When I got the chance to test the latest Mac mini, I didn't hesitate. The smallest Mac has been waiting for its update for several years, and to everyone's delight, it arrived. The latest configurations feature the best technologies, such as 4th generation Intel Core processors, DDR2666 RAM memories clocked at 3,6 MHz, super fast SSD storage and other goodies. In today's review, we will look at the Mac mini in its basic configuration, i.e. quad-core 3 GHz Intel Core i8 processor, 128 GB RAM, 630 GB SSD and Intel UHD Graphics 1536 graphics card with XNUMX MB memory. No more talking and let's get straight to it.
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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 got after opening the box for the first time. After taking the Mac out of the box, I was struck by its size and weight. It was clear to me that the Mac mini reaches a size of less than 20x20 cm. I don't know why, but I still expected it to feel smaller, and lighter in terms of weight. But then came a return to reality from my side. After all, I'm holding a full-fledged computer with bloated hardware in my hand and not a MacBook Air. If I take it in comparison with classic computers that run competitors Windows, so the size and weight of the Mac is several times smaller. As I say, this was the first feeling before my realization.
The packaging neither excites nor offends
I was also slightly surprised by the box in which the reviewed Mac is packed. With the vast majority of Apple products (for example, iPhone, MacBook, AirPods, etc.), we are used to opening by sliding upwards. In the case of the Mac mini ve, however, we encounter sliding to the side, which of course is nothing major and does not detract from the functionality in any way, but it is an interesting change anyway. The first thing you see when you open it is nothing but the entire Apple computer in all its glory. Underneath, there is only the power cable, and outside of it, you will find only the manual in the package, including the Apple stickers.
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The design is simply fantastic
Apple always tried to depict all his products perfectly, precisely and above all in a unified manner. Unification also took place with the Mac mini, namely the unification of colors with other Apple products. So the smallest Mac will attract you with its space gray color, which makes it absolutely perfect on the table together with the MacBook Pro (in my case) or with any other new product from Apple.
On the upper side of the body, it is quite large for my taste Apple a logo that could be a bit more decent. On the sides, that is, except for the back, you would have a hard time looking for anything. You can only notice the small front LED, which has only one task - to inform you that the Mac is turned on, since you have no chance to know, for example, by the sound. The entire back has a black strip, which contains unusually rich connectivity and the exhaust of the fan, which is practically inaudible. At first I thought that the Mac was not working after turning it on, but luckily the LED diode convinced me otherwise.
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Connectivity
Apple has a habit of saving with ports and connectivity in general. There is only a Lightning port on the latest iPhones, two Thunderbolt 13 ports on 3″ MacBooks Pro without Touch Bar. However, this is not the case for the Mac mini. So on the back you will find a LAN connector, where you can choose either classic gigabit Ethernet or a better, ten gigabit Ethernet port in the configurator. Of course, there is a Thunderbolt 3 port, four times, which is used to connect absolutely everything. From a high-end monitor, to peripherals, to a USB-HUB. You can also use the HDMI 2.0 port to connect the monitor, and if you want to connect any other peripherals, you can with the help of two classic USB 3.0 ports. Apple decided to keep even the 3,5mm jack on the Mac mini for now. At the end of the paragraph, I will return to the connection of the monitors. If you own multiple high-end monitors and would like to connect one to an Apple computer, there are some limitations. You can see the maximum combination of connected monitors below:
- Three displays:
- Two 4096 x 2304 @ 60Hz displays connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz display connected via HDMI 2.0
and
- Two displays:
- One 5120 x 2880 @ 60Hz display connected via Thunderbolt 3 plus one 4096 x 2160 @ 60Hz display connected via HDMI 2.0
However, I personally think that most of us will not encounter these problems. Furthermore, inside the Mac there is the latest Bluetooth 5.0 and, of course, the possibility of connecting to a network using 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 of the Mac mini in the editorial office. This basic model starts at a price tag of CZK 23.990. Of course, you can put it together according to your taste and how you will use it. There are three processors: 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. Memories are available from 8 GB to 64 GB, and you can store your data on up to 2 TB of SSD storage. Finally, there is an Ethernet configuration available, i.e. either gigabit or ten gigabit Ethernet.
