Late 2012 Mac mini: keep or sell?

[Ubele]

I know there's no right or wrong answer, but I'm curious to hear from other people who are considering selling their mini and are debating, or who sold it and are glad they did, or wish they hadn't. I have a late 2012 Mac mini i7 2.3 GHz that I upgraded with 16 GB of RAM and a 2.12 TB Fusion drive. It's still a very capable machine for my needs -- but I also have a 2015 13" MBP, which also is a capable machine for my needs.

Arguments in favor of keeping it:

• Having a backup computer is a good idea in case my MBP encounters a problem.
• It can do things like rip DVDs or process video while I'm working on my MBP.
• It's handy for keeping all my external peripherals connected at all times.
• It eventually could become a media server.

Arguments in favor of selling it:

• I don't absolutely need a second Mac.
• This model still fetches a good price on eBay.
• It's five years old, and the potential for failure increases each year, although previous Macs I've owned have become unusably slow before they failed (my 2008 MBP still works, but I don't use it).
• Apple likely will support it with only two more versions of macOS upgrades.

Honestly, the current crazy-high resale value is the only reason I'm considering selling it. I usually hang onto my Apple products until they become obsolete. On the other hand, Apple no longer makes a reasonably priced, comparable headless Mac that supports 4K monitors at 60 Hz, so there's nothing to upgrade to, without spending many hundreds of dollars on top of what I'd get for the mini. (I just bought a 4K monitor for my home MBP and for my company HP Windows 10 laptop for days when I work at home.)

Only I can decide whether the money I could get for my mini now exceeds the subjective value I could still get out of it. I've never kept and used a Mac beyond the point Apple stopped supporting it. For people who have, are there any major issues involved when you continue running an older version of macOS? I know people do it, so does Apple continue providing security updates and such for older versions of macOS, at least for a certain number of years?

Again, nobody can tell me what I should do, but I'd love to hear from people who are facing or have faced the same dilemma.

 

[ActionableMango]

Arguments in favor of keeping it:

• Having a backup computer is a good idea in case my MBP encounters a problem.
• It can do things like rip DVDs or process video while I'm working on my MBP.
• It's handy for keeping all my external peripherals connected at all times.
• It eventually could become a media server.

Keep.

I do all those things too. It is a file server not just for media, but also for backups of the main computer.

The fact that it has held its value absurdly well just really isn't a factor to me. I need something to serve those tasks, and the Mini does it nicely in a small, quiet, efficient package running 24/7.

 

[Ubele]

Keep.

I do all those things too. It is a file server not just for media, but also for backups of the main computer.

The fact that it has held its value absurdly well just really isn't a factor to me. I need something to serve those tasks, and the Mini does it nicely in a small, quiet, efficient package running 24/7.

Thanks! The fact that I’ve been vacillating since November tells me I’m leaning toward keeping it.

 

[Boyd01]

I have a 2012 2.6ghz quad that I use for video editing. Aside from the aging HD4000, it's really a great machine. I don't know which 2015 13" MBP you have, but the i5 version has a geekbench rating around 7000 and your mini is almost 12000. No way that I would trade my Mini for any 2015 MBP, a 3 hour render would turn into a 5 or 6 hour render. But of course, if you don't care about CPU then there's no need to keep the Mini, I think that is the main case for the 2012 quads.

Using it as a media server is a huge waste of resources, you don't need a quad core cpu for that. I have a base model 2014 Mini (4gb/500gb HD) as a media server and it is even overkill for that. Using it as a network disk on my LAN with filesharing, I get about 100MB/sec read/write performance. So I wouldn't keep the quad just for that purpose, sell it and get a base mini or some other inexpensive computer.

One thing I like about my 2012 quad is that it runs MacOS 10.8.5. I have the internal SSD set to boot into that, for the times when I still need my very expensive legacy software. But most of the time it boots into Sierra from an external USB 1tb SSD. I am not interested in selling mine, regardless of resale value, because I still need it for specific things and a new Mac with comparable CPU is more than I want to spend.

