Mac Mini vs. MBP 2.16 Core Duo Performance

I currently have an MBP that has an external Firewire 400 RAID. I'm considering buying the high version of the Mini. Would this perform Core 2 duo better than my older MBP that has the earlier Core Duo?
I'd like to do a little photo and video editing. So if there was an advantage in the Mini I'd probably pop for one. I suppose I should really be looking at an iMac as a fully loaded Mini seems to approach the price of an iMac.

Thanks Boece, I didn't realize that. I'm thinking an iMac would probably be a better choice for me then. The price difference is not so great that the benefits would not be worth it. I fooled around with a Mini over the lunch hour and it did not seem as quick in Finder as my older MBP. I forgot to look at the memory in the demo Mini, so it might not have been a fair comparison. My older MBP also has a 7200 RPM HD (along with 2 gigs of memory)
I'm not knocking the Mini. I am wondering in this current environment how much sense the Mini makes these days? It seems to me that the Mini out be be priced a little lower than it is.

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Is the mac mini server the same hardware as the other mac minis (except for the quad core i7 and dual hard drives) with different software or is it configured differently?

I have a mac mini with an i7 dual core processor. It is perceptably slower than my macbook pro with a quad core i7. Does the mac mini server have the same hardware configuation as the regular mac mini with server software or is the hardware different (aside from the i7 quad core and dual hard drives)? I want a mini with a quad core i7...

Your assumption is correct. The server does however only
have the Intel HD3000 graphics like the base model with
no option, at this time, for the discrete graphics chip. So,
depending on what you are using it for, that could be a deal
breaker. Remember that your MBP does have a discrete
graphics chip.
I have a 2011 Mini Server connected to a Thunderbolt display
that gets used as an engineering workstation and general
personal use (some photo editing, LP restoraton, general
internet browsing). You simply just not enable any of the
server services. I find the combination to work quite well
for my purposes. I also have a 13" 2.7 GHz i7 Macbook Pro
which is pretty much strictly for work. As far as CPU
power it is pretty much equivelent to your Mini. For the most
part I find the Mini does outperfom my MBP. I heavily use
Parallels and Windows7 virtual machines, so the more cores
the better.
So, If you do a lot of CPU intensive stuff that is multithreaded,
the Server may help. If it is graphics intensive and your software
heavily leaverages the GPU, you may actually take a hit on
performance.

Printing problem for MBP 2.16 Core duo

just got this sweet thing. was running a G4 iBook and printing easily to an HP 2600 color laser.
in switching to the MBP, tho, I can still print but in MS Word, the text is shrunk to 30% of actual size. In preview, everything is fine but the output continues to stay small.
i've looked thru all the preferences and the print utility app but have found nothing to make an adjustment to.
any help greatly appreciated! TIA
MBP 2.16 core duo Mac OS X (10.4.8) problem in MS Word

i fixed it. threw away the MS Word preferences and all is good.

Can my MBP (April 2006, Core Duo) run Lion?

...Or does Apple have me in a corner again?

Sorry to contradict OrangeMarlin but only the Late 2006 MBP (and later) models do have a Core 2 Duo which is the minimum processor for Lion.
The Eraly and Mid 2006 MBPs have a Core Duo processor and therefor don't meet the requirements for OSX Lion:
General requirements
Mac computer with an Intel Core 2 Duo, Core i3, Core i5, Core i7, or Xeon processor
2GB of memory
OS X v10.6.6 or later (v10.6.8 recommended)
7GB of available space
Some features require an Apple ID; terms apply.
Some features require a compatible Internet service provider; fees may apply.
Stefan

I have a 5 year old MBP, 2GHz Intel Core Duo, 1GB MHz, DDR2 SDRAM, running Snow Leopard, 10.6.8.

I have a 5 year old MBP, 2GHz Intel Core Duo, 1GB MHz, DDR2 SDRAM, running Snow Leopard, 10.6.8.
I use wireless to connect to the Internet and everything works fine when I sign on. After being on line for awhile and my remaining battery power at about 60%, I lose connectivity. I turn off Airport, restart it, and I am asked for my secure password. I enter the password but cannot reconnect. So, I shut down the computer for 5 to 10 minutes, restart, and everything works great again.
Has anyone experienced this behavior and do you have any suggestions as to what is causing the problem.
Thanks for any help you can give me.
Lowell

I think I hit the wrong key ... so here it is again!
Thank you ... I keep seeing this i5 and i7 processor mentioned and it is also recommeded that I stream using it. Do you have any suggestions on which MacBook would serve me better? Or is there an upgrade of any kind that will help me?
Thanks again.
D

I have a late 2012 mac mini with an i5 2 core can I replace it with an i7 quad core?

