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Mac Mini is actually a great value

G

Gym Hellwig

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 21, 2013
169
5
I've been searching for mini PCs for a while now and have been looking at Intel NUCs and Gigabyte Brix, etc.

Turns out the Mac Mini is a steal. Once you configure a similar setup for the NUC for example... adding ram, hard drive, wireless card and Windows, you are pushing $600 (at least here in Canada).

Meanwhile, you can pick up the refurbished 2012 for $469.
 
Personally, I think a lot of people over estimate what they need in a computer. In all honesty I'd still be fine using the PC my neighbour built me in 2007 but I wanted my iPhone to look great next to my Mac. I'm cheap so I bought a mini.

But yeah...the mini is great value!
 
Agreed. It's a fine little computer for the price. I've had one hooked to my TV for years.
 
Gym Hellwig said:
I've been searching for mini PCs for a while now and have been looking at Intel NUCs and Gigabyte Brix, etc.

Turns out the Mac Mini is a steal. Once you configure a similar setup for the NUC for example... adding ram, hard drive, wireless card and Windows, you are pushing $600 (at least here in Canada).

Meanwhile, you can pick up the refurbished 2012 for $469.
Click to expand...

Comparing a 2012 refurbished system to a 2014 new system which comes with a 3-year warranty as standard? Not sure I follow the logic.
 
Mac minis have always had a special place in my heart - a very capable machine in a neat package.
 
WilliamG said:
Comparing a 2012 refurbished system to a 2014 new system which comes with a 3-year warranty as standard? Not sure I follow the logic.
Click to expand...

Apple's refurbs are a great deal and come with Apple's standard warranty.
 
WilliamG said:
Yep, I love my 2012 Mac mini. :) But I don't see it as "great" value anymore. It just... is the cheapest way to get OS X legitimately.
Click to expand...

I just recently purchased a 2012 from the refurb store and I still consider it a great deal, even after upgrading RAM and SSD. Don't get me wrong, I love tinkering and have had my share of hackintoshes, but I just love how my new Macs just 'work' the first time around.
 
Gym Hellwig said:
I've been searching for mini PCs for a while now and have been looking at Intel NUCs and Gigabyte Brix, etc.

Turns out the Mac Mini is a steal. Once you configure a similar setup for the NUC for example... adding ram, hard drive, wireless card and Windows, you are pushing $600 (at least here in Canada).

Meanwhile, you can pick up the refurbished 2012 for $469.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean, but it only really applies to the mini form factor for some reason.

Upgraded 8 year old micro-ATX PC to i7 4790K, 16 GB RAM, new motherboard for around $500 CAD. Already had SSD, power supply, case, and video card, mind you, but those get replaced on the other 3-4 year cycle (if/as needed) :cool:

Absurdly more computing power than any Mini for less than the base model.
 
brentmore said:
I just recently purchased a 2012 from the refurb store and I still consider it a great deal, even after upgrading RAM and SSD. Don't get me wrong, I love tinkering and have had my share of hackintoshes, but I just love how my new Macs just 'work' the first time around.
Click to expand...

Ha-Ha, same here, I love my brand new 2012 mac-mini i5 base ($404) + 16GB RAM ($134) + 480GB SSD ($139) + 2TB HDD ($79); all in a neat CD-ROM drive sized form factor. Can not beat that. I would not buy it at original retail price ($599) though, but after 2014 model fiasco, heavy discounted 2012 became a real bargain. I also have mac-mini 2006 and it is going strong with updated C2D, 4GB RAM and 256GB SSD ;) Sold my Hack on eBay by parts and proceeds covered new mm expenses, figures...

I used to over provision CPU (i7), but ended up never using even 20% of the power, so this time i5 seems to be covering all my needs and still under utilized severly.
 
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Altis said:
I know what you mean, but it only really applies to the mini form factor for some reason.

