Likely to see an update before 2014?

[mvmanolov]

I am looking at a mid 2011 model w/ 2.7Ghz i7 and the AMD HD 6630M. It has a 120GB SSD HD, 8GB RAM and I can get it for just under $500. Is that a decent deal or should I keep looking?

i'd say that's a pretty good deal. I have not see those in the refurb store, and the i5 that they re offering is $584 4gig ram and no ssd. so…..

I'd say buy it.

Happy hunting

 

[bad03xtreme]

i'd say that's a pretty good deal. I have not see those in the refurb store, and the i5 that they re offering is $584 4gig ram and no ssd. so…..

I'd say buy it.

Happy hunting

Thanks, I was looking at the i5 refurb model in the Apple store because I wanted the AMD rather than the Intel but I really wanted the i7. I am not good on pricing used models so I think if I can get it for under $500 I should scoop it up.

 

[mvmanolov]

Thanks, I was looking at the i5 refurb model in the Apple store because I wanted the AMD rather than the Intel but I really wanted the i7. I am not good on pricing used models so I think if I can get it for under $500 I should scoop it up.

mini's keep value well, and the AMD model more than the rest and the i7 of the AMD model even more so. And all of that precisely for the same reason that you want one of those yourself. There are many more like you out there. If the refurb store had one i may have bough ti myself. i just don't want to buy from a 3rd party without apple warranty

 

[corvus32]

Thanks, I was looking at the i5 refurb model in the Apple store because I wanted the AMD rather than the Intel but I really wanted the i7. I am not good on pricing used models so I think if I can get it for under $500 I should scoop it up.

You can get the current i5 brand new at local BestBuy stores for $549. That's how I bought mine.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/mac-min...548287950&skuId=4840634&st=mac mini&cp=1&lp=2

There's very little difference between the two CPUs performance wise - both are dual core. The 2011 i7 is clocked 8% faster and has 1MB more L3 cache, but the 2012 i5 is based on newer architecture that utilizes faster memory (1600MHz vs 1333MHz) and more VRAM (up to 768MB when more than 4GB of system RAM is installed). The single biggest difference is the 2012 Mini has USB 3.0, which is a huge upgrade and well worth it IMO.

 

[mvmanolov]

You can get the current i5 brand new at local BestBuy stores for $549. That's how I bought mine.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/mac-min...548287950&skuId=4840634&st=mac mini&cp=1&lp=2

There's very little difference between the two CPUs performance wise - both are dual core. The 2011 i7 is clocked 8% faster and has 1MB more L3 cache, but the 2012 i5 is based on newer architecture that utilizes faster memory (1600MHz vs 1333MHz) and more VRAM (up to 768MB when more than 4GB of system RAM is installed). The single biggest difference is the 2012 Mini has USB 3.0, which is a huge upgrade and well worth it IMO.

Uhhmmm, dGPU in the 2011 i7…. well well worth not having usb 3.0 in some situations especially since you can connect external drives via both FW and TB...

 

[corvus32]

The 6630M nets you around 25% better gaming performance versus HD 4000, which isn't saying much (10 fps x 1.25 = 12.5 fps FTW!), and TB and FW drives are not that common or cheap.

But, yeah, I guess if that's what you like.

 

[ioannis2005gr]

I'd be pleased with just a WiFi update to ac. Just a silent update. The mini is pretty powerful for a $1000 computer (with SSD and 16GB).

I'll be pleased with Wi-Fi ac, PCIe SSD, Haswell i7 + Iris Pro, higher RAM capacity, TB2/DP2.0/USB3.1 ports (at least!).

Am I waiting for a new Mac Mini? Of course! I expect the least possible redesign to host my preferences...even if it needs time (Q1 or Q2 2014).

 

[mvmanolov]

I'll be pleased with Wi-Fi ac, PCIe SSD, Haswell i7 + Iris Pro, higher RAM capacity, TB2/DP2.0/USB3.1 ports (at least!).

Am I waiting for a new Mac Mini? Of course! I expect the least possible redesign to host my preferences...even if it needs time (Q1 or Q2 2014).

you are a patient man/woman