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Mac mini is blazing fast

BWhaler said:
To the smug cynics out there who can't seem to read too well:

1. It was doing all of those tasks AT ONCE that impressed us. Not surfing the web as a single activity.

2. I explicitly said it wasn't a gaming machine or pro workstation but for 500 bucks, it was blazing fast. Try doing all over tasks on a $500 PC, and you will see why we thought it was so.

Besides being sadly obtuse, you seem to miss the point in the thread that the comment about the speed is relative to the price of the machine. Of course, a PowerMac is 50x faster.

3. Speaking of which, your smug comments about new hardware bringing out newbies is pathetic, since if you look down to my footer, you'll see I have been around awhile and am no newbie.

Plus, do you see that loaded PM2.5 I own? I know what real speed is, obviously. But, again, and try to get this this time, for 500 bucks the mini is blazingly fast. And again, as I said the last time, it's not for gamers--we all get your trolling on the video card--and not for design pros, that's what the $2,000+ machine is for.

====
Now, why this post? Not because I feel the need to defend myself believe it or not.

But as MDN pointed out yesterday, we are going to have A LOT of new people to the Mac community which need our support and enthusiasm.

I could of been a switcher. And if you have been paying as much attention to the Mac marketshare as you did the details in my original post, you probably missed the Mac marketshare has fallen below what is acceptable viability numbers. It's no shock the mini is coming out now after years of Steve saying Apple had no interest. I am sure Apple still has no interest, but frankly, they have no choice.

So anyway, try to think a little big picture here. We are going to get newbies who are simply enthusiastic. Do you really need to correct them? To show you are superior? And even worse, embarrass them? Are you really so petty that you feel the need to crush their enthusiasm?

You are only hurting yourself. Next time, bite your tongue, move on, and if you start to get this whole getting switchers is kinda important thing, type something positive and supportive. It doesn't hurt; give it a try.

This time, you got it wrong and didn't get a newbie. You got an Apple pro.

But next time we may not be so lucky. So on behalf of all of us, skip the high school juvenile behavior and welcome in the newbies. It's just more marketshare and more Macs sold, which means more innovation from Apple, more vendors supporting the platform, etc.

Next time, think big picture. It's better for all of us.
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I wish I could make this quote my sig. :D Very well said and a very nice internet b&*^% slap. :p
 
io_burn said:
I don't think anyone said it was too slow, as much as it is in no way, shape, or form anywhere near what a sane person would call 'blazingly fast.'
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At the same time many here on MR were saying that the Mac mini was worthy only of their grandparents because it was going to be too slow. "Blazing" represents the fact that Apple did not cripple this machine like some PC companies do with their low-end boxes.
 
io_burn said:
I don't think anyone said it was too slow, as much as it is in no way, shape, or form anywhere near what a sane person would call 'blazingly fast.'
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Until you start hitting the limits of the low base RAM configuration, it is actually very fast, especially for the price. This isn't just puffery or me trying to justify my purchase. I use a Dual G5 1.8/1GB machine at school, and have played around with a friend's G4 PowerBook. For regular desktop tasks it does not feel slow. The graphics and effects all render nice and smooth.

The only time I started experiencing slowdown was when I would load up more than a couple apps. The iLife programs like GarageBand and iMovie HD are also pretty much unusable with 256MB. I think with more RAM this system has the potential to be surprisingly quick. "Blazingly fast" might not be the right term, but people have been claiming it would be slow for the past week, and it isn't.

-Andrew
 
AndrewTosh said:
Until you start hitting the limits of the low base RAM configuration, it is actually very fast, especially for the price. This isn't just puffery or me trying to justify my purchase. I use a Dual G5 1.8/1GB machine at school, and have played around with a friend's G4 PowerBook. For regular desktop tasks it does not feel slow. The graphics and effects all render nice and smooth.

The only time I started experiencing slowdown was when I would load up more than a couple apps. The iLife programs like GarageBand and iMovie HD are also pretty much unusable with 256MB. I think with more RAM this system has the potential to be surprisingly quick. "Blazingly fast" might not be the right term, but people have been claiming it would be slow for the past week, and it isn't.

