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Intel Atom-Based Mac Mini Due in March?

j26 said:
Not true.

But I am a bit bemused as to why Atom would go into a desktop, other than a media centre sort of machine. I was actually thinking of an EEE Box to go under the tv, but I might hang off to see what pans out on this.

Out of interest this is where the Atom 330 stands in processor benchmarks (From here)
Click to expand...

So it's half the speed of the current low-end Mac mini? It's an upgrade for the AppleTV but a downgrade for the Mac mini.
 
Apple TV replacement

Of course, another possibility is that the alleged new Apple NVidia/Atom platform is a replacement for the AppleTV and not the Mac Mini.
 
preservative said:
I tried a netbook the other week and couldn't believe how fast it was. A micro mac sounds pretty cool. They aren't that bad. Least your energy bill will be better and the birds will thank you for it.
Click to expand...

What applications did you test? Just web surfing and text processing? If yes, then a PIII 500 will make you have same feeling, jut give it 1-2gb memory.
 
Apple TV and a media server/home server makes sense to me. An earlier poster mentioned that it would fit well in a time capsule... which would make a good form factor for a media server in my mind.
 
not just for consumers

hiptobesquare said:
I understand that people want computers that they can carry around, and call them net-books. I get that. Low power, internet browser, ok...

So why on earth does it need to be low power, low speed, and the size of a postage stamp?
Click to expand...

These machines don't just get used by consumers. They also get put into service as special-purpose devices that could benefit from a change like this. Exhibit A.
 
odedia said:
Read my lips: It ain't gonna happen.

It makes no sense,

And Apple is not that crazy.

If you're gonna use an Atom processor, at lease put it in some portable device. What on earth will you do with such a thing on a desktop?
Click to expand...

I don't know the report seems legit, especially cuz its toms hardware. But i think the reason they are putting an Atom in a Mac Mini is probably due to price reduction.. When they first announced Mac Mini they said it was made so Apple could be more affordable.. So i think they're focus is probably on lowering the price and also making it smaller maybe?
 
j26 said:
Out of interest this is where the Atom 330 stands in processor benchmarks (From here)
Click to expand...


Those benchmarks are waaaaay off. What is "passmark" anyway?

In real world tests it performs more like a single core Sempron @ 2GHz.

See how it performs against Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-atom-efficiency,2069-8.html

I know Tom's Hardware isn't the most respected source, but their benchmarks are usually correct.

edit: ok thats an Atom 230
here are some numbers for the 330:
http://www.neoseeker.com/Articles/Hardware/Reviews/D945GCLF2_atom_330/5.html
Look at those encoding benchmarks, it's abysmal.

This "new Mini" rumour just cannot be true. The performance AND the price would be ridiculous.

Let's hope it's a AppleTV successor.
 
This would be a bit disappointing. I'm looking for a machine to replace an old 1.6GHz Mini I'm using as a MythTV frontend now. Whatever I get will have to be able to play back h.264 AVCHD smoothly. I'm going to take a stab and say that the rumored machine will not be up to spec.
 
I agree with most...If this is some sort of Netbook/Tablet device that's cheap, this could be really, really cool.

If this is actually a desktop, this is pathetic beyond belief.
 
Pricing and mini-Dreams

If they put an atom in the mac mini - even with the Ion platform - they need to price it for a lot less. Even if the time frame allows for a newer atom then the 330.

I really wish Apple would build an atom mac mini, if they could get the price in the $300 range. If they could do that, I know a lot of schools that would only buy mac minis and do a bootcamp setup.

My dream atom-based mini would be:
  • atom processor with ion platform
  • airport / apple tv footprint - taller
  • expresscard slot
  • 5 usb - 3 back - 2 front (centered)
  • displayport and current audio ports
  • OS X on flashdrive - No DVD/CD
  • desktop sized sata hard drive
  • gigabyte network port and 802.11n
  • 2 slots of desktop size dimms
  • <$400.00

With an expresscard slot like the macbook pro - I could add ethernet for routers, sata connections for NAS, or a TV tuner. It would be a great mini-server / utility machine.
 
Speedy2 said:
Those benchmarks are waaaaay off. What is "passmark" anyway?

In real world tests it performs more like a single core Sempron @ 2GHz.

See how it performs against Core 2 Duo 2.53GHz:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-atom-efficiency,2069-8.html

I know Tom's Hardware isn't the most respected source, but their benchmarks are usually correct.

This "new Mini" rumour just cannot be true. The performance AND the price would be ridiculous.

Let's hope it's a AppleTV successor.
Click to expand...

Yeah, those benchmarks are absurdly high. There's no way Atom can compete with a Northwood Pentium 4 at the same clock speed, let alone the massively faster ones they claim it's beating.
 
I still cant help but think the new mini is going to be a netbook/iphone type of device. It just makes more sense with their complete disregard for the Mini.

Total redesign.
 
good/bad

This is good for a mini that replaces the AppleTV
This is bad for a mini that replaces the current mini

Can we have it both ways please?

1. A smaller, more power efficient Atom-based Mini with a full-HD capable GPU to replace the AppleTV

-- and --

2. A more powerful, possibly a little bigger mini (3.5" drive--and, <gasp> maybe some upgradability) to inch toward the mid-size headless desktop mac that so many want but we know we'll never get.
 
mdriftmeyer said:
Bingo.
Click to expand...

Then again there have been complaints in this thread about Atom not being able to play HD (1080p) properly.

Why don't they just power the new mini with apples. I'm sure you could get a properly configured Granny Smith to run Leopard. Not to mention the grim floating point performance you can get from a Golden Delicious. :D

Seriously, they might just as well start selling G4 mini's again.
 
500-700 for an Atom based desktop?


I'll pass....but if they do use an atom chip, we better see a netbook to :D

Guess I'll need to start looking at an MacBook or iMac to replace the old CD Mac Mini
 
j26 said:
I'm not a spec whore, but it does give an idea of the relative position of it compared to other processors - in that, its useful.
Click to expand...

But that benchmark shows an Atom beating a Pentium 4 running at nearly double the clock speed. I don't know how it compares to the first gen Pentium 4, but there's no way it's competing with a Northwood or better (or an Athlon 64, etc.)

I mean Atom is just a fancy Pentium 1.
 
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