2014 Mini Choice - Mid or High?

[JulesK]

I've read as many threads as I could about this choice, but I plan to buy a 2014 Mini, and I really want as much long-term use as I can get out of it stock. I'll get an external USB3 drive for time machine, and have an existing TB HD for media, but beyond that, I just want to leave it as is and put off the hassle of upgrading to a newer machine as long as I can (which is the situation I'm facing currently).

I'm tempted to get a fully maxed-out machine (16GB, 512GB SSD, 3.0 i7), but it's a good 40% more than going with the mid-level machine with a 256GB SSD. I'm not a power-user, and I suspect that the mid-level machine would be fine, except you can't get the 512GB SSD with it.

Any thoughts in which one to go with would be greatly appreciated.

 

[scottsjack]

Of course everybody is going to tell you what they would do. Therefore, I'll jump in...

For me only the i7 and max RAM would do. Since I find 512GB of storage not enough for me I would get a Fusion Drive which provides easier future upgrading, has a usable capacity and exhibits some of the qualities an SSD.

 

[P00t]

Depends what you want to do with it, of course the i7 is better, but the mid model is enough for most tasks and is the model I would go for myself over price and performance difference which you probably wouldn't notice much.

But like I say, depends what you do.

I have a 2012 (Just over a month old) base model and I'm really pleased with it's performance and I'm selling my Mac Pro now since this is all I need for my extensive net surfing, movie watching, music playing and I even installed Windows 7 earlier and it ran really nice which was very suprising.

I'm also happy that it's not sucking up lots of electricity, makes me feel green

 

[cinealta]

I'm tempted to get a fully maxed-out machine (16GB, 512GB SSD, 3.0 i7), but it's a good 40% more than going with the mid-level machine with a 256GB SSD. I'm not a power-user, and I suspect that the mid-level machine would be fine, except you can't get the 512GB SSD with it.

Just get a 2012 Quad-core i7 refurb ($589). You can put in your own 512 Gb SSD (Samsung 840 EVO $180 on sale). It'll be SATA and not PCIe but that shouldn't matter in a Mini (mobile CPU) platform. You can add your own 16 Gb Crucial RAM for $120 (Amazon on sale). The 2012 has USB 3.0 and TB. Done.

 

[paulrbeers]

I've read as many threads as I could about this choice, but I plan to buy a 2014 Mini, and I really want as much long-term use as I can get out of it stock. I'll get an external USB3 drive for time machine, and have an existing TB HD for media, but beyond that, I just want to leave it as is and put off the hassle of upgrading to a newer machine as long as I can (which is the situation I'm facing currently).

I'm tempted to get a fully maxed-out machine (16GB, 512GB SSD, 3.0 i7), but it's a good 40% more than going with the mid-level machine with a 256GB SSD. I'm not a power-user, and I suspect that the mid-level machine would be fine, except you can't get the 512GB SSD with it.

Any thoughts in which one to go with would be greatly appreciated.

My recommendation is a Mid-Mini. You'd be better off saving all the extra money and just buying a new one in a couple years and sell your old one.

But that's what I do....

 

[mapleleafer]

Any thoughts in which one to go with would be greatly appreciated.

I’m not a power user either, and i bought the mid-level 2014 with the 256 GB SSD and 16 GB of RAM. I needed the 16 GB of RAM because I have to run Windows in a virtual machine, and I got the 256 GB SSD, which is only half full, for speed, energy efficiency, and peace of mind. This machine is a huge step up from my late-2009 Core 2 Duo iMac and should satisfy my needs for a long, long time.

 

[JulesK]

Thanks for comments!

I ended going in an entirely different direction and getting a MacBook Pro. As much as my old Air sits on my desk, I still wanted the option of portability, and was able to get a great deal on a 2013 15" MBPr.

But...I will get a stock mid-level Mini for my parents, so I'll still be lurking here!

 

[crazzapple]

Good idea. The 2014 mini is a great computer for parents and people who otherwise have absolutely minimal computing requirements. Really it's a feat of engineering (and marketing).