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OK, this is just sad. Look at the NUC I can make for less $ than the base mini!

E

EightyTwenty

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 11, 2015
809
1,667
- Quad core Intel CPU 1.5 GHz, turbo to 2.3 GHz (a little slower than the mini).
- 8 GB ram (twice as much as the mini).
- 256 GB Samsung EVO 3D nand SSD (blows the mini clear out of the water).
- Video card capable of playing full 4k @ 60hz.
- Full Windows 10 license (could go $125 cheaper if I pirate Windows).

Total cost is $513.96

Compared to $599.99 for the mini with a 5400 spinner, only 4GB of RAM and no 4K.

The NUC would run circles around the mini in day-to-day performance (opening apps, web browsing, start-up and shutdown, etc., can run a monitor at beautiful 4k resolution @ 60hz, and plays 4K movies without a problem.

All of this for $90 LESS than the 2014 Mac Mini and over $200 cheaper if I pirate Windows.

Note: All funds in CDN.
 
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Windows is really garbage. Mac OS runs better on a 3 year old Mini believe it or not.
Pop ups, drivers, crashes, freezes, antivirus ugh never again.
 
Last edited:
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krause734 said:
Windows is really garbage. Mac OS runs better on a 3 year old Mini believe it or not.
Pop ups, drivers, crashes, freezes, ugh never again.
Click to expand...

I don't know how true this is anymore.

El Cap/Sierra run very poorly on my 2010 MBP 17" with SSD 8GB RAM. Slow, unresponsive, delays, beachballs at random times... Safari is particularly dismal. Even just little things like the auto-hide dock not popping up, Finder is miserable,

Windows 7/10/Linux all run absolutely beautifully on it. Haven't had a single hiccup with it so far, even if I very much dislike where Windows is heading in terms of privacy/forced updates.

It's to the point where I'm starting to use El Capitan less and less and just boot into the others. The battery life is a bit longer on El Cap though so I still use it for some light tasks when battery life is a priority.

MacOS is secure, Windows is fast, Linux is secure and fast but lacks software. What do you do :p
 
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krause734 said:
Windows is really garbage. Mac OS runs better on a 3 year old Mini believe it or not.
Pop ups, drivers, crashes, freezes, ugh never again.
Click to expand...

You think MacOS runs well on the base mini with 4 GB of soldered ram and a 5400 spinner? You couldn't be more wrong. It's a travesty of an experience. I even had the Apple Store tell me "everyone returns it for a refund after using it."

The Windows 10 NUC would be a night-and-day difference from the stuttering mess that is the base 2014 mini. Way cheaper too. Just a much, much better value. Everything is easily replaceable and the hard drive takes 30 seconds to upgrade.
 
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EightyTwenty said:
You think MacOS runs well on the base mini with 4 GB of soldered ram and a 5400 spinner? You couldn't be more wrong. It's a travesty of an experience. I even had the Apple Store tell me "everyone returns it for a refund after using it."

The Windows 10 NUC would be a night-and-day difference from the stuttering mess that is the base 2014 mini. Way cheaper too. Just a much, much better value. Everything is easily replaceable and the hard drive takes 30 seconds to upgrade.
Click to expand...

I got a current mid tier Mac Mini on eBay with a SSD for $600 (regularly 900 + tax). Highly recommended. I bet you will regret getting a Windows Machine.
 
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NUC makes sense. It's Intel doing to Apple what Apple did to PCs with the original Minis.

Apple should update the Mini line. Buying one new now would be stupid.
 
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krause734 said:
I got a current mid tier Mac Mini on eBay with a SSD for $600 (regularly 900 + tax). Highly recommended. I bet you will regret getting a Windows Machine.
Click to expand...

You got yourself a great machine. Only problem is that configuration costs well over $1000 in Canada.

We're in the 4K era now. I'm not dropping $1000 on a computer that can't use a 4K monitor or display 4K content.
 
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The problem with the Mini is that historically it was based on a MacBook motherboard, and the current laptop chips aren't that appropriate for desktop use anymore. That means they have to design a board specifically for the Mini.

They saw the light on the Mac Pro, so maybe they'll do the same for the Mini someday.
 
EightyTwenty said:
You think MacOS runs well on the base mini with 4 GB of soldered ram and a 5400 spinner? You couldn't be more wrong. It's a travesty of an experience. I even had the Apple Store tell me "everyone returns it for a refund after using it."

