Real world comparison of 2012 vs 2014

[xraydoc]

I think I've decided on a new mini, likely the 3.0GHz i7 BTO.

I've looked at everything I do (apps, usage pattern) and I think the increased single-thread/single-core performance will be more important to me than the multi-core performance I'd lose by not having a quad core machine.

Is it cheap? No. $1399. Can I find a cheaper PC with the same or better performance? Yes, but I'm not interested in hackintoshing a machine together. And I'm not interested in an iMac. I swap monitors more frequently than I swap the computer itself.

It'll be a nice bump up from my 2011 2.5GHz i5.

 

[magbarn]

Yup, I agree with this. It annoys me when someone sys that the Minin is only for people switching to Mac from Windows, or for people who just want to email and browse the web.

There are a lot of people using Minis for heavy processing work (photo/video for example) where the extra cores are useful. The counter argument that these people should be using a Mac Pro is equally dull (massive price difference being one).

Similar arguments appear in the camera world. Take the new Nikon D750 for example - Nikon brand it a high end enthusiast camera, and yet the camera is gaining excellent reviews and 'beating' the Pro cameras in some respects. Pros are using the D750 because it is much lighter than the D4 & D800 lines. Nikon still wins in my opinion because the user is still using Nikon (and their lenses and flashes), which is better than loosing the user altogether.

Branding something as 'enthusiast/switcher/home/pro' is just that - branding. It does not actually say who can and cannot use a particular computer (or camera!) and yet people seem to take this as gospel (which is the point of the marketing, I guess!).

What Apple did would be analogous to Nikon putting the D7100 sensor in the D750's successor 2 years from now and charging the same price.

 

[Micky Do]

LOL... okay. I own a macbook (2008 8GB ram, ssd) and an android phone. Run a windows in a VM.

Edit: I will consider building a windows 10 pc in another year since apple no longer makes a computer that meets my needs and many others that do more than twitter and facebook.

Oh, so now you do own a Mac, which you use to run Windoze. Why even bother with a Mac then?

Maybe the Mac Mini does not suit your needs (or is that just your lust), but it does suit the needs of many, one way or another.

Yes, the 2014 Mac Mini has turned out to be underwhelming. It lacks the grunt to satisfy power users for some tasks, and the upgradability to entertain tweakers. But on many counts performance and connectivity for day to day use by average folk is at least as good as the low to mid range models it replaces.

I really don't know what you hoped to achieve by popping out from parts unknown to display arrogant ignorance of the real world of others.

 

[organerito]

That's for sure, I won't buy a Mac Mini 2014.
I was just looking for a computer with even the same performance as the 2012 Quad-core. I just wanted Wifi Ac, a 256Gb SSD by default(or 1Tb Fussion), and user-replaceable RAM. That would have been an ok upgrade. It wouldn't haven been great, but good enough.
I don't think I was asking too much.

I don't see any value on this 2014 computer, so I won't buy it. The only Apple computer i was interested is the Mac Mini.

 

[gugy]

the 2014 Mini is underwhelming, but I will get the middle of the pack anyway and have a SSD on it. I do need a small computer to take to travel and do Photoshop work, but since this is just for 5 days every month, it will be enough for my needs. The rest of the time it will be sitting at home as media center and TM backup hub.
The price is the key here. You get the best bang for the buck. I really I would go the MacBook rout but it is just too much $$$ for what I need for.
I looked at the 2012 Quad core for expandability and little more processing power but these are just too overpriced at this point. Whoever have them available for sale are just skyrocketing the prices.

 

[BJonson]

the 2014 Mini is underwhelming, but I will get the middle of the pack anyway and have a SSD on it. I do need a small computer to take to travel and do Photoshop work, but since this is just for 5 days every month, it will be enough for my needs. The rest of the time it will be sitting at home as media center and TM backup hub.
The price is the key here. You get the best bang for the buck. I really I would go the MacBook rout but it is just too much $$$ for what I need for.
I looked at the 2012 Quad core for expandability and little more processing power but these are just too overpriced at this point. Whoever have them available for sale are just skyrocketing the prices.

Yep and the 2012 models will keep going up where as the 2014 will keep coming down. Everyone knows the 2014 is crap even though a few forum members here have been brainwashed.

 

[gugy]

Yep and the 2012 models will keep going up where as the 2014 will keep coming down. Everyone knows the 2014 is crap even though a few forum members here have been brainwashed.

