Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

DesertSurfer said:
I have been very tempted by the iMac, and if it gets USB C and TB3 in the next update it would be even more attractive, but it is mighty expensive. To prevent myself from doing that I bought a 27" ASUS IPS panel to go with my 2011 MacBook Pro that is almost always pugged into an external monitor. We'll see if that works. I will be tempted by a new Mimi if it has Iris Pro. A dGPU would be even better, but it seems unlikely.
Click to expand...

I was feeling the same way and it is expensive and I also said I would never own an AIO.

I had to make a decision wether to stick with OS X or go strictly Windows because there will probably not be another quad core Mini in my opinion.

But when you break the iMac down your getting a desktop quad core with a dedicated GPU with a top of the line 5K panel and the ability to upgrade your own ram. The only way to justify the price of an iMac is to price it out as separate items and the price does not seem that unreasonable ( I tell myself). :rolleyes:

You can easily dress a Mini out to iMac prices nowadays without quad core processor, dedicated graphics and a 5K panel.
 
Crosscreek said:
I was feeling the same way and it is expensive and I also said I would never own an AIO.

I had to make a decision wether to stick with OS X or go strictly Windows because there will probably not be another quad core Mini in my opinion.

But when you break the iMac down your getting a desktop quad core with a dedicated GPU with a top of the line 5K panel and the ability to upgrade your own ram. The only way to justify the price of an iMac is to price it out as separate items and the price does not seem that unreasonable ( I tell myself). :rolleyes:

You can easily dress a Mini out to iMac prices nowadays without quad core processor, dedicated graphics and a 5K panel.
Click to expand...

I noticed that - max out the mini and you are well over $2000 (the terabyte SSD is expensive). This is an excellent way to talk yourself into an iMac, I think. But I already have my 27" monitor. Of course, it could be used as a second...NO! NO!
 
DesertSurfer said:
Activity Monitor shows 6.12 of my 8 gb used, and 478 MB of swap used.
Click to expand...

Basically, that means that at the time you checked, there was plenty of memory available, but at some time since the last time you powered the machine on, you'd gone at least half a gigabyte beyond the machine's limit. The swap eventually gets drawn back out of long-term storage as the apps access their data, so it may have been even higher when you were swapping. In any case, yeah, as folks here are saying, the amount of swap used will depend on just what you are running. (I personally hover right around the 8 gig limit on my own Mini with what I currently run, and will probably be upgrading at some point so that I don't need to spend as much effort monitoring my memory usage...)

I think I will put in an SSD and see how it behaves before going to more memory, but any ideas are welcome.
Click to expand...

Swapping to a solid state drive is far, far faster than swapping to magnetic media. :) Still, any swapping at all is going to slow down the machine (and would probably affect the lifespan of the SSD, given the way swapping works). Moreover, with the typical usage you describe, your apps will probably not be hitting the drive for much of anything while they are running; I suspect that you'd actually see more benefit from giving your machine sufficient RAM than by switching to an SSD. (The SSD would give you faster bootup and app startup times, though...)
 
jpietrzak8 said:
Basically, that means that at the time you checked, there was plenty of memory available, but at some time since the last time you powered the machine on, you'd gone at least half a gigabyte beyond the machine's limit. The swap eventually gets drawn back out of long-term storage as the apps access their data, so it may have been even higher when you were swapping. In any case, yeah, as folks here are saying, the amount of swap used will depend on just what you are running. (I personally hover right around the 8 gig limit on my own Mini with what I currently run, and will probably be upgrading at some point so that I don't need to spend as much effort monitoring my memory usage...)



Swapping to a solid state drive is far, far faster than swapping to magnetic media. :) Still, any swapping at all is going to slow down the machine (and would probably affect the lifespan of the SSD, given the way swapping works). Moreover, with the typical usage you describe, your apps will probably not be hitting the drive for much of anything while they are running; I suspect that you'd actually see more benefit from giving your machine sufficient RAM than by switching to an SSD. (The SSD would give you faster bootup and app startup times, though...)
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thoughts. I think I'll do both (upgrade memory and switch to SSD, but I'll do them one at a time to see what each does. I think I'll start with the memory and see what that does. I'll report back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jpietrzak8 and Celerondon
I have a late 09 Mini, and I was thinking about getting a brand new one for Christmas instead of upgrading my old one. Are the ones out now a good product or what do you think I should do? Put a new SSD in my old one and upgrade the RAM or buy a new one? I don't like the fact they don't have SSD installed and the fact they are hard to upgrade them. Any suggestions?
 
Jessica08 said:
I have a late 09 Mini, and I was thinking about getting a brand new one for Christmas instead of upgrading my old one. Are the ones out now a good product or what do you think I should do? Put a new SSD in my old one and upgrade the RAM or buy a new one? I don't like the fact they don't have SSD installed and the fact they are hard to upgrade them. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

I currently use 2-2009 and 2-2012 minis. Frankly there is little wrong with the 2009s for most use. They will even run El Capitan with no problem, and as you point out can be upgraded. And you already have a 2009. Depending on your use, the 2009 can be just fine.

