Sounds like a configuration or compatibility issue. Maybe solve that problem first before making a final conclusion?
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I'm very happy with my new 2018 Mini. Are others as well?
- Thread starter Dr. Stealth
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Yeah your new Mini is superior to your old iMac in every conceivable way (even the iGPU is better than the Radeon in your old iMac), so there's really only one logical explanation (other than a misconfiguration). Definitely get your RAM back up to a reasonable level
FWIW the 2018 Mini has been a HUGE Logic Pro upgrade for me from my 2014 i7 Mini.
The Mac Mini can only run from Mojave up. Do you think that could have something to do with it? What OS were you running on the iMac?
I'm still running Sierra on my 2012 Mac Mini and Logic Pro is smooth so I don't want to budge. I hope that Mojave doesn't give me heaps of issues.
Same her. i7/32/1TB replacing my dead Mac Pro 5,1 (RIP). But also considering buying a new monitor. Would be great if you could post a comparison of the MacMini with the MacPro.
Definitely sounds like something is wrong. Are you monitoring your threads through Logic or Activity Monitor? The Audio side of logics monitoring is actually CPU and RAM together. If a thread is maxed out, it could actually mean there’s not enough Ram to process the synth in time rather than CPU. Either way, the i7 has the highest single-core performance of every Mac ever, so this tells me there is something else going on...
Edit: also your monitor resolution shouldn’t really have an impact on your audio? That really tells me something is messed up, especially considering you have 12 threads. If only one thread is maxed out, your Mac has plenty of threads for other things...
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it can be improved with some of the settings on either logic or the plug in quality, but I wasn't having to do this before.
Yeah your new Mini is superior to your old iMac in every conceivable way (even the iGPU is better than the Radeon in your old iMac), so there's really only one logical explanation (other than a misconfiguration). Definitely get your RAM back up to a reasonable level
FWIW the 2018 Mini has been a HUGE Logic Pro upgrade for me from my 2014 i7 Mini.
I'm planning to purchase 32GB of RAM ASAP. I had hoped that the increased processor speed would be enough to compensate for the lower RAM until i upgraded it. I thought worst case it would be as slow as my old computer till the increase in RAM.
I set up the Mini as a new computer rather than migrating it. so the old one was on High sierra and the mac mini is on Mojave.
I was using the monitor within Logic so it very well could be the RAM. I'll have to check a few more things tonight. I hope it is just the RAM, that would make me very happy (and it's starting to sound like that). On the logic CPU monitor at idle with one track, the thread on the right is at bout 25%, then when I start playing the same one shoots up. I read somewhere on here that the monitor borrows some of the RAM so if that's true, then it could have an affect. I'm withholding final judgement until I get this sorted out. I'm hoping this machine will last for several years, and on paper (RAM aside) it should be a huge improvement.
Thanks for all the responses.
You definitely need more RAM. You'll see a great performance increase, and then be very happy with your new Mini.
With every new release of macOS the OS itself requires more ram. This is why many people say their computer has slowed down over time. It's due to OS updates. 8GB is teetering on barely enough to run the OS, let alone any app you want to run. On my Mini Mojave uses over 7GB.
I'm running the new Mini with 32GB and here's a screen shot of memory usage with nothing running but the OS.
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I’ve also had this problem a few times running sessions on my MBP. Most days the project seems to run fine, but then one day it started to do something similar to what you’re describing. To be fair, my MBP has a measly 4gb of ram, but I’m several OS behind.
Another possible issue is the track you have selected. If you have a MIDI track selected at any time, logic assumes you want to record midi data, so it’s allocating resources just for that one track. If you’re not writing MIDI, it’s best to have an audio track selected, or select an unused blank track.
But it sounds like RAM may be the culprit. I had no idea Mojave uses so much RAM by itself.
My iMac has 32 GB RAM, but my 2012 rMBP has only 8 GB RAM. On the iMac, Memory Used frequently surpasses the 16 GB mark. But on the rMBP, that figure is currently 7.16 GB (running Mojave with Safari and a handful of other apps open), and Memory Pressure is in the green.
MacOS has excellent memory management and memory compression that adjusts to the amount of RAM available. 8 GB RAM is actually still enough most of the time, though 16 GB is becoming more of a worthwhile upgrade as apps are getting heavier.
One more vote for memory management, Mac OS is really awesome there. Here is my ancient machine with 8 GB of RAM installed, and you can see the usage. Mostly just Mac OS, with few apps working in the menu bar, that don't take much:
It's easy to check for insufficient RAM. Open "Activity Monitor" and click on the "Memory" tab. Check the "Memory Pressure" graph while performing your work. Green is good, yellow is pushing it, and red is bad. See Dr. Stealth's post (#57) for an example. I wouldn't worry too much about memory used.