I wouldn't call them crap. The 2014 middle model is fine for most folks. The base is very weak.
Sure the Quad is missed but it is what it is. If I could snatch a 2012 Quad for a fair price them I would definitely go for it, but it seems unreasonable to expect at this point, unless I find a clueless Craigslist guy out there selling one.

 

[BJonson]

I wouldn't call them crap. The 2014 middle model is fine for most folks. The base is very weak.
Sure the Quad is missed but it is what it is. If I could snatch a 2012 Quad for a fair price them I would definitely go for it, but it seems unreasonable to expect at this point, unless I find a clueless Craigslist guy out there selling one.

"fine for most folks". I love hearing that. LOL.

Best Buy has them still for $789. Still a way better deal than any 2014.

And I would call them crap.

 

[gugy]

"fine for most folks". I love hearing that. LOL.

Best Buy has them still for $789. Still a way better deal than any 2014.

And I would call them crap.

Well, you can get a fair performance for Photoshop and other Adobe apps.
The Quad is missed on other tasks. Video is big.
A lot of people will not use this machine if they are professionals and really depend on performance. Heck I have a MacPro and while it was expensive is worthy every penny of it.
The Mini for me is really just to fill a void when I do have to travel but not much else.

 

[crazzapple]

Oh, so now you do own a Mac, which you use to run Windoze. Why even bother with a Mac then?

Maybe the Mac Mini does not suit your needs (or is that just your lust), but it does suit the needs of many, one way or another.

Yes, the 2014 Mac Mini has turned out to be underwhelming. It lacks the grunt to satisfy power users for some tasks, and the upgradability to entertain tweakers. But on many counts performance and connectivity for day to day use by average folk is at least as good as the low to mid range models it replaces.

I really don't know what you hoped to achieve by popping out from parts unknown to display arrogant ignorance of the real world of others.

I'm due for upgrading my 2008 macbook and quite annoyed at the mini downgrade situation. However, you seem to not know what a VM is... it stands for virtual machine, meaning you can run a different os inside of osx. In my case I run windows because I use some windows only design/engineering packages. Everything else I run osx and prefer osx.

You are defending apple for releasing a 2 year newer product with far less capabilities. You talk about how your countrymen are paying a month's salary for this crap? Spend your money how you wish, but please consider how horrible of a value it is.

And please stop with the "for everyday users" nonsense. Everyday users can get by with a $200 smartphone or tablet. A computer should be powerful enough for real use, not just social media and the occasionally editing a pic.

 

[Micky Do]

I'm due for upgrading my 2008 macbook and quite annoyed at the mini downgrade situation. However, you seem to not know what a VM is... it stands for virtual machine, meaning you can run a different os inside of osx. In my case I run windows because I use some windows only design/engineering packages. Everything else I run osx and prefer osx.

You are defending apple for releasing a 2 year newer product with far less capabilities. You talk about how your countrymen are paying a month's salary for this crap? Spend your money how you wish, but please consider how horrible of a value it is.

And please stop with the "for everyday users" nonsense. Everyday users can get by with a $200 smartphone or tablet. A computer should be powerful enough for real use, not just social media and the occasionally editing a pic.

1 - You have little idea of who my "countrymen" are. I have three nationalities; Thai is not among them, though I do speak the language fairly fluently.

2 - You appear to have have little idea of folks' real world outside your own, a characteristic that I have noticed is quite common in one or two English speaking countries.

A smartphone or tablet suits many people's IT needs, but not all for a variety of reasons. I, for one, seldom carry even a basic mobile phone let alone a smart-arse phone, and that is unlikely to change soon. Reading and typing on those poky little screens is difficult for my less than 20/20 eyes and plebeian fingers. Besides, being off-line when I leave my desk suits me fine.

A Mac Mini suits many people who are not "power users" of a computer. Out of the box and set up in a few minutes, a computer novice can soon be doing things at a higher level than on a tablet or smartphone. For instance, not everyone wants to be a professional photographer, but many want to do more than just post selfies on Facebook. Not everybody wants to write a novel, an academic paper, or a professional report, but many want to do more than just e-mail and posting comments on social media.

And not everybody can be bothered with mucking around with Windows.

Yes, the 2014 Mac Mini is underwhelming, and when pushed the top model cannot compete with the previous generation. Yes, it is less versatile than the previous generation. However for most day to day uses an appropriately specced 2014 Mac Mini is at least a match for its predecessor, or slightly better. it. For many it is cost effective, and all the computer they need.

