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Wednesday, July 07, 2010, 07:00 am
Review: Apple's aluminum Mac mini and Mac mini Server (2010)
Position in the Mac family
The redesigned Mac mini continues to hold down the low end of both Apple's desktop offerings and server products, shipping in both a standard version equipped with an optical drive and one 320GB hard disk, or alternatively a server model that drops the optical drive and its slot to make way for two 500GB hard disks.
Apple markets the Mac mini as being a convenient, compact replacement for an existing PC. It sits a step or two behind the mainstream iMac all-in-one system, and is not even close to the professional market Apple targets with the Mac Pro. In its server configuration, the Mac mini is similarly a long ways from the high end Xserve product line.
In terms of performance, the standard Mac mini is built with the same general architecture as the entry level 2010 MacBooks: a 2.4 GHz "P8600" Intel Core 2 Duo processor paired with NVIDIA's GeForce 320M graphics chip. The previous Mac mini paired a Core 2 Duo CPU with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M, just like last year's MacBooks and the current low end iMac.
The server version ships with a slightly faster 2.66 GHz "P8800" Intel Core 2 Duo and the same graphics hardware; the standard version can also be upgraded to that same CPU for $150 more.
Slightly bumped processors, no jump to Nehalem
Apple's higher end MacBook Pros and iMacs use an Arrandale (mobile) or Lynnfield (desktop) Core i5 or i7 CPU (both use the Nehalem microarchitecture rather than the earlier Core). Intel's mobile Arrandale processor packs its own Intel HD Graphics, which Apple augments with a GeForce GT 320M, which kicks in when necessary. That chip is faster than the graphics chip in the Mac mini, and also has its own dedicated 256MB of graphics memory rather than just sharing system RAM as the Mac mini's graphic chip does.
Lynnfield iMacs using a Core i5 or i7 include a dedicated ATI Radeon HD GPU, which similarly has its own own dedicated 256MB or 512MB of graphics memory. On the higher end, Apple's Mac Pro uses a Quad-core Xeon, and either an NVIDIA GeForce GT 120 or ATI Radeon HD GPU, each of which has its own dedicated 512MB of graphics memory
Like the MacBook and the low end of both Apple's MacBook Pro and iMac line, the Mac mini continues to use Intel's Core 2 Duo paired with NVIDIA's "graphics chip plus chipset." This architecture supports a lower overall cost while still providing decent performance very competitive to the entry level Nehalem Core i3, and much faster than alternative, low end Windows PC CPU designs including Intel's very low end Atom or AMD's low price Athlon X2 options (see next page comparisons).
Still, the Mac mini is now priced higher, with the standard model with 2GB of RAM starting at $699 and the server version with 4GB of RAM beginning at $999. Both can be expanded to 8GB, although Apple's own maximum memory upgrade costs a whopping $500 extra.
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Previous Comments View All
"Intel's mobile Arrandale processor packs its own Intel HD Graphics, which Apple augments with a GeForce GT 320M, which kicks in when necessary. That chip is faster than the graphics chip in the Mac mini, and also has its own dedicated 256MB of graphics memory rather than just sharing system RAM as the Mac mini's graphic chip does."
Surely you mean 330M? The Mac models that have 320M (13" notebooks and the MacMini) don't have an intel graphics chip inside.
This is a lovely machine, as a server you can't really get much better value than this which is why I have decided to buy one, but as a home pc option it's an absolute rip off, especially outside of the US wich is such a shame as these machines deserve to sell like hot cakes and I am sure the price will put off many! 
Before anyone decides to point out that the UK has Vat included in the price etc I account for that, on current exchange rates inclusive of UK Vat we spend an additional £153.50 ($232.15) on the server version and £106.15 ($160.53) on the standard version and I don't care where you are from that is a blatant over price on an arguably already over priced machine.
Before anyone decides to point out that the UK has Vat included in the price etc I account for that, on current exchange rates inclusive of UK Vat we spend an additional £153.50 ($232.15) on the server version and £106.15 ($160.53) on the standard version and I don't care where you are from that is a blatant over price on an arguably already over priced machine.
Then don't buy one. It's that simple.
Obviously, there are enough people who think it's an OK deal for Apple to keep making them. The fact that you think it's too expensive just doesn't matter.
You see, here's the way it works: Apple sets a price. If enough people buy it, Apple is happy. If not enough people buy it, Apple has to lower the price, change the configuration, or drop the product. "It's too expensive" whining has no place in that process.
Then don't buy one. It's that simple.
Obviously, there are enough people who think it's an OK deal for Apple to keep making them. The fact that you think it's too expensive just doesn't matter.
You see, here's the way it works: Apple sets a price. If enough people buy it, Apple is happy. If not enough people buy it, Apple has to lower the price, change the configuration, or drop the product. "It's too expensive" whining has no place in that process.
Perhaps not, although most people who make the "don't whine" comment tend to be Americans and thus don't have to pay the additional price for the same product.
I'm afraid that I do find the price that we have to pay in the UK compared to what the average American pays galling, it won't stop me buying the product because only Apple makes the Mac Mini and it offers the best solution, just don't expect me to not point out how big the gulf in pricing is.
Perhaps not, although most people who make the "don't whine" comment tend to be Americans and thus don't have to pay the additional price for the same product.
I'm afraid that I do find the price that we have to pay in the UK compared to what the average American pays galling, it won't stop me buying the product because only Apple makes the Mac Mini and it offers the best solution, just don't expect me to not point out how big the gulf in pricing is.
Like he said...don't buy it.
Perhaps not, although most people who make the "don't whine" comment tend to be Americans and thus don't have to pay the additional price for the same product.
I'm afraid that I do find the price that we have to pay in the UK compared to what the average American pays galling, it won't stop me buying the product because only Apple makes the Mac Mini and it offers the best solution, just don't expect me to not point out how big the gulf in pricing is.
The price I have to pay for good British beer is higher than you pay, too. The difference is that I'm not running around whining about it.
Entry level performance? $700+? I'll take 5...
Right now I would not trust my info on a sd card. And the capacity limit is unknown for that slot. But it is very likely that a 1TB card will be available in the next 12 to 18 months, and a 2TB cards a bit after that. If it is more stable than they are now and I hear that they are, they should be a good option for more storage space and for media files. You can probably even boot off of it. You might end up running your OS on the hard drive and all of your files off the SD card. It's not very likely but it is a possibility. If anything like this happens then It's good to have that slot in the back.
What's HDMI 3.1? Don't you mean HDMI 1.3? (the latest HDMI standard supported by most 2010 TVs, receivers and some Blu-ray players being 1.4).
And I agree that the memory card is in the wrong place, unless people are going to mount this thing cable side out. I would expect such a design flaw from anyone but Apple.
And it's "The Evolution of Steve Jobs' Computer Box", not "...Steve Jobs Computer Box".
(How about some simple copy editing?)
On a slightly off-topic note, there are two new standards in the works and we haven't heard a peep from Apple on either of them: HDBaseT is a standard for sending HDMI over Ethernet, so you have networking, digital video and audio and control over one cable. The other is a new standard for Wireless HDMI, WHDMI v2.0. We should start seeing products with these technologies in late 2011. These are the types of advanced technologies that Apple used to take the lead on, like USB, Firewire and Gigabit Ethernet.
HDMI 1.4 also supports networking over HDMI, but not a single manufacturer has implemented it as yet. It also supports an audio return channel (from TV to A/V receiver), so you don't have to run an extra cable, and 3D.
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While noting the useful SD slot, you failed to mention its stinky location.