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New Intel Mac mini

rsamo said:
This macmini is nothing more than a highly overpriced way to view your media on your tv. If you want a desktop computer get an iMac - you get more for your money. Granted this will probably work well in terms of accessing content from your PC and playing it on your TV, the problem is if this is the reason you want one it costs way too much. How about you give me a video airport express that will hook up to an HDTV and you can even double the price of the current airport express. Add a remote which will communicate with the Airport which will communicate with Front Row on my iMac. Then I'll be happy.
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Is 802.11g fast enough to stream video at good enough quality ( that is acceptable to Apple )?

I guess apple are waiting for 802.11e.. that will scream.
 
BAD for HD

skwoytek said:
I will say again: This is Apple's move to the living room. This chipset is perfect for HD to the TV.



From the Final Words of the anandtech bechmark article: For those who truly do not need or care about 3D, integrated graphics are fine. People who are nostalgic about Quake III and earlier 3D games will also be satisfied. If just running something with 3D is important, these solutions will get the job done. But integrated performance has still not reached a level where we can recommend it to anyone who wants to play the current generation titles.


Also see this article from HDBeat. The Intel Mac Mini is Perfect for HDTV. Funny enough, for those arguing that the move to a faster PC is unnecessary if you're not meant to play games. The blogger writes, "I am of course assuming that the Core Solo 1.5 is fast enough to decode H.264 HD material."
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This is, unfortunately, the killer for me. Based on Apple's own published specs, this machine will NOT play H.264 HD streams. Apple states that a 1.83 GHz Core Duo is required...as a MINIMUM for 720p.

If they would've released a headless machine capable of this, I would have bought it, ripped it apart and stuffed it in a beautiful 17" wide HT case to be placed alongside my other AV components.

And before anyone says, "Wait! It does non-H.264 HD...in other words, the MPEG-2 kind!"....hold on and get real. This is a mini w/ a laptop drive. So the options are either to store on the unit (unrealistic given hard drvie speed and size) or play across the LAN (HD MPEG-2 would monopolize more bandwidth than I'm willing to give up in my house).

Still waiting...as I have been for years. All I want is an H.264 capable, DVD-equipped, non-Windows 17"-wide Mac-OS-running high-def AV component.

Please build one...
 
Is it just me or does anyone else think that integrated graphics isn't so bad? Sure, it isn't dedicated as in past mini iterations, but cmon, it's a mini.. entry level!

I'm sure the min will do HD just fine, especially H.264 since the graphics chipset has nothing to do with doing HD. Apple's minimum requirements, imo, are pretty conservative. I have no doubt they'll handl3 H.264 just fine. And if this thing can do CoreImage and CoreVideo, is it so bad?

So what are all the complaints about the integrated video about? Would you seriously be considering a mini for gaming? if so, i laugh at you.. lol
 
amateurmacfreak said:
Whoa. Over $1,000 for a Mac Mini!?!?!??!? 😱
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I'm buying a new Mini as fast as I sell my Rev. A Mini 1.42.

By the way, my Mini 1.42, Superdrive, 1gb RAM is for sale... just U$ 1,360.00!!!!

Of course, here in Brazil, on today's exchange rate (US$ 1 - R$ 2,14)...

I hope to sell it as fast as I can because I want this Core Duo Mini now!!!
 
chibianh said:
Is it just me or does anyone else think that integrated graphics isn't so bad? Sure, it isn't dedicated as in past mini iterations, but cmon, it's a mini.. entry level!
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I think once people start using them, we'll start hearing some positive feedback.
 
I don't know if someone has mentioned it before, but the additional $200 from the mac mini will give you the jump from 1.5GHz solo to 1.67GHz duo, from combo drive to super drive, and from 60GB to 80GB hard drive.

Now, some may ask, does the higher end model worth the additional $200? For the $600 model, it costs $50 to upgrade from combo drive to super drive and $50 to get an extra 20GB of hard disk space.

Assuming those 2 upgrades really worth the cost, this means it costs $100 to upgrade from 1.5GHz solo to 1.67GHz duo. But as I went to the Sony store to check on the prices for a SZ series notebook, it only costs $50 to upgrade from a 1.66GHz solo to 1.66GHz duo. So... does that mean to go from 1.5GHz solo to 1.66GHz solo is another $50? If not, does this indicate Apple is really charging a premium for their products [again]?

(I can't confirm the exact price difference because Intel didn't list the price for its 1.5GHz solo chip on their webpage)
 
So do you upgrade the RAM or not?

At $799 I think thats a sweet deal.

