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Should I get a Mac Mini now or wait?

F

fetler

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Apr 8, 2006
3
0
I've been using a MacBook for the past two years and it's been a wonderful little computer, but over the past six months or so I've almost entirely had it hooked up to a 24" monitor with an Apple keyboard and Mighty Mouse plugged in so it effectively doubles up as a desktop Mac of sorts.

However, as my MacBook is now just over two years old I'm tempted to get a new Mac, and I've got my eye on the Mac Mini. I don't really need a laptop as I'm at my desk almost all the time I use my computer, and the Mac Mini seems like a much more cost effective deal than getting another MacBook or a MacBook Pro.

However, the Buyer's Guide currently recommends 'Buy only if you need it - Approaching the end of a cycle', so I'm tempted to hang on. Are there any rumours regarding a new Mac Mini? I read a year or so back that Apple were likely to scrap it entirely... was there any truth to that? If not is it worth hanging on for an update, and if so is the update likely to be a significant one?
 
You should wait.

Good morning,

I am currently an owner of the Mac Mini and it is my opinion that you should wait.

My reasons are that the Mac Mini has not been "seriously" updated since early January 2009. Some of the components, such as the Nvidia GeForce 9400M are terribly old and there is a high risk of new features to be added in the Mac Mini, such as an HDMI port and a Blu-Ray drive (in my dreams :) ).

Nevertheless, I want to congratulate you for choosing what I think is the best computer Apple has in its lineup!
 
The Mac Mini is rarely updated. I think it got the C2D processor 6 months after the MacBook which was months after everything else. I don't think we will see a new mini until after the i3 is in the MacBook.

I just bought a mini 2 months ago for that reason. It is fast enough for anything you throw at it.
 
Hello.

If it's what you want, buy it.

Will a new model come out? Certainly. The big question is "When".
The Laptops have recently switched from nVidia 9400M graphics and the Mini probably will too.
But is this important to you? Is it worth waiting for? It might be next week or six months away.

If you want an example of "waitingforthenextmodel-itis" take a peek at the thread: "New Mac Pro on May 18". People held onto their money for months, holding off on buying what's probably the best Desktop computer available waiting for that next big upgrade that was sure to come..... and it didn't.
All the while they were complaining about how far behind the times the current model is with only EIGHT cores, six-channel memory, yada yada yada... you'd think the current model came out in 1990 and eMachines Laptops could outperform it!

The Mini is unlikely to be scrapped completely as it represents Apple's least expensive Desktop. They might come out with a re-design at some point but this nonsense about dropping it or bringing out a mid-range tower is unlikely.

Mac Mini is offered in two variants: Cheap and Good. Having bought and upgraded a "Cheap" variant, I feel it wasn't worth it. Just get the "Good" one to start with.

Have Fun,
2¢ Keri
 
MikeinJapan said:
The Mac Mini is rarely updated. I think it got the C2D processor 6 months after the MacBook which was months after everything else. I don't think we will see a new mini until after the i3 is in the MacBook.

I just bought a mini 2 months ago for that reason. It is fast enough for anything you throw at it.
Click to expand...

Even with only 2GB RAM...? Mind sharing what you do with your Mini...?

I'm in the market for one to complement my MP, and was wondering if 2GB is usable, since my MP comes with 10GB of RAM, I've never run out of memory before... :eek:
 
Hold-up ....

I agree with the others that have replied thus far.

Mac Mini - if you must buy now ... get the top end 2.53/2.66Ghz with the 9400M but do NOT suffice with just 2GB. I have a 2Ghz 9400M with 4GB from early 2009 and I can say with iTunes 2x 8tabs of flash-loaded Safari windows, Word 2011 Beta 1 running while checking permissions, then deleting (zero-out) , then moving 378,368 items of a Time Machine backup over USB directly to ethernet connected Time Capsule 1TB (all windows are separated into Spaces) I think I'm doing sweetly with NO LAG!

I've dreamt of performance like this and since moving to the Mac I'm not looking back at just specs' like I did on Windows ME/XP/Win7. BTW; running Windows 7 with Aero via Parallels is pure bliss.

However for the best dollar value ... wait for another 2mths ... you'll see the Mini get the NVidia 320M within that time frame as a silent update. The 13" MBP got it 32days ago, and the new uMB just got it so the Mini is left; Apple WILL capitalize on this cost effective system that also can serve as an OS X personal and SOHO business server VERY well>!:apple:
 
Eithanius said:
Even with only 2GB RAM...? Mind sharing what you do with your Mini...?

I'm in the market for one to complement my MP, and was wondering if 2GB is usable, since my MP comes with 10GB of RAM, I've never run out of memory before... :eek:
Click to expand...

Get 4GB, and it will be able to do anything you want it to, short of massive 3D rendering and the like. You can either get the base model and add the RAM yourself, or spring for the 2.53 version with 4GB. Getting a bigger/faster hard drive helps as well.
 
I would wait. I wouldn't call the 9400M "terribly" old. Its only been out around 18 months or so but at the same time a new mini is probably around the corner. If you have no need for the extra power it will bring (video-wise), then you could snag an older mini on refurb for even deeper discount. As far as RAM goes, my 2GB 1.66 Core Duo mini could never really run Snow Leopard "snappy". It always felt congested. My 4GB 2.53 C2D mini, however, just breezes along. It can play a video and act as a Time Machine server to another Mac at the same time without hiccups.
 
count me in with the "wait for the refresh" camp. imacs and minis will be refreshed around the same time. imo, latest by end of august. but who knows, they could release them at wwdc.
 
