Which Mac Mini

I think that a Mac Mini may be best for me.  On another thread I ID'd a system under $1000 that looks fine.  But, I have quesitons.
Sometimes it may be best to buy a refurb, as there is no educational discount, etc. for a mini anyway.  I thought an i7, non-server, if/when available might be a good buy - any issues with them?  What is the 'best buy' refurb in a Mini?
Should I WAIT till the new release?  (I am starting to knuckle under becuase my son MAY need it (actually my old iMacG5) for home schooling quicker than I thought).
I MAY try a 23" HDTV (1080) as the monitor for starters. 
I am reading of video issues, etc., and need to ask HOW are these computers? 
Thanks.
(My history - I had the old G3 iMacDVSEs (2) and both were buggy as heck, and despite that I bought the G5.  It is still running solid after 7 years.  My oldest son's powerbook has been fine.  So when I read any issues I get a bit leery (although I know problems get posted much more readily).

Factory refurbished Macs are fine and come with a factory new warranty. The downside is there are few available and those that are get snapped up very quickly, but don't expect a huge discount from new. Usually they go for $50 to $100 below new list. The best sources I know of are Apple and SmallDog Electronics. The only difference between a Mac mini and a Mac mini Server is the Server comes with two drives and the $30 OS X Server application already installed.
There have been some issues reported with HDMI monitors, but supposedly that will be corrected with a OS X update.
I have a Late 2012 Mac mini with 2.6 GHz quad core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM,  a 1.1 TB Fusion drive and a 27" Apple Thunderbolt monitor running the "fusion drive" version of OS X 10.8.4. I have had zero problems and the performance is excellent.
Note: if you are upgrading from a G5 none, I repeat none, of your G5 software will work, but of course that is true of all new Macs.

Similar Messages

  • [SOS]Which mac mini device can install dual boot(Lion and Mt Lion)?

    Salutations!
    Due to my assignment, I need to get mac mini device which support dual boot.
    Which mac mini device model/firmware can we install dual boot(Lion and Mt Lion) on it?
    I got late 2012 one, but it looks like it does not support.
    Please help me.
    Thank you so much,
    TriQuang

    Hi Niel,
    Thank you for your fast reply. So if I buy mac mini MC815 model, which comes with preinstalled Lion I can run dual boot(Lion and Mt Lion)?
    I have one more question: Can I install Mac OS 10.6 on that mini device? If it's not supported which mac mini model can I get to support Snow Leopard and Lion and Mt Lion?
    Thanks and best regards,
    TriQuang

  • Which mac mini should i go for: the one with AMD graphic card or Intel. I meanly going to use it for hometheater and HD movies.

    which mac mini should i go for: the one with AMD graphic card or Intel. I meanly going to use this for hometheater and HD movies.

    Intel HD 3000 graphics card can easily handle HD movies up to 1080p. But if you are looking at higher resolutions possibly 4k or 8k that are being released this summer in new TV's, I would go with the AMD card. The AMD card would be good for video and picture applications and also games. But if this is strictly to power your 1080p home theater setup then the choice is obviously the Intel HD 3000.

  • Which Mac mini should I buy ?

    Hi,
    Please I'm confuse and I can't make a decision, Which Mac mini is good for me:
    Note that I'll used the new mac for IT development.
    2012 Mac Mini ( $799 on Amazon )
    2.3 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz) with 6MB L3 cache
    4 GB (two 2GB) of 1600MHz DDR3 memory
    1 TB (5400-rpm) hard drive
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Or
    2014 Mac Mini ( $669 on Amazon )
    2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
    1TB (5400-rpm) hard drive
    8GB of 1600MHz LPDDR3 memory
    Intel Iris Graphics
    Mac OS X Yosemite
    Is there a big different between Intel HD Graphics 4000 & Intel Iris Graphics ?
    Please help me to take a right decision.
    Thanks in advance
    Abdusalam