If you would like to put a real devil in a small box, then forget the five-figure sum. The final price for the most powerful Mac mini even reaches 132 thousand crowns. However, it is necessary to realize that more does not necessarily mean better. Even before you set the most powerful processor and other components in your configuration, you should check whether the programs you work with can use such a large performance.
The maximum configuration of the Mac mini will cost 132 crowns:
Beauty is replaced by beauty…
All the aspects and features that we have shown and listed so far in the review sound absolutely great and flawless. For now, it looks like you can get a great Apple computer for a pretty reasonable price. And that's the way it really is - you buy a computer. Now you may not know what I mean when I say get a computer. In short, the point is that for a minimum price of 24 crowns, you will only purchase a box with hardware. In order to turn this box into something amazing, additional investments will be needed - monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers and possibly other peripherals.
…but then comes the question marks
I only own one computer from Apple, the MacBook Pro 2017. It suits me perfectly and I don't have a single negative word to say about it. But it was here that I realized that it's the little things that do Apple Applem. Since I don't have and simply don't need an Apple keyboard or mouse at home, I connected an old gaming keyboard, which was perfect in my younger days, to the reviewed Mac and a classic mouse. Already, something was wrong with me, and various questions began to pop into my head that I couldn't answer. But I didn't want to judge a book by its cover, so I plugged in everything else and rushed to launch it for the first time.
Everything went perfectly fine, I set everything up in the classic way and started working with Mac. Unfortunately, I have to say frankly that I would definitely not get used to it. With an ordinary mouse, keyboard and monitor, I felt like I was controlling a classic computer with a competing operating system Windows – and that's the last thing you want with apple products. At that moment, it dawned on me that it didn't matter if I had the weakest or most bloated macOS device lying next to me. If things don't fit together, then it's just not the same. In the same way that it is not Christmas without a tree, so without an original one Apple the accessory is not a Mac. And right here came one of the biggest question marks.
The biggest question mark
If I decided to get the original Apple mac mini accessory, would it be beneficial for me? It was quite clear to me right from the start that he had these speculations Apple 24 percent calculated, which was confirmed for me. Allow me to move on to a math lesson for a moment: Let's take a Mac mini in the weakest configuration, which costs XNUMX crowns. Apple Magic Keyboard with numeric keypad starts at 3.800 crowns, Apple Magic Mouse 2 then for 2.300 crowns. The cheapest 4K display costs about 9 thousand crowns, and you can get ordinary speakers for 2 thousand crowns. In summary, a full-fledged Mac mini in the weakest configuration will cost you 41 crowns. You can buy a quad-core iMac with a 21,5″ Retina 4K display, 8 GB of RAM, and a keyboard and mouse for free. Personally, I would rather choose this iMac than the Mac mini. I would do so because I wouldn't have to buy additional accessories separately in other stores. But the main reason is that I would have a full-fledged iMac in front of me, which looks absolutely great in its own right.
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. You can easily hide the tiny Mac in a cabinet, just connect it to the TV and it will work perfectly together with wireless peripherals. However, as I already mentioned, for ordinary work I would rather reach for an iMac or a MacBook in a similar price range.
Performance is exactly what you expect
The performance depends exactly on the configuration you choose. I took the liberty of comparing the editorial piece with my MacBook Pro, which I also bought in 2017 in a standard configuration, only with more 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 measurement results on a Mac mini in the configuration 3,6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 eighth generation, 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, 128GB SSD and Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536MB. You can view the complete test results, including the results in individual processes right here.
