Apple’s old Mac mini G4 versus the new Intel-based Mac mini video specs:
Mac mini G4:
• ATI Radeon 9200 graphics processor with AGP 4X support, 32MB of dedicated Double Data Rate (DDR) video memory
• DVI video output for digital resolutions up to 1920 x 1200 pixels; supports 20-inch Apple Cinema display and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD display; supports coherent digital displays up to 154MHz; supports non-coherent digital displays up to 135MHz
• VGA video output (using included adapter) to support analog resolutions up to 1920 x 1080 pixels
• S-video and composite video output to connect directly to a TV or projector (requires Apple DVI to Video Adapter, sold separately)
Mac mini Intel-based:
• Intel GMA950 graphics processor with 64MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory
• DVI video output for digital resolutions up to 1920 by 1200 pixels; supports 20-inch Apple Cinema Display and 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display; supports coherent digital displays up to 154MHz; supports noncoherent digital displays up to 135MHz
• VGA video output (using included adapter) to support analog resolutions up to 1920 by 1080 pixels
• S-video and composite video output to connect directly to a TV or projector (using Apple DVI to Video Adapter, sold separately)
More information about Apple’s new Intel-based Mac mini’s specs here.
More details about Intel’s Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA 950 graphics core) here.
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Related MacDailyNews article:
Apple introduces new Intel-based Mac mini – February 28, 2006
On the single core model-fine
On the $799 Core Duo-NO F*&^%$G WAY.
Mr Jobs,
I’m the customer & the customer is ALWAYSright. It’s my money.
You will find that the chip is optimized for Micro$oftopoly’s Direct X B$. This is a component right out of a Wal-Mart Center-Aisle Bargain Basement Special.
I don’t know why folks are moaning about the new graphics chip. It’s a low-end Mac, for the love of Pete.
Man, if there is one reason NOT to buy this system, THIS is it. I don’t think there is ANY reason SHARED memory makes sense in a MAC. Man, I’m REALLY disappointed in Jobs on this one.
I’m the customer & the customer is ALWAYSright. It’s my money.
So, like, don’t buy it. I’m not going to. I’m not buying the “boom box” either. Too expensive and doesn’t fit my needs.
Life’s too short to get angry because Apple releases a product you don’t care about.
We will need to wait til REV C
Glaken, do you want to know why SHARED memory makes sense? Good, I’ll tell you… MOVIES.
Apple is obviously trying to market the mini as a media center… Using integrated video with shared memory is the only way to keep costs at $600 yet still allow the graphics engine to use as much Ram as needed for movies and HD video content…
Movies are the next step for Apple folks.. Hi-def movies require A LOT of video RAM.. Apple is certainly not going to include a 256 mb graphics card in a Mini and still be able keep the price at $600… Integrated video with shared Ram was the solution…
Correction:
The previous Mac mini was quietly updated (several months ago) to have 64MB RAM, 5400 rpm hard drives and 1.33/1.5Ghz G4 CPUs. Apple never bothered to update the packaging.
I love it when all these tech nerds whine about the Mac mini, when they should be looking at the iMac at the least. The Mini will do better than the previous model for the average user. It comes with come with Frontrow, remote control etc just to name a few upgrades..
I dunno. IF Intel isn’t hyping things (which is a big “if”), then this isn’t your father’s integrated graphics. Supposedly, the only thing it has in common with the familiar cheapo integrated chipsets is that it uses the same physical RAM as the CPU. But (again, if I’ve got this right) it has its own path to the RAM, so it’s not fighting the CPU for access. So it may be a lot faster than you think.
Or not. I’m sure the magazines will be testing the bejeezus out of this thing in the coming weeks.
(Seriously, I’d be jaw-drop stunned if the graphic performance turned out to be as bad as the naysayers fear. Apple generally doesn’t sell crap.)
C’mon everybody, say it with me:
Bitch, Bitch, Bitch, Bitch, Bitch
Say it rythmically so you get the feel for what I’m trying to tell you:
Bitch, Bitch….Bitch, Bitch, Bitch
Get over it you morons! The Mac mini will not explode b/c it doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card. It will do just fine with the chipset it was introduced with!
Mike, I’m in complete agreement with you. This release makes complete sense and fits into their future plans…Movies!
What a bunch of frickin’ whining babies, if you don’t like the new Mac mini DON’T buy one, sheesh!
A HUGE feature that’s been largely overlooked on the new Mini is AUDIO INPUT. Finally Apple has gotton over trying to use the lack of audio input as a step up feature.