 

[ActionableMango]

I know people do it, so does Apple continue providing security updates and such for older versions of macOS, at least for a certain number of years?

Yes. I don't tend to run the latest MacOS (as a matter of personal preference), and they still get big fixes and security updates for a few years.

It's very short compared to Windows though.

 

[Ubele]

I have a 2012 2.6ghz quad that I use for video editing. Aside from the aging HD4000, it's really a great machine. I don't know which 2015 13" MBP you have, but the i5 version has a geekbench rating around 7000 and your mini is almost 12000. No way that I would trade my Mini for any 2015 MBP, a 3 hour render would turn into a 5 or 6 hour render. But of course, if you don't care about CPU then there's no need to keep the Mini, I think that is the main case for the 2012 quads.

Using it as a media server is a huge waste of resources, you don't need a quad core cpu for that. I have a base model 2014 Mini (4gb/500gb HD) as a media server and it is even overkill for that. Using it as a network disk on my LAN with filesharing, I get about 100MB/sec read/write performance. So I wouldn't keep the quad just for that purpose, sell it and get a base mini or some other inexpensive computer.

One thing I like about my 2012 quad is that it runs MacOS 10.8.5. I have the internal SSD set to boot into that, for the times when I still need my very expensive legacy software. But most of the time it boots into Sierra from an external USB 1tb SSD. I am not interested in selling mine, regardless of resale value, because I still need it for specific things and a new Mac with comparable CPU is more than I want to spend.

This is good information -- thanks. Yes, my 2015 MBP is the i5 model. I don't currently do much video rendering--my primary creative use is photo editing, and at the enthusiast level, not professionally. I plan to do more with video, but that's likely a couple years away. One question: My wife and I have a large collection of DVDs. In 2020, we plan to sell our house and move. In preparation, we're doing a lot of downsizing. Would the quad-core mini be faster than the MBP at ripping DVDs to a hard drive, or is reading the DVD the speed bottleneck?
[doublepost=1516907927][/doublepost]

Yes. I don't tend to run the latest MacOS (as a matter of personal preference), and they still get big fixes and security updates for a few years.

It's very short compared to Windows though.

This is good to know -- thanks.

 

[ActionableMango]

In preparation, we're doing a lot of downsizing. Would the quad-core mini be faster than the MBP at ripping DVDs to a hard drive, or is reading the DVD the speed bottleneck?

I actually just started ripping my disc library and I'm about 80% through.

Ripping + transcoding will be limited by the speed of the CPU resources because transcoding is the slower task.

Ripping without transcoding is going to be limited by the speed of the drive. Also, the advertised speed of the drive might be misleading because many drives have riplock which will slow down the drive when it detects that ripping is occurring. So for example a 16x drive with riplock might actually be slower than a 4x drive without.

In my opinion it is preferable to simply pay $2 for Disc to Digital via VUDU. Personally I am only ripping non-D2D-eligible titles (so far that's box sets, Disney titles, and imports). Of course this is only viable if you aren't a disc purist who hates streaming.

 

[Ubele]

I actually just started ripping my disc library and I'm about 80% through.

Ripping + transcoding will be limited by the speed of the CPU resources because transcoding is the slower task.

Ripping without transcoding is going to be limited by the speed of the drive. Also, the advertised speed of the drive might be misleading because many drives have riplock which will slow down the drive when it detects that ripping is occurring. So for example a 16x drive with riplock might actually be slower than a 4x drive without.

In my opinion it is preferable to simply pay $2 for Disc to Digital via VUDU. Personally I am only ripping non-D2D-eligible titles (so far that's box sets, Disney titles, and imports). Of course this is only viable if you aren't a disc purist who hates streaming.

Thanks again! I was unaware of both VUDU Disc to Digital and riplock. I did a little research, and apparently almost all DVD/Blu-Ray burners after 2005 have riplock. I found an LG drive that doesn’t, but it’s an internal, which of course is unhelpful in the Apple world.

