The latest Mac mini is low-priced, but doesn’t skimp on power
The latest Mac mini is low-priced, but doesn’t skimp on power
Desktop computers aren’t dead. Plenty of people use those anchored computers day in and day out, and for good reason: They’re more powerful and less expensive than their mobile counterparts.
The Mac mini has been Apple’s on-again off-again de facto low-budget desktop, but recently it hasn’t received the love many have hoped for. Then for the holiday season Apple upgraded the processor, chipset, hard drive, and everything else. That includes the price. The Mac mini now starts at $499. Full stop.
There are only a handful of very low-end PCs less expensive than the Mac mini with current components. It’s $400 less than the newest MacBook Air. If you’re a school looking to buy new computers, a parent interested in growing an already existing Mac family, or just interested in starting up iOS/OS X development, there is nothing lighter on your wallet.
This tiny box comes in three price models, so we tested the mid-range $699 model which comes with a 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 1 terabyte (TB) hard drive, and of course the latest version of OS X Yosemite.
Size is everything
Desktop computers are great, but good luck lugging them anywhere. In the process of writing this review, my test unit travelled as much as most laptops driving through my office. The tiny frame — it looks like a huge Apple TV — is twice as thick as the typical ultrabook and three fourths as wide and easy enough to throw in a bag with the requisite power cable. Sure, travel will still require packing away a mouse and keyboard, but who doesn’t have a stash of Bluetooth-friendly travel gear these days?
Just don’t expect to take it to Starbucks…you’ll need a monitor for that. Until Apple makes the iPad work as an external display, that dream will have to wait. But, if you’ve got a home office, work office, and maybe even a spare HDMI port on the TV, the Mac mini can easily make the rounds with little effort.
The real beauty of this portable desktop is that it’s as travel-friendly as a desktop can be
The real beauty of this portable desktop is that it’s as travel-friendly as a desktop can be and still packs a wallop of a punch. With a 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 and 8GB of RAM, there’s little the Mac mini can’t do. It can easily replace and improve on any MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, as well as any older 21.5-inch iMacs, assuming you put a little more down for the mid-range model. This is where the gorgeous box computer starts to get a little murky.
The cost of good computing
The story of the cheapest Mac mini in history is an interesting one. On the one hand, $500 is an incredible price for a Mac. Good luck finding a recent, functional used MacBook for that low price. However, that much more competitively-priced Mac mini has a serious performance drop compared to the $700 mid-range model.
For $500, you get a 1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, a processor that’s still quick but doesn’t match the performance expected from a desktop. 4GB on a Mac is already paltry, and plenty swear that you need at least 16GB for constant good performance. And a 500GB physical hard drive that’s slow…the combination of these will absolutely run, it just depends on what kind of computing you expect to be doing.
The $500 model is excellent for web browsing, word processing, and definitely for everything you could need for school or work unless you’re a designer or build planes. Sure, it’ll work for building iOS apps, running Photoshop and making and editing videos in iMovie, but the Mac mini will do it all slowly.
We decided to test the $700 model specifically because of that problem. How would a Mac with more typical components fare in the real world? Really, really well actually. It outperforms a MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and a solid state drive, but with one caveat: as soon as the Mac mini runs out of RAM, the laptop is faster.
Of course, that MacBook Pro model costs more than double the tested Mac mini…and for just a little more money, this desktop becomes a complete workhorse.
Building a monster mini
Power users will find that all three Mac mini models are lacking, but not by much. Without any improvements, the base $500 model is as powerful as a MacBook Air for nearly half the price. The same is true when comparing the Mac mini to all MacBooks except for the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros: Nothing competes in price.
So if you’re going to get massive savings, get the best value, too. By upgrading the Mac mini to 16GB of RAM and a Fusion Drive (or, if you prefer, undergo the harsh task of installing your own solid state drive to improve performance) the Mac mini ends up at $1,100 with the power of a $1,700 iMac. With those components, you’ll have no problem running Xcode, Adobe Illustrator, a dozen browser tabs, every chat app you can think of, and then some, all at once. All without any slowdown.
Thanks to all of the other excellent parts built-in, like the 802.11n wireless card, Bluetooth 4.0, and enough USB and Thunderbolt ports to handle just about anything, the Mac mini is an all-purpose desktop no matter the situation. OS X Yosemite, which we praised awhile back, runs great on the Mac mini.
The best, lowest priced Mac mini
Computers are getting less expensive by the day, and for the first time in history not at the cost of good computing. The recently reviewed Acer Chromebook C720 i3 is a great example of that: A Chromebook that can run 50 browser tabs simultaneously without slowdown. And we’re finally getting the same treatment from Apple.
Which model is right for you depends mostly on what you use the computer for, and how long you’d like to keep using it. For students, beginner software developers, new computer users, and the non-tech savvy, the $500 model is great, though I would still recommend putting down an extra $100 for 8GB of RAM. For higher-end performance like running a dozen tabs at once, using one or two intensive applications like Photoshop while leaving Microsoft Word or Excel open, then the mid-range model with a RAM upgrade is a very safe bet at $900.
For super-high performance, this isn’t the right computer; the iMac or Mac Pro are better choices. But the Mac mini actually works for the price-conscious professional. It has the horsepower without sacrificing space. The Mac mini is the best ultraportable desktop you can buy, and it’s the most inexpensive and cost-effective Mac out there. Just don’t skimp on the extras, because you won’t be upgrading it.
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