It seems many people are reporting high thermals when gaming - 98/99 C. I realise that it is designed to withstand this, but it is hardly sustainable. Solutions such as undervolting or manually controlling the fan through SpeedFan are currently unviable. Can anyone advise any possible solutions? Would additional thermal pasting help?
Not a good sign for me. This was one of my biggest fears. I have a tube of some expensive CoolerMaster thermal paste that I bought months ago, I can try that and see if it is going to help the temperatures, but take a look at SnazzyLabs video about Mac Mini teardown, I saw he removed the heat sink, and there is quite amount of paste on the CPU, unlike on some recent Macs. So, I do not know if that would help.
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Exactly, as I said, there is already quite a bit of paste in there already.
@archer75 and @StellarVixen thank you for your thoughts. This doesn't bode well, especially for Apple. Can you think of any other possible makeshift solutions, such as an external fan unit to blow into the Mac Mini with the lid off?
I really don't think it's necessary. The temps are fine. And the systems in place prevent against overheating and damage. I've done some crazy stuff in my day and i've never damaged a CPU.
Even at those temps it's still running the CPU above it's base frequency so it's clearly happy with the temp.
We will see if Apple is gonna come up with some kind of update, like they did with i9 MBP.
For now, try laptop cooling pad to help with the airflow, or try to open the lid to increase the airflow. If you are not faint of heart, try liquid metal instead of thermal paste. Other than that, I have no idea.
Nobody is doing it consistently. I do video encoding twice a week. That's the only thing I do that stresses it. So not often.
Intel has spec limits on it, they have systems to slow the frequency down to reduce temperatures when they feel it's too hot. When encoding and mine is in the 90's it's still running above base frequency so they're clearly ok with it running at that temp otherwise they would throttle it sooner and more aggressively. I'm really not worried about it.
Maxing a CPU will push it's temp. Not just in a mini but even in your desktop PC's. Even my watercooled PC is still in the upper 80's when encoding. Imagine with just a fan on that! I encoded with previous computers with only a CPU fan and they would also hit the 90's. No issues. The system will shutdown to prevent damage though i've never actually seen it happen as it uses it's other systems to bring the temp down first.
@archer75 thank you for your answer and reassurance!
Some of the people on the forum I pointed out, myself included, would like to use the mac mini for gaming with an eGPU as well as our normal Mac applications (in my case, Logic Pro X and Final Cut X). Personally, I will probably game 8-10 hours a week and render out video projects a couple of times a month - 4K with lots of effects. I will also be working on audio projects - I compose orchestral music as a hobby and plan on running big templates. Ultimately, I would like to be able to do all this for the next 5 years at least, but I have no wish to invest so much money in this machine if I know everything I will use it for could compromise its lifespan, even if its performance is not compromised that much.
I don't know anything about how Logic Pro X would hit the CPU. Final Cut X does render pretty fast(compared to adobe premeire) and I have to wonder if it will take advantage of the H.265 hardware encoding on the T2 chip?
Gaming can vary. Some games like WoW are very CPU dependent and would really push it. While other games are much more GPU dependent and don't push the CPU hard. But I don't see gaming maxing the CPU 100% but rather fluctuating depending on what's going on in the game.
Apple does advertise it to be a great computer to use for Logic and final cut so they would know how the programs work the CPU. I wouldn't be worried.
I absolutely agree macOS has excellent memory management. But there is no substitute for having plenty of ram. The fact that macOS will use more ram if you have plenty is an indication of that.
In the old days (and I'm old) the general rule was, buy as much as you can afford.
Myself, I always go for more. I run 128GB in my workstation. It gives me peace of mind.
This is just the way I look at it and have practiced for many years.
Having insufficient ram can cause issues. Having more than you need will never cause an issue and can increase performance by avoiding memory compression, etc.
If you ever need to troubleshoot issues (like dlemmon) but have gobs of ram, you can instantly eliminate insufficient ram as a possible source of the issue.
Anyway, just my opinion...
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I'm running Temperature Gauge Pro (TG Pro). It works great on the 2018 Mini and Mojave. You can turn the fan up to max (4400 RPM) if you like.
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[doublepost=1541809920][/doublepost]No, I have a case open with Apple, the T2 chip doesn't work, I have a 2012 mac mini and I can boot from any of my backups from carbon copy CC. I have have a open case open with Apple and all you talk to is advisors.