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Other Apple Announces Mac Mini Refresh

Kmpkt

Kmpkt

Innovation through Miniaturization
KMPKT
Feb 1, 2016
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all-in said:
Every model since 2010 sported an internal fanless PSU with figure-of-8 IEC C8 connector. No brick.

This is the first Mini with desktop (65W) CPUs and it’s rated for 150W max power draw.
Click to expand...


So that means this comes with an ultra small 150W internal AC-DC converter we can repurpose for builds?
 
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Here the PSU can be seen

https://www.gothamsound.com/library/mod-mac-mini-dc-power

should be something like this in the new model if they didn’t change it


As for the iMac vs Mini debate, it’s as old as man...some people just love that screen and pc have separate destinies...that’s versatility...now, since for the first time in 12 years the Mini is not a glorified laptop with mobile CPUs but instead uses a desktop platform, if anything this turn around the iMac vs Mini debate is less relevant (also new this time: tb3 eGPUs...the iMac is stuck with an internal GPU that will age)...it’s personal preference more than ever...and there’s no way around the fact the Mini can go in a backpack and be retired as an HTPC when it’s at its EOL, and iMac can’t.
 
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Boil said:
Yes, and another module with four M.2 NVMe SSD slots & a RAID controller...
Click to expand...

Well the upcoming 2019 MacPro has been called “modular”...what if some (thunderbolt) “modules” are compatible with the MacMini...

Imagine if the MacPro had the same footprint of the Mini but way taller, like a Silverstone FT-03mini with fully swappable full size vertical GPU (after the 2013 debacle with Pro users up in arms, I expect the new Pro to have user swappable GPU and storage).

We’ll know next year...for now, a Sonnet Breakaway Puck RX 570 is the best bet for a compact fully MacOS compatible (and VESA mountable) eGPU..
 
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TinyAudio said:
A tad expensive for parts. Why not buy a Luna designs DNK-H for ~$110 and use its internal psu.
Click to expand...

By the way the old Minis PSU (2010-2011-2012-2014) is readily availble on ebay and it’s rated 85W.

Wonder if the new 150W 2018 one will eventually become as easy to be found stand alone...it’ll take some time..
 
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Boil

Boil

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Nov 11, 2015
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Well the upcoming 2019 MacPro has been called “modular”...what if some (thunderbolt) “modules” are compatible with the MacMini...

Imagine if the MacPro had the same footprint of the Mini but way taller, like a Silverstone FT-03mini with fully swappable full size vertical GPU (after the 2013 debacle with Pro users up in arms, I expect the new Pro to have user swappable GPU and storage).

We’ll know next year...for now, a Sonnet Breakaway Puck RX 570 is the best bet for a compact fully MacOS compatible (and VESA mountable) eGPU..
Click to expand...

Ifeel if Apple invests in producing MXM format GPUs & eGPU housings for the same, it could bring the cost down for the end user...

As it is, the Sonnet eGPU you list above is a $600 package with a $200 GPU inside, seems a bit steep, I really think it could be cheaper if Apple were making in bulk...

For a modular Mac Pro, I could see larger (thicker) enclosures; the base Mac Pro enclosure would be a socketed CPU, four RAM slots, a T2-ified boot SSD & a single MXM slot for GPUs ranging from the RX5xx line-up thru the WX9100...

There would be a M.2 NVMe RAID enclosure...

There would be a multi 2.5" SSD RAID enclosure...

There would be a multi 3.5" HDD RAID enclosure...

There would be multiple MXM eGP enclosures; options for single, dual, or quad slots...

There would be a multi slot enclosure for CPU/RAM blades, for distributed rendering & such...
 
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Behold: 30 cores and 320GB of RAM within a 7.7” x 7” x 7” cube (stacking is blessed and encouraged by Apple)




here at the “Cool story.” part there’s a glimpse at the blower-style cooler:

https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/
 
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Phuncz

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
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Aichon said:
I'm being a bit pedantic here, but I actually think it's VERY reasonably priced in its base configuration (the options, however, are another matter...). Having a board that supports 64GB of RAM and 4x Thunderbolt 3 ports doesn't come cheaply. Nor does unibody aluminum. Nor does supporting three 4K displays concurrently.

That said, the things you're paying for may not be the things you care about. If you don't need even one TB3 port, let alone more, then having four of them is a massive added cost that anyone would—quite rightly—not consider worthwhile. I'd suggest, however—and here's where I'm being pedantic—that it not being worthwhile to some of us doesn't mean that the high cost is unreasonable; it just means we may not be the target audience.

Putting four TB3 ports on a machine is making a statement that they want this thing to be taken seriously in a professional environment, and by all accounts, it will be. Quite a few people would love to pair these with eGPUs, professional RAID enclosures, and 4K monitors; stack them in colo data centers or mini server clusters; or otherwise make use of them in ways that they are somewhat uniquely designed to work, at least among consumer-grade PCs. I wouldn't be surprised if we end up buying dozens of them for various uses around our offices.

And for those sorts of uses, it's both reasonable and compelling at that price.

I've actually done comparisons occasionally, and though the Apple Tax was certainly true in the past, it's rare that I've found a (EDIT: non-built-to-order) Mac in the last 10-15 years that is more expensive at launch than the cheapest comparable PC from one of its competitors (I tried to spec a comparable Deskmini out for less than the Mac mini, but I blew the budget simply adding support for 64GB of RAM, let alone TB3 ports). That said, whereas other manufacturers will let you strip away features you don't care about to reduce the cost, Apple generally doesn't. It's their way or the highway.

Macs are generally a good value for the hardware you're getting. The only question is whether you're getting the hardware you want.


I'm suddenly very glad that I held off on upgrading my phone for another year. Hopefully they'll work on making their product lineup more consistent in the next year.
Click to expand...
I agree with all your points. The base model as an entire product (not just CPU + RAM + SSD = PC) is very reasonable, considering it comes with a full OS as well with plenty of software that usually costs hundreds of dollars. I wish they'd offer a more reasonable price in upgrades though.
 
Boil

Boil

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Nov 11, 2015
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Behold: 30 cores and 320GB of RAM within a 7.7” x 7” x 7” cube (stacking is blessed and encouraged by Apple)




here at the “Cool story.” part there’s a glimpse at the blower-style cooler:

https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/
Click to expand...

Assuming they are using 128GB SSDs, that is nearly $15K (including AppleCare & tax) worth of Space Grey Mac minis stacked up there...
 
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(I made up the specs in the sense that such 30C/60T config would be totally possible, no idea about the actual specs of the display units)