Does VUDU D2D allow you to download your digital copy to a hard drive, as you can with iTunes purchases? The site says you can download to a mobile device, but it doesn’t mention Macs or PCs. I’m fine with streaming and having stuff in the cloud, but I’m a bit paranoid because I’m a Baby Boomer who, once upon a time, sold my LP collection and gradually replaced the albums I liked with CDs. Unfortunately, some of my favorite albums that had been on CD became unavailable, due to copyright squabbles. It took years before the Gordon Lightfoot catalog was released on CD, for example. I have a perhaps unfounded fear that this could happen with movies I own that are stored in the cloud, but that I don’t also have backed up locally. I purchased all of The Sopranos on iTunes, and then downloaded them to a hard drive as backup.

I’m also curious: with VUDU, for your DVDs, have you upgraded any to HDX for $5, as opposed to the $2 for SD? I’d find HDX tempting for some of my favorites. On the other hand, there are many movies in my collection that I probably will never watch again, and for which $2 (multiplied by many DVDs) seems excessive. My wife is involved, too, though, and she wouldn’t be in favor of getting rid of any DVDs we’ve purchased. So those I’d probably just rip in the background while I’m doing other things.

 

[Boyd01]

I have ripped about 1200 DVD's and have them on a base 2014 mini iTunes server. I started this on a 2008 15" MBP and then moved to a 2013 i7 MBA. The speed difference was remarkable, a one hour black and white TV show took over an hour to rip on the 2008 MBP and only about 20 minutes on the 2013 MBA.

It is even faster to do this on the 2012 quad mini. I think video rendering is fairly proportional to the geekbench ratings of your computer if all things are equal. For example, that's what I see on a 2012 base mini vs my 2012 quad. However, my MacBook Air is faster than the base mini but slower to rip/render. I think this is due to heat build-up. The Mini has better cooling so it keeps going at full speed but the MacBook Air has to slow down when it gets too hot. I suspect you would see something similar with your 13" MBP.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"I found an LG drive that doesn’t, but it’s an internal, which of course is unhelpful in the Apple world."

Then the solution is simple:
Get a 5.25" external USB enclosure that can hold the drive, and use that.

It will be "large and clunky" on the desk -- but... it will work.

 

[Ubele]

I have ripped about 1200 DVD's and have them on a base 2014 mini iTunes server. I started this on a 2008 15" MBP and then moved to a 2013 i7 MBA. The speed difference was remarkable, a one hour black and white TV show took over an hour to rip on the 2008 MBP and only about 20 minutes on the 2013 MBA.

It is even faster to do this on the 2012 quad mini. I think video rendering is fairly proportional to the geekbench ratings of your computer if all things are equal. For example, that's what I see on a 2012 base mini vs my 2012 quad. However, my MacBook Air is faster than the base mini but slower to rip/render. I think this is due to heat build-up. The Mini has better cooling so it keeps going at full speed but the MacBook Air has to slow down when it gets too hot. I suspect you would see something similar with your 13" MBP.

I, too, have a 2008 15" MBP. I considered replacing the HDD with a small-capacity SSD, but one fan is noisy, the battery no longer holds a charge, and I don't know what I'd use it for. It was good machine in its day.

I ripped a couple of two-hour movies using my 2015 MBP and my Samsung Blu-Ray burner, and it took about 40 minutes each, so that sounds comparable to your 2013 MBA. My quad-core mini is all packed up and ready to sell, but I've been having second thoughts, so I'm going set it up again and try ripping some DVDs. I also just got a Samsung UE510 4K monitor. It's gorgeous with my MBP (my home computer) and my HP Windows 10 laptop (my work computer), and I'm curious to see how it looks at 2560 x 1440 on my mini.
[doublepost=1516987954][/doublepost]

OP wrote:
"I found an LG drive that doesn’t, but it’s an internal, which of course is unhelpful in the Apple world."

Then the solution is simple:
Get a 5.25" external USB enclosure that can hold the drive, and use that.

It will be "large and clunky" on the desk -- but... it will work.

Good point -- thanks!

