When I got the chance to test the latest Mac mini, I didn't hesitate for a moment. The smallest Mac has been waiting for its update for several years and to everyone's delight, it has arrived. The latest configurations feature the best technologies, such as eighth-generation Intel Core processors, DDR4 RAM clocked at 2666 MHz, super-fast SSD storage and other gadgets. In today's review, we'll take a look at Mac mini in the basic configuration, i.e. quad-core 3,6 GHz Intel Core i3 processor, 8 GB RAM, 128 GB SSD and Intel UHD Graphics 630 graphics card with 1536 MB memory. Konec speech and let's take a look at it straight away.
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Initial feeling
Right at the beginning of the review, I would like to share with you my initial feeling that I had after opening the box for the first time. After pulling out MacI was amazed by the size and weight of the box. It was clear to me that Mac mini It measures less than 20×20 cm. I don't know why, but I still expected it to feel smaller, and in terms of weight, lighter. But then I came back to reality. After all, I'm holding a full-fledged computer with supercharged hardware in my hand, and I'm not holding MacBook AirIf I compare it to classic computers running competing Windows, so is the size and weight Macseveral times smaller. As I say, this was the first feeling before I realized it.
The packaging neither excites nor offends
I was also slightly surprised by the box in which the reviewed product is Mac packaged. For the vast majority of products from Applu (for example iPhone, MacBook, AirPods, etc.) we are used to opening by sliding upwards. In the case of Macu mini However, we encounter a slide-out to the side, which is of course nothing major and does not detract from the functionality, but it is an interesting change anyway. The first thing you see after opening it is nothing other than the entire Apple computer in all its glory. Underneath it is only the power cable and apart from it, in the package you will only find the manual, including Apple stickers.
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The design is simply fantastic
Apple has always tried to portray all its products perfectly, precisely and, most importantly, in a unified way. This unification also occurred with Macu mini, specifically to unify the colors with other apple products. The smallest Mac It will captivate you with its space gray color, making it a perfect fit on the table together with MacBookem Pro (in my case) or with any other new product from Appyou.
On the upper side of the body, it is quite large for my taste Apple logo, which could be a little more discreet. You would be hard pressed to find anything on the sides, except for the back. You can only notice a small front LED, which has one task - to inform you that it is Mac turned on, because you have no chance of knowing it by the sound, for example. The entire back has a black strip, in which there is an unusually richoneactivity and the ventilator's exhalation, which is practically inaudible. At first I thought that Mac It doesn't work after turning it on, but fortunately the LED diode convinced me otherwise.
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Koneactivity
Apple is familiar with ports and generally withoneactivity to save. On the latest iPhonech is located only Lightning port, on 13″ MacThe Pro without the Touch Bar has two Thunderbolt 3 ports. However, this does not apply to Mac miniOn the back you will find the LAN toonewhich you can choose in the configurator either a classic gigabit Ethernet or a better, ten gigabit Ethernet port. Of course, there is a Thunderbolt 3 port, four of them, which is used to connect absolutely everything. From a high-end monitor, to peripherals, to USB-HUB. You can also use the port to connect the monitor HDMI 2.0 and if you would like to connect any other peripheral, then with the help of two classic USB 3.0 ports you can. Apple He decided Macu mini for nowonechat even 3,5mm jack. On theoneI'll come back to connecting monitors in the next paragraph. If you own multiple high-end monitors and would like to connect them to your Apple computer, there are some limitations. MaxYou can see the ideal combination of connected monitors below:
- Three displays:
- Two 4096x2304@60Hz displays connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096x2160@60Hz display connected via HDMI 2.0
and
- Two displays:
- One 5120 x 2880 @ 60 Hz display connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096 x 2160 @ 60 Hz display connected via HDMI 2.0
However, I personally think that most of us will not encounter these problems. Furthermore, inside MacThere is the latest Bluetooth 5.0 and of course the ability to connect to the network via Wi-Fi, compatible with IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n specifications.
Configuration
As I mentioned at the beginning of the review, we are testing the basic version in the editorial office. Macu mini. This basic model starts at a price tag of 23.990 CZK. Of course, you can customize it to your taste and how you will use it. There are three processors available: a quad-core Intel Core i3 3,6 GHz, a six-core Intel Core i5 3,6 GHz and a six-core Intel Core i7 3,2 GHz. Memory is available from 8 GB to 64 GB and you can store your data on up to 2 TB of SSD storage. On theonec Ethernet configuration is also available, i.e. either gigabit or ten gigabit Ethernet.
If you want to put a real devil in a small box, forget about the five-figure sum. The final amount for the strongest Mac mini It even goes up to 132 thousand crowns. However, it is necessary to realize that more does not necessarily mean better. Before you configure the most powerful processor and other components,onenty, you should check whether the programs you are working with can use that much power.
Maximal configuration Macu mini It will cost 132 thousand crowns:
Beauty is replaced by beauty…
All the aspects and features that we have shown and listed in the review so far sound absolutely great and flawless. For now, it looks like you can get a great Apple computer for a fairly reasonable price. And that's really what it is - you get a computer. Maybe you don't understand what I mean when I say you get a computer. In short, the point is that you get miniFor a nominal price of 24 thousand crowns, you will only buy a box with hardware. To turn this box into something amazing, you will need additional investments - a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and possibly other peripherals.
…but then comes the question marks
Computer from AppI only own one, and that is MacBook Pro 2017. It suits me perfectly and I don't have a single bad word to say about it. However, it was here that I realized that it is the little things that make Apple Applem. Since I don't have and simply don't need a keyboard or mouse at home Applol, so I'm on to the reviewed one MacI connected an old, perfect in my youth, gaming keyboard and a classic mouse. Something was wrong with it already and various questions started to run through my head that I couldn't answer. But I didn't want to judge a book by its cover, so I connected everything else and rushed to start it up for the first time.
Everything went perfectly fine, I set everything up in the classic way and started with MacI have to say that I would definitely not get used to it. I used to work with a regular mouse, keyboard and monitor.ipadal, as if I were controlling a classic computer with a competing operating system Windows – and that’s the last thing you want when it comes to apple products. At that moment, it occurred to me that it didn’t matter if the weakest or the most plump one was lying next to me. macOS equipment. When things don't fit together, it's just not the same. Just as there is no Christmas without a tree, there is no Christmas without an original Apple accessories are not MacAnd this is where one of the biggest question marks came in.
The biggest question mark
If I decided to get the original Apple accessories for Macu mini, would it be beneficial for me? It was quite clear to me from the very beginning that he had these speculations Apple calculated to a thousand percent, which was confirmed to me. Let me now move on to a math lesson, even if only for a short moment: Let's take Mac mini in the weakest configuration, which costs 24 thousand crowns. Apple Magic Keyboard with a numeric keypad it costs 3.800 crowns, Apple Magic Mouse 2 then for 2.300 crowns. The cheapest 4K display will cost about 9 thousand crowns and you can get ordinary speakers for 2 thousand crowns. All in all, a full-fledged Mac mini in the weakest configuration it will cost you 41 thousand crowns. You can get a quad-core i for a thousand crowns cheaperMac with 21,5″ Retina 4K display, 8GB RAM, free keyboard and mouse. Personally, I would rather choose this oneMacthan Mac miniI would do this because I wouldn't have to buy additional accessories separately in other stores. The main reason, however, is that I would have a fully-fledged iMac, which looks absolutely great on its own.
But I don't want to be too harsh on the reviewed apple computer - it too will surely find its place in the household. For example, you can use it absolutely perfectly as a server or a kind of "computer for the TV" if you don't want to buy Apple TV. Tiny Mac you can simply hide it in a cabinet, just connect it to the TV and it will work perfectly together with wireless peripherals. But as I already mentioned, for ordinary work I would rather reach for the iMacat or MacBookin a similar price range.
Performance is exactly what you expect
Performance depends on the exact configuration you choose. I took the liberty of comparing the editor's piece with mine. MacBookem Pro, which I also purchased in 2017 in the standard configuration, only with larger storage. Personally, I thought that both of these devices could be compared in terms of performance. Specifically, we will compare the following devices:
| Mac mini 2018 | MacBook Pro 2017 13″ | |
| processor | Eighth generation 3,6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 | 2,3GHz dual-core seventh generation Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 8 GB of 2666 MHz DDR4 memory | 8GB 2133MHz DDR3 memory |
| Grafic card | Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536MB | Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536MB |
| SSD storage | 128GB SSD storage | 256GB SSD storage |
Mac mini 2018 vs MacBook Pro 2017 13″ - Geekbench CPU test
Geekbench CPU benchmark test results on Macu mini in the configuration of 3,6GHz quad-core 3th generation Intel Core i8, 2666GB 4MHz DDR128 memory, 630GB SSD and Intel UHD Graphics 1536 XNUMXMB. You can see the complete test results including the results in individual processes right here.
Geekbench CPU benchmark test results on MacBookon the Pro 2017 13″ in a configuration with a 2,3GHz dual-core 5th generation Intel Core i8, 2133GB of 3MHz DDR256 memory, 640GB SSD and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 1536 XNUMXMB. You can see the complete test results, including results in individual processes right here.
As you can see, the single-core performance is similar for both tested devices. However, this does not apply to the multi-core performance, where it gained Mac mini about 5 thousand points (62%) more. But I repeat again that even today some applications or games do not support multi-core processors, which is more than alarmmoving.
Mac mini 2018 vs MacBook Pro 2017 13″ - Geekbench Compute test
Geekbench Compute benchmark test results on Macu mini in the configuration of 3,6GHz quad-core 3th generation Intel Core i8, 2666GB 4MHz DDR128 memory, 630GB SSD and Intel UHD Graphics 1536 XNUMXMB. You can see the complete test results including the results in individual processes right here.
Geekbench Compute benchmark test results on MacBookon the Pro 2017 13″ in a configuration with a 2,3GHz dual-core 5th generation Intel Core i8, 2133GB of 3MHz DDR256 memory, 640GB SSD and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 1536 XNUMXMB. You can see the complete test results, including results in individual processes right here.
In this case, on the contrary, the almost two-year-old had the upper hand again. MacBook Pro, which he gained compared to Macu mini a lead of about 13 thousand points, which is 62% more. However, I recommend opening both complete results and comparing the devices more precisely - each excelis in another part of the benchmark.
Mac mini 2018 vs MacBook Pro 2017 13″ – BlackMagic Disk SpeedTest
I ran the disk speed test in the Black programMagic Disk SpeedTest and I wrote 5GB files to both disks. Mac mini reaches a write speed of "only" 640 MB/s, which is compared to MacBookThe Pro has twice as much. It managed to record a score of 1330 MB/s. According to BlackMagicu would write speed on Macu mini nestIt was able to record 2160p video at 50 and 60 frames per second. All other items are handled by the small Apple computer without any problems. However, I would have expected a slightly better score, since the two-year-old MacBook Pro would have no problem writing either item. The read speed is then similar on both devices, averaging around 2,3 GB/s. You can see the results below.
User extensibility
Some devices from AppYou can easily upgrade your computer at home. The most common way to do this is to add or replace RAM. iMac can be expanded by opening the "compartment" on its back and the old version Macu mini was also known for the fact that it is quite easy to expand the RAM capacity on it. So the question is – can the RAM be expanded on the new Macu mini 2018? As you may have already read in our magazine, it is of course possible. I would like to show you how to do it in this paragraph, but unfortunately I cannot disassemble the device intended for review and tinker with it. In any case, you can find plenty of videos and detailed tutorials on the Internet, with which you can replace RAM at home. If you are counting on increasing the RAM capacity, you can easily order a model with a lower RAM capacity and increase the capacity at home for a fraction of the price. You will save several thousand crowns, but it is also important to note that you will lose the warranty. So if your Macsomething happens and she saysmacand if it is discovered that you have been poking around in his bowels, then it will be saidmace rejected. So it's up to you whether it's worth the risk or not.
In conclusion: Mac mini will surely find its users
Mac mini is, in my opinion, a computer that a user buys for a specific purpose. As I have mentioned several times, I personally have been looking for a computer since AppI demand that it be 100% from Applu, to get that great feeling I get every time I sit down at the keyboard of my MacBooku Pro. Simply put, owning a small Mac and non-original accessories simply do not go with it. On the contrary, I understand users who buy it as a computer for a TV or as a server. It is also ideal when you have to switch between operating systems. Simply connect both to one monitor Windows station, so Mac and you can switch between two inputs using a button on the monitor.
Mac mini will inspire you with its design, perfect workmanship,oneactivity and also size. If you liked it, then definitely consider its configuration and remember that not all applications can use the offered computer power to the fullest. It is also necessary to consider the fact that for the same price you buy it for Mac mini along with original peripherals, you can also haveMac with Retina and or MacBook ProYou have already read all my praise and criticisms and now the decision is entirely up to you.
And surely replacing the RAM voids the warranty? There are just discussions and conjectures about it everywhere, but no conclusion or confirmation anywhere...
Great review. Praise.
Perfect review, thanks
I give a big minus for the inability to configure the graphics. I have an older one at home mac mini i7 with rowonem, I don't see any reason why they limited themselves to chipset graphics here, especially for a configuration for 130 thousand.
Slavek: because their goal is not that you have good hw at home, but that they want over 4 for a low-cost 128c and 20 gig SSD?
I agree with the review, but I might see it a little differently with the accessories. iMac You are buying a ready-made computer and therefore it includes accessories. Mac mini is against it "comp"onent" which assumes that you already have, for example, 2 compatible monitors, a keyboard and a mouse. When upgrading, you will only buy the Mac mini. When upgrading iMacUnfortunately, you are dependent on buying everything and so you get it directly in the package (for a reasonable price).
Any graphics in such a small body would be crap. An eGPU will do it. I have a 15″ at home Macbook Pro 2018, girlfriend six-core Mac mini 2018 and together with the Razer CoreX eGPU with Vega 64 it works great, I always connect it to the machine on which I need to render or export something.
I added the ram myself. The screws are covered in paint, so the loss of the warranty would probably be resolved. Otherwise, you need a perfect ifixit naradi….
2Slavek. I don't know which one. mini you mean. But if it's the year 2010, then the Radeon is already so desperately slow that today's integrated ones have many times higher performance. Today's tiles have a TDP of 65W and there is no room for a graphics card.
I think MAC mini is only for a narrow group of users. It makes much more sense to order any macbook and connect it to an external monitor (preferably via USB-VS).
Mirek: first macbook which does not have outdated hardware costs 56 thousand, with a 256 gig disk, a 1TB disk and 16 gigs of RAM it is 80400. Now something that is not too expensive please
They are considering a version Mac mini (late2014), the previous generation sold, for normal office work, browsing the Internet, editing family photos and occasional fullHD video, wouldn't there be some comparison with that? And how do you see it with support for OS updates?
That godlike: yes, I have a potato chip in my head and I'm going to compare 10-year-old iron.
I'm comparing the highest configuration then and now. Meanwhile, what drive There were also dedicated cards on the market, so today for 130k you can get something on the rest of the silicon that they somehow had left after manufacturing the core.
It is dimensional. macbook at a height (there is still 1/3 of the space taken up by the battery), and it will cool it down. There is no reason why it should not cool it down macmini.
As far as I'm concerned, someone kept telling Jobs "it can't be done" and he did quite often.
It's nice that the cheapest basic configuration is no shame... On the other hand, I remember the basic Minihim under 15 thousand.
I'm small, smart and above all pretty overpriced
2Slavek. I still don't know what Macmini you're talking. The full quad-core was just in 2012, i.e. i7 2,6Ghz. Even this model didn't have dedicated graphics, only Intel HD 4000. I don't care if Apple wants to be a top model macmini 130k. I added RAM myself and I can easily get by with a 256GB SSD. I have a 6 core without HT, so it's a mid-range model. I bought 16GB of RAM in Alza. I bought it cheaply and without VAT. So for 24kc, which is a very good price. It has higher performance than my old one.mac 2017 with i7 7700K.
https://www.suntech.cz/produkt/485206-apple-mac-mini-space-gray-2018/
Either you solve money, then comparison is useless. Or you don't solve money, then comparison is useless again. To type an email, spreadsheet or text, watch a video and play cards, even a piece of hardware from the time of King Klack (don't worry Mini 2010/2012 – 2010 has an advantage in thesiritelnosti, has an optical drive and I consider it an advantage. In addition, the drive can be pulled out and another disk can be inserted. In 2010/2012, the disk can be replaced and for about 8-10 + some small change for labor you will get 000TB SSD storage. Mini it will liven up considerably. There is no need to talk about RAM expansion, of course.)
