Mini purchase dilemma

Discussion in 'Mac mini' started by Dr Charter, Dec 28, 2013.

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  1. Dr Charter, Dec 28, 2013
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2013

    Dr Charter macrumors 6502

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    #1
    I'm in the market for a new Mac Mini. I'm not waiting for the refresh but am choosing between these two models. They are new and available at these prices through my university IT store.

    2012 2.5 I5 with HD 4000 graphics: $569
    2011 2.5 I5 with AMD Radeon HD 6630M: $469

    Both have 4GB ram, which I plan to upgrade later regardless, along with an SSD at some point. I know the 2011 has USB2 but my drives are all Firewire or Thunderbolt anyway. I know that both are powerful enough for my needs (productivity apps and media playback). I love the price of the 2011 but have some reservations about buying a 2011 computer in 2013. Are these units comparable in your experience? Does the 2011 lack anything I haven't mentioned? Any feedback would be appreciated.
     
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  2. balamw, Dec 28, 2013

    balamw Moderator

    balamw

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    #2
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  3. nollimac, Dec 28, 2013

    nollimac macrumors regular

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    #3
    What I did was to choose the late 2012 Mac Mini which was in an open box condition for $431.99 from Best Buy...hint, hint!
     
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  4. Dr Charter, Dec 28, 2013

    Dr Charter thread starter macrumors 6502

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    #4
    Thanks. I hadn't considered that.
     
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  5. balamw, Dec 28, 2013

    balamw Moderator

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    #5
    Sounds like you got a great deal!

    B
     
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  6. Dr Charter, Dec 28, 2013

    Dr Charter thread starter macrumors 6502

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    #6
    No kidding. This might be a good time of year to look for them. Damn. Now I have a third option to consider. :D
     
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  7. nollimac, Dec 28, 2013

    nollimac macrumors regular

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    #7
    I agree...I am even thinking of when I get the Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD next week and max out the memory to 16GB to put on Ebay. By April, it should be clear if the 2014 Mac Mini will be coming out.
     
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  8. phrehdd, Dec 28, 2013

    phrehdd macrumors 68040

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    #8
    That is pretty close to what I did.

    I got the base model of the higher end Mac Mini, added a Samsung Pro SSD and 16 gigs of Crucial RAM. It runs quite well though the only thing I really wanted over this model and the previous was the Intel Iris Pro gpu on board. This should hold me over until 2014 comes along.
     
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  9. Crosscreek, Dec 28, 2013

    Crosscreek macrumors 68030

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    #9
    Refurbished site of Apple has just restocked. I recommend this over BB.
     
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  10. Dr Charter, Dec 28, 2013

    Dr Charter thread starter macrumors 6502

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    #10
    Thanks for the heads up. $509 for a base 2012 model! Sold.
     
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  11. MrGuder, Dec 28, 2013

    MrGuder macrumors 68030

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    #11
    I'm considering a refurbished now, but I don't want a 500GB hardrive, at 5400 rpm that is way too slow, boot up time and opening applications will be slow, I've seen youtube videos of time difference between a 5400 and a SSD and the 1TB Fusion they are night and day differences.

    SSD is best, then the Fusion is ok (because it also has the 128GB Flash) but the 500GB w/ 5400 rpm is the slowest.
     
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  12. Dr Charter, Dec 28, 2013

    Dr Charter thread starter macrumors 6502

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    #12
    I agree about the drive. I currently have my media on an external and will probably keep it there. I'm planning to swap out the 500 GB HD for an SSD. With that and RAM upgrade, I should be good to go.
     
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  13. Crosscreek, Dec 28, 2013

    Crosscreek macrumors 68030

    Crosscreek

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    #13
    I bought a refurbished 2.5 mini and plan on using external 250mb ssd as a boot drive that I already have for my rMBP that I use for time machine and storage. When the refresh happens I will have the mini ready to sell as a base unit. I did buy 8GB of ram for it. That is what I have in my MBP and thats more than I ever use.
     
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  14. Fishrrman, Dec 29, 2013

    Fishrrman macrumors G5

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    #14
    [[ I'm planning to swap out the 500 GB HD for an SSD. ]]

    There's no need to "swap out" the internal drive.

    There's space for -two drives- inside.

    Just add the SSD, and keep the HDD for a backup, extra storage, etc.

    You will need another ribbon cable to the motherboard for this, however.
     
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  15. scottsjack, Dec 29, 2013

    scottsjack macrumors 68000

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    #15
    That's what I am going to do when I gen mine in a couple of weeks; 2.3 i7, Crucial M500 960GB, 16GB of Crucial RAM and an OWC Data Doubler kit.
     
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