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Is the 1.4GHz worth it?
- Thread starter Wild_Rose
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They were not "adept" - the reviewer probably didn't know what a screwdriver is used for. The coat-hanger is hilarious. Again, just need to use a small screwdriver.
The 2014 w/4 GB would work fine for basic surfing and email for someone who doesn't know any better. If you are used to a more robust machine it will be annoying though.
The iMac and MBP are only available with a minimum of 8GB of Ram. Why would one want to buy a 4GB model in 2018?
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I can’t comment on the skill level of the Verge hardware engineer, but if they’re doing such an article then it suggests they’re likely experts.
There are still Windows 10 laptops being sold today with 2GB so 4GB would be an upgrade. Most of those have a slowwwwww eMMC SSD as well. If the price is right and it does what is needed then someone will buy it. If no one was buying then Apple would have removed it from sale.
Secondly, anyone can do an article. Just like anyone (i.e. me) can respond to posts. There are plenty DIY articles out there that are down right dangerous.
I don't think you can compare buyers of Windows systems to buyers of Macs. Both have different motivations. In the past (can't recall where), I've read that Apple sell more mid-range systems rather than entry level ones. When somebody enters a store then they get up sold based on their needs (or clever sales people), but the bottom line being that the lower spec systems don't sell that many. The lower spec are to get people in the Apple shop then the follow on sales occurs. Some people do buy the neutered systems but those get returned by unhappy people who then upgrade, and you see the lower spec in the refurbs store. Sure, some people soldier on with the neutered version while others are fiddled with by those who like to self-torture.
They are. Then again, there's a reason that open heart surgery is done by qualified surgeons who take years to get to that level of competence.
I have been taking apart computers and installing/replacing parts since the 1990s and I wouldn't dream of opening up the 2014 Mini. Too much of a headache and even a small mistake will leave your machine worthless (more worthless than it already is).
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Windows 10 positively screams on 4GB of RAM. MacOS? Not so much. Apple knows this.
My wife wants a computer for email, Youtube videos and texting the grandkids. I am thinking that a base 2104 model will be adequate and if it is slow to boot up or open Safari etc I can use an external SSD to startup ( I have a couple ) rather than trying to open up the case. She is presently using a 2007 MacBook.
I believe the base 2104 model will be more than enough for your wife, as long as it can run current software.
All jokes aside, I agree, a dual core system can be used for email, youtube and messaging others just fine.
Unfortunately, this is wrong.
People are not joking when they call the machine unusable, even for the simplest of tasks. I owned one for 4 days and had to return it. The most taxing activity I engage in is watching YouTube videos. It was unbearably slow, even for activities like opening a folder or browsing the Internet. Bar none, it was the slowest and most frustrating computer I have owned in my entire life. The lady at the Apple Store told me "everyone returns them".
It is a dreadful machine and should be avoided completely. There is nobody I would ever recommend the base model 2014 Mac Mini to. Nobody.
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I would avoid that machine entirely. And I certainly wouldn't burden someone I care about with that piece of junk. It would be like giving somebody an iPhone 3GS today.
If you do buy one, the external SSD will be absolutely necessary. But even then you are asking for trouble with 4GB of RAM. That level of RAM is already obsolete. I can't imagine the problems it will cause 2 years from now.
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I am finding this hard to believe. I have a tablet running Windows 8.1, bought it 3 years ago, it has an Atom CPU and it runs Youtube just fine. 2GB of RAM. While it has a quad core cpu, I am pretty sure it is still not as fast as the dual core i5/i7.
Now, I admit I have not used the specific mini model, I just find it really difficult to believe it is that slow.
Mine, upgraded with a SSD, is doing just fine as a time machine server and Remote Desktop system. I realize this is a light use case.
Try it. You'll believe it. As I've said, I have one for an iTunes server and it's absoletely fine for that. But it is just crazy slow for interactive use. The base model 2012 Mini really wasn't this slow.
Now it may be OK for someone who is used to a 10 year old computer and doesn't expect much. And those people would also probably be happy with an iPhone 3gs.
You are exactly correct.
I picked one up yesterday. It is working just fine. I did the setup, updated the Os and some apps, opened Safari with 4 tabs, Youtube, Mail, and Messages concurrently and was able to switch from one to the other. The performance was quite acceptable. Startup is a little slow but folders etc open up quite nicely. Videos in Facebook and on YouTube are running well. I checked Activity Monitor and there was a brief period of memory pressure while opening the apps etc, but it never went into the red.
This machine is perfectly useable for someone with basic needs and in an aging population the number of such people is increasing. We could have got a MacBook with better specs but at twice the price and we do not need portability so the base Mini is ideal for us.
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IMO, this also implies an age bias - you assume that older people only have "basic needs" and therefore should be satisfied with an underpowered computer.
In my criticism of the 1.4ghz Mini I said "it may be OK for someone who is used to a 10 year old computer", which addressed the expectations rather than the age of the user.
Disclaimer: I'm 68 and own a 1.4ghz base 2014 mini, in addition to several other computers.
Just for context I own 2 mac mini's a 2014 1.4Ghz with 4GB and a 2014 2.8Ghz with 8GB of RAM.
Performance between the 2 is pretty much the same.
Don't bother with installing a SATA SSD and a full strip down, just buy an apple NVMe storage device and the connector from eBay and either create a fusion drive or have two separate drives. Installation is beginners simple. You don't need to extract everything (motherboard, PSU) from the unit, you can do it all by just removing the bottom plate. Takes about 10mins tops, real simple and then either reinstall or restore from a TM backup. (if you want a fusion drive you'll need to create the CoreStorage LVG. You can disconnect the SATA too cable if you don't need/want the old drive anymore. Typical read/writes are in the 700/750 MB/s range.
1.4 works just fine in my opinion for the general computing needs of the masses - as long as you don't want extensive video editing or cryptocurrency mining...!
Performance between the 2 is pretty much the same.
Don't bother with installing a SATA SSD and a full strip down, just buy an apple NVMe storage device and the connector from eBay and either create a fusion drive or have two separate drives. Installation is beginners simple. You don't need to extract everything (motherboard, PSU) from the unit, you can do it all by just removing the bottom plate. Takes about 10mins tops, real simple and then either reinstall or restore from a TM backup. (if you want a fusion drive you'll need to create the CoreStorage LVG. You can disconnect the SATA too cable if you don't need/want the old drive anymore. Typical read/writes are in the 700/750 MB/s range.
1.4 works just fine in my opinion for the general computing needs of the masses - as long as you don't want extensive video editing or cryptocurrency mining...!
I made no such assumption. I did not say that only older people have basic needs nor did I say that they have only basic needs. Older people are a subset of those who only have basic needs and the size of this subset is increasing. Hence the number of people with basic needs is increasing which is all I said and meant. You are reading too much into what I said.
I did not take offence at your remark about a 10 year old computer which is why I did not mention you. I took offence with the person who posted a picture of two elderly ladies as representative of those who would be happy with such a computer. I see that post has sense been removed.
Disclaimer: I am 72 and until recently used a 2006 Mac Pro that I had extensively upgraded and updated but now have a 27" 5K iMac that is used for basic needs but also video (FCPX) and photo editing (Capture One) so I am well aware that older peoples needs do extend past the basic.
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