 

[ActionableMango]

I’m also curious: with VUDU, for your DVDs, have you upgraded any to HDX for $5, as opposed to the $2 for SD? I’d find HDX tempting for some of my favorites. On the other hand, there are many movies in my collection that I probably will never watch again, and for which $2 (multiplied by many DVDs) seems excessive. My wife is involved, too, though, and she wouldn’t be in favor of getting rid of any DVDs we’ve purchased. So those I’d probably just rip in the background while I’m doing other things.

I don't know about the download feature. You could try a single title at $2 and test for everything you care about (video quality, audio quality, download feature, UI, whatever). But keep in mind that policies can change, so perhaps you should stick to 100% ripping. OTOH with ripping keep in mind that your library is vulnerable to loss due to hard drive failure, computer theft, house fire, etc., so you'll want to mitigate that with a backup solution.

Also know that there are many ways to rip, and many formats to rip to. ISO? MKV? M4V? Etc. I originally ripped my library long ago with space saving in mind, but then I regretted the reduction in quality, loss of subtitles, etc. So my current ripping session is a re-rip where I am ripping this time while trying to keep everything I care about. I'm even keeping audio tracks that currently have no way to be heard by my current setup, just in case my setup improves later. This time I'm only tossing out things I am 100% certain I will never need, like foreign language audio tracks.

I am able to re-rip because I kept my discs. It sounds like your intent is to get rid of them, so in your case you only have one chance to get it right.

I did pay $5 for DVD to digital, but I cared about the titles (three of them). I only buy discs that I'm definitely going to watch again, otherwise I just stream the movie or rent the disc from Netflix. I don't want to spend money, time, or storage on something I'm not going to watch again, nor do I want to clutter up my Plex library with crap.

I actually use an internal BD drive. It is hooked up with a SATA to USB3 adapter, so there isn't even an external case. It's kind of ghetto, but it is temporary. I find it amusing that the drive is larger than the computer.

 

[Ubele]

I don't know about the download feature. You could try a single title at $2 and test for everything you care about (video quality, audio quality, download feature, UI, whatever). But keep in mind that policies can change, so perhaps you should stick to 100% ripping. OTOH with ripping keep in mind that your library is vulnerable to loss due to hard drive failure, computer theft, house fire, etc., so you'll want to mitigate that with a backup solution.

Also know that there are many ways to rip, and many formats to rip to. ISO? MKV? M4V? Etc. I originally ripped my library long ago with space saving in mind, but then I regretted the reduction in quality, loss of subtitles, etc. So my current ripping session is a re-rip where I am ripping this time while trying to keep everything I care about. I'm even keeping audio tracks that currently have no way to be heard by my current setup, just in case my setup improves later. This time I'm only tossing out things I am 100% certain I will never need, like foreign language audio tracks.

I am able to re-rip because I kept my discs. It sounds like your intent is to get rid of them, so in your case you only have one chance to get it right.

I did pay $5 for DVD to digital, but I cared about the titles (three of them). I only buy discs that I'm definitely going to watch again, otherwise I just stream the movie or rent the disc from Netflix. I don't want to spend money, time, or storage on something I'm not going to watch again, nor do I want to clutter up my Plex library with crap.

I actually use an internal BD drive. It is hooked up with a SATA to USB3 adapter, so there isn't even an external case. It's kind of ghetto, but it is temporary. I find it amusing that the drive is larger than the computer.

I’ve been ripping to ISO format. I have a 4TB media drive cloned to backup 4TB drive, which I store offsite. Most of what I already ripped consists of home VHS videos that I’d transferred to DVD-R years ago, SD TV programs that I also burned to DVD-R years ago (I had a stand-alone Pioneer DVD burner in the early 2000s), and some frequently watched concert DVDs. I don’t know that we’ll actually get rid of our DVDs when we move — my wife would have to be on board with that — but I’m sure we’ll keep some (definitely the Blu-Rays). I can rip our DVDs in the background, over time, just in case.