But would you really need to upgrade the RAM? I've always been one to try and max out the RAM, but this isn't for gaming, or really even much work (home movies etc). This is just a media hub. I've got other macs for the "work" side of things.
 
Minimum 1.83 GHz Core Duo needed for 720p HD

skwoytek said:
I will say again: This is Apple's move to the living room. This chipset is perfect for HD to the TV.



From the Final Words of the anandtech bechmark article: For those who truly do not need or care about 3D, integrated graphics are fine. People who are nostalgic about Quake III and earlier 3D games will also be satisfied. If just running something with 3D is important, these solutions will get the job done. But integrated performance has still not reached a level where we can recommend it to anyone who wants to play the current generation titles.


Also see this article from HDBeat. The Intel Mac Mini is Perfect for HDTV. Funny enough, for those arguing that the move to a faster PC is unnecessary if you're not meant to play games. The blogger writes, "I am of course assuming that the Core Solo 1.5 is fast enough to decode H.264 HD material."
Click to expand...

Check this out - http://www.apple.com/quicktime/guide/hd/recommendations.html

Mac Mini cannot do 720p. Forget about 1080p.
 
Excited for the new Mac Mini

I ordered my Mac Mini last night after selling my previous revision.

Honestly, I think you all can post as many Windows benchmarks as you want on this page, but until you actually get a new Mini and test it out (or wait for someone to do it for you) then that's when we can name call and say how big a mistake it was for Apple to do this, or that. When people are benchmarking those cards, you have to realize that ATi and Nvidia have been around long enough to know how to optimize their drivers to make the most out of what they have. Intel... I doubt they bother. However, I think Apple has probably been working with intel on these drivers so that the performance will be leaps and bounds over a windows machine running the same graphics chipset. I mean... it's Apple. If you don't think they have their act together, then take your PC formated iPod and leave.

Seriously, my previous Mini couldn't play games well, and I don't expect this one to either. Anyone saying the would rather buy a shuttle PC, go do it. We're not twisting your arm making you leave retarded posts about "integrated video." Most of you aren't even using the term properly. The iMacs have integrated video, in fact... any motherboard that has the video built on as a non-replacable part has "integrated video." If you want to whine about the fact that it uses shared memory, that's a whole other issue. Of course, if you read the specs and actually understand them, then it means that the video chipset in the new minis will be able to take advantage of more system memory when needed, I believe the number was just shy of 256MB.

To anyone else replacing a Mac Mini, good choice. To those of you saying "it's just as cheap to buy an iMac," give me another $400 and I'll gladly do it.
 
Romanesq said:
I'm still baffled by the conclusions on the integrated graphics for such a low end machine. Isn't this thee low end machine after all? The one you just get to "play around" with your existing mouse, keyboard and monitor.

I was very happy with the new mini and ordered one. I am frankly astounded by the level of complaints on a low end machine. From what I read on the intel graphics and audio chipset, it should be fine for almost all tasks that people would do on a low end machine for $500. $500!

The amount of pissing and moaning about having to get a $15-20 adaptor to plug into an HDTV is amazing in its whining.

It's not like there aren't alternative machines with full capabilities. I'm sure at some point I'll be upgrading my G4 15" to the new two chip model.

When I read the thread earlier on what might come, there wasn't even much expectation that these minis would get two chips. Now you have an option for that too.

I mean I know some people like games, but do they have to act like children?
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Wise words, my friend.
 
Video Airport

rsamo said:
This macmini is nothing more than a highly overpriced way to view your media on your tv. If you want a desktop computer get an iMac - you get more for your money. Granted this will probably work well in terms of accessing content from your PC and playing it on your TV, the problem is if this is the reason you want one it costs way too much. How about you give me a video airport express that will hook up to an HDTV and you can even double the price of the current airport express. Add a remote which will communicate with the Airport which will communicate with Front Row on my iMac. Then I'll be happy.
Click to expand...
I would kill for a Video Airport. I didn't realize Apple snuck Video Streaming into iTunes until yesterday (there's a footnote on the Front Row page stating that you need iTunes v6.03 for this) and it worked pretty good using Airport.

What I'm really looking for is a solution similar to Kaleidescape (http://www.kaleidescape.com/) using the iTunes model. There's nothing I hate more than being asked what movies I have and then having to dig through a hundred. To be able to use a Front Row/iTunes combo for this and to be able to do this from my couch....

Seriously the Kaleidescape system is a $10,000+ solution that can be replicated by Apple for under $1,000 (minus the RAID V that supports 800 DVDs).

Am I crazy or are all of the pieces already here?
 
