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Mac Mini

dechenko1993

dechenko1993

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jul 2, 2016
7
0
Los Angeles
Hi All,

I am in the market to purchase a used Mac Mini and request some advice from people who own these devices to which model you suggest is best to purchase. I can't afford to buy new but want to spend my money wisely.

I have been searching on Amazon but a friend on mine recommended Powermax as he had bought from them before and was happy. Has anyone purchased from Powermax before?

I did a search for mac mini on their website and found these models:
https://www.powermax.com/productcategory/used-macs-intel-mac-mini

The price looks pretty good and they appear to have really good feedback. If I can keep price below $400 would be nice.


I want to use the mac mini for video editing and dont want any lag during editing and playback.

Please let me know which model you guys recommend and why and what your experience was like using Powermax.


Regards
Boris
 
those are all 2009 and before... and the price is not good at all.

better to get 1 that is 2010 and after, MacOS only supports 2010 and after.
 
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Reactions: thats all folks
Thanks Kaida. I want to run Adobe Premier mainly. I was mainly attracted to Powermax because they provide a 4 month warranty on used hardware and their feedback is quite good. But at the end of the day, I need something that is going to do the job to match my requirements.

You are right, I could not see anything above a core 2 duo models at their link:
https://www.powermax.com/productcategory/used-macs-intel-mac-mini

My main concern is price as I am only a student and may struggle to find something in my price range with high specs. I was hoping to find something around $400-$450.

What are my options?
 
One problem is that 2012 mac mini's are heavenly in demand as they come with quad core processors. However I would assume that dual core 2012 mac mini's might fall into your price range. I assume that 2014 mac mini's will be to expensive (except for the budget model, which you do not want), also I wouldn't buy a 2009 mac mini anymore if I were you, and for those prices I would gladly sell mine xD
 
I would recommend a 2011. 2010 are still Core2Duo too.

I recently picked up a 2010 for USD$200 and 2011 for USD$300. Assuming you spend $50 more for 16gb ram and $50 for a 120GB SSD, it would still be under $400.
 
I use Premiere Elements on a 2012 Mini 2.6Ghz quad-core. I just edit videos for my own viewing and don't use most of the features - just recently started using the split-screen feature (combining a small box from one video into another). For my needs it's fine but for more sophisticated needs and more particular users, I can see how they would need more CPU/GPU power. Your budget won't allow that but I'm just mentioning it so you can adjust your expectations accordingly. One place where the quad-core vs. dual-core will make a difference is in the final rendering. For me, doing a final rendering of a 720p 41+ minute video using the highest quality and the lowest compression setting takes about 11 minutes on my quad core. I suspect it will be near twice as long on a dual-core.
 
agree with most of the posters about, 2011 at a minimum (the first year of the core i CPUs) and on that, make sure you get one with the discrete Radeon graphics as the integrated Intel 3000 is a two legged dog. but ultimately, you can only afford what you can.

what do you have now that a 2009 Mac Mini is an upgrade worth all of your money?
and, on any large purchase, think about not what you are getting now but how long you expect it to be relevant. a well configured new computer can be good for easily 6 years, but how long will you be happy with this?
 
The 2012 is a wonderful machine. RAM is cheap and easy to upgrade. HD can be swapped out for SSD with a few bucks and a little know-how. They are definitely in demand, but I have had good luck on Craigslist. If you see one posted in your area, act quickly. I have built one for myself and three for friends.

Mac mini 2012 i5 on craigslist- $175-225
16GB RAM upgrade- $55-75 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B008LTBJFW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Dual drive kit (if you need tools & hardware)- $30 https://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit/IF171-005-1
SSDs- $?

I know that might be going over the price range you have in mind, but you can actually build a pretty solid machine in this range. The i7 is an even better score if you can find one cheaply. I couldn't.
 
Last edited:
thats all folks said:
agree with most of the posters about, 2011 at a minimum (the first year of the core i CPUs) and on that, make sure you get one with the discrete Radeon graphics as the integrated Intel 3000 is a two legged dog. but ultimately, you can only afford what you can.
Click to expand...

I don't quite agree on the Radeon statement. Having a Radeon on the mini is a double edged sword. Yes, the Radeon is a little faster than the HD3000 but at the same time, it is a often failing part of the 2011 that plagued many MBP and MM users.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7508542?tstart=0

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7059717?tstart=0

While there is a service extension for the iMac and the Macbook Pro, there isn't for the Mac mini and many users of the 2011 MM has experienced the exact same problem. Just stick to the HD3000 for better longevity.
 
I would not recommend to you ANY Mac Mini UNLESS it has USB3.

That means either "late 2012" or "late 2014".
 
I would recommend either the 2011 mini with Radeon or 2012 or later.

But if you're going to use something that is graphics card intensive, get the Radeon 2011 mini or the 2014 model. The 2012 models have HD 4000 graphics that make it weaker than said Radeon model. The 2014 model's Iris 5100 runs the same or just slightly better than the Radeon 6630M. Not sure about Intel 5000, but it took them multiple years to catch up to the one model with discrete graphics.

Now if the application is Metal optimized, and the ones I use currently ARE NOT, then the Iris 5100 has the potential to kick the 2011 Radeon's ass.
 
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