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New Mac Mini Please.

O

olduser007

macrumors member
Original poster
Jun 3, 2017
47
48
Loving the new Mac Pro but it's clearly overkill for a lot of pro users working with music & photos.

Maybe a new refreshed Mac Mini could solve that problem for most pro users.

Here's my current wish list for a refreshed Mac Mini:

1 The option for Intels 8-core CPU.
2 Two M2 slots. Not soldered please!

That's all.

What do you people think, do we need to see more changes for a new Mac Mini?
 
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I think those would be fine additions. Obviously more easily upgradable ram, but that would require a redesign. People will want discrete graphics, but I think egpus are a good solution for the mini specifically.
 
Will use external storage regardless. However, I could do with a 8core and enough beef added to the internal GPU to drive the 6k screen(which is likely too big of a ask atm)
 
I wouldn't hold your breath. Apple took 4 years to update the mini, 6 years if you discredit the 2014 model being an actual upgrade to the 2012 version.

Apple has a low priority for the mini. Even right now, in Mac OS 10.14.5, there is a bug with the 2018 mac minis that won't allow full screen viewings of iTunes movies. It's been this way since May 13th. It's been almost a month, and Apple won't bother fixing something that PAID patrons of digital goods are having.

The 2018 Mini might even be the last intel model. The 6 core i7 is pretty good, and it is already thermal constrained (not to be confused with thermal throttled, as it is always able to run above base clock). You wouldn't gain too much changing to a hotter CPU. Though if you place your mac mini next to the AC, you can eek out another 15% lol

The 2018 has external options for graphics, storage. As for built in graphics, in theory, it can handle 3 screens of 4K. Two screens of 4k is about how many pixels in a 6k monitor FYI
 
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The 8 core cpus are just coming out, so it’s a possibility for the short term future.

Anything else though requires a redesign. Not even the iGPU will get an upgrade with the new CPUs.

It is what it is at the moment. If the Mac Pro is overkill then, the next step down for a stand alone desktop Mac is a maxed out Mac mini and egpu. Unless they release a new product between the mini and pro, I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
 
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OP wrote:
"Here's my current wish list for a refreshed Mac Mini:"

Wish all you want.
There probably isn't going to be a "new" Mini until 2021 or 2022.

If there's going to be one at all.
 
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I would love to see something between the pro and the mini. i7, i9, or Xeon, no built in display, discrete video card, and 2 expansion slots. $2k.
 
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Marvelous Patric said:
I would love to see something between the pro and the mini. i7, i9, or Xeon, no built in display, discrete video card, and 2 expansion slots. $2k.
Click to expand...
Maybe with the i7 but you're not going to get anything with an i9 or Xeon for close to $2k LOL. I would love to see a Mac non pro desktop starting at about 2k though.
 
Fishrrman said:
OP wrote:
"Here's my current wish list for a refreshed Mac Mini:"

Wish all you want.
There probably isn't going to be a "new" Mini until 2021 or 2022.

If there's going to be one at all.
Click to expand...


I think we'll see refreshed Mac Mini in 2020. I see no reason for it to wait till 2021 or 2022. The gap between the Mini and Pro is just to large at the moment.

if I buy a Mac for 3k or more and something breaks I don't want the middlefinger from Apple.
I could live with the RAM being soldered if that saves on physical space. (Bad RAM hardly happens)
But soldered storage is a total dealbreaker for me as Apple's prices on storage are a complete scam and it's just too risky.
 
No new CPUs for the Mac mini until April 2020 the earliest.

Intel-Client-Desktop-CPU-Roadmap-2020-10nm-14nm-Ice-Lake-Comet-Lake-Tiger-Lake-Rocket-Lake.jpg
 
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olduser007 said:
I think we'll see refreshed Mac Mini in 2020. I see no reason for it to wait till 2021 or 2022. The gap between the Mini and Pro is just to large at the moment.

if I buy a Mac for 3k or more and something breaks I don't want the middlefinger from Apple.
I could live with the RAM being soldered if that saves on physical space. (Bad RAM hardly happens)
But soldered storage is a total dealbreaker for me as Apple's prices on storage are a complete scam and it's just too risky.
Click to expand...