I have a late 2012 mac mini with an i5 2 core can I replace it with an i7 quad core?

A few places online may still offer the i7 2.3GHz quad-core Late 2012 MINI (Oct 2012 to Oct 2014)
that allows the user-upgrade of RAM to 16GB, and this one I've seen is a Server model and has
two 1-TB Hard Disk Drives. The B&H store in NY online has this listed, if in stock now, price &
shipping in continental US is good until tomorrow.
Your i5 dual-core is still desirable to many, & you may be able to resell it if not needed.
Good luck & happy computing!

My Mac says it has an Intel Core Duo processor. Will it work with Lion?

My Mac says it has an Intel Core Duo processor. Will it work with Lion?

Scott Q1 wrote:
Thanks everyone.
Bummer.
Not a bummer. What is wrong with the OS you are now using?
If it Ain't broken don't try to fix it.
Be Happy you don't have to deal with all the changes and inconsistencies that Lion has created between it and older Mac OSs

My Mac has an 1.86 Intel Core Duo, does that mean I can't get Lion?

My Mac has a 1.86 Intel Core Duo, which is not listed for use with Lion, but I'm wondering how if it would work anyway. Just replaced the harddrive recently, and it otherwise meets our needs, don't want to upgrade, but want to use ICloud. Any thoughts?

It won't work at all. Lion will not allow you to install on a Core Duo because Lion requires a 64-bit processor. Your computer is only 32-bit. You can either sell your computer or give it away and buy a newer model.

Would a 256 GB SSD on a 2012 Mac Mini significantly improve Final Cut Pro X Performance?

Would a 256 GB SSD on a 2012 Mac Mini significantly improve Final Cut Pro X Performance?
I'm considering a 2012 Mac Mini 2.6 Quad Core with 16 GB RAM and a 256 GB SSD with external Thunderbolt drives.
I understand that Mavericks allocates 1GB VRAM from system memory in a 2012 Mini with 8GB RAM.

It will only improve the read and write performance, and this is not as important as the processor and the GPU in Final Cut Pro.
The Mac mini has got an integrated GPU that may work if you are a home user, but if you are a professional user, you should consider an iMac, a 15-inch MacBook Pro or a Mac Pro. You won't notice a big performance increase

Will hardwiring my mac mini to my router improve airplay mirroring performance?

I am currently running ATV 2 and a 2012 Mac Mini with Mountain Lion. The AirPlay Mirroring is working well but some videos are lagging and skipping.
If I hardwire my mac mini to the router will that improve performance?
Please advise and thank you for your help.

We've always been able to 'Airplay' from iTunes using wired or wifi (same for the older Airtunes I guess) - I think maybe the name is just a little confusing in that it implies wifi but that shouldn't be the only way of doing so.
There will be instances when you might want to mirror a wired Mac's display to AppleTV without physically connecting to the TV too.
As I say I just don't know if it's limited to wifi only for source mirroring devices as I don't have one capable of doing it.
AC

Mac Mini or MBP??

I am i a postion where i need a potable mac that I can take home at night for securiy reasons. I am a graphic designer and use all te usual Adobe apps. Wondering if a Mac Mini Intel Core i5, 2.3GHz, 2GB RAM or a Mac Book Pro would be best. The cost of the MBP puts me off as i would still need to buy a monitor - i can afford a non apple monitor if i get the man mini. At present I have a imac 2.8ghz Intel Core 2 Duo 3gb ram and this 'just' gets me by for working on. Just wondering if the mac mini will cope? What do you guys think?

Mac mini is not considered a portable system. While it's small enough, it's not designed to be portable. If you are going to do that, be sure to get AppleCare. The MacBook Pro is portable and has a screen built in.

Mac Mini and MBP Memory Compatible?

