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Thanks guys. I didn't know there hasn't been a new Mac mini since 2014. but the main reason I bought it was the $499 price. Wonder if the 2018 release will be the same?

Gary
Either way, I'd return the new 4-year-old one and wait 11 days. If you'll still be within the return window on October 30, then just hold onto this one. In any case, the one you have now is likely to be less expensive after the 30th if a new Mini is released.
The entry level Mini you bought is really poorly equipped now. I would never recommend someone buy a computer like it today.
 
You pretty much bought it at the worst possible time.

If you don’t require it now, wait to the end of the month when they will be on clearance.
Either because there is an updated model, or it’s discontinued.

Please get one with a SSD. There is a reason why this spinning drive model is so cheap.
 
Thanks guys. I didn't know there hasn't been a new Mac mini since 2014. but the main reason I bought it was the $499 price. Wonder if the 2018 release will be the same?

Gary

Hard to say what they'll price it at. There was a rumor mentioned a few months ago in Bloomberg that it would be priced higher than the current version due to the revamped specs. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...plan-revamped-low-cost-macs-to-reignite-sales

I fully expect that if they do update it on October 30, though, that you'd be able to get this $499 model for less.
 
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I’m pretty sure this is a joke. I have this mini and it’s junk. I haven’t turned it on for months. I can’t even do the most basic things without it completely freezing, including surfing Safari. In fact it takes many minutes just to open Safari. Everything else is beach balls. I was getting things done faster on my old iPhone 5C.
 
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I’m pretty sure this is a joke. I have this mini and it’s junk. I haven’t turned it on for months. I can’t even do the most basic things without it completely freezing, including surfing Safari. In fact it takes many minutes just to open Safari. Everything else is beach balls. I was getting things done faster on my old iPhone 5C.

Ok

I’ve been using this mini for a day and have produced a video using iMovie which took less then half the time it did with my 2007 mini. I’ve spent a couple of hours watching Netflix with Safari, and iTunes videos I downloaded. It’s hardly a joke.

Gary
 
Ok

I’ve been using this mini for a day and have produced a video using iMovie which took less then half the time it did with my 2007 mini. I’ve spent a couple of hours watching Netflix with Safari, and iTunes videos I downloaded. It’s hardly a joke.

Gary
Then I’d like to know what the hell happened to mine and so many others’. Then again, if you’re comparing it to a 2007, of course it will be better. I’ve had two of these 2014 models over the years and my first one wasn’t great but wasn’t that bad either, but this second one has been terrible and has degenerated to being almost unusable over time. I don’t even have much of anything on the computer. I just used it for mail, Safari, and iTunes.
 
Despite the grief heaped on the much unloved 2014 Mini in this forum, my late 2014 2.6 Ghz i5 w/only 8 GB RAM Mac Mini, easily out performs the early 2011 2.2 Ghz i7 w/16Gb RAM MacBook Pro it replaced (when its discrete graphics card died and could no longer support an external monitor). The only beach balls I’ve seen are when external drives are spinning up.

I use the 2014 Mini as my main computer for email, web browsing, complex financial spreadsheets/models, photo storage/editing, video storage/editing, presentation development (PowerPoint) including animation and embedded video, QGIS, etc.

I’m still interested in the new Mac Mini, we hope will be announced on Oct 30th. BUT… I won’t be buying a new model Mini until after the MacOS/hardware dust settles sometime next year. Even then, I’ll keep my 2014 Mini, because it isn’t limited to software that only runs on “Mojave and newer”.

GetRealBro

Details for the curious…
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 2
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 3 MB
Memory: 8 GB
Boot ROM Version: MM71.0220.B21
SMC Version (system): 2.24f32

Model Name: MacBook Pro
Model Identifier: MacBookPro8,2
Processor Name: Intel Core i7
Processor Speed: 2.2 GHz
Number of Processors: 1
Total Number of Cores: 4
L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB
L3 Cache: 6 MB
Memory: 16 GB
Boot ROM Version: MBP81.0050.B00
SMC Version (system): 1.69f4

Edit: Fixed typo from 2.8 to 2.6 GHz
 
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Then I’d like to know what the hell happened to mine and so many others’. Then again, if you’re comparing it to a 2007, of course it will be better. I’ve had two of these 2014 models over the years and my first one wasn’t great but wasn’t that bad either, but this second one has been terrible and has degenerated to being almost unusable over time. I don’t even have much of anything on the computer. I just used it for mail, Safari, and iTunes.


It almost sounds like a fault in the cache memory inside the CPU.

Gary
 
It almost sounds like a fault in the cache memory inside the CPU.

Gary

Do you think anything could be done software-wise to fix it? Not sure what I will be doing when I buy a new Mac but if I sell it and could fix this for someone before I switch to the new one that would be good.
 
I’ve been using this mini for a day and have produced a video using iMovie which took less then half the time it did with my 2007 mini.

If you want to judge it compared to a computer from 2007, well of course it's better. As long as it meets your needs and budget, then it's all good.

But I also have one of these and agree it's horrible for a general use computer. Mine just runs iTunes 24/7 with homesharing and a large library on a fast external drive. It's more than adequate for that so I have no complaints. But there is just NO WAY I would find this an acceptable computer for general everyday use. The thing that always amazes me is System Preferences, when I want to make some small change to the settings. It takes over 30 seconds of the bouncing icon before the preference window even appears.
 
I also got the 2.6 I5 8gb ram 14 mini on august 30th. Runs great. No problems.
 
Despite the grief heaped on the much unloved 2014 Mini in this forum, my late 2014 2.8 Ghz i5 w/only 8 GB RAM Mac Mini [...]

Details for the curious…
Model Name: Mac mini
Model Identifier: Macmini7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core i5
Processor Speed: 2.6 GHz

Something is wrong here.... Which do you actually have, the 2.6 or the 2.8? Prices for the 2.6 start at $700 and prices on the 2.8 start at $1000. https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini

I'm sure either of these would be fine for many people. But they are a far cry from the $500 under-powered base 2014 Mini that the OP has. ;)
 
Something is wrong here.... Which do you actually have, the 2.6 or the 2.8? Prices for the 2.6 start at $700 and prices on the 2.8 start at $1000. https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini

I'm sure either of these would be fine for many people. But they are a far cry from the $500 under-powered base 2014 Mini that the OP has. ;)
OOPs Typo -- It's a 2.6 as shown in the details copied and pasted directly from the About this Mac System Report.
 
Ok

I’ve been using this mini for a day and have produced a video using iMovie which took less then half the time it did with my 2007 mini. I’ve spent a couple of hours watching Netflix with Safari, and iTunes videos I downloaded. It’s hardly a joke.

Gary
I bought a 2014 Mac mini yesterday and I'm thrilled with it.

If it works for your needs and you're happy with its performance, then it was a good purchase decision.
 
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I bought a 2014 Mac mini yesterday and I'm thrilled with it.

If it works for your needs and you're happy with its performance, then it was a good purchase decision.

New account today to make the sole post that buying a 4-year old desktop at full release price is a "good purchase decision".

tier_image_11608_531407be-f541-46e8-a0cb-a91e5ceb9cbb.jpg


SeemsGood
 
Dear moderator please delete this thread! I shouldn’t have started it

Gary

Well, it's more that it shouldn't have been derailed into the Mini at large... but people are trying to help you make the best of your money, as the best chance of a 4-year upgrade to the Mini is within two weeks.

As for your Mini, best bet is 10.13 High Sierra in my opinion. You might be able to get El Capitan (10.11) on there, which is 2015, and runs better on hard drives, whereas newer ones tend to be optimized for SSDs.
 
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