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T'hain Esh Kelch

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2001
6,488
7,462
Denmark
It's the SSD drives that are just BONKERS expensive. Samsung has 2TB SSD for sale now for only $347 WTF crApple!?!? $1400!???! REALLY??? If they weren't using those damn soldered connections, etc. you can just change the damn thing out and be done with it (who needs the highest possible speed when the price is so insane?) You could get a 4TB SSD for $799!!!! Geebus....

You need to compare hardware specifications for those drives. Apples drives are WAY faster. Still too expensive, yes, but you are comparing apples and oranges.
 

Starfia

macrumors 65816
Apr 11, 2011
1,020
853
It would certainly be tempting me if I wasn't in a happy relationship with my current iMac.

The Mac mini began as the answer to "why don't you offer a stripped-down Mac that's more affordable?", and became still the least expensive Mac but a much more capable machine.

I'm a little sad new Macs can't be less expensive for newcomers, but previous-generation machines are still capable. And not even a Fusion Drive, let alone any hind of a lament or requiem for their departure – I get the feeling Apple doesn't think they'll miss them.
 
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firewire9000

macrumors 6502a
Sep 15, 2015
573
952
The price of the base model at 899 € is not that expensive, I tried to build a PC with similar specs and I ended at around 900 €.
 

ElectronGuru

macrumors 68000
Sep 5, 2013
1,656
490
Oregon, USA
Do you know if the 2018 mini will have the option to install any type of extra internal storage?
Ifixit needs to confirm but it appears all the drive space has been reassigned to cooling duty. So likely no space and no connectors.

NUC i5-8259U 8/256(pci) is indeed 900€, but larger SSD and better iGPU.
Does the nuc iGPU include a desktop or mobile processor?
 

strawbale

macrumors 6502
Mar 25, 2011
395
189
French Pyrenees
Ifixit needs to confirm but it appears all the drive space has been reassigned to cooling duty. So likely no space and no connectors.


Does the nuc iGPU include a desktop or mobile processor?
i5-8259U (or i7-8559U) 28W mobile 4-core + HT:
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compar...el-i7-8559U-vs-Intel-i5-8500/3299vs3302vs3223

https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/compare/Intel-UHD-630-vs-Intel-Iris-Plus-655/3826vs3961

review: https://nucblog.net/2018/11/coffee-lake-i5-nuc-review-nuc8i5bek-nuc8i5beh/
 

Naimfan

Suspended
Jan 15, 2003
4,669
2,017
And then it would be the wrong GPU, or it would be too noisy, or it would not be upgradable, or it would cost too much, or any one of a dozen other things people complain about.

Pick the eGPU you want, problem solved.

2013 called. It wants its graphics performance back.

At best, the 630 is on par with the Iris Pro 5200 in the 15" Macbook Pro base model. From Late 2013. That is one of the weak points, at best, of the 2018, and one of the hard fails at worst.

The other is soldered storage, which is absurd on a desktop.
 

strawbale

macrumors 6502
Mar 25, 2011
395
189
French Pyrenees
2013 called. It wants its graphics performance back.

At best, the 630 is on par with the Iris Pro 5200 in the 15" Macbook Pro base model. From Late 2013. That is one of the weak points, at best, of the 2018, and one of the hard fails at worst.

The other is soldered storage, which is absurd on a desktop.

It's better than the previous MM, from 2014, and the 2015 MBP 13" ;)
https://www.videocardbenchmark.net/...is-Pro-6100-vs-Intel-UHD-630/2692vs3167vs3826
PS: and better than the Macbook Air 2018 ;)
 

Naimfan

Suspended
Jan 15, 2003
4,669
2,017
Last edited by a moderator:

tpivette89

macrumors 6502a
Jan 1, 2018
536
293
Middletown, DE
Are you saying they're lying? That it will fail to run the displays they say it will?

How much graphics processing power do you think is required to render screens of text? Or to compile software on a headless server. Or do anything, on a headless server?

