I seriously doubt Apple will use the Atom 330 in the next-gen mini. I have a hackintosh sitting right next to me running 10.5.4 on an Intel D945GCLF2 dual core atom 330. Performance is barely adequate in my opinion. My Rev B air runs circles around this board. Of course the Air has 9400m graphics and the intel board GMA950 so it's not really a fair comparison. It's fine for just basic web surfing, but it sucks on anything with heavy flash.
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Intel Atom-Based Mac Mini Due in March?
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what you say above is absolutely correct, and begs the question why you cited that particular article in the first place - whatever apple could use atom for (surely not in a mini), it would not feature the D945GCLF2 board. could it be you tried to use it as a .. per-component comparison? ; )
don't get me wrong - i share your absolute conviction apple would not use atom in a desktop. neither for the cost, nor for any potential 'green image' it could bring them (if apple cared about their 'green image' with the mini line that one would've still been ppc-based today).
but the currently-sold mini would've been likewise obliterated in the gaming test by the same pc desktop from that test, and the 'atomic' D945GCLF2 did not stand an ice-cube-in-hell chance there - not only atom's fpu performance is much weaker, but it has to do all the vertex processing work too, instead of delegating that to a capable gpu as the one in the competition. that whole comparison there is akin to a tarmac race between a retro motorbike and a modern, top-line bicycle which also has a side-car - raises questions about the purpose of such an exercise.
So test the likely hardware of the upcoming Mac mini with the Atom. The gap will still be big.
That shows the motorbike is faster than the bicycle, which is exactly the point.
Actually to persons criticizing the Atom, a proof of concept video of it running 10.5.6 OSX is here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/640507/
It runs it very well. Little laggy with only 1gb of ram in that mini, but actually runs faster than a MacBook with a gig of ram. The video was also shot on battery power so the CPU was in slow mode.
It runs it very well. Little laggy with only 1gb of ram in that mini, but actually runs faster than a MacBook with a gig of ram. The video was also shot on battery power so the CPU was in slow mode.
Hope This Rumored Atom is Faster Than My Dell Mini 9
I've had a Dell Mini 9 running Dell's Ubuntu Re-Mix. It is a fun machine. But, I hope whatever Apple might be planning for the Mini would run faster than the Dell Mini. There is no way Apple is going to put something out slower than the current Minis is there??? I'm not sure this would go over at even a low, for Apple, price point.
I've had a Dell Mini 9 running Dell's Ubuntu Re-Mix. It is a fun machine. But, I hope whatever Apple might be planning for the Mini would run faster than the Dell Mini. There is no way Apple is going to put something out slower than the current Minis is there??? I'm not sure this would go over at even a low, for Apple, price point.
no argument about that. my point, though, was elsewhere: the current mini is a nice desktop machine (at least it suits this user perfectly), yet that game test would've shown it being pummeled by the competition. so, shall we draw the general conclusion that the c2d mini is not a good desktop due to a slow cpu?
who'd have thought, eh? : )
@one1:
i doubt anybody questions atom's ability to run a snappy desktop os and a speedy browser - something natural for a netbook. try something slightly more taxing, though, like do a dvd rip/build a non-toy c project/run a bunch of apps on the background - see how that goes.
I think people expect too much out apple's smallest computers. The mini is no designers companion. It's small and compact, designed to do day to day tasks itself much like a netbook is. It's no Mac Pro and it is not supposed to be. Too many people trying to spend $500 and get the performance of a super computer. I think the Atom is the right spot for the Mini and it'll put it at a nice price point.
I have been saying this very same things for years now! The Mini was never design to be anything more then a very low end entry level box for brand new switchers etc. kids rooms mom and dad just checking email etc.
The lack of a new Mini update has proven that there are thousands of fan boys out there that honestly cannot afford to really be Mac users at all. The theory was to get your feet wet then upgrade not stay with the kiddie model all your life!
I for one think it is hilarious that you have all these loyal fan boys waiting for a low end machine update. Duh! its a computer design for granny and the kids room, if you cannot afford to upgrade past a kiddie box then bow out gracefully! I did and got a brand new XPS 420 with a Quad Core Processor dual 1 terabyte hard drives ,blue ray drive, TV tuner, fully loaded etc.. all for under $700.
Grow up and stop trying to make a kiddie box into a full edit suite.
Not really the truth hurts! it took me a while to be honest with my self but now that I have made the switch back I could not be happier with the options I can now afford in my price range which are not based on mobile processors and outdated laptop parts.
oh, you teach 'em, champ!
please, tell us more about your e-peen - is it really that huge?
Yes, the Core 2 Duo mini would lag. Of course it would. But that's not the point. The point is, that the gap between the Atom and the test CPU is bigger than the gap between the Core 2 Duo mini and the test CPU.
No - see above.
No, it's your opinion, and your saying "fact" doesn't change a thing.
And this statement is fact.
I do not follow processors
I am not sure if this is good or bad. This is one of the bad things about living the Apple lifestyle. I don't follow this stuff. I just assume Apple is giving me what is near the top tear at the time. I am not going to switch to Windows if Apple is not using the fastest processor.
That being said it is important that those who do understand processor keep Apple in check. So thank you to you guys who track this stuff for me.