Upgraded 8 year old micro-ATX PC to i7 4790K, 16 GB RAM, new motherboard for around $500 CAD. Already had SSD, power supply, case, and video card, mind you, but those get replaced on the other 3-4 year cycle (if/as needed) :cool:

Absurdly more computing power than any Mini for less than the base model.
Click to expand...

Yes, but not everyone wants that behemoth (comparatively speaking, and noise-wise) on their desk or the floor, and the mini is... adorable and quiet. :)

brentmore said:
It's a good thing I don't shop solely based on the processor then.
Click to expand...

Apparently so!
 
WilliamG said:
Yes, but not everyone wants that behemoth (comparatively speaking, and noise-wise) on their desk or the floor, and the mini is... adorable and quiet. :)
Click to expand...

Which is great, but you sure pay a premium for it! The Mini is a reasonably priced ultra compact, but ultra compacts seem to be expensive in general.
 
What is a steal is what Apple is passing off as a "new model" of the Mac Mini.

The 2012 quads are superior in most cases over the pathetic anemic castrated 2014 models. Apple may steal our hearts at times but here they are making us drink the cool-aid in 2014.
 
WilliamG said:
Comparing a 2012 refurbished system to a 2014 new system which comes with a 3-year warranty as standard? Not sure I follow the logic.
Click to expand...

The 2012 comes with a more powerful processor and equal graphics, if that helps. Not quite sure how the year is relevant. The mini also comes with warranty for the full system, as opposed to only the motherboard and CPU, so that's not an issue either.

The logic is simple: You get more for less with the mini.

----------

Perfect example:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8555799&CatId=2846

$495 CDN + shipping

- worse processor
- same graphics
- no ram
- no hard drive
- no operating system

So, you're looking at around $750 before tax for a system that compares to the 2014 entry level mini.

Total rip-off.
 
Gym Hellwig said:
The 2012 comes with a more powerful processor and equal graphics, if that helps. Not quite sure how the year is relevant. The mini also comes with warranty for the full system, as opposed to only the motherboard and CPU, so that's not an issue either.

The logic is simple: You get more for less with the mini.

----------

Perfect example:

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=8555799&CatId=2846

$495 CDN + shipping

- worse processor
- same graphics
- no ram
- no hard drive
- no operating system

So, you're looking at around $750 before tax for a system that compares to the 2014 entry level mini.

Total rip-off.
Click to expand...

I agree paying $495 CDN + shipping is a ripoff for that unit. I wouldn't live in Canada. Total rip-off. :)
 
Gym Hellwig said:
I've been searching for mini PCs for a while now and have been looking at Intel NUCs and Gigabyte Brix, etc.

Turns out the Mac Mini is a steal. Once you configure a similar setup for the NUC for example... adding ram, hard drive, wireless card and Windows, you are pushing $600 (at least here in Canada).

Meanwhile, you can pick up the refurbished 2012 for $469.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I priced up a NUC a few weeks ago to do what I use my mini for (media centre). The NUC was going to cost more than the Boxing Day clearance price I got on a base 2012 mini. And it runs OSX without any hackintosh hassles. :)
 
WilliamG said:
Comparing a 2012 refurbished system to a 2014 new system which comes with a 3-year warranty as standard? Not sure I follow the logic.
Click to expand...

Apple computers, new and refurbished, include a 1 year warranty. You can buy 2 more years of coverage for both.
 
chrfr said:
Yes, but new ones do not include a 3 year warranty as standard. It's the same warranty whether new or refurbished: 1 year.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you're saying, or maybe you're totally misunderstanding me. The Intel NUC comes with a 3-year warranty as standard. The Mac mini does not. That is all. :) That's what I was saying earlier when I was comparing the refurbished system (the Mac mini) to a new 2014 Intel NUC. It was perhaps a tad unclear. :)
 
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WilliamG said:
I'm not sure what you're saying, or maybe you're totally misunderstanding me.
Click to expand...

Yep, I was completely misunderstanding; I thought you were comparing new Mac Minis to refurbs. Glad we cleared that up.:)
 
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