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Dual Core Atom 330 based Mac Mini on the way?

B

bigredgpk

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 7, 2005
22
3
With the rumors of the Mac Mini's death circling, maybe Apple should try to re-think the idea of a cheap desktop by using cheaper CPUs. A dual core Atom CPU with the help of a decent chipset could go a long way.

This is just an idea, but god i'd love to see this for $400, and it's totally doable!

Anyone else out there?
 
Why atom? Its a small, low performance, low power laptop/portable device chip, much less powerful than the current mini.
It doesn't make any sense to me, especially not in a desktop.

... and its not a rumour if you've just thought it up:rolleyes:
 
JG271 said:
Why atom? Its a small, low performance, low power laptop/portable device chip, much less powerful than the current mini.
It doesn't make any sense to me, especially not in a desktop.

... and its not a rumour if you've just thought it up:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

They can make the Mac Mini much more affordable by not using expensive laptop chips. and with the small amount of power the Atom, optical, and a HDD would use they could build the PSU into the base unit and be rid of the power brick.
 
The Atom is junk for a desktop CPU. Its made for laptops and hand held devices where power consumption and heat output are the primary focus.

Its very slow and weak, an old Celeron clocked at the same GHz will walk all over the Atom.
 
Yep Atom would be a step back for the mini. It may suit a new device not aimed at desktop markets.

A Mini refresh would need a C2D of 2 + GHz to be acceptable to its fanbase.
 
^^ In the Eee world, the original Eee's Celeron M 353, when clocked to its full 900MHz, is slower in most aspects than the single core Atom N270 (1.6 GHz), as I understand it, although most everyone would rather have the Atom for reasons related to power savings (the Celeron architecture doesn't really do sleep well at all).

Here's a comparison -- the 900 and 901 are pretty similar aside from the difference of Atom vs. Celeron M.

http://my.ocworkbench.com/2008/asus/EeePC_901/g4.htm

As I also understand it, OS X is quite palatable on the single core Atom.

But... even the dual core Atom is going to be substantially slower than the C2D processors Apple uses now. So this would mean the Mini would be much slower than it is now.

Unless the Mini were going to shrink in size by at least 40-50% of its current size (for instance, keeping the slot loader, and using a 1.8" drive), I don't see the point in switching to Atom....
 
heres my rumour so circulate it at will

apple is getting rid of the mini only to produce a *gasp* midrange desktop!

it makes perfect sense as who would buy a mini when you could have a real computer that doesnt rquire a screen and break the bank like a macpro

genius i tell you genius!
 
I would accept a larger form factor then the current MacMini, twice the size if I knew it was still going to be a low cost solution, but Im really concerned with Apple now going to this displayport, that is gonna make people cringe who are looking to convert and say I cant use my existing monitors. I would love to get a MacMini 24" with a one of those new displays but they dont even talk to each other yet.

Ron
 
dukebound85 said:
heres my rumour so circulate it at will

apple is getting rid of the mini only to produce a *gasp* midrange desktop!

it makes perfect sense as who would buy a mini when you could have a real computer that doesnt rquire a screen and break the bank like a macpro

genius i tell you genius!
Click to expand...

I sure hope so, get a real desktop CPU, 3.5" HDD, and the same optical drive with some room to grow (PCI x16, PCI x1, 2nd HDD caddy, unicorns) that would be hot!
 
I know it's only a mockup, but something like this would hit the spot. I'd buy one.:D

However, if they upgraded it with the new Nvidia chipset à la Macbook I think it would help. Oh, don't forget the iMac too.
 
N9QGS said:
Im really concerned with Apple now going to this displayport, that is gonna make people cringe who are looking to convert and say I cant use my existing monitors.
Click to expand...

You can hook the new MacBookPro to existing monitors with an adapter.

You just can use the new monitor on anything but a computer with a DisplayPort (MB/MBP for Macs today).
 
I suspect that this would only happen over Steve Job's dead body. Even then he would come back and haunt apple until they decided to drop the idea.
 
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