die tomorrow or it could last another 10 years. Ok, maybe I'm pushing it with 10 but you get my point.

Get the i5 -- nice performance jump over the i3.
I think you'd do fine with 16gb of RAM "from the factory".
I'd suggest a 512gb SSD unless you feel like paying for 1tb.

"From the factory" - you didn't want to upgrade it yourself for similar reasons as me?

 

[Boyd01]

Regarding the RAM upgrade, as I said, it has been discussed extensively elsewhere but here are the reasons I got Apple memory.

Look at the Apple warranty. It is very specific that any repairs, modifications or upgrades that were not done by an Apple authorized service center will void it. I have seen mixed reports about how strictly they enforce this, but I didn't want to take a chance with a very expensive computer that I plan to keep a long time.

What if you need to take it in for service? I think you would need to remove the memory you added or they would likely object. That means taking the mini apart again to remove the RAM and one more time to replace it when you get it back.

What about AppleCare? Seems to me that Apple would tell you they warrantied an 8gb Mini, and not a 32gb Mini with RAM that you added.

And what if you have an odd problem? It would be easy for Apple to say it's related to the 3rd party RAM you installed, or damage from the installation? And they might very well be right.

There are at least two current threads here where people damaged their Mini with a RAM upgrade, plus a variety of older threads. I have been using Macs since 1985 (got an Apple ][ in 1978), so I have lots of experience opening them up. But this time I elected to just pay the "Apple Tax" and get the real thing.

If somebody wants to do their own upgrade, I have no issue with that. It might make the difference between getting a new Mini and not getting one at all. But you need to be comfortable with the risks involved.

 

[calderone]

To be clear, if one is considering an i3 Mini, the near $500 premium for 32GB would get you pretty close to buying another Mini (62% before tax). Is it worth paying Apple $500 more for a 1-year warranty?

There is definitely risk, I won't discount that and if someone truly isn't comfortable with it I understand.

 

[Mizouse]

I was a 2012 Mini user who upgraded to the 2018 models.
I was VERY pleased with the performance increase.
I also wanted a late-model Mac that was capable of running 32 bit software and could last that way 6-8 years into the future. Having said that, I want no part of the early-generation ARM Macs.
I'm a "hard conservative" -- I prefer for things to stay "as they are" (or even go back to "the way they were").

Get the i5 -- nice performance jump over the i3.
I think you'd do fine with 16gb of RAM "from the factory".
I'd suggest a 512gb SSD unless you feel like paying for 1tb.

hm... im also a 2012 2.3ghz i7 user and this may have swayed me to upgrade to a 2018.
I currently have 16GB and installed a 1TB SSD on my machine.

Performance is ok for daily web use and youtube. But lately it doesnt seem as snappy as before.
Also I would like to upgrade for improved performance and rendering times in Final Cut.

My only concern is if Apple will update the mini to 10th gen chips before switching to ARM.
Kind of want to hold off and see if that happens.

 

[steve217]

My only concern is if Apple will update the mini to 10th gen chips before switching to ARM.
Kind of want to hold off and see if that happens.

I believe you will never see another Intel Mac Mini refresh.

That’s just an opinion and worth what you paid for it, but given the history of Mac Mini refreshes, I believe it’s a sound bet that if you want an Intel MM, the 2018/2020 is your last chance.

 

[76Nico]

I've decided to go for the i5 with 32gb but I'm going to leave it until the end of the month to see if any appear in the refurb store (or sooner if the lead time starts getting longer than it is currently). When I was setting a refurb tracker alert up, 2 out of stocks (both i5, 32gb, 1TB) were listed for £1609 and £1529. Why the difference in price I don't know but they're both cheaper than what I want new.

 

[Boyd01]

You need to look carefully, I'm sure there something different. Perhaps one of them had the 10gb ethernet option? I don't know how well those trackers work, have seen conflicting reports. IMO, if you want a refurb, just set a bookmark and get in the habit of clicking on it constantly. Worked for me.

 

[Mizouse]

That small of a price difference should be the 10 gigabit ethernet option.
Its normally a $100 USD option.

 

[76Nico]

You need to look carefully, I'm sure there something different. Perhaps one of them had the 10gb ethernet option? I don't know how well those trackers work, have seen conflicting reports. IMO, if you want a refurb, just set a bookmark and get in the habit of clicking on it constantly. Worked for me.

That small of a price difference should be the 10 gigabit ethernet option.
Its normally a $100 USD option.

You’re both right, one did have the 10GB ethenet

 

[vc1212]

I have the 2012 i7 mini and I just ordered the 2018 i7 from the refurb store.

I didn't want to wait for the Apple CPU that will come end this year or next year as usually the 1st version of anything that Apple makes can be considered as extended beta version.

 

[Fishrrman]

I don't think the 10gb ethernet is worth paying extra for, but that's just me.

 

[Mizouse]

I have the 2012 i7 mini and I just ordered the 2018 i7 from the refurb store.

I didn't want to wait for the Apple CPU that will come end this year or next year as usually the 1st version of anything that Apple makes can be considered as extended beta version.

was the 2018 i7 in stock this morning?
I want to go with refurbished since my current 2012 is refurbished from Apple. But i cant seem to find the one i want in stock.

i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD and gigabit ethernet.

 

[vc1212]

was the 2018 i7 in stock this morning?
I want to go with refurbished since my current 2012 is refurbished from Apple. But i cant seem to find the one i want in stock.

i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB SSD and gigabit ethernet.

It was in the Singapore store, where I live. I see the 2018 i7 appear about once every month or two, but will be sold out fast. For example after I ordered one, the store didn't show any other unit.

But I usually see the i7 16G with 1TB SSD, not 8GB.

I recommend you check everyday if you want to go the refurbish route. I figured that with the 3 years warranty by Apple Care+, it should give me enough time to wait out the transition to Apple CPU and avoid any 1st gen machines.