The "I just ordered / bought / got my new/refurb Mac mini" threads, merged

[mpConroe]

Wow, I can't believe that no one order a Mac mini since recent post from August 2016.
I just bought used Mac mini 2012 from eBay. It will replace my old 2007 Mac mini. Can't wait for the delivery! It will be connected to existing setup - iiyama full hd monitor with Razer DeatAdder for Mac and some cheap keyboard from local hypermarket (I'm thinking about buying new "old" wired Apple keyboard with numeric pad).
Besides, I'm still planning to buy new iMac durning this holidays.

 

[BenTrovato]

Wow, I can't believe that no one order a Mac mini since recent post from August 2016.
I just bought used Mac mini 2012 from eBay. It will replace my old 2007 Mac mini. Can't wait for the delivery! It will be connected to existing setup - iiyama full hd monitor with Razer DeatAdder for Mac and some cheap keyboard from local hypermarket (I'm thinking about buying new "old" wired Apple keyboard with numeric pad).
Besides, I'm still planning to buy new iMac durning this holidays.

Haha I'm sure someone bought since then just didn't bother posting. Do you mind sharing what a 2012 goes for now? Just wanted to compare to what I paid for mine last summer.

 

[mpConroe]

Haha I'm sure someone bought since then just didn't bother posting. Do you mind sharing what a 2012 goes for now? Just wanted to compare to what I paid for mine last summer.

Mine costs £359 on eBay with 4 GB RAM and 500GB HDD (5400rpm ) described as "excellent condition" with original box and the seller adds Magic Mouse for free.
Some of the Mac minis hits £400, so the real price tag is £320-£400. It depends on the condition and accessories (like original box which I really wanted).

 

[jackerin]

Haha I'm sure someone bought since then just didn't bother posting. Do you mind sharing what a 2012 goes for now? Just wanted to compare to what I paid for mine last summer.

I also got ahold of a(nother) 2012 model recently, the 2.6 i7, loaded it up with 16GB ram from the i5 model I had and copied everything over. I paid ~500 euros for it, which felt like a steal considering Finnish prices.

 

[tibas92013]

not yet just placed the order today. Granted its way better than the 2014 model

Not my experience; I have both a Refurbished MM(Late 2012), 2.5GHz,16GB Ram,500GB HD and a Refurbished MM(Late 2014) 2.8GHz, 8GB Ram, 256SSD as the latter runs circles around the MM(Late 2012).

 

[mpConroe]

The Mac mini arrived. I upgraded RAM myself with 8 GB DDR3 stick from my old Sony VAIO laptop. I installed a macOS Sierra and now I'm downloading the iWork and CS:GO. Can't wait to try it in gaming. It's not my mainly machine - just for Internet surfing and occasionally gaming, some iWork stuff too.
Previous machine (Mac mini 2007) was too slow and outdated - I couldn't even open MacRumors with Safari for Snow Leopard. It was crappy - it had only 4GB RAM and couldn't play HD videos smoothly.
The Sierra looks beautiful on my iiyama 23'' IPS monitor.
I can't even imagine how adorable would be an 27'' iMac which I'm going to buy probably in August.

 

[tibas92013]

The Mac mini arrived. I upgraded RAM myself with 8 GB DDR3 stick from my old Sony VAIO laptop. I installed a macOS Sierra and now I'm downloading the iWork and CS:GO. Can't wait to try it in gaming. It's not my mainly machine - just for Internet surfing and occasionally gaming, some iWork stuff too.
Previous machine (Mac mini 2007) was too slow and outdated - I couldn't even open MacRumors with Safari for Snow Leopard. It was crappy - it had only 4GB RAM and couldn't play HD videos smoothly.
The Sierra looks beautiful on my iiyama 23'' IPS monitor.
I can't even imagine how adorable would be an 27'' iMac which I'm going to buy probably in August.

A 256 Internal/External SSD will make a world of difference from that "bottleneck" 500GB HD in your MM.

 

[mpConroe]

A 256 Internal/External SSD will make a world of difference from that "bottleneck" 500GB HD in your MM.

