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Mac mini 2012 vs 2018

R

RenatoBB

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 2, 2015
40
1
Hi

I have a mac mini late 2012 i7 2.3 ghz and I am intending to buy mac mini 2018 but the 2018 i7 is too expensive for me. I'm wondering how much faster than my mac mini is the 2018 i5 3.0 ghz. One more question: Can I upgrade the ram memory easily in the mac mini 2018? Thanks.
 
RenatoBB said:
I'm wondering how much faster than my mac mini is the 2018 i5 3.0 ghz.
Click to expand...

Your 2012 Mini has a Geekbench rating of 10,600 and the 2018 you're considering is about 20,000, so it should be twice as fast for CPU intensive tasks. The improved interfaces and graphics should give it more of a speed boost. It also has much faster wifi (if your router can handle it). You can compare other specs here:

https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i7-2.3-late-2012-server-specs.html
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/mac_mini/specs/mac-mini-core-i5-3.0-late-2018-specs.html
 
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Thanks Boyd. I'll check these links. And about the memory upgrade? Is it so easy as in the mac mini late 2012?
 
If you can stretch to the i7 I would do so as it will give you longer life. My 2018 i7 is far far better than. the 2012 i7 mini in performance.

8GB is not enough memory if you like having say a lot of browser windows and tabs open. 16Gb is much better.

There are several videos on the memory upgrade - you do have to take the motherboard out. It's reasonably straightforward as long as you take your time and have the right tools.
 
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marclondon said:
If you can stretch to the i7 I would do so as it will give you longer life. My 2018 i7 is far far better than. the 2012 i7 mini in performance.

8GB is not enough memory if you like having say a lot of browser windows and tabs open. 16Gb is much better.

There are several videos on the memory upgrade - you do have to take the motherboard out. It's reasonably straightforward as long as you take your time and have the right tools.
Click to expand...

Thanks Marc. I really need 16gb or more. I usually use a virtual machine on my mac. I don't know if I can buy the i7 right now because of the price (almost 2x the i5 model). Maybe if I'll wait I can buy it at a better price.
 
Where are you - they do have 2018 Minis on refurb store now although no i7s on Uk store today. As for memory, VMs don't tend to use that much memory I've found (I thought they did too as a Win10 VM I have was almost unrunnable under Parallels on my 2012 Mini). Seems that CPU power may be more relevant.

I've put 32GB in my 2018 Mini - currently the active memory is up at 22GB, with Opera in particular being a major hog (6GB), and Safari at 5GB. I've got the cricket and tennis finals both running.
 
Just a quick question; would it be possible to use the Apple TB Cinema Display with the 2018 Mini?
 
RenatoBB said:
Thanks Marc. I really need 16gb or more. I usually use a virtual machine on my mac. I don't know if I can buy the i7 right now because of the price (almost 2x the i5 model). Maybe if I'll wait I can buy it at a better price.
Click to expand...
The base i5 model Mini is $1100 from Apple. The i7 option after that adds $200 to the bottom line ($1300 total). That's only an increase of 18% over the base i5 model, not 100%.

No matter how you spec the i5 Mini, upgrading the CPU to the i7 only adds $200 to it.
 
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One can add RAM to the 2018 Mini, but the process is much more involved than it was in the 2012 Mini.

On the 2018, you have to take the motherboard OUT OF the case to get at the RAM.

Numerous screws are involved and there is the possibility of breaking something inside while doing so (which will void the warranty).

I wanted 16gb of RAM, so my choice was to just "order it that way from Apple". It cost $170 more (I bought a refurbished Mini) and was "worth the trouble" to me to pay a little extra so I won't have to go inside the case.
 
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Fishrrman said:
One can add RAM to the 2018 Mini, but the process is much more involved than it was in the 2012 Mini.

On the 2018, you have to take the motherboard OUT OF the case to get at the RAM.
...
Click to expand...

It is true, you CAN mess something up, but I found it very doable - and I am not very good with stuff like this. The available video tutorials cover every angle, you just need to be careful and not use force and get the right tools, and you will be fine. In my case I saved 150 Euro doing it myself (8 to 16gb), buying quality RAM from Crucial.
 
The only really fiddly bit I found was re-attaching the wifi antenna as the cable is so short but you can unclip it for more length. Getting the rubber boots on the memory holders is also tricky but you have full access.
 
marclondon said:
The only really fiddly bit I found was re-attaching the wifi antenna as the cable is so short but you can unclip it for more length. Getting the rubber boots on the memory holders is also tricky but you have full access.
Click to expand...

The rubber boots, yes :) This is the kind of thing, if you have done it/managed once, it is easy to do, but initially, and since one does not want to mess anything up, it takes a while. At least I fiddled a bit with the whole inserting-the-sticks-thing.

But overall I was impressed with what I saw inside my Mac Mini. The fan seems very solid, metal casing and good bearings, and would be easy to switch if something went wrong.
 
Ybersetzer said:
But overall I was impressed with what I saw inside my Mac Mini. The fan seems very solid, metal casing and good bearings, and would be easy to switch if something went wrong.
Click to expand...

There isn't actually much to see which makes it all the more remarkable, being the powerhouse it is.

Another tip is you don't need to assemble it all to test that the memory is working before putting everything back.
 
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I ran the mini with 8gb and it definitely struggled with watching any video on my 4k monitor. Spent $144 for 32gb and it is now wonderful with videos, even at full screen.
 
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