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New mini (Mac Pro)

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Xanix

macrumors member
Original poster
Oct 10, 2011
94
46
I'm probably dreaming, but...

Mac mini Pro:
- Smaller Mac Pro enclosure
- i7 Quad-core
- 8 Gb no ECC
- 128 Gb SSD
- FirePro D300

- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 2 Thunderbolt 2
- 2 USB 3.0
- 1 Ethernet


1.499,00€

Would you buy it? I know I would.
 
Last edited:
Xanix said:
I'm probably dreaming, but...

Mac mini Pro:
- Smaller Mac Pro enclosure
- i7 Quad-core
- 8 Gb no ECC
- 128 Gb SSD
- FirePro D300

- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 2 Thunderbolt 2
- 2 USB 3.0
- 1 Ethernet


1.499,00€

Would you buy it? I know I would.
Click to expand...

Not with a 128GB SSD. 256GB minimum, 512GB option w/o breaking the bank.
 
Smaller than what you have now? No way. I just think of that being one big mess that has terrible heat transfer. I say at least 2 more USB ports and options for larger SSDs.
 
I don't see any benefit to using (or mimicking) the Mac Pro case.

Just give me a double height Mini with modern connectivity, a decent CPU, and 2x PCIe slots.

Bonus points for providing it in zero memory, zero storage configuration!
 
Xanix said:
I'm probably dreaming, but...

Mac mini Pro:
- Smaller Mac Pro enclosure
- i7 Quad-core
- 8 Gb no ECC
- 128 Gb SSD
- FirePro D300

- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 2 Thunderbolt 2
- 2 USB 3.0
- 1 Ethernet


1.499,00€

Would you buy it? I know I would.
Click to expand...

Modest configuration = no Mac Pro competition = half the price > Option for upgrades!
 
Xanix said:
I'm probably dreaming, but...

Mac mini Pro:
- Smaller Mac Pro enclosure
- i7 Quad-core
- 8 Gb no ECC
- 128 Gb SSD
- FirePro D300

- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 2 Thunderbolt 2
- 2 USB 3.0
- 1 Ethernet


1.499,00€

Would you buy it? I know I would.
Click to expand...

That's the machine I want, but with a GTX 780 (or similar) for gaming. And for all those who keep insisting that the Mac isn't a gaming platform - it won't be if we keep insisting that it isn't. Games on mobile phones used to be limited to 'snakes', now look what we have.

I also agree however this is a dream and will probably never happen so I bought a nMP. Waiting delivery.
 
shaunp said:
That's the machine I want, but with a GTX 780 (or similar) for gaming. And for all those who keep insisting that the Mac isn't a gaming platform - it won't be if we keep insisting that it isn't. Games on mobile phones used to be limited to 'snakes', now look what we have.

I also agree however this is a dream and will probably never happen so I bought a nMP. Waiting delivery.
Click to expand...

There's a whole set of reasons why it isn't happening right now (as in with current Apple-enforced decisions, which could change) - consumer Macs focus on style and convenience, not sheer horsepower. The Mac Pro is another ball game, it's not gaming hardware, it's a pro workstation - buying one to play games makes about as much sense as using a laptop as a HTPC (it can do it, but it's hardly the best solution).

For a Mini to get a lot more oomph and be good enough for gaming, we'd need to switch from laptop CPUs to desktop ones, scrap integrated graphics for a discreet GPU with dedicated memory, have room for a beefier power supply to feed those power-hungry(ier) components, etc.

And then there's the price issue, but Mac lovers are (I think) willing to pay a bit more for a Mac anyway if there's something that addresses their needs.

As said, all that stuff is doable, but Apple doesn't seem interested in tackling that market so far.
 
crsh1976 said:
There's a whole set of reasons why it isn't happening right now (as in with current Apple-enforced decisions, which could change) - consumer Macs focus on style and convenience, not sheer horsepower. The Mac Pro is another ball game, it's not gaming hardware, it's a pro workstation - buying one to play games makes about as much sense as using a laptop as a HTPC (it can do it, but it's hardly the best solution).

For a Mini to get a lot more oomph and be good enough for gaming, we'd need to switch from laptop CPUs to desktop ones, scrap integrated graphics for a discreet GPU with dedicated memory, have room for a beefier power supply to feed those power-hungry(ier) components, etc.

And then there's the price issue, but Mac lovers are (I think) willing to pay a bit more for a Mac anyway if there's something that addresses their needs.

As said, all that stuff is doable, but Apple doesn't seem interested in tackling that market so far.
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong I didn't buy the nMP to play games, it's just nice that it can do that too. I bought it because it can have 64GB RAM for the prototyping work I do in VMWare, and to consolidate the two machines I'm currently using for the same task.
 
" As said, all that stuff is doable, but Apple doesn't seem interested..."

speak about doable ... Apple is a natural to bolster the home automation / theater market ... all the tools are there and yet no interest even though the Mini is the engine to satisfy this need.