I have bought Kingston 120GB SSD with write/read speeds 500 MB/S.
But it turns out that I don't have right SATA cable to connect it to the motherboard. I'm going to give it to the repair centre (for used Macs) - they should have done it for cheap.
I had another SSD (OCZ 64GB) in my previous Mac mini and they did it for a low price, but the new one is easier to open. I would do it myself, but, as I said, I don't have the right cable. Only thing I did was upgrade RAM to 8GB.

BTW the SSD's are so expensive nowadays. It should lowering the price but it is the opposite - they are more expensive than before. It's horrible.

 

[reallynotnick]

Just got a 2012 2.5Ghz Mac Mini with a 240GB SSD and a single 8GB stick for $355 ($370-$15 PayPal coupon I randomly got), very minor scratches on the top and the bottom plate is held on by some tape because some of the tabs broke (I guess I can buy a new one though if I want?). The thing even came with the original box AND the original shipping box so it was packaged to perfection. I also just ordered another 8GB stick of matching Crucial RAM for $42 that I'll install next week.
So for a couple bucks short of $400 I think I didn't do too terrible.

So far this has been a huge improvement to my 2009 13" MBP, I can't believe how responsive this machine is compared to my old machine, really wish I would have picked one of these up in 2012 as it would have been incredible over the last 5 years... all those years wasted with a slow machine just hoping that a mythical new Mac Mini would come out.
I'll still probably upgrade if Apple ever comes out with my dream Mac Mini quad core, upgradable RAM and storage, but if that day never comes I still will easily get 3 more years out of this before I will have to strongly consider what to buy next (and who knows what is to come in those next few years).

 

[MRrainer]

You can check aliexpress for spares (better if you know the spare-part number/serial number).

My co-worker bought two replacement fans for his 2012 i7 for less than what you'd pay iFixit for one.

Shipping took ages, though.

When he wanted to install them, he realized that the cable of the built-in fan had just come off. He put the cable back in and the "dead" fan was working again...

The "upgradable" MacMini is called MacPro, BTW.
They released it in late 2013, but most people didn't want to spend that much money (myself included).

 

[trellaine]

I have questions :/

I've looked into a refurb Mac mini with fusion drive. Rumours are maybe a new Mac mini in the fall?

I currently use an iMac from around 2010-11 but having issues.

What kind of graphics specs does the Mac mini have? I would like the best possible screen and picture quality.

Is this possible or is the Mac mini graphics going to be worse than my 2010-11 iMac?

Thanks

 

[entropi]

Is it totally crazy to buy a used 2012 mac mini qc i7 with a ssd now? I currently use a MBP which gets around 3000 score in primatelabs benchmark and a mba with 6000 score. The mac mini gets 10 000 and I think it could suit me quite good? (plus I can use a antiglare screen and stay off retina and usb c for a couple of years still?)

 

[Negritude]

Not my experience; I have both a Refurbished MM(Late 2012), 2.5GHz,16GB Ram,500GB HD and a Refurbished MM(Late 2014) 2.8GHz, 8GB Ram, 256SSD as the latter runs circles around the MM(Late 2012).

That's not the 2012 Quad Core. When people say that the 2012 is better than the 2014, they are specifically referring to the 2.3GHz and 2.6GHz 2012 i7 Quad Core models.

The regular Dual Core 2012 models are basically irrelevant to the comparison, except in terms of upgradeability.

 

[Reno Richter]

Just bought my 4th refurb 2012 from MacSales. 3 in use. 4th is a spare, 1 as a mail server, 1 as a web server and 1 as in house custom apps query server to a 2012 win sql server. I don't trust Tim Cook when he says the MacMini or the Mac Pro for that matter are important to Apple. If they were, they would have been updated by now.

 

[opeter]

The "upgradable" MacMini is called MacPro, BTW.
They released it in late 2013, but most people didn't want to spend that much money (myself included).

You mean the trashcan? Yeah, it can be updated with some components:
https://everymac.com/systems/apple/...o-upgrade-mac-pro-cylinder-cpu-processor.html

But the last really excellent upgradable Mac Pros are the ones from 2012 with the big aluminium tower.
You can put inside the case standard PCI-Express cards, GPUs etc.