The Windows 10 NUC would be a night-and-day difference from the stuttering mess that is the base 2014 mini. Way cheaper too. Just a much, much better value. Everything is easily replaceable and the hard drive takes 30 seconds to upgrade.
Click to expand...
"Travesty of an experience." You sir, are a genius! I have been telling people how bad 5400 spinners are for years, and you describe it perfectly in 4 words. Time has moved on from those slow pigs. Wait, that is rude to pigs :)
 
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I have to agree. I just got Intel NUC with:
  • i7-6770HQ (2,6GHz 4 cores, 8 threads)
  • Intel Iris Pro 580 (most powerful Intel GPU EVER - 1152Gflops)
  • 8GB DDR4 RAM
  • 250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
  • BT + WiFi + NFC
  • 4x USB 3.0 ports
  • 1x Thunderbolt 3
  • 1x mDP
  • 1x HDMI
  • 1x RJ45
  • 1x SD Card reader on PCI-E

RAM and SSD is user upgradable. There's second slot for second SSD. It supports up to 2 displays at 4K@60Hz.
I have paid total of 2558PLN with delivery which makes about 714USD (23% VAT included).
It comes without OS, going to install Linux on it.

Forgot to add, it's about 21x11x3cm
 
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Strelok said:
You can always use Linux if you really can't stand windows.
Click to expand...

Hi, I know google is my friend, but would you please recommend to me a version of Linux to use as a platform for a dedicated HTPC nuc? I would just need to run VLC.
 
Snappers said:
Hi, I know google is my friend, but would you please recommend to me a version of Linux to use as a platform for a dedicated HTPC nuc? I would just need to run VLC.
Click to expand...

If you just want to use VLC, then pretty well any of them will do. :p

Mint (in either Cinnamon or Xfce) is always a solid bet if you're not on barebones hardware.
 
Snappers said:
Hi, I know google is my friend, but would you please recommend to me a version of Linux to use as a platform for a dedicated HTPC nuc? I would just need to run VLC.
Click to expand...
Sorry I’m not the most qualified person to answer that. I use Ubuntu Server on my home server (Plex and some backups), but use other devices to stream it. Regular Ubuntu would probably work just fine though.
 
I will be building a Win10 NUC HTPC soon. I considered the Mini at some point but it just isn't suited for it. The NUC is killer HTPC hardware.

Snappers said:
Hi, I know google is my friend, but would you please recommend to me a version of Linux to use as a platform for a dedicated HTPC nuc? I would just need to run VLC.
Click to expand...
LibreELEC is your best choice.
 
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Altis said:
I don't know how true this is anymore.

El Cap/Sierra run very poorly on my 2010 MBP 17" with SSD 8GB RAM. Slow, unresponsive, delays, beachballs at random times... Safari is particularly dismal. Even just little things like the auto-hide dock not popping up, Finder is miserable,

Windows 7/10/Linux all run absolutely beautifully on it. Haven't had a single hiccup with it so far, even if I very much dislike where Windows is heading in terms of privacy/forced updates.

It's to the point where I'm starting to use El Capitan less and less and just boot into the others. The battery life is a bit longer on El Cap though so I still use it for some light tasks when battery life is a priority.

MacOS is secure, Windows is fast, Linux is secure and fast but lacks software. What do you do :p
Click to expand...

Agreed is very much the opposite Windows 10 is now extremely fast and stable, I have far more issues with my OS X based systems than the Windows 10 one's. So much so I'm moving ever further away from the Mac for professional use. Most infuriating, it's Apples own applications; Safari, Mail, Preview or the OS itself, lucky if the system is stable if utilised in a professional role. Stay up more than a week lockups & crashes occur ultimately forcing a restart. Alternatively their Windows 10 replacements have yet to glitch...

When not used professionally the Mac's are generally fine as the workload and throughput is significantly reduced, even then the Mac's are less stable, disappointed to say the least.

Q-6
 
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Queen6 said:
Agreed is very much the opposite Windows 10 is now extremely fast and stable, I have far more issues with my OS X based systems than the Windows 10 one's. So much so I'm moving ever further away from the Mac for professional use. Most infuriating, it's Apples own applications; Safari, Mail, Preview or the OS itself, lucky if the system is stable if utilised in a professional role. Stay up more than a week lockups & crashes occur ultimately forcing a restart. Alternatively their Windows 10 replacements have yet to glitch...

When not used professionally the Mac's are generally fine as the workload and throughput is significantly reduced, even then the Mac's are less stable, disappointed to say the least.

Q-6
Click to expand...

Maybe on super old hardware. Windows 10 seems to have a problem where it starts accumulating a bunch of junk over time and starts running pretty slowly. I’ve already reinstalled it twice in the past year, and I generally don’t install random junk and try to clean it up as much as possible. It’s fine when it’s new, but damn does it turn to crap after a while. This is with a system of only SSD’s, OC’ed i7 and 16gb of RAM.
 
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