Late 2014 Mac Mini Benchmarks Indicate Decreased Multi-Core Performance

[MacOG728893]

I agree with everyone that it is a pretty big let down. However, I feel that they will eventually do away with the Mac Mini. They are doing this purposely to increase the sales of their other products in the Mac lineup. After they have increased sales in the other Mac lineup, they will then get rid of the Mac Mini.

 

[KohPhiPhi]

This is a VERY controversial move by Apple...

So, for the same price tag, the 2012 version outperforms significantly the 2014 version? that deserves some convincing explanation.

 

[flat five]

The point wasn't to show maxed out processors, the point was to show that all cores get simultaneously utilized when doing common tasks. And if you watch the CPU History long enough, you'll notice this all-core simultaneous utilization is the rule not the exception.

if you did those same 'tests' on a 2core machine, would you notice any difference? would browsing your email be more sluggish or somehow slower with less cores?
if not, then i don't really get your point.

 

[cycledance]

Tim Cook did say he was excited about Apple's product lineup going into the future..

Haven't seen anything that they've released so far to become really really excited...

A big screen phone, late to the game should of released this 2 years back..only minor updates to all their products and everything being thinner...

Woud prefer to have phone battery life that can last for at least 2 days, able to open multiple pages/apps on the ipad at the same time, etc etc..

In his first televised interview on NBC’s Rockcenter with Brian Williams, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that he has “ditched physical keyboards” now that he spends 80% of his time using his iPad “authoring email” and “working on things.”

i think it's obvious tim cares most about the ipad. it's his go to device. i can see how he actually might get rid of the mac. mac os 11 might just be icloud web apps.

 

[AndyJapan]

The problem is that many customers feel that Apple is underestimating their ability to ignore the marketing babble and analyze the product offering and value of Apple products. The latest releases were obviously pushing the envelope a little bit too much and disappointed quite a few customers.

The good thing is that we, the customers, are in charge and decide whether we will accept it or disapprove Apple's strategy by not purchasing their products. Apple can't force us to buy, but we can push Apple to offer products that meet our expectations or simply walk away.

Seriously, i was in love with apple products for a few years, but this Mac Mini and iPad mini release feels like a slap in the face..
Hopefully they'll get back on their route with next release

 

[antonis]

Aha ! Now I get the event's logo.

It's been a long time since we downgraded something !

 

[rrl]

if you did those same 'tests' on a 2core machine, would you notice any difference?

Yes, you would.

 

[_Refurbished_]

If you look at Intel's Mobile Processor comparison, it's clear Apple went with this specific chip to achieve a 15W TDP. This gives them the "Most Efficient PC" statement you see in their marketing. Moving to quad-core doubles the Watts and would remove this marketing strategy.

http://ark.intel.com/products/family/75023/4th-Generation-Intel-Core-i7-Processors#@Mobile

Chip used in Mac Mini: http://ark.intel.com/products/75112/Intel-Core-i7-4550U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_00-GHz

Joe Blow walks into an Apple Store and asks about the Mac Mini. Johnny Appleseed explains to Joe that the Mac Mini is the most efficient PC in the world. Joe Blow says "take my money", and walks out of the store with a Mac Mini.

End of story.

 

[MentalFloss]

You seem very passionate about the topic but if you're serious about renderings (and particularly if you base your business on that) you'd be much better served by a computer with a modern nvidia gpu. Not a mac mini with intel "graphics".

The rendering he is talking about is done by the CPU, not by the GPU. If you make recommendations to people regarding what hardware to buy, understand their use case first.

 

[flat five]

Yes, you would.

ok.. if you say so.

but you at least have to realize you're talking to people that also use computers.. for me personally, i use 3.. a 2core laptop, a quad, and a 6core computer.. and i'm telling you, there is no difference with those three when browsing email.

maybe i'm not power_using mail.app or something? i'm not a serious enough emailer to notice the effects of more cores?

 

[MentalFloss]

If you look at Intel's Mobile Processor comparison, it's clear Apple went with this specific chip to achieve a 15W TDP. This gives them the "Most Efficient PC" statement you see in their marketing. Moving to quad-core doubles the Watts and would remove this marketing strategy.

But it's always been that way. The "Most Efficient PC" statement always applied only to the dual core Minis.

Whichever reason people come up with, it is a new direction by Apple. To me, the reason for this move is that they don't want the Mini to compete with the iMac and the Macbook Pro anymore - which it previously did.