I have a 1.42 Mini and I have to say I just love it. And after I put a Gig in it, it cruches SETI@Home (call me a geek) 2 1/2 hours…
As compared to my 2.2 Pentium M Dell runs at about 2 hours…
So I’ve never understood the performance nag that everyone talked about. I’ve always felt that theses are people NOT working on Minis. Just reading about them.
With that said…HOLY SPEED BUMP BATMAN! The Bus and RAM increases (both speed and size) makes Minis Corvette on the Internet Superhighway.
THE VIDEO SUCKS BECAUSE ITS FASTER!
I AM PISSED BECAUSE I CAN NOW HAVE UP TO 2GB RAM!
I LIKE AGP BETTER THAN PCI EXPRESS!!!
WWWWHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
With the huge overall bandwidth difference, the new integrated graphics is quite likely still substantially faster than the one in the old mini. Not enough for a medium range or high end Mac, but probably okay for the mini.
And Macs King is right, the audio interfaces are a good step forwards; Both input (new) and output are now digital as well! Plus Gigabit ethernet – another limitation gone!
I ordered the high end one today. I feel guilty cutting my local reseller out of my purchases because they really are a good store and have been great servicing my machines, so I did a preorder today with them instead of ordering direct from Apple. Gives me some time to sell the old mini on craigslist, too.
I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about the shared memory. I won’t be playing games on this machine–I have a PS2, a PSP, and will be getting an xbox 360 as soon as the supply is up. What I will be doing is hooking this up to my TV and stereo so that I finally have convenient access to the approaching-a-terabyte collection of video and music files I have spread accross multiple machines. I have been loathing the idea of consolidating these files and now I don’t have to. At Apple’s memory prices I’d put memory into the machine myself, so the shared memory doesn’t bother me–I’d put a 1GB stick in it either way.
What matters most for me on this is that now I have no reason to replace my 20″ iMac G5. It really is the best machine I’ve ever had. I had planned to hold onto for another six months and then sell it and get the next revision of the intel iMac, but now can hold out even longer.
I think Apple made some good design choices to best optimize the Mac mini for its market. And I don’t think the Intel Graphics is all that bad (at least the recent versions of it). I have a PC laptop that I use for work, about a year old. It has the Intel Graphics chips. It seems to work fine, although I don’t play 3D games on it. It should be at least comparable to the previous PPC Mac mini’s video. Of course, 256MB of dedicated video RAM would be better, but this is a Mac mini.
Didn’t the “developer’s” preview Intel Macs from last year use Intel Graphics?
My Mac mini G4 Has 64 MB VRAM
I, too, agree with Macs King.
The audio interface is a pleasure to have. And so are the 4 USB ports, and the wireless.
I wish my first gen Mini had all this included standard.
ITunes 6.0.4 has front row streaming!
you heard it from me first
iTunes 6.0.4 is not out yet but is documented on the mac mini site
“Sharing photos requires iPhoto (i.e. a Mac). Sharing music and videos requires iTunes 6.0.4 or later. Video playback capabilities may vary against network bandwidth.”
For all of the people who have acted as if integrated graphics are a strange thing for Apple you all obviously are newbies to the Mac world. Aside from the IIfx, all macs had integrated graphics until the first G3 tower and of course Apple used its own port which kept us from easily using third party monitors. Granted, Apple’s integrated graphics were far superior to the card available to the rest of the world during most of that time but it was integrated all the same. Now most of those machines did use dedicated memory for the graphics but memory busses were much slower back then.
If you need top of the line graphics buy a $3299 quad G5 with a $1650 QUADRO FX 4500 not a $599 or $799 Mac Mini!
Man, if there is one reason NOT to buy this system, THIS is it. I don’t think there is ANY reason SHARED memory makes sense in a MAC. Man, I’m REALLY disappointed in Jobs on this one.
Spoken like someone that has never used a low end PC. This isn’t a PowerMac, or even an iMac, or an iBook for that matter.
Don’t like it, don’t buy it. My guess is that you were never a customer for it to begin with. Gawd, how I hate geeks. Always wanting more, never willing to pay for it.
Movies….so that´s what computers are now for. Watching movies.
Dang, guess I better trash my vcr, dvd players and tv…cause the we will all be watching movies with our computers…
LOL. Never would I think that I would buy a computer that is optimized for watching movies and tv shows.
Quezzie, don’t you find it convenient to have all your music on your iPod? Think of the Mac mini as less of a computer and more of an iHub.