    I was decided to buy the Mac mini 2014, but I found the 2012 one on amazon
    What makes me confuse is that with 2012 I can upgrade the RAM easily to 16 GB in future and I'll get Quad Core i7
    The only different is the Intel Iris Graphics, Is it worth to discard i7 Quad core and the ability to upgrade RAM by my self ?
    I'm a IT developer .. and I want to used it develop iOS apps and I used :
    xCode
    Photoshop
    Visual studio on Windows
    Thanks lllaass

  • Which mac mini model supports dual monitors

    Hi there
    I gather that at some point mac minis started to support dual monitors natively.
    Would anyone be able to clear up which model this was?
    Cheers

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    October 20, 2009 to June 14, 2010 Mac Minis supported mini-DisplayPort & and mini-DVI.
    June 15, 2010 and later supported mini-DisplayPort & HDMI.

  • Which Mac mini for home server, Aperture & HTPC

    Hi,
    I'm buying a Mac mini for:
    - home / small business server
    - Occasional HTPC usage (will be hooked to my TV via HDMI)
    - Occasional Aperture / iPhoto usage (minimal iMovie)
    Which one is most suitable for this?
    I was planing to go for Server  version (with bumped up RAM to 8GB), but now I read about video card and I'm not 100% anymore.
    I will NOT use it for 3D - gaming or similar tasks!
    Thak you all for help!
    Vasja

    I went for the non-server dual core i7 with AMD GPU and am very happy with it.  Do quite a bit of Aperture work and it never misses a beat (so far).  I'm not a fan of integrated Intel graphics and wouldn't trust it for HTPC duties.
    I'm not sure how many/much of the 'server' functionality you're going to be using as it sounds more like file transfer and other tasks that could be accomplished through normal Lion.
    Unless I'm missing something I assume the two hard drives in the Mini Server are just as much of a pain to replace as the one in the non-server Mini so I didn't see the point of having a two hard disc Mini.
    For your requirements I would definitely look at how much of the server functionality you really need to utilise, and if the answer is 'not much' I'd recommend the i5 or i7 non-server Mini with AMD GPU and some sort of NAS, plus a sensible offsite backup plan for your data.

  • Which Mac Mini will do the job?

    Hello
    I currently connect my 2.5 Ghz Core 2 Duo 17" MacBook Pro to my Panasonic 37" Plasma ( 1080i ) via HDMI and everything works perfectly.
    I use mounted server volumes over a wireless network to allow access to my movies through Front Row.No problems at all...
    My question is; I want to use a Mac Mini instead of having to connect my MBP every time I want to watch a movie...anyone got an opinion on which Mini would do the job?
    Thanks for any advice.
    Ian.

    There's really very little to choose between the two models in terms of their overall performance and capabilities. The 2.0 model has a marginally faster CPU and double the L2 cache, but is still bottlenecked by a relatively slow hard drive, 11g wifi and identical on-board GPU.
    Thus if you are streaming HD content via Front Row using an 11n network via your MBP, you may find both minis deficient, or at the very least, performing with broadly similar results.
    Given the developing nature of media streaming usage in general, where it is never possible to be sure what you'll need into the future, I would be inclined to look at whether the mini will be capable of the tasks you have in mind (ie, wether it's wifi is sufficient to your needs and the mini's video will support the TV at the resolution you want, and if so then opt for the 2.0 model for it's slightly better overall performance and max-out the RAM to 4Gb (of which 3Gb will be usable by the system) to ensure it runs as smoothly as possible.

  • Which mac mini for the same price?

