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would you buy a new mac mini with soldered ram, a t2 chip and storage that can’t be replaced?
- Thread starter nathansz
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Only if Apple would recycle it for free in 15 years, and it is way cheaper than the current model.
If it starts at 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD for the price of the current Mac mini, it would be a good enough value even with sacrificed upgradability. I don't see 256 GB SSD and quad-core happening at the $499 price point though, even Intel NUCs don't offer that kind of value.
External storage via USB or Thunderbolt 3 is always a possibility, while external RAM is not, so I would rather see socketed RAM than upgradable storage. Socketed RAM opens up the possibility of 32 GB or 64 GB RAM for a Mac that would otherwise be stuck at 8 GB, making it much more future-proof.
External storage via USB or Thunderbolt 3 is always a possibility, while external RAM is not, so I would rather see socketed RAM than upgradable storage. Socketed RAM opens up the possibility of 32 GB or 64 GB RAM for a Mac that would otherwise be stuck at 8 GB, making it much more future-proof.
The answer is "it depends". If RAM is soldered but has extra slots, that's not a problem. If storage can't be replaced, but offers a second empty m.2 connector, not a problem. My decision would be based on what's offered, as opposed to what's not offered.
Yes (and more than one).
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Absolutely, if it's a good NUC that does the job I need it to do I might buy several hundred.
Easy to deploy, cheap, secure, without built-in peripheral headaches? I've been waiting since 2014.
Easy to deploy, cheap, secure, without built-in peripheral headaches? I've been waiting since 2014.
Not recently. But back in the PowerPC days, yes. The Early 2005 iBook G4 has a RAM slot + 512 MB soldered on the board, for a maximum total of 1.5 GB possible.
yes, they intermittently did this on machines for many many years, at least back to the early 90s. First one that comes to mind was the PowerMac 6100. That all stopped with Intel though.
my mistake,
what i really meant to ask was have they ever had soldered ram and extra slots in an intel mac
the point being, would one reasonably expect this is something they would do on a new mini
How could I answer this without more information? What configurations are available and what is the price? What's a t2 chip? Is that what Apple uses for fingerprint ID? That doesn't interest me in the least and I wouldn't want to pay a premium for it. If I get a new mini, it will be for the same purpose as my 2012 quad - video and audio editing. I don't use the 2012 quad for e-mail, online shopping or anything personal so it's set to automatically login at startup. I just want a fast machine with plenty of RAM and an internal SSD (not a fusion drive).
I would buy the top RAM configuration, which i assume would be 32gb. That is likely to be very expensive at Apple prices. A 256gb SSD should be big enough for my software, but bigger would be better. I use large external SSD's and hard drives to store my projects anyway.
So, if I get a new mini, I want to unplug all the stuff from my 2012 quad, plug it into the 2018 mini, run the Migration Assistant and continue doing the same things.... but much faster.
I would buy the top RAM configuration, which i assume would be 32gb. That is likely to be very expensive at Apple prices. A 256gb SSD should be big enough for my software, but bigger would be better. I use large external SSD's and hard drives to store my projects anyway.
So, if I get a new mini, I want to unplug all the stuff from my 2012 quad, plug it into the 2018 mini, run the Migration Assistant and continue doing the same things.... but much faster.
IF there is a new Mini
and
IF it has decent specs
and
IF it comes with a t2 chip
and
IF it's possible to [pretty much] disable the t2
then
I may buy one, but...
...the first thing I will do is disable the t2 to the fullest extent possible.
and
IF it has decent specs
and
IF it comes with a t2 chip
and
IF it's possible to [pretty much] disable the t2
then
I may buy one, but...
...the first thing I will do is disable the t2 to the fullest extent possible.
I wouldn't be surprised if they do that since everything except the (also) outdated Mac Pro have everything soldered on.
Upgradable apple computers is a thing of the past.
I might still buy one if it has decent specs at a reasonable price.
I wouldn't pay extra $400 for 512GB ssd no matter how good they are.
Upgradable apple computers is a thing of the past.
I might still buy one if it has decent specs at a reasonable price.
I wouldn't pay extra $400 for 512GB ssd no matter how good they are.
I voted yes and expect in 12 days to buy a mini with 16GB memory and 256GB SSD. In the unlikely event that ram is upgradeable, I'll go with 8GB memory. I've been waiting for 2 years to buy a new mini and I will put in my order on the 30th.
I'm fine with it as long as there is at least 8gb ram, 1tb fusion hard drive... and USB a and HDMI ports
hdmi is a must..Like me, my old monitor have vga, dvi,hdmi but no usb c. Convertor is cheap but hard to find. 8 GB is not the best choice since osx chunk 4GB itself and balance 4GB .The best min is 16 GB and 256 . Last but not, i hope "JACK" will not removed.
I don't see the problem with soldered items. By the time I need to upgrade something I'm ready to sell it on ebay anyway. I use the Mac mini as a HTPC that does everything. I'll gladly get the next gen if it has 4k@60fps minimum output, 512GB, and 16GB memory. That will last until the next big technology wave.
No. The only way I am buying the new mini is if I can transfer my 2TB SSD and my 16 gig of RAM from my 2011 MacBook Pro. Anything else is a no deal.
Great question. no, I would not buy a desktop computer with no user accessible RAM or HD. I can just about tolerate it on Apple's notebooks as there is an argument for reducing the size of the device, but for a desktop machine it is completely inexcusable. Doing so for a desktop computer is either pure vanity or planned obsolescence.
Depending on the price, yes. To keep me going fpr at least 5 years I'd need 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD (or 512 if price is right). But also depends on the iGPU specs (eDRAM?) as I wouldn't go down an eGPU road.
However, seeing that the nTB 13"MBP with 7th gen intel and 64MB eDRAM starts at $1700 (16/256) and the TB 8th gen version (with 128MB eDRAM) starts at $2000, I can't see a Mini based on the MBP 13" innards starting under $1000.
However, seeing that the nTB 13"MBP with 7th gen intel and 64MB eDRAM starts at $1700 (16/256) and the TB 8th gen version (with 128MB eDRAM) starts at $2000, I can't see a Mini based on the MBP 13" innards starting under $1000.