-Andrew
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Most experienced Mac users will say that 256mb should be upped to 512mb for the best performance. A great tool to find out just how much RAM you need is Do I Need More Memory? (http://www.hillmanminx.net/dinmm/). It is a great tool for any user to decide on their own usage how much RAM is needed.
 
i am considering a mini but the 4200 rpm drive gives me a bit of concern. no, i have no intensions of replacing the internal drive with something else since the heat it might create would cause me concern. my question is; can i use the target drive - firewire boot drive option on the mini as i can on my other apple systems? in theory i can take a 7200 drive in an external firewire 400 enclosure and simply use it leaving the internal drive for more mundane storage tasks. i would think that this would greatly improve all disc accessing tasks and with a RAM bump this mini may really feel actually zippy.

here is another one. i am going to connect my 20" cinema display to the mini. if i am able to use the target boot method can i plug the firewire drive into the hub on the display and still have it boot to the firewire drive for the os or would the target drive need to be connected directly to the mini then not allowing me to use the firewire hub on the display as the single port on the mini would already be used?

please give me your thoughts.....
 
I wouldn't worry too much about the whiners...it's always the same few posters who complain about the same stuff. And anyone who disagrees is labeled as a rabid Apple Fanboy. I wonder if these MR veterans ever retreat to their super-duper-secret forums and complain about us stupid, mortal n00bs. ;)

If you like your machine, that's all that matters. Some people can't seem to realize that the Mini isn't meant to be a professional-level machine. Enjoy your Minis! :cool:
 
Well its good to hear is speedy. I still wonder though at what the new and rumoured G5 eMac is going to be like... If its just revamped guts then sure it might be faster but we will have to put up with a CRT.
 
Apple Hobo said:
I wouldn't worry too much about the whiners...it's always the same few posters who complain about the same stuff. And anyone who disagrees is labeled as a rabid Apple Fanboy. I wonder if these MR veterans ever retreat to their super-duper-secret forums and complain about us stupid, mortal n00bs. ;)

If you like your machine, that's all that matters. Some people can't seem to realize that the Mini isn't meant to be a professional-level machine. Enjoy your Minis! :cool:
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This is different though. Because of the price point we will see many more wanting to experience the Mac. And those that dismiss the positives of the Mac mini as being voiced as those of of fanboys, are only to cast doubts in some minds where there should be no doubts.

Or maybe over spend by going to the iB or PB series. When they really don't want pr need a notebook.
 
aswitcher said:
Well its good to hear is speedy. I still wonder though at what the new and rumoured G5 eMac is going to be like... If its just revamped guts then sure it might be faster but we will have to put up with a CRT.
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Oh, i think we will still hear from the anti-fanboy crowd:

- "What do you mean only 64mb VRAM, you need at least 128mb to do anything real?" or a variation of "Great 64mb VRAM, but it isn't on the Core Image compatibility list"

- "How could they stick this machine with a XXXmhz frontside bus?"

- "How can they do this when the PB is the flagship, and still has the piece of crap G4, they are ripping us off!"

- "If hey could do the G5 in the eMac, then they should have done it in the Mac mini"
 
io_burn said:
I don't think anyone said it was too slow, as much as it is in no way, shape, or form anywhere near what a sane person would call 'blazingly fast.'
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Blazingly fast for what they wanted to do with it.

As a person who would probably not buy the Mini in it's current incarnation, I still recommend it to others. Why? Because for what they would use it for, it would be perfect, and seem plenty fast. Compared to my friend's crappy Dell (that cost almost twice as much just last year), it will be blazingly fast. She was going to buy an iBook, but it's pretty much the same spec-wise.

Perspective people.
 
Mac Mini not Bad at all

The Price of $499 and $599 for the mac mini is not that bad for what you get. .

The Cinebench results look good for that machine, I Thought that the eMac would been faster. . . Apple did a good job for such a small computer just think how small the computer is and think about the heat in that size of a computer.
You have to watch for heat, so the computer is fast for what it is!!! Just rember that the harddrive and cd-rom/burner are laptop drives, and they cost more to begin with. . . .
 
i think the mini is great

Dont Hurt Me said:
Fast when you compare it to what? Come on guys i know its new and all but lets not spin stuff into something bigger then it is. Its a G4 with a very outdated videocard and a slow drive with a memory slot. Fast compared to what my imac 333? I agree its clean and apple but fast? Fast when your clicking on the net? Fast when you turn it on? Fast when you go from itunes to email? Just wanted to make a point. Doom3 will be the deal maker when deciding fast and i dont think anyone will describe mini & doom3 in the same breath as fast. Dual G5 2.5= Fast.
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as you probably know, not many people can readily buy a Dual 2.5GHz G5 and have their wallet live to tell the tale. i think it was a bit insensitive of you to say this because many people are happy with their machines, they do what they want them to do, and, quite frankly, what percentage of mini buyers NEED that kind of power? be a little more open minded; the mini is a BUDGET machine aimed at price concious buyers. also, if people wanted to pplay doom 3, they would spend that little bit extra to get a capable machine! not many buy a computer without looking at what it can/cant do first. also, i dont think many price concious buyers walk into an apple store expecting to pay $500 and walk out with a $3000 machine. THINK ABOUT IT.
:p
tastic
 
macOSX-tastic said:
as you probably know, not many people can readily buy a Dual 2.5GHz G5 and have their wallet live to tell the tale. i think it was a bit insensitive of you to say this because many people are happy with their machines, they do what they want them to do, and, quite frankly, what percentage of mini buyers NEED that kind of power? be a little more open minded; the mini is a BUDGET machine aimed at price concious buyers. also, if people wanted to pplay doom 3, they would spend that little bit extra to get a capable machine! not many buy a computer without looking at what it can/cant do first. also, i dont think many price concious buyers walk into an apple store expecting to pay $500 and walk out with a $3000 machine. THINK ABOUT IT.
:p
tastic
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I know that but my point is blazing fast isnt a very good way to describe something. Not Pro vs mini I could never apply these adjuctives to any G4 at any clock. zippy,speedy,quick enough,etc.......but blazing fast :rolleyes: If so i have had a blazing fast machine for years and didnt know it. ;)
 
Dont Hurt Me said:
I know that but my point is blazing fast isnt a very good way to describe something. Not Pro vs mini I could never apply these adjuctives to any G4 at any clock. zippy,speedy,quick enough,etc.......but blazing fast :rolleyes: If so i have had a blazing fast machine for years and didnt know it. ;)
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I don't know why anyone would buy a Corvette, a Kia Spectra is blazing fast for what it is... right guys? :rolleyes:
 
But Don't Hurt Me, and anyone who agrees with him, is actually correct in this case.

I LOVE! the Mac Mini, and it would serve my needs perfectly. It's about as fast as my 12" PB, and since this serves my purposes, it's perfect for me.

However, this Mac Mini isn't a blazing fast computer. It's blazing fast for a $500 computer, but not blazing fast. It's blazing fast if you're surfing the net, listening to iTunes, playing around with iPhoto, but it's not blazing fast. It can't be. With that HD and video card, it's limited. While we can't always judge things by it's specs, we can definitely judge this machine because we've seen it before. I'm basically looking at what the Mac Mini is right now......my PB almost has the same specs, with the same HD speed, and similar video card performance, so it's safe for me to assume that while the Mac Mini is definitely on my list of things to buy, it's not a "blazing fast" computer. A DP 2.5GHz is a blazing fast PC, but the Mac Mini is perfect for most people.

I'm buying one for my parents, and possibly one for myself. :)
 
Abstract said:
But Don't Hurt Me, and anyone who agrees with him, is actually correct in this case.

I LOVE! the Mac Mini, and it would serve my needs perfectly. It's about as fast as my 12" PB, and since this serves my purposes, it's perfect for me.

However, this Mac Mini isn't a blazing fast computer. It's blazing fast for a $500 computer, but not blazing fast. It's blazing fast if you're surfing the net, listening to iTunes, playing around with iPhoto, but it's not blazing fast. It can't be. With that HD and video card, it's limited. While we can't always judge things by it's specs, we can definitely judge this machine because we've seen it before. I'm basically looking at what the Mac Mini is right now......my PB almost has the same specs, with the same HD speed, and similar video card performance, so it's safe for me to assume that while the Mac Mini is definitely on my list of things to buy, it's not a "blazing fast" computer. A DP 2.5GHz is a blazing fast PC, but the Mac Mini is perfect for most people.