I see you did not notice the lack of refreshes in recent years. Tim Apple's world has always been "do as little as possible, and upcharge on cheap but necessary things". Not only will we have to wait until late 2020 at a minimum, it might not even be Intel chips.
 
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However Apple could refresh the Mac mini this year with an i7 9700 (8 core, 8 threads) or an i9 9900 (8 core, 16 threads) CPU for the highest end CPU option, but I would see them very much sticking to the current CPUs in the 2018 Mac mini until 2020.

If they released an 8 core, 16 threads Mac mini I’d be buying that one immediately.
 
Aquamite said:
However Apple could refresh the Mac mini this year with an i7 9700 (8 core, 8 threads) or an i9 9900 (8 core, 16 threads) CPU for the highest end CPU option, but I would see them very much sticking to the current CPUs in the 2018 Mac mini until 2020.

If they released an 8 core, 16 threads Mac mini I’d be buying that one immediately.
Click to expand...

I guess you aren't going to buy one then lol. Apple will gladly take your money on a Mac Pro though.
 
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i could buy the current mac mini immediately IF i could be sure that it wont suffer coil whine or having bt issues.

however, i rather wait than take a risk and use my mbp with an egpu.
 
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Looks to me like Apple is trying to kill its desktop line.
Mini and Pro are both in over their heads price wise.
I doubt that's an accident.

A 128GB SSD? That's an insult.
 
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Partron22 said:
Looks to me like Apple is trying to kill its desktop line.
Mini and Pro are both in over their heads price wise.
I doubt that's an accident.

A 128GB SSD? That's an insult.
Click to expand...

No, what motivates them is making money, not sabotaging their own profits. Obviously.
 
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Considering buying the Mac Pro base model just isn't worth it financially.
It's slower and more expensive than buying the current iMac running the i9 CPU.
 
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olduser007 said:
Loving the new Mac Pro but it's clearly overkill for a lot of pro users working with music & photos.

Maybe a new refreshed Mac Mini could solve that problem for most pro users.

Here's my current wish list for a refreshed Mac Mini:

1 The option for Intels 8-core CPU.
2 Two M2 slots. Not soldered please!

That's all.

What do you people think, do we need to see more changes for a new Mac Mini?
Click to expand...

Wasn't the Mac Mini refreshed pretty recently ?

If the Mac Mini doesn't meet people's needs (assuming that they don't want an iMac or iMac Pro) , they probably need to either get the new Mac Pro, get an older model Mac Pro, or switch to a non-Apple solution.

I don't think it's realistic to hope for an updated Mac Mini considering how many years it took for the last Mac Mini update :(.
[doublepost=1560436204][/doublepost]
mrex said:
i could buy the current mac mini immediately IF i could be sure that it wont suffer coil whine or having bt issues.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, all the latest Macs with the exception of the iMac (not iMac Pro) come with the T2 chip and its associated problems.

It's sad to say but I would recommend waiting almost a year before buying any newly updated Mac :(.
 
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Plutonius said:
No, they are separate issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that's what I thought, but the quote in your post implied some connection.

Last week I bought one of the 2014 2.8ghz mini's that B&H Photo is blowing out to replace a small server. Lower geekbench rating, but it has 8gb RAM and a 128gb SSD (split from the fusion drive) like the base 2018 Mini. More than enough power for my needs, only cost $500 and no T2 chip. :D
 
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mrex said:
i could buy the current mac mini immediately IF i could be sure that it wont suffer coil whine or having bt issues.

however, i rather wait than take a risk and use my mbp with an egpu.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly.
There needs to be a revision for sure, but only for those problems, asap. Mini is already fast enough for its usage (Just before iMac this year, it was dominating the list in geekbench), Clearly the case itself and the arrangement of components are the reason behind the BT and coil whine problems so they need to revise it this year. I don't mind paying extra for soldered components but I will not accept using a dongle in 2019 or arranging peripherals upside down and pray for connection not to be lost. Unless it works out of box like a charm, I'm sending it back (which I did)
 
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