I've had 6 failures of 'discrete' mobile graphics in laptops in the last decade, each one of course required a new mainboard. I'm pretty eager not to repeat that with a desktop. Before that, I had a PowerMac that generated so much heat it sounded like a jet engine at take off.

So, tell me, what graphics that could be cooled adequately, and that would be 'fast' enough, and that wouldn't further increase the price, would you prefer to see?

Or should those of us who don't need discrete graphics have literally zero options for even remotely 'pro' Mac hardware in 2018? Is it not enough that you can choose from the MacBook Pro, the iMac, the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro, all of which have discrete graphics, some of them dual GPU.

Or, should I just join the cacophony of complaints? "It's pathetic that it doesn't have 10GbE and 4 NVME SSD's in a hardware RAID10 arrangement. Why yes, that is a feature not everyone needs, and yes, it will increase cost, and heat inside it. But I need it for work, so screw those other people. What? I can add those things easily via TB3? No. Make everyone pay for these things they don't need or want. I cannot stand cables."


I've been back here 3 days and I'm already remembering why I haven't been here for so long.

Don't let the naysayers get to you. There are some people who just won't ever like what is being offered. That's fine, and that's their opinion.

For the rest of us (myself included), I am excited for this new release of the Mac Mini. Can't wait to get my hands on one, discrete graphics or not. For now, it'll serve my needs just fine... and when it no longer does, I'll add an eGPU.
 

MagnusVonMagnum

macrumors 603
Jun 18, 2007
5,196
1,452
You need to compare hardware specifications for those drives. Apples drives are WAY faster. Still too expensive, yes, but you are comparing apples and oranges.

I think I already addressed that and sorry, but in real practice, the other ones are plenty fast enough considering the INSANE price difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Screw APPLE. Their greed is becoming legendary.
 
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yoak

macrumors 68000
Oct 4, 2004
1,682
204
Oslo, Norway
As always, they charge what people will psy .
I was looking for a second hand iMac, as other camera investments keeps me from buying an iMac Pro .then this come a long . Great news, as I can buy an i7 500gb mini with 8gb ram now. Use my monitor and keyboard and start editing right away . In a month or three I can buy an egpu and next year a nice new monitor . Spreading the cost out and ending up with a flexible system for my needs .Never thought I would buy a mini before this Tuesday.
 

trifid

macrumors 68020
May 10, 2011
2,078
4,950
I think I already addressed that and sorry, but in real practice, the other ones are plenty fast enough considering the INSANE price difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Screw APPLE. Their greed is becoming legendary.

NVMe is nice, but 99% of people wouldn’t mind if it were 530/500 Sata speeds which are so much cheaper.

I don’t get why Apple is fixated on ridiculous NVMe pricing for consumer lines, only explanation is greed.
 
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trifid

macrumors 68020
May 10, 2011
2,078
4,950
Yes! Outdated drives are the answer! Who cares if it is fast or not? How old can we go? RLL? EIDE?

Apple used to have 50 year old spinning drives on mac minis at a ridiculous 5400 rpm until last month, and it seems they thought that was appropiate enough. Why wouldn’t SATA ssd be perfectly acceptable for 99% of users now?

Give people an option, NVMe is prohibitively expensive for most people. Make the mac mini 0.5” taller if needed to acommodate that option. Only reason Apple doesn’t do it is greed, solder ssd to force people to buy it at time of purchase.
 
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Cape Dave

macrumors 68020
Nov 16, 2012
2,394
1,705
Northeast
For most people it won't be any faster.
I have gone NVMe and I will never go back ever. I have gone cable from dialup. I am also never going back. No one on this planet can tell me that slower is better. Apple did not use that spinner "because they thought is was best for us all". I GUARANTEE you that. They had them, they knew they could sell them, and that was that.

I applaud Apple for going NVMe. It makes for a better overall experience. In my humble opinion.
 
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