    Hello. I am about to purchase a new mac mini. Either the 1.24 ghz w/combo drive or the 1.42 ghz w/combo drive..
    here are the specs for the 1.25ghz model i would get:
    1GB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
    80GB Ultra ATA drive
    Combo Drive
    Internal Bluetooth
    56K v.92 Modem
    Mac OS X - U.S. English
    1.25GHz PowerPC G4
    ATI Radeon 9200 w/32MB DDR video memory
    Here are the 1.42ghz specs that I would get:
    1GB DDR333 SDRAM - 1 DIMM
    80GB Ultra ATA drive
    Combo Drive
    Internal Bluetooth + AirPort Extreme Card
    No modem
    Mac OS X - U.S. English
    1.42GHz PowerPC G4
    ATI Radeon 9200 w/32MB DDR video memory
    Both models with the specs above will cost the same at the apple store at 774.00
    I have heard the 1.25ghz model's hard drive is a bit faster at 5400rpm. Is this a good reason to go with the 1.25ghz model? The only other difference in specifications between these two models is that the 1.42ghz model also includes the airport extreme card(I dont plan on getting the base station, but it could always be a possibilty in the future).
    The way I want these models configured costs exactly the same...the only differences being are the cpu speed, hard drive speed, and the airport extreme card.
    I have owned a G4 dual 1ghz powermac, and a g3 800mhz ibook. Needless to say, I love apple and the OSX opperating system!
    I am also considering the emac, but I am on a budget here. I will only be using this for the basic stuff(no cpu-intensive programs running here).
    I also dont want the superdrive becasue if I ever need one, I will buy an external firewire burner.
    Any and all advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer in my decision!
    -jason

    Whether Apple are, or are not, about to release bumped minis is not something anyone who has genuine knowledge is permitted to discuss or confirm. That there are rumors is true, but there have been rumors of all sorts of Apple products before - so proved true, but an amazing number proved otherwise.
    Given the intended use the original poster described, it seems highly likely to me that ANY mini would be more than adequate. The more RAM the better, the faster the better, but where budget is tight and where there are no extraordinary user expecations or demands, a 1.25 mini with 512Mb RAM is a very capable system.
    If Airport and or Bluetooth is required, the cost of adding them to the 1.25 model is sufficiently high that the 1.412 would make more sense. If a modem is needed and yet Airport or BT is desired, the 1.42 with built to order modem would be best. If using a RAM-hungry application such as Photoshop, the 1.25 qwith 1GHz RAM will run more smoothly and faster than a 1.42 with 512Mb RAM. Where processor hungry applications are involved (video editing for example) a 1.42 with 512Mb would generally perform a tad faster than a 1.25 with 1Gb - except when it comes to rendering effects and transitions etc.
    If budget allows, the 1.42 model with 1Gb RAM and a modem added would be pretty much ideal for power vs cost. And if still considering after a week, who knows, there may be bumped up models - though the same general principles by which to weigh the options would still apply.

  • Which Mac Mini should I buy for use with a 65 inch Panasonic GT30?

    Im very interested in surfing the web from the comfort of my Lay Z boy.  I have a 65inch Panasonic GT30 tv along with an Onkyo TXNR609 av receiver that handles everything (DirecTV, PS3, X360, Wii, Apple TV).  My only concern is the lag issue in dealing with the big display.  Should I buy the base modle with the slower processor and upgrade the RAM?  Or should I buy the i7 and rock out that way?  I can afford either but would like to spend the least considering this isnt going to be the main computer in my house.  Thanks for any advice!!

    If you ever (*ever*) want to fire up a serious 3D game (one with a 2010+ appetite for GPU power), go for the midrange model with the real videocard. If you only want to browse the web, maybe do some flash, things like that, the low end model has enough videocard for that. That Mini has the same Intel HD Graphics 3000 as my MBA13/2011 does, and that is currently driving my external 24" 1920x1200 screen just fine. Your TV is 1920x1080, so that even though it may have a lot more inches, it has fewer pixels than that, and it's the pixels that cost GPU power, not the inches. Size doesn't matter, its what you do with it!
    Since you're comfortable upgrading the ram yourself, obviously put in 8 or 16 instead of the 2 or 4 it comes with. The pricing on that ram is insanely low right now and while I'd personally go for the 16 on a desktop machine, I reckon for your intended usage 8 is well more than sufficient (4 would probably work, it does on aforementioned MBA13 after all), and it's about $50ish difference which is not nothing.
    If you can live with a small capacity drive, and are willing to open up the Mini further than just the base cover over the ram, I'd recommend getting a 128 GB SSD and installing it. The Apple price for the 256GB SSD, only on the midrange, is probably not worth it. You can even get a second-hard-drive-kit from one of the two well-known vendors and add the SSD while keeping the existing drive as an internal storage drive.
    P.S.: I don't actually believe in CPU upgrades. Even when you start with the midrange, the i7 is still $100 and that will also buy you that SSD, or get you most of the way to that SSD plus the second hard drive kit. The difference in performance between the i5 at 2.5 and the i7 at 2.7 is really pretty darn minimal, so as long as you're choosing to do one thing and not the other, get the SSD before the CPU upgrade, no question. If you wanna go full-option balls-to-the-wall-everything-maxed, that's another thing, just don't go for the i7 upgrade as the first thing.
    P.P.S.: Now that the 2012 MBAs and traditional MBPs are out, it seems likely that a Mac Mini refresh is coming relatively soon which contains an Ivy Bridge CPU and chipset (which means USB3 and HD4000), a more capable discrete GPU in the versions that have them, and (speculation tempered with hope) one of those new 35W TDP Quadcores in the midrange model, possibly as the CPU upgrade (pretty please, Apple?). It might be worth waiting for. On the other hand, waiting for new computer hardware is also a chump's game. There's *always* something better around the corner.