Bosunsfate said:
Sorry if this is a silly question, but i read this as the $799 mini could do 720p
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No. At least not based on Apple's published specs...it is either 9% too slow or needs to be 10% faster, depending on how you look at it. Keep in mind that these are minimum specs. Having other stuff open (apps, background services like Bonjour, etc.) will likely require more RAM and perhaps even a bit more CPU power.

Here's a cut-and-paste from the page to which I linked earlier:

For 1280x720 (720p) video at 24-30 frames per second:

1.8 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer; 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo or faster
At least 256MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
 
g.x said:
No. At least not based on Apple's published specs...it is either 9% too slow or needs to be 10% faster, depending on how you look at it. Keep in mind that these are minimum specs. Having other stuff open (apps, background services like Bonjour, etc.) will likely require more RAM and perhaps even a bit more CPU power.

Here's a cut-and-paste from the page to which I linked earlier:

For 1280x720 (720p) video at 24-30 frames per second:

1.8 GHz PowerMac G5 or faster Macintosh computer; 1.83 GHz Intel Core Duo or faster
At least 256MB of RAM
64 MB or greater video card
Click to expand...

Thanks, though this goes into my earlier question. Sounds like a RAM upgrade is pretty much a given the the video RAM is shared right?
 
As much as we'd LOVE a media center mini the new Intel model is obviously not it. Just accept the mini for what it is and move on. If it meets your needs great. Personally I think the mini makes a great music server, and if you've ever priced music servers like the Escient you'll recognize what a great value the mini can be.

The good news is that I don't think the rumors of a media center mini are false. Microsoft has already announced that it's media center software will be baked into most of Vista's home versions. Clearly Apple is not going to cede the world's living rooms to M$. Watch for Front Row 2.0 to become integrated into 10.5, and from that I think we will see the first genuine Mac media center.
 
ggez

ScubaDuc said:
Agreed! Let's give the New Mini a chance to prove itself. I have been waiting for a Media Center like unit running on OSX and I really don't plan to play games with it. However, I do expect to fully use its iLife features, including HD video encoding since I am planning to change camcorder. Presently, a standard 1Hr DVD takes 4 hrs to burn on the 867 G4 "SlowSilver" so I am kind of eager to change. Apple wouln't sell a product that can't fully run its software, right?
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4 hours to burn a dvd, wow... I have a hard time waiting for 15minutes with the new 16X dvd burners for a 1 hour dvd movie.

lol

geez--- 4 hours. classic but can't imagine waiting that long.
 
intel integrated video haunting itself

anybody think that intels integrated video from the past is haunting them now? we all now it sucked on pc even from the beginning. but now its on the mac mini and I too fear it. just have to wait too see , I'm not even considering those graphs for pc either. osx is completely different...

all we can do is hope ....lol...
 
What?? These specs are outrageous for 720p content playback. I thought that H.264 decoding/encoding was fully supported by the ATI Radeon x1600 card including with the MacBook Pro. So H.264 content should be fully playable on any processor as long as the Graphics card supports it. As for 720p in MPEG2 or whatever other format, I guarantee you that VLC or mplayer will give you better results then QuickTime, better meaning faster decoding and possibly better picture quality. If you don't beleve me, then try it for yourself. QuickTime is a pig when it comes to resource requirements.


Also, integrated graphics is a bad idea on any system, but even worse on Mac OS X, since a lot of OS level stuff is rendered in OpenGL and Quartz. I pitty the fool who buys a Mac without a decent graphics card.
 
chasepgh said:
Screw the gripes about integrated graphics.... my hot button is the pricing of the intel macs. In all the hype and speculation of this move, the exciting thing about going Intel was the potential to see Mac's go down in price..... not UP!!!!!

Competing winblows machine come better equipped than the mini (and include monitors, keyboard, and a mouse for that matter) for the same or often LESS money.

I LOVE Apple... but I'm not loving what I'm seeing so far with the Intel move on the Macs.

Some of the upgrades to the mini are a nice deal, but I'd rather see some items be options and lower entry level pricing.

I really hope the Ibook (or Macbook which I hate that name...) do not disapoint this bad or jump to high in pricing.
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Well to give them credit the intel move did drop the price of iMacs ever so slightly when you consider you get a hell of a lot more for the same price. However I agree on the low end griping about this price increase.
 
Yvan256 said:
You spent 400$US on a cable?! 😱
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yeah... I know it sucks... but good HDMI cables are so expensive and I had no choice. I had to buy it at that length to reach my back wall with my home theater projector. This was 2 years ago - I suspect the price has since dropped and will continue to as more devices use it.
 
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