Other Apple Announces Mac Mini Refresh
- Thread starter VegetableStu
- Start date
Personally I don't think it makes much sense to have all your data stored on ultrafast, ultra-expensive PCIe3.0 storage.
1TB would be what I'd need as a bare minimum and that would get you around 2000 euros for an i5 with 8GB. That's crazy.
My own build uses a small fast M.2 disk for the OS and apps and regular SATA SSD's for data storage. Backup is done with a slow external HDD.
This is a logical hierarchy in speed per usage from a cost/efficiency perspective. I get Apple's ''no compromise" ethic, but at 960 euro for 1TB it''s simply money extortion.
1TB would be what I'd need as a bare minimum and that would get you around 2000 euros for an i5 with 8GB. That's crazy.
My own build uses a small fast M.2 disk for the OS and apps and regular SATA SSD's for data storage. Backup is done with a slow external HDD.
This is a logical hierarchy in speed per usage from a cost/efficiency perspective. I get Apple's ''no compromise" ethic, but at 960 euro for 1TB it''s simply money extortion.
Last edited:
Samsung TB3 2tb is $400 now
Samsung T5 Portable SSD - 2TB - USB 3.1 External SSD (MU-PA2T0B/AM) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073H4GPLQ/?tag=theminutiae-20
I agree that external TB3 storage is not at all a compromise. The connection is not at all the bottleneck and there are advantages over an internal solution. A 512gb ssd is (at this time) more then enough for most system files and software. I set cache files and project files to external drives leaving the internal drive free for installed software and system files. However services like dropbox do work best when on an internal hard drive since a freak disconnection could result in data loss.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5xx31ugkvrq7opf/Screen Shot 2018-11-22 at 2.29.03 PM.png?dl=0
Here are fresh out of the box geekbench scores for the 8700b version. 5705 single core and 22449 multi-core.
8gb of ram currently but will update to 32gb in couple days. That's coming out to $310 from OWC.
Cinebench score is 1152.
I did a rough calculation of performance per liter since can't do for real since time-spy won't run on a mac. Using someone else's score for intel graphics that came out to something like 2730.
Overall I will have spent $1,907.00 on everything which I think is pretty fair for the performance, hardware (Thunderbolt 3, 10gb Ethernet, and superior WiFi) form factor, and OS. I think most people fail to calculate the software into their value proposition for the mac.
they are doing interesting things over at the egpu forum
https://egpu.io/forums/builds/late-...or-output-macos-10-14-1-theitsage/#post-49218
https://egpu.io/forums/builds/late-...or-output-macos-10-14-1-theitsage/#post-49218
strange, don't the Alpine Ridge TB3 AIC need a thunderbolt IO connection to its host system? o_o
Last edited:
oh wait whaaaat it's not even connected via PCIe to the system o_o didn't know it's possible to just do this for thunderbolt displays
after hackintoshing for more than 10 years i pulled the trigger on one of these. first mac desktop since my 2006 mac pro 1,1.
I still have an 8700k/RX580 hackintosh but its mostly booted to windows for windows only 3d apps these days
These were on sale at BnH for 725$ for the i3 quad core with 128gig storage. the price curve is brutal on these... going up to 256G with the same specs was an extra 200$... just for an extra 128G of storage :-(
but i agree with the @parlinone and @VisualStim above, the TB3 connections should be fine for additional external storage. i'll be running a 1TB samsung T3 for large media and moving any speed-critical files im working on at the moment into the onboard storage as needed. RAM will be upgraded to 16G (honestly if RAM wasnt upgradeable this time i dont think i would have paid for this machine). but overall i think if your usage allows for the extrernal SSD or network storage, and youre willing to upgrade RAM, these are actually a good value for a small quadcore PC running OSX.
I still have an 8700k/RX580 hackintosh but its mostly booted to windows for windows only 3d apps these days
These were on sale at BnH for 725$ for the i3 quad core with 128gig storage. the price curve is brutal on these... going up to 256G with the same specs was an extra 200$... just for an extra 128G of storage :-(
but i agree with the @parlinone and @VisualStim above, the TB3 connections should be fine for additional external storage. i'll be running a 1TB samsung T3 for large media and moving any speed-critical files im working on at the moment into the onboard storage as needed. RAM will be upgraded to 16G (honestly if RAM wasnt upgradeable this time i dont think i would have paid for this machine). but overall i think if your usage allows for the extrernal SSD or network storage, and youre willing to upgrade RAM, these are actually a good value for a small quadcore PC running OSX.
