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A most under-rated personal computer

Each week, as I put together the Mac-Forums newsletter, I look over the latest posts — many from folks who are not only new to the forum, but new to Mac. Some of these self-described newbies grew tired of the constant changes and security threats to Windows. And many of… Read More
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Have to agree that the Mini is probably the most under rated personal computer that Apple sells. However, one thing to keep in mind before ordering a new Mini... make sure you order it with enough memory and storage as the new Mini is no longer user upgradeable. Unfortunately neither are the retina MacBook Pros, MacBooks, or the 21.5" iMac.

I think Mac-Mini's are a lot of fun. Small size...decent performance. One of the downsides of Mac-Mini's. Gotta be very careful which model is purchased…and how much upgrading is done. If you're not careful…an upgraded Mac-Mini+ keyboard + input device + monitor can easily approach or exceed the purchase price of a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro.

The original concept of the Mac-Mini back when the first Mac-Mini was released in 2005…was a full-fledged computer for under $500 ($499)…and you were supposed to already have a monitor, keyboard, and input device (no extra cost for these items).

And the original Mac-Mini $499 price (plus bring all your own already purchased peripherals)…was also supposed to be attractive to folks looking to switch from a Windows computer (low cost of entry into the Apple computing world).

- Nick

I did consider going from an iMac to a MacMini at one point.

Although I had the keyboard and mouse I found that adding in a comparable quality monitor brought the price close to that of a new iMac - which would probably have had better graphics anyway.

The worrying thing these days is that all of these devices - just like iPads and iPhones - have zero upgrade options, even by Apple.

This makes the whole process much harder for those who find the higher cost of Apple devices a problem - no way to try a basic model and add RAM or a larger hard drive, or the like later. I think this may cost Apple in the long run, either due to people not buying Apple in the first place, or becoming unhappy with the 'entry level' device they bought and having no way to upgrade it.

Either way, the MacMini used to be a great starter device. That was how I started, although I moved up to an iMac fairly quickly

I think this may cost Apple in the long run, either due to people not buying Apple in the first place, or becoming unhappy with the 'entry level' device they bought and having no way to upgrade it.

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I doubt that it will make any difference. Stats show that most folks nowadays whether it's a Mac or PC they bought, do not upgrade their machine. We here in the forums are enthusiastic Mac users and owners and as such care more about being able to upgrade our machines than the ordinary computer user. The only real true upgradeable Mac left to purchase is the Mac Pro. Even the 27" iMac can only have its memory upgraded. All other machines sold by Apple with the exception of the 2012 MacBook Pro (still being sold ) are not upgradeable.

I doubt that it will make any difference. Stats show that most folks nowadays whether it's a Mac or PC they bought, do not upgrade their machine. We here in the forums are enthusiastic Mac users and owners and as such care more about being able to upgrade our machines than the ordinary computer user.

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+1

I think data shows that this trend has been in place a long time. By the time the average user considers upgrading or needs an upgrade…the computer is already 3+ years old…and they basically just purchase a new computer.

The average user just doesn't want to devote too much brain matter or physical effort to the upgrade. Upgrading can require:

- research
- money
- taking it to a professional
- suffering without the computer during the upgrade
- and picking it up from the professional

Folks just want upgrading a computer to be fast & easy. And sometimes buying a new computer just seems easier than upgrading to many folks.

- Nick

A fair point.

People here are not a representative sample of the general computer-using public

More and more people regard a computer much as a TV or any other consumer durable goods.

Nighthawk4 said:

People here are not a representative sample of the general computer-using public

More and more people regard a computer much as a TV or any other consumer durable goods.

Click to expand...

You hit the nail on the head!

- Nick

I would love a Mini with 1 TB SSD and ... Quad core processor.

Demapples said:

I would love a Mini with 1 TB SSD and ... Quad core processor.

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Start shopping!

Not sure why you would need to go all the way up to a 1TB SSD (expensive). But if we're dreaming…I guess we might as well go big!

- Nick

All I can say is that my first Mini was a 1,1. Bought it used for $150 USD best money ever spent!

pigoo3 said:

Start shopping!
Not sure why you would need to go all the way up to a 1TB SSD (expensive). But if we're dreaming…I guess we might as well go big!

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If you are looking for a Mini with a quad core processor you need to be looking for a used model as none of the new (post 2012) models offer a quad core. I wanted one badly when I bought my Mini (late 2015) and the best I could do was a dual core i7.

The Mini is fine for 90% of what I want to do but it would be nice to have some more power when doing photo editing, especially if I am using more than one editor per photo, as well as a bit more memory. 16GB is adequate but barely. I don't understand why Apple doesn't offer 32GB instead as I am frequently lower in available memory than I would like.

There are times I think about replacing my Mini with a Mac Pro, but then I look at the price difference ...

I'd like to have such a little thing!

pigoo3 said:

Start shopping!

Not sure why you would need to go all the way up to a 1TB SSD (expensive). But if we're dreaming…I guess we might as well go big!

- Nick

Click to expand...

Actually, it isn't "that" expensive, around 350 bucks. My PC has one but it's a waste, much prefer the 250GB SSDs.

Question about the Mac Mini...

It reminds me of the Intel NUCs, like this one at Newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.3022974

Not the actual form, but its content. The other exception is that the internal components can be upgraded.

It's too bad that it cannot run OSX. Oh wait, never mind...

Cr00zng said:

Actually, it isn't "that" expensive, around 350 bucks. My PC has one but it's a waste, much prefer the 250GB SSDs.

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"Actually"...it is VERY expensive! A 1 terabyte solid state storage upgrade on a new Mac-Mini from the Apple Store is $800 bucks extra!!! And only available on the top-end Mac-Mini.

- Nick

My apologies pigoo...

I still have "PC eyes" and certainly, you are correct...

I think a MacMini might be my next computer. I've been reading up on the potential for using Mac instead of PC as a music server, and the Mini seems to fit the bill.

I won't need a display, because I'll just plug it into my TV. The TV only needs to display a computer screen or home theatre output, never both, so this is hardly an inconvenience. Finding space for an iMac might be very inconvenient. Inevitably, I'll purchase an Apple k/b and trackpad to go with it. I know the level of my OCD and there's no point in fighting it.

I don't rip DVDs or BluRays. I see little point in wasting up to 8Gb of storage space for a movie that I'll probably only watch once, and have the disk available in any case.

The Mini also has the same footprint as my AirPort Extreme, so I don't need to find any more desk space for it.

I'll miss Foobar2000, but I can live with that. Hopefully there'll be a Mac port in the near future.

Cr00zng said:

My apologies pigoo...

I still have "PC eyes" and certainly, you are correct...

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No problem. From an upgrading perspective you are absolutely correct. We can get a 1 terabyte SSD for $350 (or even less)...for an Apple computer that is upgradeable.

A new Mac-Mini configured with 1 TB of solid state storage (not a 2.5" SSD drive) from Apple is a lot more expensive (+$800). Definitley not an upgrade to take lightly...on a $999 computer.

- Nick