Pros
Cons
Our Verdict
There is a circumstances to like about the new Mac mini , not least its depressed pricing and modern processor . However , you should note that the older models from 2012 offer exceptionally good processors , and are upgradable , so if you could get your bridge player on one we recommend that you do .
In October 2014 Apple finallyupdated the Mac mini . In this comparison review we look at the new Mac miniskirt and liken it to the oldMac mini , which offered many features that are not available with the new example .
It ’s been a long meter since Apple last updated the Mac mini . Two whole class . Actually the old Mac miniskirt was n’t a bad political machine even towards the end . It had an fantabulous Intel Core CPU – sure it was the late generation , Ivy Bridge , but it was effective and brawny . As you may see from the spec comparison below , the aged Mac miniskirt looks reasonably fast in compare , despite it ’s sure-enough central processor .
There were a few other point in favour of the old Mac mini and the master one was the fact that it had a spin - off hatch on the underside that you could absent to bring your own upgrades . Unfortunately the young Mac mini model is a lot more difficult to get in spite of appearance , and once you do , there is a lot less flexibility for updates and upgrades . Check out the Mac mini on Apple ’s web stock : here .
Updatedwith news that Apple now extend a 2 TB Fusion Drive option on the top of the range Mac miniskirt .
Read :
2012 Mac mini versus 2014 Mac mini
The specification for the unexampled Mac miniskirt models are as follows :
Product
GHz
drive
computer graphic
computer storage
Price
Mac mini
1.4GHz double - core i5
4 Gi
Intel HD Graphics 5000
500 GB hard drive
£ 399
2.6GHz dual - nitty-gritty i5
8 gigabyte
Intel Iris Graphics
1 TB hard thrust
£ 569
2.8GHz duple - burden i5
1 TB Fusion Drive
£ 799
There are also the following build to order options for the 2014 Mac miniskirt :
8 GB £ 80
16 GB £ 240
1 TB Fusion Drive £ 200
3.0GHs double - core i7 £ 230
16 GB £ 160
256 GB Flash £ 160
1 TB Fusion Drive £ 160
3.0GHz dual - core i7
2 TB Fusion Drive £ 80
256 GB heartbeat
512 GB Flash £ 240
1 TB Flash £ 640
Apple has late add an option that allows you to get a 2 TB Fusion Drive for and extra £ 80 when you corrupt the £ 799 model , bringing the toll to £ 879 . Only the top of the chain model has this option .
The 2012 Mac mini host version included a 2 TB hard driving force ( actually two separate 1 TB hard drives ) , which made it a popular option among those front for a media server , so Apple ’s decision to extend this 2 TB fusion drive is potential a reaction to this . We ’ve been recite that these drive have only of late become uncommitted in a smaller strong-arm size , likely Apple was waiting for this new drive before offering the option for the Mac miniskirt .
Here is the spec for the 2012 Mac mini modelling :
2.5GHz dual - nitty-gritty i5
Intel HD Graphics 4000
£ 499
2.3GHz quad - core i7
£ 649
Mac mini Server
2 TB hard drive
£ 829
As you could see , aside from the entryway - storey model , the previous Mac mini models offered faster quad - nucleus i7 processors along with 2 TB storage in the server model . The only improvement on the newfangled Mac miniskirt is the 8 GB RAM as standard on the mid and top of the reach fashion model .
Getting inside the Mac mini
As we name above , the old Mac mini had an easy to remove floor that leave you to get inside to update components such as the RAM . The young Mac mini is a lot less approachable . All is not lost however ; we discovered that you could still get inside the unexampled Mac miniskirt , once you get past Apple ’s tamperproof screw propeller on the underside .
The blackened plastic hat can still be pulled off , but behind that there ’s now an sharpness - to - edge round blade bulkhead in place , seal down with Torx T6 T security system screwing . Apple really does n’t want you to get inside , but with a bit of endeavor you could get past these screw .
Once you are inside the new Mac mini there is n’t a lot you may do however …
Updating the RAM in the Mac mini
The old Mac mini shipped with 4 GB of remembering but crucially you could upgrade it to as much as 16 GB – not only as a build to rescript deal when you purchased the machine – you could buy your own RAM and raise it yourself .
late Macs are ill-famed for having their RAM solder onto the motherboard so there is no elbow room to upgrade them subsequently should you make up one’s mind 4 GB RAM is n’t enough . For example , the RAM is n’t upgradable in the entry - level iMac , or any of the MacBook Air models or the MacBook Pro with Retina show . So if that ’s what you have you are out of luck .
The bad news about the Modern Mac mini is that its RAM is now soldered on .
This means that if you require to have more Aries in your Mac mini you need to make that decision at the time you buy it . When you buy the Mac from Apple you could take to add more RAM , contribute 8 GB to the entrance grade model total £ 80 to the Leontyne Price , while sum 16 GB bestow £ 240 to the entry level , or £ 160 to the other selection that already ship with 8 GB .
apropos , if you were to bribe the same 8 GB memory fromCrucialit would be you £ 61 , the 16 GB would be you £ 123 from Crucial . A fair saving but only useable for the older Mac mini .
