Any upgraders from QC 2012 mini

[bigfatipod]

I'd appreciate hearing any feedback for users who've gone from the 2012 quad core i7 mini to any of the 2018 models. The geek bench numbers are nice, but I have a hard time understanding what the experience is actually like from them.

I go back and forth about upgrading to an i5 or i7 from my current 2012 model. On one hand, my 2012 works great and I'm 80-90% happy with the speed. On the other hand, I have a feeling that the 2018 models are where I'll end up in a couple of years anyhow (with the expectation there's not going to be a new-new mini for quite some time again).

-Hard drive limitations isn't a factor since I use a 2tb external ssd.
-Photos app is where I spend most of my time. (and actually Aperture, which is another concern all together...)


Thanks for any thoughts

 

[marclondon]

On one hand, my 2012 works great and I'm 80-90% happy with the speed. On the other hand, I have a feeling that the 2018 models are where I'll end up in a couple of years anyhow (with the expectation there's not going to be a new-new mini for quite some time again).

My 2012 i7 Mini is not coping well now with the apps I use - Safari in particular can stall it. it doesn't help that one memory socket has failed so I'm down to 8GB ram from 16GB. Choice now is a new Mini or the next iMac - tempted by the 27 inch retina screen, but I have two decent 1920x1200 monitors.

If I go Mini it will be 16GB ram, 512GB SSD, and probably the i7.

 

[harvester32]

Hello,

I upgraded from my i7 2012 with 256GB SSD (i added) and 16GB (I upgraded). It was still considerably fast, however I'm an upgrader that upgrades when I see the benefit of new technologies. Since they didn't nerf the mini with no ports but instead modernized it I saw a benefit. The flash drive hard drive is amazingly fast. Speed wise, it's faster, but not something that you notice when going from the 2012. That was still one of the Mini's best versions (and why it is in high demand on the resale market). I notice the GUI is a little faster and seems much more responsive. Applications can still open slowly (Microsoft Word and Excel open just as slow as on the 2012 and I think it's due to the way they're coded). Most other apps are snappy including Safari and how it displays webpages. My internet isn't any faster, but how the PC decodes the images and instructions is a lot faster as the pages pop up faster and in the entirety (not sections of the page at a time). The ports are nice, although I would have liked at least one more USB A port as the mouse and keyboard take up both and there is no place to plug in the lightning cable for an iPhone or such. It's a quirk, but not a deal breaker as I just ordered a USB-C hub which was necessary to get the SD Card reader that I would miss (and used a lot) on the 2012. I don't notice anything about the HDMI 2.0 that is different than the 2012 but I'm sure it is with the newer monitors on the market. Now the bad news...

Apple wants my Mini back. Apparently there is something wrong and they want to have their engineers look at it. I posted another thread about the ordeal but suffice it to say, it doesn't shy me away from the platform as I'm sure Apple will make it good. I still have my 2012, although I've repurposed it in the house.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2018-mac-mini-engineering-sample.2157043/#post-26843847


I'll keep this updated when I get the new one.

 

[FrontierForever]

My 2012 quad 2.3ghz i7 with 1TB fusion drive is still going strong and still being used.

I turn off JavaScript and advertisements on most websites... and haven't noticed much slow down.

I didn't upgrade, so much as replace an ancient Windows machine.

It's funny, I bought the 2012 when I heard how gimped the 2014 mini would be.

I bought the 2018 i7 partly because of all the "the Ipad is the new desktop" nonsense being pushed.

It is probably overkill for my light use... but I need something future proof.

I do not want to be forced to lose functionality that is missing from the Ipad.

I don't want to be forced to pay for the privilege of beta testing the first generation ARM/non-Intel desktop.

If Apple abandons consumer-grade desktops, continues to pad its margins for shareholders, or plays any games with T2 / DRM restrictions... I am going to FreeBSD.

I am not locked into their "ecosystem" or "walled garden". I prefer my media DRM-free.