With all that cash they should have a "consumer poll-based development" model that solicits input from Apple Contest Winners that moves products from "concept to production" or from stock configurations to high-demand feature-rich configurations - essentially "special-edition" configurations that satisfy audiophiles, dj's, home theater-automation and gaming enthusiasts.

Pair that with enhanced input - sensory devices and Siri and you have what everyone envisions!
 
People have been asking for a product between the Mac Pro and the Mac mini ever since the Mac mini was first released. There is a big price/performance hole in the product line unless you are willing to consider the iMac.
 
No fire pro, more like good ol' intel graphics. The mac mini going to be an even smaller form factor based off the current model and were all going to hate it. Shortly after Phil shiller will re-say his famous i shoved innovation up my ass quote.
 
Last edited:
RoastingPig said:
The mac mini going to be an even smaller form factor based off the current model and were all going to hate it.
Click to expand...
That's the fear.

I'm bracing myself for the Mini to be replaced by the Mac Nano:

  • just $498! the most affordable Mac ever!

  • no bigger than your iPhone!

  • hermetically sealed, with advanced proximity sensors that detonate a red dye charge if it detects an incoming Torx screwdriver within a 12" radius!

  • no ethernet, no USB, no DisplayPort, no audio in/out...just a single Thunderbolt connector for elegant, streamlined ease of use!

  • optional* Apple ThunderBolt Retina Display available in both 27" and 30", with integral NanoHub™ for all your connectivity requirements, from just $2499!

*not really optional
 
talmy said:
People have been asking for a product between the Mac Pro and the Mac mini ever since the Mac mini was first released. There is a big price/performance hole in the product line unless you are willing to consider the iMac.
Click to expand...

Oh I think it's going back even further, we once had beige desktops and minitowers that got trumped by the introduction of the iMac for the consumer needs and the minitower turned into a pro product.

The mini was essentially Apple's idea of a "xMac", but they made sure it didn't impact iMac sales so the hardware and performance are nowhere near what folks had been asking for (despite how much I love the mini, I'd definitely love one that'd offer the same sort of hardware and performance as the iMac without the built-in display).
 
crsh1976 said:
The mini was essentially Apple's idea of a "xMac", but they made sure it didn't impact iMac sales so the hardware and performance are nowhere near what folks had been asking for (despite how much I love the mini, I'd definitely love one that'd offer the same sort of hardware and performance as the iMac without the built-in display).
Click to expand...

The early minis were just iBooks/MacBooks without the keyboard/display/trackpad and battery, but still with the external power supply! They provided an entry level system to "switchers" who would already have a keyboard/mouse/display for their Windows box, and at a price less than half that of the iMac and very little more than a low-end Windows box. It was never intended as a performance machine. Only in recent years has it offered performance approaching or in some cases passing the entry-level iMacs, which is amazing considering the small size and problems with heat dissipation.
 
If anything - you would get "mobile" chips in that type of Mini.


Intel i7 4850MQ(or something...) plus GTX850M.
 
Xanix said:
I'm probably dreaming, but...

Mac mini Pro:
- Smaller Mac Pro enclosure
- i7 Quad-core
- 8 Gb no ECC, slotted, 16GB option, support 32GB
- 256 Gb SSD, 512GB option
- Iris Pro

- 1 HDMI 2.0
- 2 Thunderbolt 2
- 4 USB 3.0
- 1 Ethernet


$1,000, for base model
Click to expand...

Here's my dream machine that I'd buy in a heartbeat. $1000 is just a nice round number and I don't know if that is achievable, but anywhere in the 1000 to 1200 range I'd be up for.
 
jiker said:
Here's my dream machine that I'd buy in a heartbeat. $1000 is just a nice round number and I don't know if that is achievable, but anywhere in the 1000 to 1200 range I'd be up for.
Click to expand...

Considering that the existing Mac mini with i7, 8GB RAM, and 256GB SSD is $1099, it *might* actually happen.
 
mojolicious said:
[*]hermetically sealed, with advanced proximity sensors that detonate a red dye charge if it detects an incoming Torx screwdriver within a 12" radius!


[*]no ethernet, no USB, no DisplayPort, no audio in/out...just a single Thunderbolt connector for elegant, streamlined ease of use!
Click to expand...

I LOL'd. :D
 
mojolicious said:
That's the fear.

I'm bracing myself for the Mini to be replaced by the Mac Nano:

  • just $498! the most affordable Mac ever!

  • no bigger than your iPhone!

  • hermetically sealed, with advanced proximity sensors that detonate a red dye charge if it detects an incoming Torx screwdriver within a 12" radius!

  • no ethernet, no USB, no DisplayPort, no audio in/out...just a single Thunderbolt connector for elegant, streamlined ease of use!

  • optional* Apple ThunderBolt Retina Display available in both 27" and 30", with integral NanoHub™ for all your connectivity requirements, from just $2499!

*not really optional
Click to expand...

I laughed out loud the whole time I read that because its so close to being 100% true
 
I expect Haswell with newer clock speeds, Iris (non-Pro) graphics, PCIe and so on. Mac Mini is meant to be a stripped down iMac, so I would expect it to be more like a 13" rMBP.
 
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