Updating the storage in the Mac mini
It ’s not all bad news though . you may swap the internal disk for something much faster , should you wish to . You wo n’t be able to habituate the proprietary PCIe - attached flash cause connector , but if you purchase a mini with a stock hard disk , you could remove that and use that port for repositing of your alternative .
You could purchase the cheapest Mac mini and update the memory board to a fast newsbreak store , for example . Just ensure that the storage is compatible first .
take : Best SSD to update a Mac
Mac mini processor speed
One reason we were so excited to hear that Apple had updated the Mac mini was that the 2012 models were go what is now quite an one-time Ivy Bridge Intel processor . These manikin feature a 2.5GHz twofold - core Intel Core i5 at the entree stage , and a 2.3GHz musculus quadriceps femoris - core Intel Core i7 central processing unit at the high-pitched end .
Throughout 2013 Apple updated its other Macs to melt down Intel ’s Haswell mainframe , and boosted these even more in 2014 . clearly the Mac minis were look quite out of date by the time Apple finally got around to updating them .
The cheapest Mac miniskirt now has the same 1.4GHz dual - core processor and integrated nontextual matter chip as the MacBook Air and theentry point iMac . Therefore it was no surprise that the new Mac mini ’s C.P.U. and graphics performance was close to the current MacBook Air range and practically identical to the Modern £ 899 iMac . The MacBook Air has the edge due to its flash memory , while the Mac mini and iMac still have a hard driving force as monetary standard .
The other two Mac mini proffer Intel three-fold - Congress of Racial Equality i5 2.6GHz and 2.8GHz processors with Intel Iris Graphics . These are comparable to the processors inside the13 - inch Retina MacBook Pro , but as with the MacBook Air , you’re able to expect the degraded flash computer storage to give these example a rise . The21.5 - inch iMacsoffer 2.7GHz and 2.9GHz quad - core processors , so even carry them to be importantly quicker , even with the burden of movable depot .
How do the newfangled Intel processors compare to the one in the 2012 Mac miniskirt models ? As we mentioned to begin with , those processors might have been two years old , but they were fast , and , with the espousal of the entering - level model , they were quad - pith Intel i7 processor .
Now the Mac mini declare oneself only Intel i5 dual - Congress of Racial Equality processor option as standard , there are i7 processors available at compass point of sale , but these are still only dual - core . We have run full tests comparing the previous generation with the late generation of Mac miniskirt and you could see the solution here : Mac mini 2.8GHz review .
In those tests the new ‘ good ’ Mac mini scored 3363 points in single - heart and soul musical mode , and 7208 points in multi - core mode . The 2012 ‘ best ’ Mac mini ( 2.6 gigahertz Intel Core i7 ) make 3308 points exclusive - core , and 12927 points multi - core . So today ’s Mac mini showed a 1.7 per centum positive step-up in detail score when mono - tasked ; but mark only 56 percent of the older model ’s hurrying with multi - meander practical app .
Read : What ’s the conflict between Intel Core i5 and i7
Things you don’t get with the Mac mini
The old Mac mini boast FireWire 800 . This is now cash in one’s chips , supercede by an spare Thunderbolt 2 port . This means that the only stay Mac to have FireWire is the non Retina MacBook Pro , which costs £ 899 .
Nor will you get a videodisc drive – the Mac mini has n’t featured a SuperDrive since 2011 , but you may buy aSuperDrivefrom Apple for £ 65 . Read ourSuperDrive review .
Nor do you get amouse , keyboard or presentation with the Mac miniskirt , so when you consider the terms you require to factor in these in . You may already own a presentation that is desirable for the Mac miniskirt . A pile of masses use the HDMI post to plug the Mac miniskirt in to their video , making the Mac mini their entertainment hub .
Mac mini price
The 2014 Mac miniskirt starts from just £ 399 , and while this is n’t the cheapest Mary Leontyne Price Apple has ever trade Mac mini for ( the PowerPC G4 version of 2005 begin at just £ 329 ) if you allow for ostentation it is efficaciously the least amount of money you have ever been able-bodied to pay for a stain new Mac . The other 2014 Mac miniskirt models be £ 569 and £ 799 .
Theprevious Mac miniprice started at £ 499 , rising to £ 679 and £ 849 for the server modeling ( now discontinued ) , so you are wait at a saving £ 100 , £ 110 , or £ 50 reckon on which model you grease one’s palms .
There is emphatically a psychological reward in the lower pricing . When you believe that the Mac miniskirt costs the same as the16 GB iPad Air 2 , and only more or less more than the 8 GB iPhone 5c , we can imagine that a fortune of people will be considering spend £ 399 on a new Mac .
However , you may get a Mac miniskirt for even less than that if you are happy to choose a second manus model . Mac minis fare up from time to time on Apple ’s refurbished depot , although there were none when we depend . You may also be able to nibble up a 2d hand Mac mini on ebay
Read : Best place to grease one’s palms a Mac
Read : touch base your Mac mini to a television receiver : turn a Mac mini into a media hub .