 

[Ubele]

I actually use an internal BD drive. It is hooked up with a SATA to USB3 adapter, so there isn't even an external case. It's kind of ghetto, but it is temporary. I find it amusing that the drive is larger than the computer.

Does your BD drive have riplock? If not, what model do you have? The only model I’ve read about that doesn’t have it is the LG I mentioned above, but the last post I read about it was from 2016. The model is still for sale, but I don’t know whether it’s still riplock-free. I could always buy and try.
[doublepost=1517016782][/doublepost]Okay, I decided to keep my Mac mini. I don’t need the money I’d get from selling it, and there are enough potential uses for it that I’d probably regret having sold it.

I tried it with my new Samsung 4K monitor, and it doesn’t look great at any resolution, so I’m using my old 1080P monitor. I’ve read that some people have used SwitchResX to run a 4K monitor from a late 2012 Mac mini at 30 or even 50Hz, so I might give that a try. I wouldn’t be watching video on it, just editing photos.

 

[sublunar]

The only issue I could see going forward is the advanced age of these machines now, I don't have a quad 2012 but I'm still keeping my Mini.

 

[Ubele]

The only issue I could see going forward is the advanced age of these machines now, I don't have a quad 2012 but I'm still keeping my Mini.

Yes, I considered that — but I’ve found Apple products to have great physical longevity. In every case, I’ve stopped using mine because they became too slow for my needs, not because they broke down. I’ve passed most of them to my dad, whose needs are simpler, and he’s used them either till they broke down or became too slow for him. Since processor speeds no longer double every year or two, the useful life of computers has increased. With 16 GB of RAM and a 2.12 TB Fusion drive, my 2012 mini feels just as fast for the things I do as my 2015 MBP does — whereas I bought the mini because my 2008 MBP had become way too slow by 2012.

The only disappointing thing about the mini’s age is that it won’t drive my new 4K monitor at native resolution, and it looks bad to mediocre at lower resolutions. So I’m using the mini with a 1080P monitor that’s been acceptable to me for years. Side by side with the 4K, though, 1080P just doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s like the switch from regular screens to Retina with the iPhone and iPad.

It’s convenient having all my apps and files on one device, though — backed up to a combination of iCloud and Dropbox, in addition to a Time Machine drive and an off-site bootable clone. It’s easier than doing selective sync with my 256 GB MBP. I figure I can get a few more years out of my current MBP/mini setup — and, by then, who knows what our options will be?

 

[Emma's Dad]

**KEEP**

It is the last of the great upgradeable mini's. I have 2 1 for work the 2nd is my PLEX server......

 

[MultiFinder17]

The only issue I could see going forward is the advanced age of these machines now, I don't have a quad 2012 but I'm still keeping my Mini.

I've generally found that the age of computers is irrelevant when it comes to their usefulness. So long as the machine is still doing what you need it to do, why should it matter how old it is?

At home, my primary computers are a 2010 Mac Pro and a 2015 MacBook Air. At school, where I teach, my primary computers are a 2006 Mac Pro, a 2008 iMac, and a 2008 ThinkPad X301. Given that I'm able to run a classroom that teaches 180 middle schoolers about technology daily, I'd say that those 10-12 year old machine are still plenty useful

 

[sublunar]

I've generally found that the age of computers is irrelevant when it comes to their usefulness. So long as the machine is still doing what you need it to do, why should it matter how old it is?

At home, my primary computers are a 2010 Mac Pro and a 2015 MacBook Air. At school, where I teach, my primary computers are a 2006 Mac Pro, a 2008 iMac, and a 2008 ThinkPad X301. Given that I'm able to run a classroom that teaches 180 middle schoolers about technology daily, I'd say that those 10-12 year old machine are still plenty useful

What's at stake with older computers is finding spare parts when they break down. Once the 2012 becomes vintage (for example) it'll be harder to repair without resorting to auction sites or used pages to find bits. Your older Macs are most certainly obsolete and as they advance in age we get to the realm of vintage motherboards with capacitors that burn out or solder that becomes dry and brittle - they simply expire through age if you don't pull DIY stunts like baking the computer in a warm oven just hot enough to remelt the solder back into place.