No recent release of any Mac has had much increase in basic performance. They have, however, made steps forward in connectivity and other features that make them more convenient in use in the real world of many.

Will I get one…..? Unlikely unless my 2009 Mini fails catastrophically.

Will I get a future generation…...? Probably, when it is more cost effective than upgrading or repairing what I have now, and / or it offers significant advantage in use.

 

[crazzapple]

1 - You have little idea of who my "countrymen" are. I have three nationalities; Thai is not among them.

2 - You appear to have have little idea of folks' real world outside your own.

A smartphone or tablet suits many people's IT needs, but not all for a variety of reasons. I, for one, seldom carry even a basic mobile phone let alone a smart-arse phone, and that is unlikely to change soon. Reading and typing on those poky little screens is difficult for my less than 20/20 eyes and plebeian fingers. Besides, being off-line when I leave my desk suits me fine.

A Mac Mini suits many people who are not "power users" of a computer. Out of the box and set up in a few minutes. Someone with little or no computer experience can soon be doing things at a higher level than on a tablet or smartphone. For instance, not everyone wants to be a professional photographer, but many want to do more than just post selfies on Facebook. Not everybody wants to write a novel, an academic paper, or a professional report, but many want to do more than just e-mail and posting comments on social media.

And not everybody can be bothered with mucking around with Windows.

Yes, the 2014 Mac Mini is underwhelming, and when pushed the top model cannot compete with the previous generation. Yes, it is less versatile than the previous generation. However for most day to day uses an appropriately specced 2014 Mac Mini is at least a match for its predecessor, or slightly better. it. For many it is cost effective, and all the computer they need.

No recent release of any Mac has had much increase in basic performance. They have, however, made steps forward in connectivity and other features that make them more convenient in use in the real world of many.

Will I get one…..? Unlikely unless my 2009 Mini fails catastrophically.

Will I get a future generation…...? Probably, when it is more cost effective than upgrading or repairing what I have now, and / or it offers significant advantage in use.

1. Wow... three nationalities. Who knew there was someone so worldly (and pretentious) on macrumors?

2. You claim I have little idea of folk's real world outside my own and then you go on about your not carrying a phone as though that is even remotely common to people that have a need for a computer. Sorry, but global smartphone ownership worldwide is greater than computer ownership. Why do you think that is and which direction do you think that trend is going?

Again, the 2014 mini has nearly half the performance of the mid-tier 2012, for real world work applications (stuff that can't be done on a tablet/smartphone). It's a sealed throwaway design from a company that purports to be "green", even though technically a "desktop" computer.

 

[SolarShane]

I don't understand your defending of Apple on this one as buying a new or refurb 2012 today gets you the same iWork suite. Also with a 2014, you're being forced to pay weeks pay now to get extra ram with no option to upgrade later and Aperture runs much faster with quad core when working with larger RAW files than a similarly equipped dual core that Apple likes to charge us the same for as yesteryears quad.

Where is he even defending Apple?

Oh, and in case you didn't get the memo, Apple dropped the price of the 2014 mini $100, so no, Apple isn't charging the same as yesteryear's quad.


As for me, the new mini is perfect for what I do.

 

[BJonson]

Oh, and in case you didn't get the memo, Apple dropped the price of the 2014 mini $100, so no, Apple isn't charging the same as yesteryear's quad.

See? Apple's marketing does work.

On some people. LOL.

 

[crazzapple]

See? Apple's marketing does work.

On some people. LOL.

Yep...

"There's a sucker born every minute" - Tim Cook on selling the 2014 mac mini

 

[benx1111]

Before 2 weeks I received my new mac mini 2014 with all high components (i7,16gb,256 ssd) I work and with 2012 mac mini with same hardware. I want to tell of all, all comments, benchmarks or something of this topic are totally ********. The new mini is much, much more faster. I make compare every day and actually all here is only numbers, cores, and comments. I advice you don't buy the old mac mini, the new everytime is a better. In this case much, much better. Thank you!

 

[Ics1974]

Before 2 weeks I received my new mac mini 2014 with all high components (i7,16gb,256 ssd) I work and with 2012 mac mini with same hardware. I want to tell of all, all comments, benchmarks or something of this topic are totally ********. The new mini is much, much more faster. I make compare every day and actually all here is only numbers, cores, and comments. I advice you don't buy the old mac mini, the new everytime is a better. In this case much, much better. Thank you!

very interesting and good to know

 

[cinealta]

Before 2 weeks I received my new mac mini 2014 with all high components (i7,16gb,256 ssd) I work and with 2012 mac mini with same hardware. I want to tell of all, all comments, benchmarks or something of this topic are totally ********. The new mini is much, much more faster. I make compare every day and actually all here is only numbers, cores, and comments. I advice you don't buy the old mac mini, the new everytime is a better. In this case much, much better. Thank you!