Hello Everyone!
I have a Mac Mini it is a 2009 (Metal Surrounding with Acryllic top), and I have a 2010 MacBook Pro.
MacMini Specs are as Follow
- 2.0 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 8 GB Ram 1333MHz DDR3-SODIMM (2x4GB DDR3 SODIM,H)
- 120 GB 5400 RPM HDD
MacBook Pro Specs are as follow:
- 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
- 2 GB 1067 MHz DDR3 RAM (I Believe PC3? - 1x2gb, 1 ram slot is bad)
- 250 GB 5400 RPM HDD
I was wondering if I could maybe take one of the 4GB sticks from the MacMini and swap it with the 2GB Stick? I have taken one 4GB Stick out, haven't put the 2GB in the Mini Yet.
But I noticed when I install the 4GB stick into the MBP it won't boot. It will get stuck on the Grey Apple Loading Screen, with the Spinning Circle, after about 30 seconds to a minute, it will stop spinning and be stuck there. I can load the Snow Leopard install disk, can attempt to boot into safe mode, etc. But nothing will work. And I don't want to have to reinstall my whole OSX.
Also I don't get the 3 beeps in succession when starting, it just attempts to boot normally.
I have attached a picture of the two rams. The one on the top is what was already in the MBP, one on the bottom was pulled from the Mini.

According to Mactracker, an early 2009 Mac Mini and a 2010 MBP RAM have identical specifications: 204-pin PC3-8500 (1066 MHz) DDR3 SO-DIMM. Therefore they should be interchangeable.
If the chip is not being recognized, it suggests that the bay or the chip is faulty, or it is not correctly seated.
Ciao.

Help, it feels slooow: Mac Mini 2012 2.3 Quad Core 1TB 4GB

Hi, I already posted this on another forum but I haven't got any feedback yet, I hope I'm luckier here :-)
I'm a long time Mac user. Last week I bought a new Mac Mini 2.3 i7 1Tb Quad Core.
Now, having left the OS X platform years ago when my good old G5 started feeling pretty old for more modern systems and programs, and having used a cheap basic Asus notebook in the meantime, I was really expecting the Mac Mini to fly. Well, to be honest I'm quite puzzled right now: it just feels it's lagging so often, that it doesn't feel that different to my 10 year old G5 running 10.5.
Things like opening System Preferences take an awful long time, often just going to the upper menu and clicking on things I get the dreadful spinning ball, switching between tabs in a browser, and in general the machine (especially considering it's basically new, I didn't even install anything serious on it yet, like Logic Pro, etc) feels definitely not responsive enough for a 2012 quad core.
I know, no SSD and still only the stock 4gb of Ram, but tell me this can't be true. I did some quick check with Disk First Aid and everything looks ok, I fixed permissions too.
I unchecked the "put hd to sleep when possible", but no improvement. I tried also a safe boot, but that didn't tell me much. Of course the machine feels a tad snappier, but it's hard to compare.
I was also surprised to see how slow and laggy Photoshop CS 6 felt even just working on pretty small images, (I'm just trying a 30 days demo), I mean, we're talking of a Quad Core. It's funny 'cause I was expecting it to be day and night to my G5 and that crappy notebook of a few years ago, and it doesn't feel like that. I know, apples and oranges, but still...
So these days I've just used things like Chrome (terribly RAM hungry, I know), Spotify, Open Office here and there, Text Wrangler, things like these...
Oh, the machine came with 10.8.3, now I'm on 10.9, but to be honest I didn't experience significant differences (actually I updated hoping it would have solved the problem).
So, before I return this Mac Mini, please tell me about your real life experiences with a similar configuration, and give me any advice you may have. I'd be really grateful, I don't want to end up buying another PC :-)

Wow, that has me worried as I've been waiting for the new mini. It seems nuts to me that any mac ships with 4Gb RAM these days!
I would recommend that you get at least 8Gb of RAM into your mini ASAP. If you go to the Activity Monitor app you can look for "Page outs" or "Swap Used" and that will show if your mac is having to transfer data from your RAM to your HDD - seriously slowing down the machine. With just 4Gb and Adobe CS your mac is probably doing a lot of it and really struggling. If you have the cash then an SSD will be awesome but to me, RAM is the priority - and you can do it yourself easily.
Just to highlight the differences, here's the effect of different upgrades for me, hopefully that will help with your decision
I have a mid 2010 13" MBP and it shipped with 4Gb / 250Gb 5400rpm HDD.
I updated the memory to 8Gb in 2011/2 and put in a WD Black 7200rpm HDD. That was a massive improvement that could easily be seen when using a different MBP in the original specs (my boss bought 2 so I could see them side by side). Startup was improved by a good margin but apps - especially multiple apps open - were much happier and zippy. I could have all my apps open whereas my boss had to close anything he wasn't using.
About 2 months ago I added a 120Gb SSD from OWC and the difference is massive again. The machine knocked 45 seconds off the boot time and opening/saving/closing apps and files are almost instant, even on the old sata bus. It doesn't affect how many apps I can have open, it just does anything disk related a whole lot quicker.