  • Which Mac Mini Configuration Recommended for Leopard??

    I'm about to purchase a new Mini to replace my (beautiful!) G4 Cubes, and would appreciate any comments/recommendations on which configuration to order. I'm planning to get the upgraded 2GB of memory (more is always better!, and my guess would be that the 2.0 GHz processor with a 120 GB HD + SuperDrive should be a nice ticket - or would you recommend a bigger HD? (I don't do intensive graphics or any gaming, but I want to be able to run OS X and MS Windows simultaneously (with Parallels?).
    Also... I currently have 2 G4 Cubes networked to run on a single DSL service using a FriendlyNet Ethernet Hub and 2Wire modem. Any problems simply substituting the Mac Mini for one of the Cubes in this network?
    Final question, please: With Leopard plus Parallels on the new Mini, what is the minimum Microsoft package I would need to buy in order to open and work with basic Excel, PPS, and Word documents?
    With your comments/recommendations, I'm ready to add my contribution to Apple's gross and net income for the current quarter!!..... Thanks!... CaptDenny

    Welcome to Apple Discussions!
    The requirements for Leopard are sufficiently low that even an old Mac mini should run it well, let alone one of the new Core 2 Duo models. As such, the 2.0 model with 2Gb RAM should be more than adequate. Leopard's only notably heavier demand is drive space, now requiring close to 10Gb. Clearly the 120Gb drive standard in the 2.0 model would be adequate to that task, plus allow for use of Windows also. As such, a larger internal drive wouldn't really be recommended, though you may wish to consider adding a good sized external, preferably a firewire connected drive, for extra storage and backup.
    Where running Windows is concerned, Leopard comes with BootCamp, so you could use that as opposed to Parallels. The downside is that while BootCamp is free, it doesn't permit the running of MacOS and Windows side by side. At boot, you have to select one or the other. If that meets your needs, then it's a better bet in many ways, since it allows the entire system, memory and processor to be dedicated to whichever OS you need at any given time, rather than shared.
    On the other hand, if you need or want to run both MacOS and Windows simultaneously, and switch between them, Parallels is the option that would allow that, though both MacOS and Windows will suffer in terms of absolute performance since RAM and CPU are shared between them.
    You should have no problem substituting a new mini into your home network using the same setup as you presently have on the soon to be retired Cube.
    To run Excel, PowerPoint and Word, you'll need a copy of MS Office. The current version for Mac is still 2004, which is not Intel native. The updated version to closely match MS Office 2007 for Windows will not be out for Mac until 2008. If you buy a copy of MS Office 2004 for Mac however, you'll get an upgrade to the new version when it is released. Upgrading at that point would be advised since while the current version is not Intel native, the new version due is. If you are a student or teacher, you will qualify for the Academic version at around $150, otherwise it's a little expensive $400 list price.

