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Found a 2012 Mac Mini for £379

H

HappyHammer7

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Feb 2, 2010
17
0
Hi guys,

I have been monitoring the Mac Mini situation for a year now and looking at taking the plunge. I really like the fact I can upgrade the HDD to an SSD and add more memory in the 2012 model myself.

I want at least 8gb of Ram and a SSD is a must. I already have a custom built PC that will run any game I throw at it so this machine will be used for browsing, streaming, airplay and also I want to use Photoshop elements.

One thing that does concern me is the graphics performance on the 2012 model. Will it be suitable for using with Photoshop elements and what sort of performance would I be able to get? Not a heavy editor by any stretch but would like decent performance.

Also would the 2012 model be compatible with all of Yosemite's features such as Handover etc?

sorry for the hundreds of questions but really stumped on what to do now Apple has released a non-upgradeable Mini.

I plan to use the machine for at least 2 years. As said in the thread title, I have found the Mac Mini 2012 i5 2.5 GHz model for £379. If I were to purchase the 2014 model with 8gb and a ssd, it would be £729. I know I will have to purchase the RAM and SSD on top of the £379 price tag, but at least I can spread the cost.

Thanks for reading
 
I've got the 2012 quad and added an SSD and more RAM. The graphics are more than good enough for normal usage including photo editing. It's only gaming that needs more.

I'd stick a mx100 for £150 from Amazon in it and it will be excellent. You could make it into a fusion drive (as I have done) but this was with a 128GB drive in 2012. My next upgrade will be to replace the SSD with a larger model and to stop using it as a fusion drive.

The 2012 is fully compatible with Yosemite.
 
I am looking at the Dual core i5 2012 model rather than the quad core. Would this still be good enough?
 
Yeah it's fine for the uses you outline. The quad core is handy if doing CPU intensive tasks but you've a good PC for those situations (eg media encoding).
 
Comparing the 2012 and 2014 base Mac Minis the main issue for me would be RAM. 4 GB is just not enough anymore, you will want to upgrade the RAM in your 2012. CPU clock speed is better on the 2012, GPU is better on the 2014.

If it were me I would go with the 2012 for now. They can be had for a good price and are still great machines.
 
redheeler said:
Comparing the 2012 and 2014 base Mac Minis the main issue for me would be RAM. 4 GB is just not enough anymore, you will want to upgrade the RAM in your 2012. CPU clock speed is better on the 2012, GPU is better on the 2014.

If it were me I would go with the 2012 for now. They can be had for a good price and are still great machines.
Click to expand...

Would 8gb but enough? don't see any real world benefit for 16gb for my needs to be honest. Like I said, this Mini needs to be a good performer for me for the next 2 years or so.
 
Tbh I think 4GB is enough for your planned usage. See how you go with it then check activity monitor and it will give info on how your RAM is being filled. I only think you need to be concerned about having too little RAM if you buy a 2014 model where it's soldered.
 
Definitely start with an SSD. You only feel the new RAM when you stress the machine. You feel the SSD all the time. Not sure of your budget, but I'd say 256GB if on a budget or 512GB if you've a bit more cash.
 
KrisLord said:
Tbh I think 4GB is enough for your planned usage. See how you go with it then check activity monitor and it will give info on how your RAM is being filled. I only think you need to be concerned about having too little RAM if you buy a 2014 model where it's soldered.
Click to expand...

Good point. The great thing about a machine with upgradeable RAM is that you can see if you really need more, and If you do then upgrade.

However, 4 GB, especially in the span of two years, is cutting it close. The OS alone will use half of your RAM, leaving only around 2 GB for other tasks.
 
Just got a 2012 myself, believe it or not, I've kinda downgraded from my 2010 Mac Pro, mainly due to the fact I found it to be an overkill for what I do and I'm trying to be green with power usage.

I managed to grab my new system for £399 from Very, which was £100 off and I can pay for it over the next year without any interest, so it's a good deal.

Just ordered some more Memory, Samsung 2x4GB sticks, which I think will be enough for what I do, maybe I'll stick in 16GB sometime when the prices drop abit.

My Mac Pro was using over 85watts when Idle and this Mini is only using 11watts at Idle and quite, so it's a nice saving jump on the old electric bills.

The Mac Mini's quietness is impressive, I don't miss the fan noise from the Mac Pro for sure.

Next step is a Samsung Evo SSD, can't wait to be honest, I have moving drives and the slowness.

I love my Mini, will keep me happy until hopefully Apple impress us abit on the next update (next year?).

I am building a small gaming rig next, Alienware x51 with my GTX980.
 
Good find that. Went on to Very and check it out myself and could not resist. Done the 12 months as well. Will be able to pay it off after a couple of months but did not want to risk missing out :)
 
I have a base 2012 Mini w/4GB and it's more than enough for the basics. I find Yosemite really runs quicker on my Mini than ML or Mavericks.
 
HappyHammer7 said:
Good find that. Went on to Very and check it out myself and could not resist. Done the 12 months as well. Will be able to pay it off after a couple of months but did not want to risk missing out :)
Click to expand...

Nice one, glad I could link someone up to the deal.

At least you have your warranty too.

Is it your first time using Very by the way? If it is, did you take advantage of your 10% off your first order?

I managed to pick up 8GB Samsung memory from an eBay UK seller for £32 shipped if you're interested in the link let me know.
 
Rodster said:
I have a base 2012 Mini w/4GB and it's more than enough for the basics. I find Yosemite really runs quicker on my Mini than ML or Mavericks.
Click to expand...

How much RAM does Yosemite use on a clean boot with no apps running in the background? I've only tested it on machines with more than 4 GB RAM. On those it's more than Mavericks.
 
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