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2.3ghz quad core 2012 Mac mini advice (or 2014?)
- Thread starter max_os17
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I think that is a good price on the quad Mini. Here in the US a company called OWC sells used Mini's that have been tested and include a 90 day warranty and 10 day return/exchange period - I got my 2012 2.6ghz quad from them last year and it looked like new. Anyway, their prices run higher than a private seller because of the warranty but they currently have 2012 2.3ghz quad Mini with 4gb RAM and 1TB hard drive in "very good" condition for $750 and another in "Excellent" condition for $780. The same thing with 8gb RAM is $850 and another with 16gb is $880.
You might risk voiding the warranty when you open the Mini and install a SSD yourself...
https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/mac-english.html
_____________
This warranty does not apply: [ . . . ] (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple
https://www.apple.com/legal/warranty/products/mac-english.html
_____________
This warranty does not apply: [ . . . ] (f) to damage caused by service (including upgrades and expansions) performed by anyone who is not a representative of Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (“AASP”); (g) to an Apple Product that has been modified to alter functionality or capability without the written permission of Apple
I love my mini (see sig. for specs). I've never had to wait for it to complete something, no lag, nothing. I've been buying spare parts (fans, power suppliy, Wi-Fi card, etc.) just as a precaution.
I'd love an updated Mac mini using 6-core Coffee Lake CPUs and PCIe x4 NVMe SSD (not that mine is slow, but it caps at around 1GB/s)
I'd love an updated Mac mini using 6-core Coffee Lake CPUs and PCIe x4 NVMe SSD (not that mine is slow, but it caps at around 1GB/s)
IIRC, right out of the box the original software doesn't amount to much, I seem to recall 18gb but it might have been even less.
There is a build-to-order i7 option in the 2014 Mini. But no quad core option like the 2012 Minis had.no i7 in the 2014
Sorry you’re right - should have been clearer. A dual core i7 is only a marginal improvement over the i5.
I have a 2012 i7 quad. The fan is never loud, I've pushed it running a marathon of ripping 150 movies when setting up a home media server. It is never louder than a central air con system, as only when it kicked off I could barley hear it, sitting right next to it. I don't recall the ram in the one you bought, but max it out to 16 gb. Also a suggestion put your ssd drive in a usb3 or thunderbolt enclosure and don't install until your warranty is over. Make that the boot drive.
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If the 2012 mini should turn out to be too loud under load, you could also consider looking for an old MacPro (up to 5,1). Those have become pretty inexpensive by now. And while they have a faint basic whoosh audible when idling (where the mini is dead silent), a MacPro doesn't rev up the fans at all when a mini is already screaming.
Performance-wise even the very first 2007 MacPro 1,1 is close to a 2012 Mac mini quadcore i7, when inexpensively upgraded to dual-quadcore CPU's. And from what I've read on the forums, having an 8-core machine could be beneficial for intense audio work.
Performance-wise even the very first 2007 MacPro 1,1 is close to a 2012 Mac mini quadcore i7, when inexpensively upgraded to dual-quadcore CPU's. And from what I've read on the forums, having an 8-core machine could be beneficial for intense audio work.
The power consumption is very very very different between those two. A Mac Mini consumes FAR less energy than an Mac Pro.
Interesting comparing power consumption -
Mini - 6w idle, 85w max
2013 Pro (4 core) - 43w idle, 205w max
2010 Pro (4 core) - 125w idle, 218w max
Mini - 6w idle, 85w max
2013 Pro (4 core) - 43w idle, 205w max
2010 Pro (4 core) - 125w idle, 218w max
I know. But if the mini would be too loud, the power saving can't be used in the first place.
And the additional power consumption of a MP can be put to good use, e.g. with multiple internal drives or more cores/more threads, which is said to be helpful in big audio projects with many tracks.
It was just meant as an alternative view to a not so obvious different option.
That's similar to MMs from Hoxton Macs (in London), also refurbished/checked and 3-month warranty:
https://www.hoxtonmacs.co.uk/collec...c-mini-md388b-a-quad-core-i7-2-3ghz-late-2012
My question/worry would be: how long will these refurbished/checked 2012 MacMini's run (trouble free)?
Depending on the quality of the refurb process and your use case. Normally a mini is reliable for a very long time (though you should not mistake it for an inexpensive MacPro with 24/7 rendering tasks
).I would even dare to say that an Apple-refurbished mini could be more reliable and lasting longer than a new machine out of the box, as the refurb gets tested individually. Both mini refurbs I got from Apple looked great, both outside and inside. If there hadn't been that small scratches on some screws, telling from the disassembly, one wouldn't have guessed to look at a used device. No idea how good your London-based dealer does the refurb process.
The Apple refurbs are great, I have bought a few and they were just like new and of course have a full year warranty and Applecare eligibility. But you are not going to find any 2012 Apple refurbs, so that's not an option if you want quad core. I remember when the 2014 Mini was announced, 2012 refurbs became scarcer than hens teeth overnight.
I got my 2012 2.6ghz quad Mini from OWC in August 2016 and it looked new. It had a 90 day warranty but it was from OWC, not Apple. Has been running great ever since and it spends a lot of hours rendering video.