  • Which mac mini should I get to setup osx server

    Hello!
    I run a small development team though we are fairly new at working together and we're trying to setup an efficient development environment for us.  I've recently stumbled on to 'continuous integration' and had heard that a Mac Mini server can go a long way toward reaching that goal. 
    Keep in mind, though we're iOS developers and are technologically competent, none of us have server admin experience.
    Unfortunately the latest update to Mac Mini does not have a server model.  That leads me to the following questions:
    1) Should I purchase an older mac mini that is already setup as a server?  (aka, Mac mIni server)
    2) Should I purchase one of the newer models and install OSX Server myself?  I heard it's cheap off the Mac App store, so price is not a concern, but I'm not sure what the tradeoffs are of getting one that is already a supposed server, and setting one up myself as a server.
    3) If I do purchase one of the three newer models, how do I know which one I need to support our environment?  Lower cost is obviously better, but I don't want to short change ourselves on the required power.  We would use the server mostly for file sharing, collaborating, code repos, CI, etc.  We have a website that we host on Godaddy and I would move it to our server if I could, but this is low on the priority list.
    I'm also open to options such as, do none of the above and wait for a new Mac mini server model to come out, but I'm anxious and want to get started
    Thanks so much for your help and advice!
    Frankie

    A server model is NOTHING but a 2nd 2.5" HD and the OSX Server APP
    buy a quad core mini (on sale now at best buy), and purchase a 1TB Hitachi ($65) 7200RPM HD off ebay
    and purchase the server APP from the APP STORE.
    OR, just find a new or used server model 2012 Mini
    dont even think about fooling with the new 2014 Mini.   Lost cause.
    I use godaddy as well, and ergo have NO need for a Mini server, even though I own 4 Mac Minis.
    godaddy is cheaper and easier ......you should possibly consider the same

  • Which Mac Mini to Use as a Server?

    Hello Everyone,
    I have researched this but have not been able to find the answer I have been looking for as it relates to recent hardware and/or message posts.
    I want to set up a Mac Mini as a server to be used mainly for file storage with an external hard drive between 4 other Macs and a couple PCs, then have the files uploaded to a service such as CrashPlan for offsite backup. Also, I want to use it with VPN to access my files remotely. I don't plan to use it for anything else but that. My question is, concerning my needs, can I get by with the dual-core model or should I go with the quad-core or server model? The dual-core is $200 or $400 cheaper which I can use for other hardware, such as the external hard drive.
    Has anyone had experience with both to compare the performance and such?
    Has anyone used the Mac Mini for the same purpose I plan to use one for?
    What problems have you encountered?
    What are some things to be aware of?
    Do you have any other suggestions for this plan?
    Please don't be bashful. I need to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly. Your comments are greatly appreciated and will help me make an informed decision.
    Many thanks to everyone for your help!!!
    God bless you all!!!
    Puterdood.

    You shouldn't need anything more than the base i5 model ($599). The RAM is sufficient for your usage also. You don't need to spend the money on a Mac Mini Server.
    I currently have a late-2012 i5 base model with 4GB of RAM running OS X Mavericks and OS X Server 3.0.2. It works really well and with Maverick's memory management (memory compression), the 4GB of RAM is like having 6GB. I'm running the DNS, Profile Manager, File Sharing, Time Machine Backup, VPN and Open Directory services. It's a home server. I also added a 128GB SSD which I put OS X Mavericks, OS X Server, Apps and User accounts on. I use the stock 500GB HDD for data storage and file sharing.

  • Which Mac Mini has i7 and WiFi AC

    I have read that the Mac Mini is finally upgraded. That means available i7 and WiFi 802 ac.
    What is the model number for this upgrade?

    Apples website
    http://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs.html
    Still shows the current 20102 Mini. It has:
    Wi-Fi
    802.11n Wi-Fi wireless networking;3 IEEE 802.11a/b/g compatible

  • Which Mac Mini for word processing?

