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Mac Mini i7 Dual Core vs Mac mini Server i7 Quad Core

Surely the better GFX card would benifit the video processing (i.e. playing 1080 Youtube, Vimeo, VLC etc), instead of the extra cores?
 
virtual machine

Does somebody have used virtual box, parallels or vmware in mac mini server 2011? may you tell me, what was your experience with that? the video card is enough to handle windows 7 in a virtual machine? I'm ready to order after tomorrow but I'm between, the i7 or the mini server. any help will be appreciated.:confused:
 
ziwi said:
Which would be better for working with Final Cut and Aperture? THe server or the graphics mini?
Click to expand...

I have been searching for an answer for this very same question. I have heard from many, including an apple store employee that Aperture uses the GPU a lot. I installed atMonitor on my current 2008 iMac Core 2 Duo. While importing, exporting and editing photos, the GPU meter does not move much, maybe between 5-10% at the most.

The only place that has tested this is bare feats.com at

http://www.barefeats.com/aper313.html

Their tests show the mini server to do very well on exporting but poor on importing. They suggest that the issue is the HD3000 GPU. The only part that I do not understand are the import results vs the 13" macbook pro. They both had the same GPU (HD3000) and 8GB RAM. The quad CPU is much better than the CPU in the Macbook Pro. The result is odd to me that the mini would do worse than the mbp. The MBPro also probably had a 5400rpm drive vs 2 7200 rpm drives in the mini server.

I sent the barefeats folks an email asking if they had an explanation of the difference.

I will let you know if they say anything in this thread.
 
OTACORB said:
This machine screams and the bump in speed is very noticeable especially when ripping content. An example is that with the regular Mac Mini as listed above I ripped a DVD it took 1.12 minutes and then I ripped the same DVD using the same external DVD drive and it took me 26 minutes.
Click to expand...

Hi,

What external DVD (or BR) player do you use for ripping DVDs?

I also purchased Mac mini Server 2011 and I'm looking for a BR player (burner as option) to attach to it - main purpose will be to bring my DVD/BR library to Mac directly (and to Apple TV).

Best,
Vasja
 
Vasja said:
Hi,

What external DVD (or BR) player do you use for ripping DVDs?

I also purchased Mac mini Server 2011 and I'm looking for a BR player (burner as option) to attach to it - main purpose will be to bring my DVD/BR library to Mac directly (and to Apple TV).

Best,
Vasja
Click to expand...

I am using an lg external bluray drive. It works perfectly.
 
So - Before I read about the issue, I though buying the Memory from Crucial would be a good choice.

But now I´m not too sure, I keep getting these beeps after inserting the memory. Has many experianced this?

Corsair I hear is not good either - What do I do now? Samsung?
 
My Mac mini server i7 Quad core can play a blu-ray movie and have BD-rebuilder running in VMware at the same time without experiencing any slow down at all. Wonder if the i7 Dual core can do the same thing?
 
Just order an i7 Quad with the 256gb SSD and the 750gb HDD... hoping this will be a workhorse for me when it comes to video and image editing....

Questions, and I know this will be extremely controversial, but how easy/difficult would it be to put Snow Leopard on this machine? I don't necessarily hate Lion (Server) but simply prefer Snow Leopard.... maybe I'm subconsciously rejecting the slow transition towards an iOS inspired desktop OS but I'm just not feeling Lion (yet). If it's not possible, so be it...
 
I have 2010 Mac Mini with Core 2 Duo and IGPU and it works wonders when it comes to play 1080p videos. I hook it up to a 46" Samsung HDTV. No lag, no stutter, no freezes. I play some older FPS games like Modern Warfare with no problem what so ever. There is too much emphasis on spec here, and I guess it's just human nature. He'll, I could even play 1080p videos on my 2008 MacBook with no issue (with the exceptions of those high bit rate BBC Nature documentaries). Just make sure you have at least 4 GB of RAM.
 
hleewell said:
I have 2010 Mac Mini with Core 2 Duo and IGPU and it works wonders when it comes to play 1080p videos. I hook it up to a 46" Samsung HDTV. No lag, no stutter, no freezes. I play some older FPS games like Modern Warfare with no problem what so ever. There is too much emphasis on spec here, and I guess it's just human nature. He'll, I could even play 1080p videos on my 2008 MacBook with no issue (with the exceptions of those high bit rate BBC Nature documentaries). Just make sure you have at least 4 GB of RAM.
Click to expand...
Agreed. All these systems work perfectly for HD playback. Heck, for most of the people on this forum a dual core with 4g ram and a small ssd is enough computer.
 
Sibbe.85 said:
So - Before I read about the issue, I though buying the Memory from Crucial would be a good choice.

But now I´m not too sure, I keep getting these beeps after inserting the memory. Has many experianced this?