I'm buying one for my parents, and possibly one for myself. :)
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I agree with you 100% i have a 1.4 quicksiver geforce3 and it is what the mini is spec wise and agree it will do anything anyone wants but hard gaming.
 
I wouldn't consider the Mac mini blazing fast, especially if you are trying to work with HDV footage from within the included iLife '05 app, iMovie HD. This app recommends at least 512MB RAM and a 1Ghz G4 processor, which for the standard Mac mini, does not even come close to providing the power. And Steve says "Year of HD Video", will it certainly is for PowerMac users, but not for regular folks with eMacs and Minis.
 
I've been thinking. The mini's would be perfect for those places that still have the iMac G3' from '99 and '00.

But then I got thinking more. Those computers included screens. And it is becoming all the more obvious that the Mini is THE switcher machine. How many Mac users actually have the money for the 23" or 30" ACDs? Those users would have already bought a G5 (so wrong market). The previous eMac users would also be w/o a screen, and the iMac G4 users have no reason to upgrade.
 
If you're using it in penultimate terms, there is no "blazingly fast". There will always be some operation that slows down the fastest of computers. A quad processor 20gHz G5 would not be blazingly fast doing weather simulation. Moving from a 450mHz G4, the mini would seem blazingly fast to me until I used something even faster.

Any way you look at it, in 2005, it's a great deal for a $500 machine. - j
 
Actually, if you were to break down the components of the mini, it should come around to $200-$300 dollars. Obviously the most expensive R&D part of the mini is the motherboard design and controller chips. Everything else is commodity. Should Apple pump out enough of these, you can probably get down closer to $399, including mouse and keyboard.
 
Lacero said:
Actually, if you were to break down the components of the mini, it should come around to $200-$300 dollars. Obviously the most expensive R&D part of the mini is the motherboard design and controller chips. Everything else is commodity. Should Apple pump out enough of these, you can probably get down closer to $399, including mouse and keyboard.
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Are you including the cost of the packaguing material? The enclosed paperwork and optical media? What about a profit for Apple so they can keep going in business? Part of the cost of a machine is the is what Apple estimates to be the average cost of repair during the warranty period.

So, a machine with $300 or parts could cost Apple quite a bit more. On the other side of the coin, Apple gets a rather food discount on some of the parts due to the quantity they buy.

Estimating the cost to Apple of a machine is somewhat difficult since there are so many factors.

Also, instead of dropping the price of the machine as it costs Apple less, they should up the minimum memory to 512MB. And maybe include the adapter to connect the box to a TV.
 
Lacero said:
I wouldn't consider the Mac mini blazing fast, especially if you are trying to work with HDV footage from within the included iLife '05 app, iMovie HD. This app recommends at least 512MB RAM and a 1Ghz G4 processor, which for the standard Mac mini, does not even come close to providing the power. And Steve says "Year of HD Video", will it certainly is for PowerMac users, but not for regular folks with eMacs and Minis.
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Fair enough. But if I have the money to buy an HD-capable video camera like that Sony FX1, (for what, $5000?) I can probably also afford the hardware I need to edit the video.

That said, I own a Sony VX2000 which is already WAY more video camera than most people will ever need.
 
Lacero said:
I wouldn't consider the Mac mini blazing fast, especially if you are trying to work with HDV footage from within the included iLife '05 app, iMovie HD. This app recommends at least 512MB RAM and a 1Ghz G4 processor, which for the standard Mac mini, does not even come close to providing the power. And Steve says "Year of HD Video", will it certainly is for PowerMac users, but not for regular folks with eMacs and Minis.
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Throw another 256MB of RAM in there (yes, I know, not standard) - and you have a system that meets the recommended requirements, and it 25% faster, CPU-wise.

It'll be fine, if not perfect, for hobbyists.
 
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