    Hello, my partner is looking to buy a computer to use exclusively for word processing.  Since she literally only wants to use a word processor – probably either MS Word or Nisus Writer – and nothing else (not even the internet), I suggested she might get a secondhand Mac Mini.
    I was wondering if anyone had any particular advice on what to look out for – otherwise it would just be a case of seeing what the cheapest device on offer is at a local second-hand computer shop.
    These would be the requirements:
    1.  It must be able to run at least Snow Leopard, in order to run a modern word processor.
    2.  It must be secure, i.e. not liable to break/malfunction easily.  (My partner is writing a novel, so she doesn't want to lose it half way through!)
    3.  It must be able to start up quickly.
    I'm assuming these are modest requirements, so I assume I'm really asking if there's any particularly dodgy models I should look out for etc.
    Any thoughts welcome!
    Jon

    Adding an aftermarket SSD drive won't help keep the cost down though.  To some extent, often startup doesn't matter much as many people never shut their Macs down.  My MBP has not been turned off for more than a few days in 4 years - I'll sleep it when away from it, and the hard drive and screen are timed out to sleep, but I don't bother shutting it down and rebooting it often.  And the difference in boot time for an SSD versus a HDD is likely going to be under one minute on any machine made in the last 3-5 years, so is it worth the cost for that, especially if you are only rarely restarting the machine?  To my mind that answer is no, but everybody is different.
    If I/O is an actually bottleneck or high activity issue on a machine, that is when an SSD becomes worth the extra cost, to my mind.  For word processing, I/O will not be a limitation at all, even with an older 5400rpm conventional HDD, so using an SSD is largely paying for something without any real benefit.  Even in terms of reliability, SSDs are hardly error free or not prone to failure, and in real world use or MTBF type ratings, a good quality conventional HDD is just as reliable as any decent SSD (and sometimes is more so for certain types of failures under heavy use read/write conditions).
    Buying used is fine, if you know the place you are buying from and can trust them to only offer decent items.  As long as you backup regularly so you can recover, a used item may suit your budget and needs just fine.
    In the tight budget scenario though, it is hard to beat some of the available Windows PC consumer machines, and many of those are pretty good quality.  MS Word is MS Word by and large, whether on OS X or Windows.  Keep in mind for the PC route, the cost of decent AV (although many of the free tools are very good and more than enough if you are educated and savvy about what to do and not do with email or web sites&links).

  • Which Mac Mini is best for Editing in Final Cut Pro X i5 or i7 ?

    Hey guys plz suggest me a good mac mini machine for editing in Final Cut Pro X. Is there any difference in i5 mac mini or i7 in terms of rendering or editing, and what is the use of an SSD drive in terms of editing in mac mini either than its 5400rpm HD, or should i buy imac i5 with ssd ?
    Lets see if i buy mac mini i5 with 16gb ram and a ssd drive,  Will it work better than mac mini i7 with 16gb ram but without ssd drive ?
    So guys plzz suggest me the best mac specs for video editing
    Thanks in advance

    Your budget?
    Take a look at this: http://www.barefeats.com/minivmp.html
    The 2012 Quad-Core i7 Mac mini is a real contender when it comes to CPU power compared to our examples of a Quad-Core Mac Pro and Quad-Core iMac. We plan to add some other examples of Quad-Core desktop Macs (including a faster Mac mini) to these graphs in the days ahead but the point is made.
    However, the GPU in the 2012 Quad-Core i7 Mac mini is weak in comparison to the Mac Pro (and iMac) as you can see from the "Heaven" graph.
    That's going to affect its ability to handle advanced Pro Apps that make use of the GPU for certain types of effect rendering.
    These apps include Apple's Final Cut Pro and Motion as well as Adobe's Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and After Effects.
    The Mac mini's Intel HD 4000 GPU will also hamstring hard-core gamers.
    The Mac mini is also weak in support of OpenCL as you can see from the "LuxMark" graph.
    It is forced to render the model using only CPU while the iMac and Mac Pro GPUs are able to render the model.
    Why does this matter? Because apps like Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Photoshop use OpenCL acceleration for rendering certain effects.
    http://www.barefeats.com/imac12p1.html
    Even a Mac Pro (refurbished special 4-core 2.8 is $1819 and can be upgraded to more RAM, 4x4TB w/o going into Thunderbolt storage) and have multiple SSDs as the choice or need arises.)
    Fusion drive + Thunderbolt but I think you are asking too much out of the mini. It is fine for a lot of uses.

Maybe you are looking for