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iMas70

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Sep 4, 2012
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I ordered an iMac last night so now I have to decide what to do with my 2012 Mac Mini and Thunderbolt display. It's a 2.3 GHz i7 with 16GB RAM. Searching the forum and online, it looks like they hold their value. I definitely don't want to put them in the closet to sit forever. I've thought about setting up a separate desk with the computer for my kids but I don't think they really need it. They have their iPads when they are with me and a can either use my computer or the one at their Mom's house.
 
Unless you need the cash, it's an excellent idea to always have at least two computers. One can be doing one thing while you're doing something else. Also good idea to have a backup.
 
The Mini would also make a nice iTunes server, I have one connected to a 4tb drive with thousands of songs, 600 movies and 600 tv shows that I watch on two AppleTV's, another Mini and laptop. It's also connected to my home stereo with speakers in several rooms. Just turn on file sharing and you will also have a nice way to move files between different machines, I do this with my Windows computer. You could also put MacOS Server on the Mini for additional capabilites.

Arguably, your mini would be overkill for this, the base model with 4gb RAM works very well for me.
 
I've gotta say, the quad-core 2012 Mini is the most powerful Mini Apple ever produced. It's a seller's market for those devices right now...
 
Absolutely, I bought a used one this summer and love it. Wasn't sure if you were talking about a quad since you didn't mention it, but I guess all the 2012 i7's were quads? Anyway, I have a 2.6 quad that is dedicated to video editing. Wanted to buy a Thunderbolt display for my MacBook Air but waited a little too long and all of a sudden they were gone. The prices on used ones seem rather high, which is good if you're a seller.

Some nice hardware all around, still very usable if you need it, but possibly more than "kids" would need. Only you can decide whether it's worth keeping. But I plan to keep mine for the foreseeable future. :)
 
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Good suggestions here! Some things that I've never thought about. I'll never turn away cash but I don't need to sell these to get some. And I do like the idea of having a backup computer. But... I've never needed one. Tough choice. Easier to keep them but enough incentive would have me putting them in boxes. I checked the specs on Apple's site -

2.3GHz quad-core Intel Core i7/ 4GB DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-12800)/1 TB HD/Intel HD 4000/Thunderbolt, USB 3/802.11n WiFi + Bluetooth 4.0. I upgraded to 16GB.

I'm seeing each of these listed for about $700-$800.
 
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