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Apple’s new Mac mini offers an attractive bang for the buck

Friday, November 2, 2012 · 2:33 pm · 17 Comments

“The 2012 Mac mini introduces USB 3, which replaces the tired, old USB 2.0 ports found in the previous model,” James Galbraith writes for Macworld. “The new Mac mini also has faster integrated graphics, and, for the first time, quad-core processors.”

“The quad-core Core i7 processor and the larger storage capacity make the $799 Mac mini more attractive — plus you can configure this system with Apple’s new Fusion Drive for an additional $250,” Galbraith writes.

Apple Mac mini

 
Galbraith writes, “The least expensive Mac available today, the $599 Mac mini, has made its own performance strides and continues to be an affordable option for anyone wanting the Mac experience without paying a high premium.”

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Read more in the full review here.

Categories: Review

Tags: Core i7, Mac mini, Mac mini (2012), review

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17 Comments

1. 

   NixoN

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 2:37 pm · Reply

   First time for Quad-Core? My 2011 Mac Mini has a Quad-Core i7
2. 

   Mike

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 2:40 pm · Reply

   Coincidently, mine just arrived 8 minutes ago, with fusion drive!!
   • 

     Mike

     Friday, November 2, 2012 - 2:57 pm · Reply

     OK, just installed 16 GB of RAM from OWC. Now have to wait for it to warm up before I fire it up. FedEx trucks are cold this time of year in Alaska.
3. 

   Zulkifli

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 2:41 pm · Reply

   This is a joke right?
   Intel HD4000 is the biggest joke yet…

   Wish they gave the option for amd or nvidia graphics …
   • 

     Paul

     Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:36 pm · Reply

     Zulfucki,

     It’s in a 7X7X1.4 inch box. It was always meant as a secondary computer to the iMac.

     My friggin PC is in a 20X8X20 box and it huffs and heaves whenever I ask it to do something.
     • 

       Bandit Bill

       Friday, November 2, 2012 - 8:17 pm · Reply

       Previous Mac minis of the SAME form factor HAD dedicated graphics chipsets. Even the entry level model in 2005 had a dedicated graphics chipset.

       Show me any Apple literature in the past 7 years of the Mac minis’ existence that even implies that the mini is “meant to be a secondary computer to the iMac”.

       You can build a mini that prices over $2000 from Apple (no keyboard mouse or display). Almost double the price of an entry level iMac. They are getting benchmark scores over 12,000, accommodate 16GB RAM and are available with dual SSDs, but you still can’t get dedicated graphics in the current models.

       Z’s comment is valid.
       • 

         Paul

         Friday, November 2, 2012 - 8:58 pm · Reply

         Upgrade the iMac full hilt. Upgrade the Mini full hilt. Take any year…..iMac will ALWAYS beat the Mini. So STFU Dickwad!
         • 

           Bandit Bill

           Saturday, November 3, 2012 - 1:13 am · Reply

           The current Mac minis are scoring higher than any existing iMac. That wasn’t too difficult.

           Z’s comment is widely reflected by many. Macworld recently tested the current Mac mini and compared them to last years mini. Most people aren’t thrilled when components get downgraded, especially when the price of the mid level model remained the same (this is the model that had dedicated graphics).

           “The HD Graphics 4000 is much better at delivering high frame rates in games than the HD Graphics 3000 processor used previously, but it falls far short of the performance of the discrete AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphic processor.”
     • 

       Zulkifli

       Friday, November 2, 2012 - 9:33 pm · Reply

       Then explain why the previous Mac mini have a BETTER Dedicated GPU ?
4. 

   MrFlish

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 2:42 pm · Reply

   Just fired my new mini up…2.6GHz, i7, 256 GB SSD, 16 GB Ram..sweet little machine. Works great with my Thunderbolt display!!!
   • 

     Jeff II

     Friday, November 2, 2012 - 2:49 pm · Reply

     And MS Word still pokes along like molasses in January.
5. 

   Fran

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:04 pm · Reply

   My mid 2010 Mac mini all option, is a core duo. It still chugs along fine.
   • 

     Mike

     Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:19 pm · Reply

     You must mean a core2 duo, anyway, my 2006 Mac mini is still chugging along but I just couldn’t resist upgrading from it’s core duo,, 2 GB to the core i7, 16 GB with fusion drive. The old MacMini has already found a new home.
6. 

   ivid

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:22 pm · Reply

   What the FUCK is with these full page video ads MDN ?
7. 

   Paul

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:22 pm · Reply

   Can someone say whether the Mac mini can or cannot connect to my iMac through Thunderbolt? I am looking to install Windows on the Mini (mainly for my Windows Games) and toggle back and forth as needed.
   • 

     Dietrich

     Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:41 pm · Reply

     Yes, hold T as the Mac mini starts up for target disk mode. The computer will act as a external hard drive for file transfer.
8. 

   Jdoc

   Friday, November 2, 2012 - 3:46 pm · Reply

   So what’s with the integrated graphics? Is it really THAT inferior to a separate graphics card?

Parallels Desktop 8 for Mac is here. Run Windows on Mac without rebooting.

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