 

[TheOtherAndy]

Hi everyone, figured I'd join in the conversation since I just bought one. I'm typing this from my brand new 2014 2.8ghz mini! I know it's a pretty well disliked model around most parts, and I know I definitely got hit hard with the Apple tax, but so far I am pleased with it. I actually bought the 2.6 ghz model first, but couldn't stand the terrible hard drive and didn't want to putz around with an external drive (the cost savings wouldn't have been too significant either considering the cost of a Thunderbolt ssd), so I returned it. The fusion drive, on the other hand, is fantastic. I'm definitely happy with my decision to take the other one back and get this.

The Mini will be my primary desktop, although I will probably be keeping a home-built Windows 10 monstrosity around if the gaming bug hits me again or if I want to tinker around with Linux. My uses include schoolwork (internet browsing, word/powerpoint), web development, and some light photo/video editing (like 95% photo, 5% video... Pentax doesn't exactly take video seriously).

The Mini is my first attempt to "grow-up" in terms of how I use my computer. Traditionally, I've built my desktops, never properly backed things up, and constantly tinkered (including blowing away the OS every couple weeks). It has dawned on me that my habits need to change, at least on the main computer. This shiny new box, which includes a warranty (which brings up the question: Applecare, yes or no?), will be kept lean and backed up with both Time Machine and Backblaze. I'm looking forward to a number of years with it.

For those interested, the Mini is not my first foray into Mac-land. Although my first mac was technically a Powerbook G4 Wallstreet (which I still have), I received that well after its prime and barely used it. I bought a late 2009 MacBook from Mac of All Trades last year (with an SSD and 6 gigs of ram), and also picked up a 2006 Mac Pro. I'd be using the pro still, but the loss of security updates and an issue with someone trying to get into my Google account turned me off the idea of using such an outdated machine as my primary computer.

 

[tibas92013]

Hi everyone, figured I'd join in the conversation since I just bought one. I'm typing this from my brand new 2014 2.8ghz mini! I know it's a pretty well disliked model around most parts, and I know I definitely got hit hard with the Apple tax, but so far I am pleased with it.

I bought my Refurbished MM(Late 2014) 2.8GHZ, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD from the Apple on-line Store in June, 2015 and I continue to be One-happy Apple Customer. My first Refurbished MM(Late 2012), 2.5GHZ, 16GB Ram, 500GB HD which I bought in the Year 2013 from the Apple on-line Store is still meeting ALL my basic computer needs as a back-up machine.

Since I do not want to leave the MAC OS System my next Mac Computer will probably me a iMac which I may buy next year as I am not holding my breath that there will ever be a MM upgrade.

Also, I now will only buy a New Mac that has, at a minimum, a 256GB SSD based upon my outstanding experience with my Refurbished MM(Late 2014).

 

[TheOtherAndy]

I bought my Refurbished MM(Late 2014) 2.8GHZ, 8GB Ram, 256GB SSD from the Apple on-line Store in June, 2015 and I continue to be One-happy Apple Customer. My first Refurbished MM(Late 2012), 2.5GHZ, 16GB Ram, 500GB HD which I bought in the Year 2013 from the Apple on-line Store is still meeting ALL my basic computer needs as a back-up machine.

Since I do not want to leave the MAC OS System my next Mac Computer will probably me a iMac which I may buy next year as I am not holding my breath that there will ever be a MM upgrade.

Also, I now will only buy a New Mac that has, at a minimum, a 256GB SSD based upon my outstanding experience with my Refurbished MM(Late 2014).

Excellent Tibas, thanks for sharing! I totally get the negativity and hatred towards the 2014 minis (and it's deserved), but I'm glad to hear that they're serving owners well. It's tough not to go the iMac route right now, and perhaps I should have, but that would basically mean getting a much older system (or spending quite a bit more) and having to downgrade my monitor, while keeping my current monitor next to me on this very small desk so I can use the PC when I absolutely have to.

Hopefully Apple will see the value in keeping the Mini around. Not everyone wants an iMac!

