Faster mini or 5k iMac?

[questioner76]

Looking for advice. My current setup is a base 2014 1.4 ghz mini with Thunderbolt display. It boots off an external USB-3 SSD. It runs OK, but has mouse lag issues, which I think is from radio interference from the USB-3 drive. I've got about $1000 and looking to upgrade. I'm thinking about two options.

1. Get a 2012 i7 quad core mini with an SSD, keep Thunderbolt display - sells at around $700 on eBay. I think I can sell my current mini for $300, so cost net is $400. Much faster in multicore applications, maybe 20% faster in single core uses. Probably an easier transaction to pull off. I would get performance upgrade and keep my options open if the mini is ever updated (yeah right!). I would also retain the advantage of having a small footprint, low power server, that's always on. But I'm also paying another $400 for 5 year old tech.

2. Buy a used 5k iMac, i5 quad core, SSD. They're going for around $1300 on craigslist. I think I can realistically get $700 for the mini and Thunderbolt display, so net is $600. This would give me the latest and greatest display, a 40% single core performance boost, and almost double the multicore performance. Harder transaction to pull off, as moving the monitor hasn't been easy (at least on craigslist). I'm also trapped into an all-in one and worry a bit about how well it will work as an always on server.

What do you guys think?

 

[Boyd01]

The "base" 2014 Mini is only 1.4ghz, did you mean that? I have one of these for an iTunes server and it's fine for that but otherwise really sluggish. My 2012 2.5 base mini was definitely more responsive.

I also have a 2012 i7 quad 2.6ghz Mini that is dedicated to video editing. Got it a year ago and still really like it. My priority was faster video rendering and it did not disappoint. Of course, the downside is the HD4000 video chip which is old and only gives you 1.5gb of video memory. Then there's the lone thunderbolt port, but your TB display should help with that (wish I had one of those ). The firewire port is good for me because I have a Sony pro video deck that I use with a large amount of legacy tapes.

Other downsides are slow wifi and an internal SSD interface that is slower than new Macs. I use gigabit ethernet so the wifi doesn't matter to me. My 2012 quad has an original internal Apple SSD that I use with Mountain Lion for compatibility with some expensive legacy software (another plus for me with the 2012 mini). These days I usually boot into Sierra on an 1TB external Samsung T3 SSD and that works very well.

Sorry, no personal experience with the newer iMacs. Your last statement about an "always on server" is a bit confusing. Is that you primary use?

 

[questioner76]

Thanks for the response Boyd01. Yes, 1.4 ghz base model. I use it for general consumer stuff, iPhotos, iMovie, and as an iTunes server. iMovie is basically unusable on it though and honestly my primary motivation to upgrade. I don't let it go to sleep because the "wake from sleep" feature hasn't always worked for me. Wondering how much extra power a quad core iMac would use if it never went to sleep and how much extra heat and wear it would have on the machine.

 

[Boyd01]

I think the 1.4ghz model is well suited as an iTunes server. Mine never sleeps either, I want it available instantly to serve media. Anything more powerful than the base Mini is probably just a waste for serving iTunes, it doesn't need much horsepower for that. Maybe it doesn't fit your budget, but you should consider keeping it and only using it for iTunes.

The quad 2012 is a bit warm to the touch running Final Cut Pro X and gets very warm during rendering. The fan sounds like a small jet engine. But that's what I would expect for CPU intensive use, my MacBook Air is just as loud and hot for that kind of use. I don't leave the quad turned on unless I'm using it. With an older machine, I want it to last as long as possible. I would definitely not want to use that as an "always on" server, and it would be overkill anyway. Definitely would not want to use a new iMac as a server running 24/7, although I would certainly consider it as a general purpose or dedicated video editing machine.

 

[questioner76]

I think I'm coming around to your idea of just keeping the old mini as my iTunes server and getting a faster one or the iMac in addition. So now just have to decide whether to get the i7 mini or 5k iMac and sell my thunderbolt display.

 

[opeter]

If I were you, I would go for an iMac ... but you know what? If you are not in hurry, wait for/until October, maybe there will be a Mac mini refresh.

 

[questioner76]

I would definitely do that if I knew a new one was coming and that it would work with the Thunderbolt display, although it seems pretty unlikely it wouldn't.

If I were you, I would go for an iMac ... but you know what? If you are not in hurry, wait for/until October, maybe there will be a Mac mini refresh.

 

[Boyd01]

wait for/until October, maybe there will be a Mac mini refresh.

And maybe you will end up continuing to wait for a new Mini, like we've being doing for the past 3 years. There are no rumors of a new mini and if one is really coming then that would be odd, since there have been very few surprises about upcoming hardware recently...

 

[opeter]

And maybe you will end up continuing to wait for a new Mini, like we've being doing for the past 3 years. There are no rumors of a new mini and if one is really coming then that would be odd, since there have been very few surprises about upcoming hardware recently...

No need for a surprise, just the actual Macbook (Pro's) internal component in the standard Mac mini case.

 

[Boyd01]

Sure, keep waiting and hoping. I would be happy to see a new quad mini too, but I wouldn't want to count on it.

 

[pdafan]

I am using a mac mini 2014 2.6GHz 8GB ram with aftermarket internal 512GB SATA3 SSD (original 1TB HDD replaced). It is hooked up to an eGPU and an external 27" Dell Freesync monitor. Overall, a great all rounder in graphics and speed.

 

[opeter]

I am using a mac mini 2014 2.6GHz 8GB ram with aftermarket internal 512GB SATA3 SSD (original 1TB HDD replaced). It is hooked up to an eGPU and an external 27" Dell Freesync monitor. Overall, a great all rounder in graphics and speed.

Nice, but what OS do you use?

 

[Partron22]

With the screen glued to the computer like that, there's more to go disastrously wrong with an iMac than a Mini.
I've always been impressed with the amount of heat those modern all in ones put out.

 

[MRrainer]

With the screen glued to the computer like that, there's more to go disastrously wrong with an iMac than a Mini.
I've always been impressed with the amount of heat those modern all in ones put out.

You haven't seen the iMac Pro.
Those 18C Xeons will produce some heat - as will the very fast PCIe SSDs.

I hope Apple hasn't bitten of more than it can swallow there.

I've got a co-worker who will order one.