MBP 2.16 core duo networking slow

Hi
My 2.16 MBP Core duo seems to be having networking speed issues. When I first got it in September 2006, I was seeing bandwidth speeds on my home wireless network comparable to a wired computer on the same router (Apple Extreme base station, comcast cable modem), 2 to 2.5 Mbs. However now I'm only getting 600-700 Kbs on the MBP, yet the older (1 Ghz G4) iMac is still getting the higher rate. Thinking it was a wireless problem, I turned off the Airport card and connected the MBP directly to the cable modem. Unfortunately, I still get a bandwidth connection about one third that of the old iMac.
Any troubleshooting ideas? Thanks!
MacBook Pro 2.16 core duo Mac OS X (10.4.8)

This problem has been on several threads. I thought the new release for the Airport update would fix it. To date I have:
Retrograded back to 10.4.7. This fixed the speed problem.
Today I reloaded 10.4.8, upgraded with the past 2 months of security fixes and the new Airport update. The speed problem has returned - about 1/10 the speed as before - really crawls.
I still believe it is an issue with the original dual core (not the 2's) and 10.4.8. I will now go through the process of reloading the original OSX from the install disk, then run the 10.4.7 combo update. Thankfully I downloaded that 143 MB chunk before I went back to 10.4.8. Good luck, but I think there is a very deep problem with .8 that hasn't been addressed for us early intel adopters.

MBP 1.83 Core Duo

I currently have the MBP Core Duo 1.83.
Question I have... Does anyone know if I am stuck with this processor or can I upgrade if purchase the Core 2 Duo Chip?
Also is getting an external HD the best way to upgrade my capacity and speed?

As everyone else has said, and as you can see in the following pic, the CPU is not like ones found in PC desktops. Laptops, because of their size and design, have very limited upgrade capabilities.
http://www.ifixit.com/Guide/85/images_large/44.jpg
If it makes you feel any better, the difference between a 1.83 GHZ and a 2.0 GHZ is nigh unnoticeable. More RAM and a 7200rpm drive will give you noticeable speed increases. Conversely, a handful of MHZ won't do much at all. Don't get caught up in the 2001 clock speed hype. A computer is much more than it's clock speed.
Look at it this way. You have 3 dams, each lets through some water. The first lets through 100 litres of water a minute, the 2nd, 200 litres, the 3rd, 300 litres. If you are sitting at the first dam, and want more water, would it help you to increase the 2nd dam's size to 500 litres? Of course not. If you were sitting at the 2nd dam, you would see more water if you increased the size of the first dam. If you were at the 3rd, then increasing the size of one of the first two, or both, would help get more water to you.
Basically it's the same thing with a CPU (obviously more complex). But, the analogy still holds. Most things slow down even before they hit the CPU, so it wouldn't matter making them any faster. There are components (such as hard drives) that are extremely far behind any other component.
Remember, your PC is only as fast as its slowest component. Be it that some things you do, do sometimes circumvent that component, irregardless, it will still ultimately affect day to day use.
Be aware that external hard drives are either USB 2.0 or firewire (400 or 800; the latter only supported in the 17" MBP or the new C2D 15" MBP).
The data transfer rate of USB 2.0 is 60 MB/s. Firewire400 is 50 MB/s, while Firewire800 is 100 MB/s. SATA is 300 MB/s. As you can see, an internal hard drive is a much better choice as most hard drives advertise a transfer rate of around 150 MB/s.
Here is a rundown on the latest Toshiba 200 GB, 4200rpm drive:
http://www.techgage.com/article/toshiba200gb_4200rpm_25_harddrive

Mac Mini vs. MBP 2.16 Core Duo Performance

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