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32 Bit MacBook Pro Core Duo to Mac Mini i7

I

iDriveX

macrumors member
Original poster
Dec 20, 2003
81
2
Ventura, CA
So I'm considering getting rid of my long-in-the-tooth 32 Bit MacBook Pro with a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo. I can't run Lion. It's slow, slow, slow, and I think I'm ready to bite the bullet.

Question: I've recently gotten into backing up my Blu-Ray movies. I use MakeMKV and Handbrake mainly to do this. Currently it takes about 48 hours for Handbrake to encode one Blu-Ray. Trading out a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo for a 2.0 Ghz Quad Core i7...What kind of speed increase would I see on a task like this?

2nd Question: For those that have really worked with some different Mac Mini models: In your opinion, is the cost increase from the 2.0 Ghz Core i7 (I think that's a previous gen model) to the 2.3 Ghz Core i7 (cuirrent gen model) worth it? I would imagine there's a significant difference when you throw in the 2.6 Ghz model with Fusion Drive but that's outside of what I want to pay for a Mac Mini right now.

Thanks for any help you can provide on this subject!
 
The 2011 Mac mini with a quad core 2.0 GHz i7 CPU is plenty of fast.

While I do not have Blu Rays, only DVDs, to transcode and also have a desktop CPU (i7 with 3.5 GHz), you will see a significant decrease in transcoding times.
Yesterday I transcoded about 20 DVDs, that were sitting idly by for some year or two in ripped form, as I did not want to use my C2D 2.0 GHz iMac and C2D 2.8 GHz MBP to transcode them due to the length it would take them. The i7 flew through them in less than 20 minutes per DVD, thus I would say, you can probably transcode a Blu Ray in two to three hours with that Mac mini you are eyeing.
 
Wow! What you're talking about is a pretty sick speed increase. From 48 hours to a couple of hours?!? Eyeing my shelf of Blu-Rays and knowing it would take me over a year of continuous ripping to even get through it was getting depressing.

I think you just sold a Mac Mini for Apple. Thanks for the feedback!
 
iDriveX said:
So I'm considering getting rid of my long-in-the-tooth 32 Bit MacBook Pro with a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo. I can't run Lion. It's slow, slow, slow, and I think I'm ready to bite the bullet.

Question: I've recently gotten into backing up my Blu-Ray movies. I use MakeMKV and Handbrake mainly to do this. Currently it takes about 48 hours for Handbrake to encode one Blu-Ray. Trading out a 2.0 Ghz Core Duo for a 2.0 Ghz Quad Core i7...What kind of speed increase would I see on a task like this?

2nd Question: For those that have really worked with some different Mac Mini models: In your opinion, is the cost increase from the 2.0 Ghz Core i7 (I think that's a previous gen model) to the 2.3 Ghz Core i7 (cuirrent gen model) worth it? I would imagine there's a significant difference when you throw in the 2.6 Ghz model with Fusion Drive but that's outside of what I want to pay for a Mac Mini right now.

Thanks for any help you can provide on this subject!
Click to expand...


I would tell you to go with the 2.0 i7. The speed increase to 2.3 is nominal for what you will be doing. I would assume since it is a 64 bit quad core that the transcoding/rip time will be significantly reduced.
 
iDriveX said:
In your opinion, is the cost increase from the 2.0 Ghz Core i7 (I think that's a previous gen model) to the 2.3 Ghz Core i7 (cuirrent gen model) worth it?
Click to expand...
If you're shopping for refurbs, there isn't a huge difference in price between the two. The really nice benefit of the 2012 Minis is that you gain USB 3.0, which gets you fast, cheap external storage. I'd get the 2012.
 
Haswell is coming in June, and it will have new CPU extensions that will significantly speed up encoding if used by applicable software in future. If you can wait I would. I've already postponed buying a macbook air until the Haswell revision is out.
 
pine88 said:
Haswell is coming in June, and it will have new CPU extensions that will significantly speed up encoding if used by applicable software in future. If you can wait I would. I've already postponed buying a macbook air until the Haswell revision is out.
Click to expand...

Though it probably takes longer than June for new Macs to come out, August or later is more likely due to some issue with USB 3.0.
 
Was reading about Haswell but even the most interesting rumors from financial analysts (which are almost never on the money) have Haswell out in August... Then applications would need to be written to support it. The benefit of waiting for the new chipset vs buying a new one now is not worth it for me. Mac Mini revisions have sometimes also taken longer than normally expected, I'd hate to have to wait into 2014.

I didn't mention it in the original posts but one of the reasons I need to upgrade is the MacBook Pro has turned into a MacBook Pro Desktop. Battery life is at an abysmal 20 minutes. Replaced the battery and it had no affect. Something wrong with the PMU I suspect. So that's another huge driving factor to upgrade now instead of later.
 
So I bit the bullet and bought the 2.3 mainly because of the USB 3.0. I'd at least like to somewhat futureproof myself for a while. I ended up just buying it new and looking around my apartment to find what I could sell on eBay to make up the difference. There was really only a $70 difference between used 2.0 i7s on eBay and brand new 2.3 i7s from an Apple Authorized Reseller. So I decided to go with PowerMax up in Oregon mainly due to the free shipping and no tax. That and they're good people too from past buying experiences.

One last question though.... Right now my MacBook Pro can't handle my iPad 3. When plugged into the USB Port, it displays "Not Charging" on the iPad 3, even though I get a little trickle charge when the screen is turned off.

On my new Mac Mini, how fast will the iPad 3 charge? Same experience as the MacBook Pro? Or will it be as awesome as my 12w Power Adapter?
 
pine88 said:
Haswell is coming in June, and it will have new CPU extensions that will significantly speed up encoding if used by applicable software in future. If you can wait I would. I've already postponed buying a macbook air until the Haswell revision is out.
Click to expand...

oh please, those chips wont be that faster than current gen.

----------
iDriveX said:
So I bit the bullet and bought the 2.3 mainly because of the USB 3.0. I'd at least like to somewhat futureproof myself for a while. I ended up just buying it new and looking around my apartment to find what I could sell on eBay to make up the difference. There was really only a $70 difference between used 2.0 i7s on eBay and brand new 2.3 i7s from an Apple Authorized Reseller. So I decided to go with PowerMax up in Oregon mainly due to the free shipping and no tax. That and they're good people too from past buying experiences.

One last question though.... Right now my MacBook Pro can't handle my iPad 3. When plugged into the USB Port, it displays "Not Charging" on the iPad 3, even though I get a little trickle charge when the screen is turned off.

On my new Mac Mini, how fast will the iPad 3 charge? Same experience as the MacBook Pro? Or will it be as awesome as my 12w Power Adapter?
Click to expand...

Good choice! You can transfer your files via Firewire or LAN cable to have all your data on your Mac mini although I'd just start clean since your Macbook OS is old.
 
Well here's the answer for at least Handbrake ripping:

MacBook Pro 2.0 Ghz Core Duo: Avg FPS: 0.85
Mac Mini 2.3 Ghz Core i7: Avg FPS: 17.27

From 2 1/2 Days to 2 1/2 hours!!! :eek::eek::eek:
 
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