And there's also the connectivity issue too. Go back towards computers pre- SATA 3 or USB3 and issues can emerge there too in terms of time taken to move data around pre-SSD etc. Making the most of what you've got is admirable though. I'm still muddling through with 2012/13 hardware and have older stuff hanging around.

 

[NZBred]

I know there's no right or wrong answer, but I'm curious to hear from other people who are considering selling their mini and are debating, or who sold it and are glad they did, or wish they hadn't. I have a late 2012 Mac mini i7 2.3 GHz that I upgraded with 16 GB of RAM and a 2.12 TB Fusion drive. It's still a very capable machine for my needs -- but I also have a 2015 13" MBP, which also is a capable machine for my needs.

Arguments in favor of keeping it:

• Having a backup computer is a good idea in case my MBP encounters a problem.
• It can do things like rip DVDs or process video while I'm working on my MBP.
• It's handy for keeping all my external peripherals connected at all times.
• It eventually could become a media server.

Arguments in favor of selling it:

• I don't absolutely need a second Mac.
• This model still fetches a good price on eBay.
• It's five years old, and the potential for failure increases each year, although previous Macs I've owned have become unusably slow before they failed (my 2008 MBP still works, but I don't use it).
• Apple likely will support it with only two more versions of macOS upgrades.

Honestly, the current crazy-high resale value is the only reason I'm considering selling it. I usually hang onto my Apple products until they become obsolete. On the other hand, Apple no longer makes a reasonably priced, comparable headless Mac that supports 4K monitors at 60 Hz, so there's nothing to upgrade to, without spending many hundreds of dollars on top of what I'd get for the mini. (I just bought a 4K monitor for my home MBP and for my company HP Windows 10 laptop for days when I work at home.)

Only I can decide whether the money I could get for my mini now exceeds the subjective value I could still get out of it. I've never kept and used a Mac beyond the point Apple stopped supporting it. For people who have, are there any major issues involved when you continue running an older version of macOS? I know people do it, so does Apple continue providing security updates and such for older versions of macOS, at least for a certain number of years?

Again, nobody can tell me what I should do, but I'd love to hear from people who are facing or have faced the same dilemma.

Like you, I have a similar setup (2.6ghz, 16gb ram + 1gb fusion drive) and six years on, no complaints. I sometimes switch between ethernet and Wifi as need location settings for programs like calendar and maps. Even though the internet is a little slower on Wifi, it's still adequate for my needs. It's strange for me to still have this setup six years on. I normally replace my systems every 2-3 years but haven't needed too with this configuration - along with (touch wood) the amazing reliability I've experienced.

I purchased the Mac Mini as a stop gap and have continued to spec it up over the years i.e. ram and fusion drive thinking I would replace it in 2016. I know hardware support is no longer available and future macOS's may not be compatible, but its here to stay now until its last breath. One of the best decisions I ever made.

 

[Boyd01]

I know hardware support is no longer available and future macOS's may not be compatible

You have posted this same thing in several places, and unless you know something I don't, it is incorrect. Apple no longer provides hardware support for the 2011 Mini, but the 2012 is still supported (for now). https://support.apple.com/en-us/ht201624

 

[Neodym]

And there's also the connectivity issue too. Go back towards computers pre- SATA 3 or USB3 and issues can emerge there too in terms of time taken to move data around pre-SSD etc.

Luckily, due to Thunderbolt on any mini from 2011 or later, this is not an issue for those machine for many years to come.

Bigger problem seems to me that spare time is at a premium these days. I'd rather do a lot of other things before I start investing time to move computer data around.

Same is valid (for me) for tinkering: A system has to run with little to no maintenance - full stop. If it means I have to invest more money upfront to get a new(er) machine, then be it. I have neither time nor motivation to jump through all kinds of hoops to keep an old system running (even though I can't make myself getting rid of my collection of Amigas, Cube and several peripherals for those legacy system - collector's disease ;-)