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Mac mini (2018) Intel UHD Graphics 630 :: Pros and Cons
- Thread starter schmoofee
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It seems PS took their own road and is not prepared for the new HW. Hopefully they will optimize new versions.
I'm not overly surprised. They used to (maybe still do?) render a good chunk of their apps using embedded flash. Optimisation and efficiency don't ever seem to have been qualities found in abundance in Adobe software.
It's really a big minus that Apple didn't release the Mac Mini with Radeon Pro Vega 16/20 as they'll do with the MBP this November.
I'd like to see a lower priced, lower spec eGPU than the black magic. Something with same form factor as the mini, for around £300 would be ideal.
I would be surprised if there is not a market for a modest eGPU to go with the 2018 Mini. Plenty of people don't need gaming or pro video editing level graphics performance, but would still like to bump graphics a bit.
I'll be very surprised if someone doesn't make a couple of different stackable TB3 expansion cases for PCIe cards, and/or SATA/nvme drives. A half-length PCIe card should just fit 'flat' in the dimensions of the mini's footprint.
Does the new mini output a 4K 10-bit signal (to a capable 10-bit display) without the help of an external GPU? If yes, both on HDMI and DP?
I thought the built-in HDMI port being just ver. 2.0 not 2.0a means it cannot deal with HDR / 4:4:4? At least some users are reporting that to be the case when connecting the mini to a 4K TV via the port.
Pretty sure though, a dongle over TB3/USB-C will behave differently.
Pretty sure though, a dongle over TB3/USB-C will behave differently.
It does need to be 2.0a or 2.0b. I use such an adapter with my MacBook Pro.
Check the system profiler to see if it is showing ARGB101010. macOS won’t output 10 bit unless connected to a 10 bit (or some 8 bit + FRC) compatible display.
Download 10 bit HDR videos from 4kmedia.org to verify the content displays correctly without banding.
Small correction: system profile should say ARGB2101010 ((where the 2 stands for 2-bit alpha channel), I think.
Yes, I can confirm. I received my Mac Mini yesterday, just tested it a bit. The Intel UHD 630 does 4K 10 Bit (ARGB101010) via DisplayPort.
Which is exactly why losing Iris Graphics (now Iris Plus) irks me to no end, it wasn't a gaming GPU but it still packs twice the performance of the ultra-basic UHD 630.
There are cheaper eGPUs like Sonnet's, it starts around $200, and you need to add another $100-150 for a card like a Geforce 1050 Ti ou Radeon 560 - but that's an additional expense on top of the storage issue (whether you're going with Apple's horrendously expensive storage options or an external drive solution), and everything else you may need.
The mini is no longer the cheap way in the OSX world, sadly.
Thank you!
Any chance you can test HDMI as well? I know there's no chance, but still...
Unfortunately my 4K monitor has apart of two DisplayPort 1.2 only HDMI 1.4 connectors... ASUS PB279q.
Depends on who is buying it. Mini was intended to bring PC converts. So if they bring their own monitor, keyboard, mouse and GPU then the overall cost isn't that much but the benefits are great - macos without hacking and 4 thunderbolt 3 ports which dont exist on any PC motherboard.
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Cable must also support 2.0b remember that. Then you can confirm if Apple is using plain 2.0 or 2.0b.
Apple TV 4K spec page doesn't give detail about which HDMI version they are using.
Yes. In my case DP 1.2 with a USB-C to DisplayPort cable. 4K 27" monitor.
Afaik UHD 630 only supports DP 1.2: https://en.wikichip.org/wiki/intel/core_i7/i7-8700b#Graphics
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My understanding is that it is the trade off for choosing desktop CPU’s: As Intel assumes that the vast majority will add a dedicated GPU anyway in a desktop, they only put the bare necessity of iGPU in. And this is perfectly okay imho, as it seems to be capable to drive multiple high-res monitors at the same time for basic activities.
Users with demanding workflows will add a dedicated GPU anyway, so Iris Plus would be wasted in the desktop. Now Apple put this in a housing that solely allows for external dedicated GPU’s, which is more expensive, so users are unhappy. But if Apple chose to take a mobile CPU to get Iris Plus, people would have complained about the “lesser” CPU and would probably still be unhappy with even Iris Plus for demanding applications.
Plus, Apple has been burned multiple times with putting a dGPU in their anorexic housings, so this time they decided differently (and rightfully so, imho).
I would describe it as a role problem. The iMacs popularity leaves so few headless options, there are only two infrequently updated models. And short of Apple making two mini models (or at least two mini mobos), that’s where it will stay.
Without other larger changes, the answer is making two basic models with as much built in performance and connectivity as possible. The new mini provides (half of) that. But the aftermarket needs time complete the picture.
Without other larger changes, the answer is making two basic models with as much built in performance and connectivity as possible. The new mini provides (half of) that. But the aftermarket needs time complete the picture.
I dragged my Mini into the living room and connected it to my 2017 OLED:
