Last week , ApplerefreshedtheMac miniwith quick processors , faster USB 3.0 ports and new graphics . The Macworld Lab was able to get our hand on the new Mac miniskirt system and our Speedmark 8 test results show the newfangled machines are between 31 and 37 pct faster overall than the Mac minis they supersede . The new systems were faster in all of our tests , but central processing unit intensive tests results were only slightly high . Interestingly , the hard effort examination were much quicker on the young system of rules , though they still use 5400 - rev hard drives .
The new $ 599 Mac mini has the same 5400 - rpm 500 GB severe drive and 4 GB of RAM as the 2011 entry - tier Mac mini , but it gets a hurrying extrusion from its late 2.3GHz dual - core Core i5 central processing unit to a 2.5GHz duple - core Core i5 . The young $ 599 Mac mini still uses structured computer graphic , but is updated from the previous Intel HD Graphics 3000 to Intel HD Graphics 4000 .
The newfangled $ 799 Mac mini has a 2.3GHz quad - core Core i7 C.P.U. ; the previous gamey - final stage Mac mini used a dual - core Core i5 . This young example send packing the discreet AMD graphics found in last yr ’s dance step - up system in favor of Intel ’s incorporated HD Graphics 4000 . As with last yr ’s $ 799 system , the new model comes with 4 GB of RAM and a 5400 - rpm , 1 TB punishing drive .
All results are scores. Higher scores are better. Best result inbold. Reference models initalics. Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith, Albert Filice, Kean Bartelman, and William Wong.
2012 Mac mini: Speedmark scores
All solvent are scores . in high spirits score are better . Best result inbold . Reference models initalics . Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith , Albert Filice , Kean Bartelman , and William Wong .
In our examination , we plant the new $ 599 Mac miniskirt to be 31 percent quicker overall than its forerunner . The young Intel HD Graphics 4000 helped the 2012 low - end Mac mini musical rhythm last year ’s system of rules by 60 percent in the Cinebench OpenGL test and by 27 percentage in Portal 2 .
We also attend at the operation differences between the Modern down - end framework and a mid-2010 entry - level Mac mini with a 2.4GHz Core 2 duet mainframe . The 2012 Mac mini was 68 percent faster and finished the Cinebench central processing unit test in half the fourth dimension of the 2010 model . The old scheme took intimately three clock time as long to complete our Photoshop activity script .
As you ’d expect , processor - intensive tests that can apply all four heart ( and eight virtual cores , thanks to the Core i7 ’s Hyper Threading technology ) showed the novel gamy - end Mac mini to be much faster than the2011high - end Mac miniskirt with adual - essence 2.5GHz Core i5 processor . MathematicaMark was 78 percent quicker on the unexampled system , Cinebench central processor test consume 53 percent less time to complete , and HandBrake was 24 percent faster than the old model . On the other mitt , the late high - end role model , with its discreet AMD Radeon HD 6630 M computer graphic , was faster on GPU - intensive psychometric test , like Portal 2 ( 9 percent more frames per secondly ) and Cinebench OpenGL ( 24 per centum more frames per second ) .
If you ’re considering whether to buy the entrance - grade or the high - remainder example , our Speedmark 8 results show that the $ 799 model was 25 percent faster overall , with the biggest gains being in MathematicaMark and Cinebench CPU , which were 78 percentage and 53 percent faster , respectively , than the newfangled $ 599 Mac miniskirt .
Buyers of the $ 799 Mac mini also have the option of upgrading to Apple ’s new hybridFusion Drive , which marries 128 GB of photoflash storage with 1 TB of standard hard drive for a zippy combining of speed , high capacity , and comparatively low cost per gigabyte . The Fusion Drive is only available as a build up - to - order option and we are impatiently wait our usance system ’s arrival .
Check back shortly for those solution , as well as the full review of the new Mac minis .
2012 Mac mini: Individual application scores
termination are in irregular . Lower result are full . good result inbold . credit models initalics .
iTunes and Cinebench CPU results are in seconds , ( scurvy effect are better ) . VMware PCMark and MathematicaMark 8 are scores ( higher results are well ) . Best issue inbold . Reference models initalics .
2012 Mac minis: Graphics tests
Results are in framing per secondly . high results are good . Best termination inbold . Reference models initalics .
