Mac Mini Vs. Macbook Pro

[Stargenx]

I currently have a Macbook Pro that I use intensively for Logic and gaming. It's a 2011 model, 8 gigabytes of RAM with an AMD Radeon HD 6490M, 2 ghz processor with a 500 gigabyte Superdrive.

I heard that a new Mac Mini will potentially come out and I was considering upgrading. If I max out the RAM and processor and add a fusion drive, I'm assuming that Logic will perform better, but what about the gaming side?

What do you think the performance comparison would be, considering the fact that the Mac Mini has the Intel HD 4000? I expect that in the newer version, they'll include the HD 5000. Will I see decreased performance?

 

[phrehdd]

I currently have a Macbook Pro that I use intensively for Logic and gaming. It's a 2011 model, 8 gigabytes of RAM with an AMD Radeon HD 6490M, 2 ghz processor with a 500 gigabyte Superdrive.

I heard that a new Mac Mini will potentially come out and I was considering upgrading. If I max out the RAM and processor and add a fusion drive, I'm assuming that Logic will perform better, but what about the gaming side?

What do you think the performance comparison would be, considering the fact that the Mac Mini has the Intel HD 4000? I expect that in the newer version, they'll include the HD 5000. Will I see decreased performance?

When you say "Logic," do you mean the audio program? If so, it should run well on a quad Mac Mini and yes, the bottlenecks will be more about RAM and speed of storage (drives). The Fusion drive should work well up to a point but you may consider getting an SSD internally and use either USB3 external or Thunderbolt for additional use. I would imagine that a Mac Mini with at least 8 gigs of RAM (might as well make it 16 since it is relatively cheap) along with 2 SSD internal or one larger one would be an ideal fit. As the fusion drive fills up, you could take hits on speed if you work with intensive programs and larger files. I base the latter on my friends who love the Mac Mini and know its limitations well. I use a Mac Mini with SSD inside for photo work. Given that my photo programs don't really reap any benefit by the gpu, all is good in my world.

As for gaming - I strongly suggest you look at other forum threads on that topic as the onboard video chip can be a challenge for some games. I gather that frames per second and screen resolution can often be adjusted if the game is impacted (obviously, I am not a gamer).

I hope others would help you here but hopefully, the above is considered welcomed food for thought.

 

[Stargenx]

I am currently using 380 gigabytes, I will be adding an additional 370 gigabytes of data to that when I upgrade my computer. If I get the new Mac Mini, I plan on maxing out the upgrades.

 

[jamisonbaines]

I have that model (2011 15", 2.0 i7) MBP and have also had the urge to upgrade to a newer machine.
I like the current mini, I have a 2007 mini, but it's about 20% faster at best than my MBP with no advantages beyond USB3. I'm tempted by the 11" Air's size and portability but the huge screen bezel bugs me and it's considerably slower than my MBP for processor based tasks.

I put a Samsung 470 (sata2) SSD in the optical bay and a 1TB drive in the standard location along with 8 GB of RAM within a month or 2 of owning my MBP. After getting over my lust for the Haswell MBA I bought a Thunderbolt Display this summer and have been using my MBP in clamshell most of the time. Rather than a second laptop I'm thinking my next purchase may be a thunderbolt RAID.

I'll be happy to upgrade to a new MBA or Retina Pro when it becomes a clear upgrade.

My recommendation is to try adding an SSD to the system you have.

 

[Stargenx]

That still doesn't remove the question of whether it will perform better graphically.

 

[stumper]

What games?

http://www.barefeats.com/ should have tests with the new MBA and games.

Is gaming the sole factor for choosing between the two? Maybe get out more

 

[Stargenx]

Not the sole factor and I do not play many games now, but I would hate to make the switch and lose the ability to do something that I enjoy. I'm trying to make an informed decision.

 

[keysofanxiety]

Not the sole factor and I do not play many games now, but I would hate to make the switch and lose the ability to do something that I enjoy. I'm trying to make an informed decision.

If the model of GPU you have on your current MBP is the one I think it is (256MB VRAM?) then the performance with the HD 5000 will be about on par -- you're not going to see a significant increase or decrease.

Of course if the new Mac Mini comes with a dedicated GPU then that will be great. But if you can afford to perhaps go with an iMac/new MacBook Pro, you'll see a massive increase with the nVidia cards.

Cheers