Corsair I hear is not good either - What do I do now? Samsung?
Click to expand...

try gskill from newegg i have used dozens of them all good in 2011 minis.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231342

these have all worked. samsung will also work if you can not get gskill
 
srf4real said:
I drive two HD monitors. Server w/ HD3000 does not stutter on 1080 x 2. It's pretty zippy for any computer.. and well, considering it's a mini, it totally rocks! I think you'll be glad you opted for the quad i7 especially in a few years.
Click to expand...

I remember you saying that you were going this route a while back. How has this new setup performed compared to your last setup?

Sporty G said:
Just order an i7 Quad with the 256gb SSD and the 750gb HDD... hoping this will be a workhorse for me when it comes to video and image editing....
Click to expand...

This is what I'm looking at right now. I do a good amount of work in Flash creating cartoons, short animation and some stuff in PS & Illustrator not to mention I'm thinking about getting Aperture 3 soon. I also have been doing a good amount of video for seminars on the weekends and the new FCPX is looking like an addition in the near future for me. My 17" MBP is showing it's age with the video editing (see my sig).

Can you give some real world feedback once you have a chance or send me a pm with some import/render times and file sizes if at all possible?

ziwi said:
Which would be better for working with Final Cut and Aperture? THe server or the graphics mini?
Click to expand...

I'm in that same boat of questions right now too. I'm leaning toward the server because I'll max the Mini out with RAM & split the storage with the SSD & HDD configuration for the most bang for the buck.

To extend that question, has anyone used Motion or anything in conjunction with or other than FCPX on the new server and how has it worked thus far?
 
I've finally gotten around to converting / back-up my Bluray movies. I'm using DVDfab Bluray Ripper to convert directly from a LaCie Slim 6x Bluray drive (USB Powered) under Windows 7 x64. The Mac Mini Server is doing 49.74 frames per second to MP4 H.264acc at 1080p. Of course, Intel HD Graphics 3000 acceleration is enabled for both decoding and encoding under Windows 7 x64. The Mac Mini is barely warm. For those interested in noise level, the Bluray drive completely masks noise from the Mac Mini, if any.
 
The server unless you plan on playing games or running an app you know depends on GPU but doesn't use the extra cores well. Quad core just blows things away.

I have a server with a 750GB HDD 7200 RPM for files and 128GB SDD for the OS. That Mini is wonderful, great little machine. I don't have enough room for a Mac Pro and getting into the iMac is a bit more work then I was looking for.
 
philipma1957 said:
GET the quad. use the oem add-on of 750gb 7200 rpm hdds. if you are a student the server is 979 the oem add on of 2 750gb hdds is 90 total of 1069. my reasoning is the cpu is better. price is close. down the road add on options are available via t-bolt for the cpu or ssds. the need for more ram may not exist with your use but 8gb or 16gb may come around later.

the 2.7 is 1004 with the 750gb hdd .

the server with 2 750 gb hdds is 1069 for 65 dollars more you get 750gb hdd and a far better cpu. and upgrade to a better gpu is possible via T-bolt if ever needed
Click to expand...

Sorry for asking but can anyone explain me how I can upgrade my gpu perfromance via T-bolt?
 
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bibon said:
philipma1957 said:
GET the quad. use the oem add-on of 750gb 7200 rpm hdds. if you are a student the server is 979 the oem add on of 2 750gb hdds is 90 total of 1069. my reasoning is the cpu is better. price is close. down the road add on options are available via t-bolt for the cpu or ssds. the need for more ram may not exist with your use but 8gb or 16gb may come around later.

the 2.7 is 1004 with the 750gb hdd .

the server with 2 750 gb hdds is 1069 for 65 dollars more you get 750gb hdd and a far better cpu. and upgrade to a better gpu is possible via T-bolt if ever needed
Click to expand...

Sorry for asking but can anyone explain me how I can upgrade my gpu perfromance via T-bolt?
Click to expand...

At the moment you can't. However, there has been at least one Thunderbolt external PCIe enclosure announced. Windows should not have an issue, but under Lion I could see this being a problem with driver support.
 
Mac Mini louder than MB Pro 15" late 2008 ?

Hi,

I am wondering if the mini is louder than the MB Pro 15" late 2008 2,4 Ghz?
I want to buy a new desktop and use my MB for university. But the desktop should be as quiet as the MB or the iMac.
 
The base Mac Mini is the same noise level, barely audible. However, video intensive tasks quick ramp up the temp. The Server model starts louder but is much more resistant to video intensive tasks. Especially under windows with quicksync. So far the mid range mini only appears better at games. The noise seems based on load (dUh)! The mid ramps up quicker to high noise level and the server starts at a high noise level. After a few minutes of intense CPU activity they end up the same IMHO.
 
So is the server too loud for normal daily work in your oppinion?
Internet browsing, some matlab, sometimes play a game.
 
madmax2003 said:
So is the server too loud for normal daily work in your oppinion?
Internet browsing, some matlab, sometimes play a game.
Click to expand...
No, they are both pretty quiet unless you are gaming, video encoding or something else equally demanding.
 
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