 

[H2SO4]

Yeah but I don't want to have to fix OSX every time Apple updates it, heck I'd just build a Hackintosh if I wanted to mess with it. By all accounts, Windows 10 is looking very good and is very OSX-like so I'm hopeful.

Yeah I suppose so but it is very easy, (once the good lads here have done the hard work), and you still get to run on Mac hardware.

 

[subsonix]

If you look at Intel's Mobile Processor comparison, it's clear Apple went with this specific chip to achieve a 15W TDP. This gives them the "Most Efficient PC" statement you see in their marketing. Moving to quad-core doubles the Watts and would remove this marketing strategy.

This is for the entry level model. The quad core was only an option in the high end model, and with Haswell that chip is on a different socket as is mentioned in the article.

 

[schopaia]

Funny how many Sep/Oct 14 join date people come in here, and are saying negative things about Apple. This site has become so full of shills it's awful.


And not saying I think this Mini is awesome or anything. Just the overtly negative posts by people who could have only possibly been on this site for 19 days or less filling the board with negativity.

Good call, and totally relevant. I've read quite a few pages on the 3 front page articles, and 99% of it has been total self-centered garbage, with maybe 2 or 3 posts with anything of substance.

There are some very fundamental discussions that are completely absent - such as - what SPECIFICALLY is everyone using quad core machines for? Of course it sounds better, but i'm seeing some comments saying that there isn't much software that takes advantage of it. I'd actually really appreciate some clarification here - generally I'd be needing a computer for photoshop, davinci resolve, rhino and autocad in that order.

 

[MacOG728893]

ditto. don't want an AIO. don't like the way they look either. looks like a chunky monitor. with a headless unit, sure there's a bulky box somewhere, but you are looking at the screen, not the box.

Completely subjective. I think my 2013 27 iMac looks pretty damn sexy on my desk. I even get compliments on it quite regularly.


Understandable if it isn't quite your taste though.

Edit: Forgot to mention. Even though my iMac might look bigger than an LED monitor alone, I have nothing under my desk. Every cable is hidden in a special compartment in my desk and no tower sits beneath. This adds to the overall aesthetics of my workspace.

 

[Geminist]

Disappointed with the Mac Mini as well over here.

I was looking at a Quad Core as a local computational unit at home as I don't need the graphics power (or the price tag) of a Mac Pro. Plus I like the small form factor of the Mini as well.

Shame

 

[Jimrod]

This years direction has made me think twice about whether I am getting too locked into apples ecosystem (work+home=1 mac pro, 8 mac minis, 9 iMacs, 3 MacBooks, 3 iPads, 2 iPhones). As a result, I have set-up owncloud as an alternative to iCloud, brought a Jolla sailfish OS phone to encourage an independent smartphone platform, and installed linux on my macbook air.

I think this year has been the turning point for a lot of people, myself included - I'm not as locked in as many as I'm just an iPad/iPhone user but disappointing keynote after disappointing keynote, lackluster new products with comparatively high prices and an ever-increasingly bloated/buggy OS makes me think Apple may have "Jumped the shark" this year. Probably too much focus on watches that no-one really wants...

Oh they're not going to be in trouble any time soon but they've always gotten away with lesser specs because of everything else that's offered but those big pluses are rapidly diminishing, the quality/design of the past is rapidly diminishing and the emphasis seems to have turned more than ever to profit.

I'm not about to destroy all my Apple products in a rage but I will very carefully consider my next electronics purchases with one eye on not being locked into an eco system I'd rather not be tied to. Freedom from iTunes and being able to simply drag and drop files (of any kind) to a device would be a breath of fresh air right now.

 

[rrl]

ok.. if you say so.

but you at least have to realize you're talking to people that also use computers.. for me personally, i use 3.. a 2core laptop, a quad, and a 6core computer.. and i'm telling you, there is no difference with those three when browsing email.

maybe i'm not power_using mail.app or something? i'm not a serious enough emailer to notice the effects of more cores?

Yes, you're obviously not that serious. I use four computers, all with different configurations, and even under moderate stress, their response is generally proportional to their "power".

 

[Thermonuclear]

I will skip this generation and wait for the one with the single core Pentium CPU.

Following the trend, the generation after that will use a 2 MHz 6502 powered by a hamster on a treadmill.

The fanboys will then say the much the same as they always say:

"If you don't like it, then don't buy it." (A lame response which might be used to justify anything.)