 

[Suzatlarge]

Three years ago I posted here, all happy about my new 2014 mini. I bought it off the shelf at MicroCenter, 2.6 i5, 8GB RAM, and I almost immediately had a local Apple-certified shop replace the sluggish 1TB HDD with a 1TB SSD. I used that machine happily until recently. I've shipped it off to a buyer. Now I have a used/reconditioned 15" 2014 rMBP that I bought from a local Apple-certified shop (different one than did the SSD install, just closer to home with more inventory).

I'm not torn up with buyer's remorse, but I do miss the mini. Because although the MBP is an i7 with more zoom, and has better graphics capability, it's an awkward desktop replacement. I run two monitors and keep most of my documents/media (photos, music, etc.) on external drives. Lots of connectors to deal with, and so far I'm ejecting the external drives when I get up from the desk because they tend to dismount when the MBP sleeps, etc. Yes, I now have a powerful portable computer - which I wanted, because I attend photo workshops, etc., and my little MBA's a jewel but not very beefy for some of that photo processing. But the rMPB is more of a PITA as a desktop machine than I expected.

Dammit, Apple, why can't you just toss some up to date powerful tech into those tidy little desktop boxes? I don't want another iMac. I have two nice 25" monitors already. I'd love another mini!

 

[ipos]

Getting a new mini but is it worth to exchange 1Tb of fusion drive with 256gb ssd?

 

[TheOtherAndy]

Getting a new mini but is it worth to exchange 1Tb of fusion drive with 256gb ssd?

I don't think so. The mini still has the fusion drive with 128gigs of fast storage, unlike the imac, which is probably plenty for most people. I'd put the extra money towards ram.

Full disclosure: I ended up returning the mini to the store and getting a ludicrously-overpowered Dell for significantly less money. It takes up more space and creates more noise than the cute little mini (and it has Windows), but with the Mini I found that I had started beating myself up over spending so much on such an outdated machine.

Oh, also, on that note: don't buy a mini new from Apple. It's not worth it. I wouldn't go for a 2012 model, as it has even worse graphics, but a used 2014 model from Other World Computing or Mac of all Trades is a better value. You can also find deals from 3rd parties on new minis.

 

[BigRed1]

Finally pulled the trigger on a 2012 Mac mini i5 to replace a 2009. With eBay coupon, I got the 2.5/8/500 for $240. I replaced the hd with a 240 gb ssd for $40 from micro center.

I’ll be mainly running Logic and Gadget. SO far so good.

 

[clearer]

I was gifted a macmini 1,1 by a coworker to play with. Learning that you could upgrade the CPU to make it think it was a 2,1 and then upgrade the RAM, that's exactly what I did. Now running a "2,1" with 4 GiB of RAM and a (slower than normal, but faster than what the macmini can handle anyway) 60 GiB SSD.

Just need to find out how to get something newer than SL on the damn thing, before I just give up on it and make it an HTPC.

 

[Acronyc]

Excellent Tibas, thanks for sharing! I totally get the negativity and hatred towards the 2014 minis (and it's deserved), but I'm glad to hear that they're serving owners well. It's tough not to go the iMac route right now, and perhaps I should have, but that would basically mean getting a much older system (or spending quite a bit more) and having to downgrade my monitor, while keeping my current monitor next to me on this very small desk so I can use the PC when I absolutely have to.

Hopefully Apple will see the value in keeping the Mini around. Not everyone wants an iMac!

I can understand the negativity too, but the 2014 minis are still decent machines. I wouldn’t buy one new now, but I bought one new when they first came out (2.8GHz, 8GB RAM, 1TB fusion drive) and it has worked flawlessly over the past almost four years. It has been on basically 24/7 and serves as the main desktop my wife and I share. I also have a 2012 minin that works as a home server. They are such great machines it would be a shame for no new models to ever come out.

 

[ApolloBoy]

Just bought a base model 2012 Mac mini for $200 as my new Plex server. It's bone stock so far but I've got an SSD ready to go and I might even do a dual drive mod later on. I'm actually on the fence about upgrading the RAM, since this will only be used as a server and I have no plans of using it for everyday tasks (that's what my MBP is for!).