Here are what I feel are the advantages of a 2014 (or 2012 if you can find one):
  • Modern interfaces: USB3, Thunderbolt, Bluetooth LE
  • Sleeker package with built-in power supply
  • Faster -- yes, even the much-hated 2014 base model has a processor twice as fast as the 2009 base model.
You lose: upgradability and the built-in DVD drive.

Only one of my four minis has an SSD drive, a 2009 I use as a workstation (the others are entertainment centers and a server), the only use case I've got that benefits from an SSD, but it makes the 2009 faster than a Xeon-powered HP workstation I also use.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Celerondon, Jessica08 and jpietrzak8
That's the thing. I spend more time on my iPad than I do my mini. I use the Mini for photos, music, videos storage, but that is about the extent of it. But to have someone install the new hardware would cost $150 plus whatever the SSD and RAM would cost so I'm not that far away from getting a brand new one. My 09 is slow so I'm going to have to do something.

So is the current Mini fast even without a SSD installed?
 
Depends on your needs. Unless you must have USB3, Thunderbolt, etc. I would recommend upgrading 09 model with SSD and RAM if necessary.

I am currently using 2014 middle model and I got fed up with slowness when using original hard drive. Using external SSD helped a lot but I still don't think 2014 are a good value compared to 2012 models.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jessica08
Thank you. I now think I will just upgrade mine and wait till they come out with a new one that can be easily upgraded. That 2012 version looks to be very easy upgrading so maybe Apple will go back to something like that.

Is the 09 version you think something I could do myself or is it best to take it into a shop?
 
wlossw said:
Yeah I bought a 2012 i7 mini...
Click to expand...
I did too. Wasn't going to trust Apple. Turns out, I'm sure, many of us were right that ram would be not upgradable.
With the nMacPro still not updated, I'm concerned that Apple is turning into an appliance company. It looks like even the prosumer items will go away. Not the Apple I grew up with......Count the beans Timmy.... I will probably update my Mini to SSD and that may be the last Mac I buy and will just not worry about the latest and greatest in software. It appears that OS need a lot of work and they keep piling on the updates right and left, which to me, indicates, too many bugs.
Heck, I didn't go through this with OS9. At least at the end, I had a stable desktop. Not so much anymore. Can't fight progress? /s
 
Last edited:
DesertSurfer said:
Thanks for your thoughts. I think I'll do both (upgrade memory and switch to SSD, but I'll do them one at a time to see what each does. I think I'll start with the memory and see what that does. I'll report back.
Click to expand...

OK, I increased the RAM from 8 to 12 gb, and put in a 250 gb SSD. Wow, my good old Sandy Bridge i5 2011 Macbook Pro flies! It boots to the login screen in less than 30 seconds (ok, it's 29 seconds), no memory swapping, and programs open with almost no lag. All for about $160 US total. I can now easily wait to see what the next new Mac Mini, which is almost certainly coming, will be like. And, it was fun performing surgery on my computer. Too bad those days at Apple are over. Thanks again for the advice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crosscreek, Googlyhead, tamag901 and 2 others
Just going to put this here...

Its an archive.org snapshot of the page from around July 2005.

A bygone era, when Apple actually mocked Intel graphics...
 

Attachments

  • Screen Shot 2015-11-27 at 8.31.13 PM.png
    Screen Shot 2015-11-27 at 8.31.13 PM.png
    154.1 KB · Views: 236
  • Like
Reactions: c0ppo and DesertSurfer
Serban said:
so next year we will have a re design new mac mini with some thunderbolt 3 and usb-c ?
Click to expand...

Who knows? Whatever they release will have the mini curse attached. As nice as it will be it will also be short on something. Maybe less than the best Intel HD Graphics, maybe four-channel storage on a two-channel mainboard, maybe a power supply that just cannot quite cut it, more than maybe not enough cooling to sustain it through hard jobs.

The amateur marketers and conspiracy theorists out they all have their theories. The one thing that the history of the mini has taught us is that Apple apparently is not interested in building the really fabulous mini that many of us here are the forum would like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rezwits, Crosscreek, G4er? and 4 others
DesertSurfer said:
I wonder how many people from this discussion, hoping for a new Mac mini, have already bought something else.
Click to expand...
Not me……. My 2009 mini is still good for my simple work and leisure needs. I feel no great urge to have the most modern cutting edge tech, for on other reason than bragging rights to having the latest and greatest. A generation or two of Mac Minis could come to be before I almost certainly get another.

scottsjack said:
The amateur marketers and conspiracy theorists out they all have their theories. The one thing that the history of the mini has taught us is that Apple apparently is not interested in building the really fabulous mini that many of us here are the forum would like.
Click to expand...
Apple builds Mac Minis that meet the needs of the average Joe or Jill, who just want a small desk top with OS X to do stuff with. The fabulous desires of the odd cash strapped geek are almost certainly not uppermost in the minds of their marketers and designers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back