"The 2014 base Mini is perfectly acceptable for a typical user." (So is a Chromebox, at one third the price.)

"Apple knows what's best for its customers." (Translation: "I am a sheep.")

"You should be happy with what is offered." (Translation: "You should be a sheep, too.")

"I can't wait to buy one." (Translation: "It's time for this sheep to be fleeced again.")

 

[maclove4life]

In his first televised interview on NBC’s Rockcenter with Brian Williams, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that he has “ditched physical keyboards” now that he spends 80% of his time using his iPad “authoring email” and “working on things.”

i think it's obvious tim cares most about the ipad. it's his go to device. i can see how he actually might get rid of the mac. mac os 11 might just be icloud web apps.

It's going to be hell for apple if Cook decides to get rid of mac computers all together...and i can see they are doing this slowly.

 

[vmachiel]

soldered on ram
slower multi-core
dual-core only
server option removed (no 2tb)

does anyone else think that Apple was supposed to release a redesigned Mac Mini but because broadwell got delayed and Apple ended up just releasing a revised edition at the very last minute?

I would certainly hope so. My dad has been wanting a Mac Mini forever now, but it does need some decent performance since he wants it to last. I don't know if I should tell him to buy one now

 

[Jimrod]

Good call, and totally relevant. I've read quite a few pages on the 3 front page articles, and 99% of it has been total self-centered garbage, with maybe 2 or 3 posts with anything of substance.

There are some very fundamental discussions that are completely absent - such as - what SPECIFICALLY is everyone using quad core machines for? Of course it sounds better, but i'm seeing some comments saying that there isn't much software that takes advantage of it. I'd actually really appreciate some clarification here - generally I'd be needing a computer for photoshop, davinci resolve, rhino and autocad in that order.

I use my PC for product design and rendering, I have a very powerful one at work and was looking to replace my older, slower (Intel Core 2 Q4950 at 2.66gHz) PC at home as I often work from here but everything takes almost exactly twice as long as in the office. I was thinking about the Mac Mini as my current PC is noisy and bulky, a well-specced modern computer should beat it in raw processing terms without too much of a struggle but this new Mini has effectively crossed itself off the list. For the price of a well-specced one I'll just get something like a Chillblast Fusion Whisper with a huge amount more power, near silence but with the added bulk. I just can't sacrifice the processing power to justify the Apple product.

I've been on this site years, I like Apple products but the latest offerings are disappointing, too much talk from fanboys on here of "shills" and given Apple's track record of the last few months it still amazes me how many put them on a pedestal, above all criticism.

Many of us are just normal people who got sucked into the eco system with the Amazing iPhone and Macbooks years ago but honestly, in recent times I think they're losing it. The quality and design they used to have is starting to fade and the competition are rapidly catching up, and in some cases surpassing them for far less outlay.

 

[HishamAkhtar]

In his first televised interview on NBC’s Rockcenter with Brian Williams, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that he has “ditched physical keyboards” now that he spends 80% of his time using his iPad “authoring email” and “working on things.”

i think it's obvious tim cares most about the ipad. it's his go to device. i can see how he actually might get rid of the mac. mac os 11 might just be icloud web apps.

Tim thinks everyone is a CEO. He doesn't need a Mac to write up a document or make a presentation because his employees do that for him.

 

[Analog Kid]

Shows their priorities: 2 logic boards for a headless mac is too cumbersome. The (semi-)professional user will be hit hard by Apple in forthcoming years as Apple is quietly drawing back from this market.

Is this the new mantra now-- after years of hearing that Apple is abandoning the professional market we're going to switch to whinging about the semi-professional market?

I don't even know what that is...

They wanted to hit <$500, and they did. It's a Mini, not a Mac SemiPro.

soldered on ram
slower multi-core
dual-core only
server option removed (no 2tb)

does anyone else think that Apple was supposed to release a redesigned Mac Mini but because broadwell got delayed and Apple ended up just releasing a revised edition at the very last minute?

This sounds like a reasonable assumption-- something to bridge the gap before another spin.

"We've designed the new Mac Mini to be slower, so you can enjoy your content better. These days, we are in such a hurry that we fail to slowdown and appreciate what we're seeing. The new Mac Mini is about making the personal computer...personal again." - Jony

Now this is f'n brilliant... I can hear it in my head, accent and all...

 

[moxin]

get rich (iMac) or die trying (Mac Mini)