since Apple updated its price the most affordable desktop pc, the tiny Mac mini.
When we last tested, we wrote the Lord’s Year 2014, and after four long years we began indeed to doubt whether Apple would ever produce a new version of the placeringsvenlige computer.
But now it’s here. The design is the same, while the color is new. The main change is with the innards, which is also reflected in the price.
The previous edition began around 4399 kroner, which really meant that you didn’t have to pay much to get into Apple’s universe. Now it costs the most affordable variant 6999 dollars or almost 60 percent more. And without own alternatives Apple so away from having a computer that fits most.
the MacBook Air, which is the company’s most affordable notebook, has also just got a price increase from 8799 to 10.499 dollars – almost 20 percent more.
It is only a way into the Mac mini, namely via the base plate. But it is not easy to get by. Photo: Vegar Jansen, Tek.no
A new class
than its predecessor. The processor belongs to Intel’s the Coffee Lake-generation, and even the cheapest model has four CPU cores.
in Addition, we have no option to choose a regular hard drive instead of SSD, and 8 GB of RAM is now the minimum.
another change is that Thunderbolt 3 ports now used. In fact, Apple has deployed four such USB Type-C ports on this computer.
They can be used as a video output, like HDMI 2.0 port, which means that the Mac mini supports up to three 4K displays with a frame rate of 60 Hz.
Besides it has the pc wireless features such as Bluetooth 5.0 and 802.11 ac Wi-Fi. Of the physical inputs and outputs have the two USB 3.0 ports, a 3.5 mm mini-port for audio and a LAN port for the gigabit network. The latter can be upgraded to 10 gigabit for 860 dollars.
There are also other ways to upgrade your Mac mini on when ordering. But it is expensive to add extra disk space, RAM and a faster processor. The price ends in the 29.359 crowns, if you click on all the most expensive options.
Unfortunately you have to swallow Apple’s prices, although the computer’s two memory modules can actually be replaced, you can’t even make it.
But the advantage is still that you have the option to add more RAM later if it becomes necessary. And then of course, there are those who are bold enough to do it yourself and take the risk, no matter what Apple says or does.
All of the ports on the Mac mini sitting on the back. Photo: Vegar Jansen, Tek.no
Quiet and comfortable
once we pack the Mac mini out, is that the design is still quite good. But even if the color of ‘stellar grey’ makes it more modern, it is also a finish that will easily take against greasy fingers.
But it bothers us not true – it is, after all, a desktop computer, which should not be affected too much, when it is in place.
the Construction are ‘unibody’ aluminium, and only with an opening on the underside. But the machine you won’t come so easily into, as the base plate of black plastic alone can be removed with a special tool.
In the box with the Mac mini you get a power cord and that’s it. You need to buy the keyboard and mouse, if you don’t have it already. And of course a screen.
Both Bluetooth wireless devices and the USB kabelenheder can be used, but remember that the small computer has only two USB Type A ports (normal USB, red.). These are also pretty close, so powerful, USB-sticks or similar can cause problems.
of Course, comes the new Mac mini with macOS Mojave, and after a small software update is the quick ready for you.
the Apple Mac mini has with some few exceptions not usually been particularly noisy, and the new version is impressive still. Even during the hard work we need to almost lay your ear on it to hear anything, and it is, in practice, silent during idle. Apple is abandoning even the sound to just four decibels for normal use.
Functioning of the processor
has the 2018 edition got processorfunktioner, which corresponds to a fully developed desktop processors, which we usually find only in larger desktop pcs.
On paper the processors thermal design power (TDP) of up to 65 watts of power, and in the specifications, the computer is abandoned to cope with a continuous power up to 150 watts.
But in this case, it is only with some of the more powerful processors. With the Core i3 we measured no higher than around 60 watts. And it is for the entire system as a whole, not just the processor.
With a solid-state storage device built-in, there is nothing to complain about when it comes to the speed of response. Here we measured sequential read and write speeds of respectively 3000 and 2700 megabytes per second.
Conclusion
the perfect small desktop computer. It can – depending of course on the configuration – is used to most things apart from serious gaming.
The modest size makes the computer much placeringsvenlig, and this is compounded by the fact that the pc is impressive still. It is hardly possible to hear the sound of this model even under hard work.
Here we have simply a computer that fits just as well in the office as in the living room. Potentially it can be used in the nursery, but the absence of powerful graphics means that there must be used an expensive external graphics card, if you play anything other than less demanding online games.
In those cases it is better to buy a regular, upgradeable pc with a regular graphics card on board. Or if size is crucial, you can choose a Zotac Zbox Magnus.
Anyway, we should be impressed with what Apple has put together this time, but the high price hangs like a rainy cloud over the gray aluminum. And where we saw that its predecessor could fit in a regular home, the new a clear tinge of ‘light blue shirt collars and black designbriller’.
By adding 60 percent to the price of the cheapest model, Apple simply killed the Mac mini as a ‘people’s Macs. Instead it has been a very good, but also a little tedious computer for people with deep pockets.
With better graphics and the ability to upgrade memory and storage space yourself, it makes therefore more sense to buy the over the two-year-older Intel NUC6i7KYK, as with the same configuration as the Mac mini is also a cheaper alternative.
The only thing Intel can’t match, is the low noise level of the Mac mini. And with a more powerful processor in Apple’s small computer, NUC’is a not so good a performance.
It should be noted however, that there is also a newer and more powerful NUC’s, where both the processor and graphic performance is better. Furthermore, the aforementioned Zbox Magnus from Zotac.
It costs a little more, but has both dedicated graphics and will be cheaper than Apple, if you want more memory and storage space.
MAC MINI (2018)
Mac mini is grown up, but the price kills our enthusiasm for the machine
Advantages
Exceptionally quiet
Ability for 10 Gbit Ethernet
Hefty performance from the processor
Have got the Thunderbolt 3
Stylish and solid construction
Has a low profile and in fact is to place a
you should consider
the Price
Storage can’t be upgraded after purchase
Is not built for that you should be able to upgrade the RAM
This article is brought to in cooperation with the faculty of Engineering.no
