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The last time Apple introduced a Mac Mini, it was in 2014, the year Apple launched its iPhone 6. Yes, it was really so long.
We finally have a new model – the Mac Mini (2018) – announced at an event in New York. Apple calls this a "massive increase in performance," but nothing would be after four years in the world of technology. A new Mac Mini is well behind schedule, but we are grateful to have it here because it seems like it could be a good companion for your workstation. It's just a pity that Apple has raised the price by $ 300.
Space Gray, more connectivity
The interior of the Mac Mini may be completely different from its predecessor, but Apple does not think the design needs updating. The only novelty is a Space Gray finish, which certainly has a more elegant appearance than the old silver color. It's exactly the same size and the same weight. We want Apple to have tried something different here with design, just for variety.
Some people will not worry about static design, but there's nothing like staying still in technology. The world of compact PCs has evolved considerably over the past four years. You can connect one to the back of your monitor or even suspend one to your keychain. This makes the "mini" impact of the Mac mini less impressive than before.
At the rear is an impressive number of ports, including four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, which means you can connect it to 4K or 5K Thunderbolt displays, as well as an external GPU. It's a tonne Thunderbolt 3 ports. In fact, it could even be as well a lot, if it's even possible. This is the same amount that has been awarded to the iMac Pro, which has certainly increased the already high price of this PC.
Mac Mini's Intel UHD Graphics 630 Graphics Processor Will Not Exceed High Frame Rates Fortnite anytime soon.
In addition to the USB-C, there are also two USB-A 3 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. An Ethernet port is also available and is configurable up to 10 Gb Ethernet for high-speed connections. Overall, we are pleased that Apple has strengthened the selection of ports rather than reducing its expenses.
The only other significant change to the new Mac Mini is in materials. Like the new Macbook Air, Apple said the Mac Mini case is 100% made of recycled aluminum. There is virtually no difference in texture or feel compared to the previous Mac Mini, and Apple said its strength and durability were the same. It's nice to see a company keep its commitment to make environmentally friendly products.
Many configurations
The configurations of the new Mac Mini can be confusing. First, there are two main models with eighth-generation processors: one with a quad-core processor and the other with a six-core processor. The quad core processor has a 3.6 GHz Intel Core i3 processor, while the six core core processor has a 3.0 GHz Intel Core i5 processor with a 4-core Turbo Boost , 1 GHz. You can find an even more powerful Intel Core i7 model with six cores.
Apple says the graphics capacity has increased by 60%, which looks good on the surface. But again, compared to 2014, nothing will get an impressive performance jump. The truth is that integrated Intel UHD Graphics 630 processors do not grow up and down Fortnite anytime soon. We would have liked to see a configuration option with additional graphics features, such as the Core i5-8305G, which came with the integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega graphics card. This would not only bring the Mac mini entry-level gaming performance, but also some raw power for demanding tasks such as video editing.
We are really not happy with the price situation of the Mac Mini.
The Mac Mini has a new thermal system that doubles the flow of air throughout the case, but Apple has said it will always be quiet. The space in which we were was noisy, so we have to take the words of Apple for the moment. We will be particularly interested in how the small chassis manages the heat generated by the six-core model.
The Mac Mini starts with 8GB of RAM, but is also configurable for 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB. There are also many internal storage options – these are SSDs (Solid-State Drive), which should offer even better performance – ranging from 128 GB to 2 TB.
Apple's T2 security chip, which debuted in the 2017 iMac Pro, has been added to the MacBook Pro. With this chip, Apple says that everything stored on the SSD is fully encrypted and you also get a secure boot. HEVC video transcoding also takes place here, and it would be 30 times faster, which seems like a boon to professional video editors. The T2 also incorporates the "Hey Siri" feature for faster access to the Apple Voice Assistant.
Price and availability
The Mac Mini (2018) starts at $ 800 for the four-core model and $ 1,100 for the six-core version. If you make the most of all the features of the best-performing model, the price is $ 4,200. We are really not happy with this price situation.
The old Mac Mini was sold at the basic price for only $ 500. For now, the upgrade does not seem quite worthy of the price increase. Switching to a four- or six-core processor is quite common in 2018, as is high-speed SSD storage and Thunderbolt 3 ports. We'll keep our final opinion once the system is fully tested, but the only pricing left us with a little cold.
The new Mac mini is available for pre-order now and official sales will begin November 7th.
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