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Hessel

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 24, 2011
53
0
Renkum
not even a discrete graphics card anymore, whch means they'll be performing even worse then previous generation's Mac Mini's

**** apple. I've waited long enough now.

I'm going to look into building my own PC.
 
The new Minis are clearly better. You overrate the separate GPU. The quad core will more than compensate...unless you plan to game.
 
Agreed. Since I purposely waited for this particular bump from my 2009 Mini, I am happy despite the lack of discrete graphics. The HD 4000 will still perform better than the NVidia 9400M.


The new Minis are clearly better. You overrate the separate GPU. The quad core will more than compensate.
 
The new Minis are clearly better. You overrate the separate GPU. The quad core will more than compensate.

Not for graphics intensive apps. The Intel HD4000 is no match for even the pitiful Radeon 6630 from the last generation. Yes, that means games, but also apps like Aperture.
 
Not sure how they're better. The graphics card is pretty horrible and looking at the tech page on Apple's site shows that all models come with that card. How could they do that? Man, I'm so disappointed. Looks like I'll be continuing to use my current Mini.
 
Not for graphics intensive apps. The Intel HD4000 is no match for even the pitiful Radeon 6630 from the last generation. Yes, that means games, but also apps like Aperture.

I disagree. I'd much rather have the quad core with max RAM than a dual core with separate GPU and max RAM. I don't game though.
 
Not a gamer...
For me, killer upgrade!
ivyB i7 2.6 = $899
Either fusion drive or discrete SSDs...

ByeBye 2009 MacPro!
 
I disagree. I'd much rather have the quad core with max RAM than a dual core with separate GPU and max RAM. I don't game though.

That's you. I use my Mac to play games and I was looking for a new Mini to play The Witcher 2 on, but this new Mini just isn't gonna cut it. Man, I'm so mad right now.
 
Agreed. Since I purposely waited for this particular bump from my 2009 Mini, I am happy despite the lack of discrete graphics. The HD 4000 will still perform better than the NVidia 9400M.

I agree. I have a 2011 mini server with integrated Intel 3000 graphics and have never had a problem with anything. I understand that if someone is a professional doing large file photo or video editing they would want a discrete graphics card, but for the average user, the Intel 3000 and 4000 graphics are so far above what integrated graphics used to be (and people are projecting bad experiences from years ago onto today's tech).

As for Hackintosh, that's how I got into Macs. Yes, you can build a custom Hackintosh, but it's not a Mac. For one, they have no resale value, period. They have issues, and if Apple is dropping dedicated desktop graphics cards, good luck updating OS X on your Hackintosh in the future. That's the biggest problem with Hackintoshes, compatibility and updates. Every update can break the OS, meaning hours or days spent trying to regain what you just had. I finally decided I just wanted a real Mac and stopped dealing with the headaches of a Hackintosh.
 
The HD 4000 is a step up from the previous model....

1,6 x faster then the HD 3000. WOW. AMAZING.

from Apple's website:

Testing conducted by Apple in October 2012 using preproduction 2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5-based Mac mini units with Intel HD Graphics 4000 and 512MB graphics memory, and shipping 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5-based Mac mini units with Intel HD Graphics 3000 and 384MB graphics memory, all configured with 4GB RAM. Portal v(5042)(620) tested using LaserStairs.dem, medium graphics quality, no anti-aliasing, trilinear anisotropic filtering, at 2560x1440. Half-Life 2: Episode Two v(4295)(420) tested using storm.dem, medium graphics quality, no anti-aliasing, trilinear anisotropic filtering, at 2560x1440. Performance tests are conducted using specific computer systems and reflect the approximate performance of Mac mini.
 
The mini isn't a heavy gamer though. Didn't we all expect the HD 4000 to replace the previous line up?
 
low end computer + high end gaming will always = dissapointment

But really, if you are looking for high end gaming in a low end computer, you are just setting yourself up for that dissapointment.
 
the Intel 3000 and 4000 graphics are so far above what integrated graphics used to be (and people are projecting bad experiences from years ago onto today's tech).

I have an Intel 3000 in my 17 inch Macbook Pro from 2010 and I can tell you it's slow as ****. the Discrete 330M is a bit faster but still not fast enough for the things I want to use it for. (auto cad)

The Intel 4000 being only 1,6 times faster then the 3000 would actually mean a DOWNGRADE from my 2010 macbook pro GPU wise!!!!!

I repeat: 2010 !!!!!!!!!!!

----------

btw I'm not a gamer ;)
 
I don't need high end. A decent setup is fine and though I'm using a Mini with a 9400M, it's done well over the years. The previous Mini would have been fine, but I was holding out for the next version since I was pretty sure it would end up better than the previous version. I was wrong and I should have purchased the previous Mini. Maybe I can get a refurb.
 
I've decided that I'd rather have a Radeon than USB 3, so I just ordered a last gen Mini from the Apple store, refurbished for $549. That's actually a hell of a lot less than I thought I'd be spending today!
 
As for Hackintosh, that's how I got into Macs. Yes, you can build a custom Hackintosh, but it's not a Mac. For one, they have no resale value, period. They have issues, and if Apple is dropping dedicated desktop graphics cards, good luck updating OS X on your Hackintosh in the future. That's the biggest problem with Hackintoshes, compatibility and updates. Every update can break the OS, meaning hours or days spent trying to regain what you just had. I finally decided I just wanted a real Mac and stopped dealing with the headaches of a Hackintosh.


nah man probably not a mackintosh.. too much hassle for me. just a PC with Windows. (which doesn't really matter for the software I use, most of it is also available for Windows)
 
In reality, the HD 4000 benchmarks only slightly lower than the 6630m, but I was really hoping for a upgraded GPU. :(
 
I've decided that I'd rather have a Radeon than USB 3, so I just ordered a last gen Mini from the Apple store, refurbished for $549. That's actually a hell of a lot less than I thought I'd be spending today!

smart choice
 
I plan on replacing the HDD with an SSD. So if I get the the $799 one the only benefit will be the processor bump. Do you guys think it is worth it over the low end model? I will max out the memory regardless and I have a separate gaming pc.
 
so yeah seems like I'm pretty much bound to go back to PC, I've also lost hope that there will ever be a new Mac Pro.

but isn't it a shame?

OSX, a beautiful piece of software, excellently suitable for professional use, is running on such crap consumer hardware!

they should Licence OSX to HP, those guys know how to make proper computers.
 
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