Thanks for your observations.

 

[psound]

Before 2 weeks I received my new mac mini 2014 with all high components (i7,16gb,256 ssd) I work and with 2012 mac mini with same hardware. I want to tell of all, all comments, benchmarks or something of this topic are totally ********. The new mini is much, much more faster. I make compare every day and actually all here is only numbers, cores, and comments. I advice you don't buy the old mac mini, the new everytime is a better. In this case much, much better. Thank you!

Benchmarks be damned. From now on, I follow benx1111's infallible mac buying advice.

 

[cynics]

I have a very close friend that returned a new Mini due specifically to Handbrake performance.

He had always wanted a Mac because I spoke so highly of them so he bought a base model with more RAM. This was against my advice because I told him to get a 2012.

He actually really enjoyed OS X and took to it like a duck to water surprisingly since all he had ever known was Windows.

Anyway, encoding times were way to long for him on a brand new machine, like 10+ hours too long lol. Its very difficult to try to talk common sense into someone about its power knowing the top of the line model wouldn't be tremendously better AND at its price point. When the counter argument is "Dell's cheap model is 200 bucks on sale".

Needless to say thats will likely be his first and last experience with Apple computers. I just wish he would have taken my advice to begin with since I knew he was going to be using Handbrake and other encoding software.

 

[scottsjack]

Before 2 weeks I received my new mac mini 2014 with all high components (i7,16gb,256 ssd) I work and with 2012 mac mini with same hardware. I want to tell of all, all comments, benchmarks or something of this topic are totally ********. The new mini is much, much more faster. I make compare every day and actually all here is only numbers, cores, and comments. I advice you don't buy the old mac mini, the new everytime is a better. In this case much, much better. Thank you!

Some more info would be handy; For example the specs of your 2012 and 64-bit Geekbench 3 data on each mini. Also a comparison of something big that you do, like creating a 10 panel panorama in Photoshop or or converting a Blu-ray movie to MKV would really be enlightening.

Thanks in advance.

 

[gugy]

Before 2 weeks I received my new mac mini 2014 with all high components (i7,16gb,256 ssd) I work and with 2012 mac mini with same hardware. I want to tell of all, all comments, benchmarks or something of this topic are totally ********. The new mini is much, much more faster. I make compare every day and actually all here is only numbers, cores, and comments. I advice you don't buy the old mac mini, the new everytime is a better. In this case much, much better. Thank you!

wow. good to know. I was so set in getting the 2012.
I am looking at a Mini just like you have.
Now I am reconsidering it big time.

When you say perform much faster, what tasks are you talking about? Do you use Photoshop? I am very curious about that one if you can provide an answer. Thanks for the update.

 

[Acorn]

I dont see the point of this post at all. No one was saying duel core is faster then quad core during handbrake. Your post just shows what everyone already knows. Dont we have enough threads comparing these two machines. Do we really need another.

 

[cfedu]

wow. good to know. I was so set in getting the 2012.
I am looking at a Mini just like you have.
Now I am reconsidering it big time.

When you say perform much faster, what tasks are you talking about? Do you use Photoshop? I am very curious about that one if you can provide an answer. Thanks for the update.

Since his comment is fairly vague, I'm guessing his old one did not have an SSD. I'm sure a 2014 Base Mini with an SSD would feel snappier than a 2012 i7 quad core with 5200 RPM drive.

Just a hunch on my part.

 

[benx1111]

wow. good to know. I was so set in getting the 2012.
I am looking at a Mini just like you have.
Now I am reconsidering it big time.

When you say perform much faster, what tasks are you talking about? Do you use Photoshop? I am very curious about that one if you can provide an answer. Thanks for the update.

I am Graphic designer, and Adobe master collection was my first installation. This new mini starting for 7sec. and shut down for 2sec. For me this is amazing. My Smart TV starting for more time. Mission control, notification center and other animations are much more smoother from the 2012's mini.
..and iPhone is with dual core processor, but is much better from every 4 cores smartphones. This is my answer for the question 4cores old machine or 2cores new mini.

.. and the last.. old mini is with fusion