The mini we got has Haswell, so it's an old Mac mini and not a new one. But there will really be a new one, almost certainly.
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
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The mini we got has Haswell, so it's an old Mac mini and not a new one. But there will really be a new one, almost certainly.
Why does Apple place SSD's as standard in their laptops but not their desktops???
Isn't the base model Mac Mini processor inferior in the 2014 model versus the base 2012 model? How much better in performance is HD 5000 vs HD 4000?
The 2012 Mac Mini base seems a much better deal at the same price as a base 2014 Mini.
Isn't the base model Mac Mini processor inferior in the 2014 model versus the base 2012 model? How much better in performance is HD 5000 vs HD 4000?
The 2012 Mac Mini base seems a much better deal at the same price as a base 2014 Mini.
I can't understand their reasoning to put that slow of a spinner with PCIe.
People are going to boot it up and go WTF?
At least the beachball would't appear on a SSD and the desktop would appear in a few seconds.
Not many are like you and me. We are smart and know the power of the SSD. Fusion drive? WTF! I think not! SSD all the way baby! Slow crap belongs on the OUTSIDE of a computer.
Quote for truth.
Most of my friend don't realise the power of ssd. When their machine gets slowed down, their first thought was to a ram upgrade. My old 2008 alu unibody MacBook on ssd + 4gb ram still run blazingly faster than my friend 2011 mbp on hdd 7200rpm + 16gb ram.
Do you really want an answer or is this a rhetorical question? Assuming the former, laptops have to work in rougher conditions -- all that bouncing around can destroy a HDD, so an SSD is important for a long operating lifetime. Also notebook computers get turned on and off far more often than desktops so bouts time is more important. The SSDs also are smaller and consume less power, both important points for premium notebooks. For all these reasons you can't get a HDD on an Apple notebook anymore.
Desktops are different. They are stationary so ruggedness isn't as important. SSDs are still far more expensive per GB than HDDs, so they drive up the cost. Power consumption and space aren't as great factors. Boot time doesn't matter if you boot up once per day or week and applications are left running. And SSDs or Fusion drives are available as options.
The Mac Pro looks like an exception here, however it is typically used in environments where large HDD arrays are attached and the internal SSD will be a small percentage of the total disk capacity.
But the base 2014 mini isn't the same price as the base 2012. It's $100 less. For light use, that represents $100 saved, so the 2014 is a better deal.
With an SSD in my gaming PC, windows 8.1 boots in just a few seconds. I may have to put on in my 2011 MacBook Pro. Bumping the ram up to 8 gb has already made a nice difference.
The Skylake mini is almost certainly coming.
You can get the 2012 base Mini for $499 at various retailers right now. (Microcenter, B&H, Apple stores that still have it in stock, etc.....). So with that established is the 2012 model superior for the manual expansion?
Depends on what you want to do. If you just want a web browser and don't multitask apps that require a lot of processor power, the new one will work for you.
Make sure you order enough RAM and if you want fast boot times you will want to add a fusion or preferably an SSD option also. The HDD in these are really slow.
If you want to add your own ram and SSD to save money or prefer quad core than the 2012 would be better. It also has an extra drive bay.
OK, then at this moment, the 2012 base mini is probably the better choice unless you somehow have a need for the two Thunderbolt ports of the 2014. At any rate, I bought a 2012 mid-model for a server -- I've planed to do so since the start of the year no mater what the 2014 brought, because I expected the extra $100 discount.
Note that in 2016 you will be able to buy the 2014 for perhaps $400!
You're asking why they can't put the same part in a $1000 product that they put in a $500 product? Why?
MBA starts at $900. BTO Mini with SSD is $800. Perhaps the answer is simply that SSD's are too expensive still. Just seems odd that you have to go that high to get an SSD in your Mini without doing it yourself.
That's the answer. If you look at the pricing structure, they could have offered it for $750 since the SSD is the same price as the Fusion drive in the mid model, but they probably figured that Fusion would be the more popular option (most of the speed but 5x the capacity of an SSD). Compare the price of bare SSDs and HDDs and factor in the Apple Multiplier and it seems to be in line.
Sounds like you are describing the xMac that so many want. Something with real desktop components instead of laptop parts and a case large enough to handle them.
Thank you! Though I am also a little frustrated with the Apple hardware as of late, what they are doing with Fusion drive (for desktops) at the OS level makes a LOT of sense! Had windows implemented something like that I would build a machine with a 6 TB HDD and 256-512 SSD as the "fusion" drive to interact with directly.
I want at least a TB for pictures, and videos. In my mind desktops are where you have ample space and can dump everything to. So I don't understand people that want 128 gig of pure SSD. I wish we could have gotten a 2TB fusion drive in the mac mini's : (
I'm sure I don't need to tell you this, but seriously Fusion drive is really impressive and cool. Its NOT the same as the hybrid drives offered by seagate. Thats at the hardware level and not nearly as efficient. There are some files that make sense to be on hard disk for the longevity of the SSD and Fusion drive is making those decisions. Its to the level that it can split your photo library to store some photos and event on SSD and others on hard disk despite it being the same database (iPhoto is a database). Or certain config files for your browser on hard disk and the rest of SSD, etc
Is there a compelling reason or benefit if spec'ing a 256SSD on a 2014 MacMini versus opting for the 1TB Fusion drive? I really don't know. Hence the question. The fusion drive seems to make sense offering benefits of quickness like an SSD, but with significantly greater storage capacity.
The only problem with fusion is that it splits the information between the SSD and the spinner drive so that if one or the other fails you will lose your data.
A backup drive is a must.
I would most definitely have a Backup drive. Cheap and easy via USB. Thanks!
Apple also makes a router with a drive in it but I think it's overpriced and not much good with anything but Apple products.
Power consumption and space aren't as important a factor for a Mac mini either, when compared to a MacBook Air, for instance.
Depends on needs. I've got a mini with a 120GB SSD. Still has 38GB free. But it's attached to network storage. OTOH I'd have problems with even a 500GB SSD on my MacBookPro where I have to have everything I need available on the system.
A backup drive is always a must, no matter what your system drive.
Well, a new Mac Mini did come, as did 5,000 posts on this thread.
Looking at what is on offer, and my requirements, I reckon I won't be bothering with the 2014 generation. it will be more cost effective to upgrade my early 2009 Mini, replacing the HHD with an SSD, and maybe adding another 4GB of RAM.
At this stage Thunderbolt, USB3 and other features are of no value to me. I can download Yosemite, but its key new features seem to be aimed at connectivity with iCloud and other Apple devices (Handoff). In a one Apple gadget household (the Mac Mini) with a very slow internet connection, such things mean little to me, at this stage.
None the less, with the 2014 Mac Mini having arrived, I feel the OP's assertion still holds true A new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming.
Looking at what is on offer, and my requirements, I reckon I won't be bothering with the 2014 generation. it will be more cost effective to upgrade my early 2009 Mini, replacing the HHD with an SSD, and maybe adding another 4GB of RAM.
At this stage Thunderbolt, USB3 and other features are of no value to me. I can download Yosemite, but its key new features seem to be aimed at connectivity with iCloud and other Apple devices (Handoff). In a one Apple gadget household (the Mac Mini) with a very slow internet connection, such things mean little to me, at this stage.
None the less, with the 2014 Mac Mini having arrived, I feel the OP's assertion still holds true A new Mac Mini is almost certainly coming.