Finally, I am in the market for this machine for a new DVD/Media Center for my rec room. I can no longer justify purchasing the current mini. I will wait until the new version comes out
I am not sure if this is good or bad. This is one of the bad things about living the Apple lifestyle. I don't follow this stuff. I just assume Apple is giving me what is near the top tear at the time. I am not going to switch to Windows if Apple is not using the fastest processor.
That being said it is important that those who do understand processor keep Apple in check. So thank you to you guys who track this stuff for me.
Finally, I am in the market for this machine for a new DVD/Media Center for my rec room. I can no longer justify purchasing the current mini. I will wait until the new version comes out
I think many people are looking for a media center computer, but find AppleTV to be underpowered for some uses. Clearly, this is not a "kiddie" use nor is an iMac or a Mac Pro suitable for such uses. Not everyone has the same needs or uses for hardware that you do and not everyone wants to run something like Vista either.
Apple computers are not reasonably priced compared to low to mid-range PCs and that's been a long-standing complaint (and yet one's desire to use OS X instead of something like Vista has nothing to do with the overpriced hardware). If you have any doubts about Apple soaking its users, just check out their record breaking profits report when ALL other computer companies are losing money hand over fist.
What makes them a fanboy because they want a reasonably priced headless computer, possibly for things like a home cinema room? Also some people have families and cannot afford a $2700 Mac Pro for every day consumer uses. If you look at the hardware you can get for $800 in the PC world, they are NOT in any sens of the word "kiddie" machines. It's more like Apple's hardware is non-competitive. Yet if Apple updated the Mini with the Macbook level GPU alone, the machine would be quite usable at that point for most low to mid-level consumer uses, particularly when you consider gaming is not a big market on the Mac.
For home theater considerations (in terms of function and more importantly form factor), it makes NO sense to hook an iMac up to a home cinema with its built-in monitor when some of us have 93" HD projector screens. I'm using AppleTV, but clearly a Mini (particularly one hacked to run AppleTV software) would be more functional out of the box instead of having to hack ATV to get basic functions such as web browsing for the family room. Something the size of a Mac-Mini mounted in an equipment rack could double as a DVD player (and maybe some day a blu-ray player), function as a media server with a large hard drive attached and with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard sitting on coffee or end table, it would make a nice little couch surfer. Are those kiddie uses? No.
I think it's terrible that you are so immature and disparaging towards other human beings that are less fortunate than you. You are the one that needs to grow up, IMO.
All your points are very good ones! except for the last one I still stand behind my comments that the truth hurts. So can someone please tell me why Apple is doing this to what is clearly the most loyal fan base I have ever seen in my life! Why don't they just give you guys a mini tower and be done with it!
The same little Asian kids make all these boxes no matter the OS so whats the big deal? give the customer what they want since there a tons of you guys out there that want a Mini tower of some sort for under $3000 that will run OS X
Happy waiting
The window of opportunity is closing fast! if they dont release some new desktop hardware soon there might not be anyone around to buy it.
Just announced today more job cuts!
Caterpillar 20,000
Sprint Nextel 8,000
Home Depot 7,000
John Deere 700
ING 7,000
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2009/01/26/home_depot_layoffs.html
Just announced today more job cuts!
Caterpillar 20,000
Sprint Nextel 8,000
Home Depot 7,000
John Deere 700
ING 7,000
http://www.ajc.com/business/content/business/stories/2009/01/26/home_depot_layoffs.html
wow, finally someone who sees it like i see it! so many people have said that i need an
TV for my cinema, but i need web browsing capabilities, email, etcetc. it would also be my media server so the mac mini is pretty much the perfect package..apart from the weakness of the processor. thats why im holding out until a new one comes out, i dont want an Atom processor!(my bolding)
actually, if there's one component in the current mini which is not half-bad, it's the cpu. heck, you could call the current mini 'a cpu & storage station', as it lacks everything else (read: video, expansion capabilities, etc). it's also energy efficient, which is a notable plus in my book.
fair enough for your standards, but by my standards the mini's processor would only JUST be enough processing power for me.. i would be playing BluRay rips (which i know it can currently do), converting these BluRay movies on the mini itself, amoung other hi-demanding CPU tasks.. thats why im keen for a pretty nice upgrade.
the fact that the GMA950 is PATHETIC doesnt amuse me either, i would really like to see an actual GPU in it so that it can be used to help decode any BluRay movies that i want to play so that CPU usage is still basically free for other processors. i want snow leopard to be able to fully utilise all the components, the GMA would hardly help at all..
you may be more right than you suspect in the bolded part ; )
AFAIK, gma950 does not support floating point (its internal processing is entirely fixed-point), which may be a-ok for openGL applications, but not for openCL.
which is exactly why i want something like a 9400M/9600/something exceptional in the new mac mini (which probably wont happen). realistically im thinking 9400M because the Mini and MB pretty much followed suit hand in hand previously..
We'll most likely see the 9400M, probably underclocked for heat and/or differentiation reasons.
CPU-wise, if Apple doesn't go with Atom (most likely), then the 2.0 GHz CPU is quite likely.
yes the 9400M is very likely, i agree.
CPU-wise i think there will be the 2.0GHz as the base model, with the 2.4GHz somewhere around the top..following the MB's configurations of course. 1066MHz RAM is a given.