External storage (and an eGPU) kindof defeat the purpose of a SFF... by adding just one cm to the height there would be space for two removable SSD disks. An extra M.2 slot would have taken even less extra space.
to me the beauty of SFF is having an integrated yet compact computing solution. If you're going to litter your desk better buy a larger alternative.
I know for mac there is no real alternative, which drives this point even further...
to me the beauty of SFF is having an integrated yet compact computing solution. If you're going to litter your desk better buy a larger alternative.
I know for mac there is no real alternative, which drives this point even further...
i dunno, the current ecosystem of modularised PCs even outside of Apple (even even laptops + eGPUs) are pretty interesting o_o it's like breaking a big problem into smaller pieces, LOL
I'm not seeing anything alarming outside of a topic about coil whine. Some of individual/specific/software issues though.
Well it's flipping the modularity approach: instead of having everything possibly fit in a large but mostly empty box (inefficiency thread) versus the approach of having a tiny base unit with the ability to add, but also add volume and cables externally.
Last edited:
Who builds a SFF PC and then thinks: Shoot, no space for a dGPU and I need one for X Y Z reason?
An eGPU is a great solution for gamers that only have a laptop. But for a PC? it's stupid.
Also, how much extra space would it cost for a few 2.5" Brackets? We're talking one cm extra height. An empty M.2 slot would probably require an extra mm. Zero extra footprint needed.
How much space do an eGPU and external harddrives take on your desk? What's the point of this beautiful thin, clean machine if the total setup is incredibly messy and way more expensive.
It just doesnt make sense.
Last edited:
If you look back at the posts I have made in this thread, you will see I have been saying the same thing...
Apple kinda effed up with the new mini...
To be a cohesive product with add-ons, to keep that Apple Design quality on the desktop, they need matching add-on components...
Apple should have released, or at the least worked with third-party vendors, products that match the footprint of the new mini & matched the design language of the new mini...
They show a stack of minis, looking all sleek & shitte...
How about a similar stack, but a few "slices" may be thicker; a stack that has an eGPU & external storage (2.5" SSDs or multiple M.2 SSDs) along with the mini itself...
But nope, we get expensive hulking drive enclosures, we get a MASSIVE eGPU enclosure from BlackMagic Design that costs three times as much as the GPU within, we get TB3 components that make the svelte Mac mini look like an afterthought on the desk, dwarfed & overshadowed by the very add-ons it supports...
Thanks, AppleBama...
Apple kinda effed up with the new mini...
To be a cohesive product with add-ons, to keep that Apple Design quality on the desktop, they need matching add-on components...
Apple should have released, or at the least worked with third-party vendors, products that match the footprint of the new mini & matched the design language of the new mini...
They show a stack of minis, looking all sleek & shitte...
How about a similar stack, but a few "slices" may be thicker; a stack that has an eGPU & external storage (2.5" SSDs or multiple M.2 SSDs) along with the mini itself...
But nope, we get expensive hulking drive enclosures, we get a MASSIVE eGPU enclosure from BlackMagic Design that costs three times as much as the GPU within, we get TB3 components that make the svelte Mac mini look like an afterthought on the desk, dwarfed & overshadowed by the very add-ons it supports...
Thanks, AppleBama...
Retail sector for Mac mini is quite small. When you have data centres with 5000 2012 i7 Mac mini’s you kinda want to keep the same form factor.
I think most of you were expecting the 2018 Mac Mini to be the Mac Pro Mini, that somehow forgoes Apple's typical "we set the bar, not the customers" mantra and make it incredibly modular. The Mac Mini is meant for retail / PoS, light office workstation users, desktop users needing specific monitors, etc. If you need to add a dedicated GPU and storage internally to the Mac Mini, (Apple thinks) you are doing it wrong.
How about building a SFF for it's intended purpose and not as a band-aid for those still mourning for Xserve (RIP)?
No I'm not. I perfectly understand the use of an iGPU actually and the CPU offerings is finally what it should be. There should be a more affordable entry mac pro for those looking for a solid GPU solution. But paying $3000 for a system with usable storage that you can build yourself for less then half that price is absurd. There should have been at least an extra M.2 slot.
This Mac Mini is apparently for servers, office use and for rich people.
Last edited:
When has Apple ever done that? Apple is not catering to an sff community. My mac mini is perfect for what I need. Cheap enough but not cheap. Powerful enough but not super powerful. Silent. Just absolutely silent. I plugged it in put in my apple id and it works. No fiddling no setup hoops to jump through.