So:
Either you accept the feeling that your machine is sufficient for your work, but it is not the latest, but you save a few crowns and buy it differently and maybe even better. Or you will not try that feeling and then you will speculate what processor and disk to get for the new one and whether it would be better if the old one were better.Mac.
Advice: calculate when the machine will pay for itself. If so, thanks MiniYou will do better business in 2018 if you write a better email, make more amazing spreadsheets, or write a breathtaking text (excluding office work) than if you Minim 2014, then buy it. If you don't solve the question of when it will pay off, then it's still a sumac.
To the article - "without the original Apple accessories are not Mac” – well, it's not a faro without the temptation stripes on the ochkavka or golf course! A computer is still a computer regardless of peripherals. I understand, however, that the T-shirt is worn in front of friends, the person somehow looks like a statue :-(
Mini it doesn't have a monitor, keyboard and mouse because it's a modular machine, as someone wrote before me. You have the option to choose your own peripherals that suit you and (now be careful) they are better than the factory ones Applu. Someone needs a higher DPI and that's it magicThe mouse doesn't help.
True, with those peripherals... I still use the wireless white keyboard from G4. For about 10 years I used that terrible cash machine I got with the aluminum ones.MacKama... That's just not possible, so I brought this one out onto the table.
Mouse Apple perhaps he never made an ergonomically usable one (maybe once the square one-button ADB), since the beginning (even on museum pieces) I prefer to use A4Tech or stupid Logo for 150 CZK. But the flatbread is not allowed on my table without the support of my hand.
And when the author mentioned music and sounds – he was already talking about today’s Mini Doesn't it have speakers inside? I like the G4. And decent speakers from Genius cost 5-7 hundred.
For example, my A4tech mouse for 3 hundred has about 6 buttons so it's fine. and on the sides I have the dashboard mapped and all windows displayed. The next button clears the screen to the desktop... The wheel can be clicked to both sides... Probably none AppThe mouse never offered me this. Mighty passed, the idea with the ball was great but cleaning it every day is a pain. Plus, its weird sensors instead of side buttons don't work properly and reliably,
Very biased article "After all, I'm holding a full-fledged computer with supercharged hardware in my hand and I'm not holding MacBook AirIf I compare it to classic computers running competing Windows, so is the size and weight Mac"...several times smaller."
What does this have to do with a classic computer? Nothing can be changed in it except the RAM.
The similarly powerful Intel NUC (let's talk about a similar device) is about a third the size (volume) and I still replace both the RAM and SSD in it. This is essentially a proprietary laptop without a display, with advanced integration of practically all components.onent with a desktop processor with overpriced surcharges (128GB SSD is a joke these days... even if it's nVME, the price for every surcharge is unjustified...) and thermal throttling, not to mention the basic i3.
Nothing for me, I'm sticking with my i7 Hackintosh which is more powerful than today's MacPro and it cost me only 5000 CZK :)
Honza: i7 for 5? Don't be stingy and tell me where I can get it. I want it too.
You just have to look for the base... otherwise it's HP Prodesk 600, i7 4770, 2x4GB RAM in dual channel, 256GB SSD.
Geekbench I have 4350 and 14633, now after upgrading to Mojave a bit more..
Thomas: at AppIt's hard, but you can buy a shitty dual-core for 40 thousand.
Mr. Editor, you don't understand the potential Macu Mini. Mac mini is for users who have a suitable monitor, mouse and keyboard, and if I want a bitten apple drawn there, I simply use a sticker from my iPhone!!! :D:D and that oneMac for 40K it is dual core and only has HDD, which is bad and what would you rather buy? iMac for 40K, which has HDD and only dual core, with magic mouse, which is not ergonomic, has sharp edges, and must be charged from the bottom, meaning you won't be able to use it while charging, and also has a non-lit keyboard, or Mac Mini for 24K, which has a 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, a 4-core processor and I can connect whatever I want to it???!!?!?