The last Mini are released in October 2009 so there's a high probability that it will come out in same month this year.
As you can probably see in my sig, I too am waiting for new Mini. :D
 
At least wait until WWDC 2010 is over (just a week now). You'll never know, they might bump it to 320M.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I'll hang on for the time being and see what happens regarding a new Mac Mini.
 
:::If You're A Recording Engineer:::

If a G4 with 1 Gig of RAM can do it... A Mac Mini can do it too. It's cheap as hell. Only downside to not buying the full-scale desktop is that you can't use the ProTools cards because there is no place to stick them (PCI ports not on iMac or Mac Mini). If you get a Mini or iMac and you want to multi-track, you need to get something like the Tascam Firewire 1082 where you don't need the cards. Using this method definitely sucks compared to the ProTools/HD cards method, but if you were a pro recording engineer, you wouldn't have to worry about a Mac Mini or iMac...

:::If you're not a recording engineer, what do you need a Mac for? It's hard to recommend Mac for people that aren't using it for "The Arts" or whatever they're calling them now. Colleges still require daily use of the Microsoft Office Suite for PC machines, and loved-ones just can't get Control-click down:::
 
kungfumonkey said:
:::If you're not a recording engineer, what do you need a Mac for? It's hard to recommend Mac for people that aren't using it for "The Arts" or whatever they're calling them now. Colleges still require daily use of the Microsoft Office Suite for PC machines, and loved-ones just can't get Control-click down:::
Click to expand...

I would say the reason to get a mac is that it simply works! Oh, and no viruses.....
 
kungfumonkey said:
:::If you're not a recording engineer, what do you need a Mac for? It's hard to recommend Mac for people that aren't using it for "The Arts" or whatever they're calling them now. Colleges still require daily use of the Microsoft Office Suite for PC machines, and loved-ones just can't get Control-click down:::
Click to expand...
Since when was that a requirement to own a Mac?
 
well i guess it depends on what you are going to use it for, i just i think 2 months ago or something got myself a mac mini, and it works like a charm for playing HD movies and it will do so for years, so i really don't needed to wait for a better model, Display port --> HDMI, so i dont need HDMI, got a PS3 so i dont need blu ray. So it really depends on what you are going to use it for.
 
kungfumonkey said:
:::If you're not a recording engineer, what do you need a Mac for? It's hard to recommend Mac for people that aren't using it for "The Arts" or whatever they're calling them now. Colleges still require daily use of the Microsoft Office Suite for PC machines, and loved-ones just can't get Control-click down:::
Click to expand...

1999 called. It said that argument would fit in very well then. 2010 piped up and said "hells yeah, that line went out of fashion when you bought your beloved Powermac G4."

The world's changed. Do keep up.
 
Like the other fellow said, wait until WWDC is over. Typically, I say buy it if you want it/don't wait, but with WWDC and several updates and introductions pending, it only makes sense to hold out a few days.

Regarding the processor, the argument that Apple doesn't want the Mac Mini to trump the 13" MBP is quite sound. In the past, I can't recall them ever releasing a consumer-level product that bested its pro line. They do often have consumer setups that are on par in some ways with the lower end Pro rigs (like the current Macbook 2.4 vs. MBP 2.4), and as such I'd say the most likely update to the Mini's CPU would be to offer the variants currently available in the 13" MBP (2.4 + 2.66). That said, I read a blog that stated a 90% chance of Mac Mini i5 + 320M at WWDC, but where that person was drawing their information from is anyone's guess.

Sticking with Core 2 Duo chips would jive with a 320 M update, as the i-line of processors require Intel's integrated graphics to be on board...and to the best of my knowledge, if Apple can't cram integrated plus nvidia in the 13" MBP, they probably can't do it in the Mac Mini.

So, rambling out of the way, this is my prediction for the Mac Mini: A WWDC update, bringing the specs to the following -- 2.4GHz C2D + 2GB Ram + 250 GB HDD + 320M = Low End. 2.66GHz C2D + 4GB Ram + 250 GB HDD + 320M = High End. HDMI, blu-ray, and all the other talked-about stuff is unlikely, unless Apple pulls a fast one and really gives the Mini a proper refresh.
 
A BUNCH of refurb Mac Minis up today on Apple.... fingers crossed this is a sign of a new mini to come!

(My first post here... be nice. A girl can dream ;) )
 
supermum said:
A BUNCH of refurb Mac Minis up today on Apple.... fingers crossed this is a sign of a new mini to come!

(My first post here... be nice. A girl can dream ;) )
Click to expand...

They post those refurb machines several times a week, but usually they sell out in minutes. These are staying up for hours, so looks like a lot of us are holding out. :)
 
I went ahead and purchased a refurb Mini server. I'm not sure I want SLS, but definitely want the two hard drives.

The way I figure, there's not an update they can push to the Mini that would make it worth waiting. My 2.26 MBP is doing just great and this unit is going to do some VMware for my home lab.
 
belvdr said:
I went ahead and purchased a refurb Mini server. I'm not sure I want SLS, but definitely want the two hard drives.

The way I figure, there's not an update they can push to the Mini that would make it worth waiting. My 2.26 MBP is doing just great and this unit is going to do some VMware for my home lab.
Click to expand...

Tis true, tis true...but any increase in performance is worth a seven day wait, methinks?
 
$MacUser$ said:
Tis true, tis true...but any increase in performance is worth a seven day wait, methinks?
Click to expand...

Not when I can save a couple hundred bucks. I don't need much horsepower, and the 2.26 would have been fine for my uses. For all we know, they could increase the specs and the price of the Mini and then the refurbs would vanish quickly.
 
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