Geekbench CPU benchmark test measurement results on MacBook Pro 2017 13″ in configuration 2,3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 seventh generation, 8GB 2133MHz DDR3 memory, 256GB SSD and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536MB. You can view the complete test results, including the results in individual processes right here.
As you can see, the performance per core is similar for both tested devices. However, this does not apply to multi-core performance, where the Mac mini scored about 5 points (62%) more. But again, even nowadays, some applications or games do not support multi-core processors, which is more than alarming.
Mac mini 2018 vs MacBook Pro 2017 13″ – Geekbench Compute test
Geekbench Compute benchmark test measurement results on a Mac mini in the configuration 3,6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 eighth generation, 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 memory, 128GB SSD and Intel UHD Graphics 630 1536MB. You can view the complete test results, including the results in individual processes right here.
Geekbench Compute benchmark test results on MacBook Pro 2017 13″ in configuration 2,3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 seventh generation, 8GB 2133MHz DDR3 memory, 256GB SSD and Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 1536MB. You can view the complete test results, including the results in individual processes right here.
In this case, on the other hand, the nearly two-year-old MacBook Pro had the upper hand, which gained a lead of about 13 points, which is 62% more than the Mac mini. However, I recommend opening both complete results and comparing the devices more precisely - each excels in a different part of the benchmark.
Mac mini 2018 vs MacBook Pro 2017 13″ - BlackMagic Disk SpeedTest
I performed the disk speed test in the BlackMagic Disk SpeedTest program and wrote 5GB files to both disks. The Mac mini achieves a write speed of "only" 640 MB/s, which is half that of the MacBook Pro. It managed to record a score of 1330 MB/s. According to BlackMagic, the writing speed on the Mac mini would not be enough 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, as a two-year-old MacBook Pro would have no problem writing any of the items. The reading speed is then similar on both devices, reaching a value of around 2,3 GB/s on average. You can see the results below.
User extensibility
You can easily upgrade some Apple devices at home. Most often, this is the possibility of adding or replacing RAM memories. The iMac can be expanded by opening the "tray" on its back, and the old version of the Mac mini was also known for the fact that it was quite easy to expand the RAM capacity. So the question is - can the RAM memory be expanded on the new Mac mini 2018? As you have already read in our magazine, it is of course possible. I'd love to show you how to do it in this paragraph, but unfortunately I can't take the review device apart and drill into it. In any case, you will find a lot of videos and detailed tutorials on the Internet, with the help of which you can change RAMs at home. If you expect to increase 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 at the same time it is necessary to point out that you will lose the warranty. Therefore, if something happens to your Mac and it is found during the complaint that you messed with its bowels, the complaint will be rejected. So it's up to you whether it's worth the risk or not.
In conclusion: Mac mini will certainly find its users
In my opinion, the Mac mini is a computer that a user buys for a specific purpose. As I've mentioned several times before, I personally require an Apple computer to be 100% Apple to get that great feeling I get every time I sit down at the keyboard of my MacBook Pro. Simply put, owning a small Mac and non-genuine accessories just don't go together. On the contrary, I understand users who buy them as a computer for a TV or as a server. It is also ideal when you need to switch between operating systems. You simply need to connect both to one monitor Windows station and Mac and you can switch between the two inputs using a button on the monitor.
Mac mini will delight you with its design, perfect workmanship, connectivity and size. If you like it, definitely consider its configuration and remember that not all applications can use the computer's performance to the full. It is also necessary to consider the fact that for the same price for which you can buy a Mac mini together with original peripherals, you can have an iMac with Retina or a MacBook Pro. You have already read all my praises and criticisms, and now the decision is 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 mac mini i7 with radeon at home, I don't see a reason why they limited themselves to only chipset graphics, especially with a configuration for 130.
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 with the accessories I might see it a little differently. You buy an iMac as a ready-made computer, so you get it including accessories. The Mac mini, on the other hand, is a "component" for which it is assumed that you already have, for example, 2 suitable monitors, a keyboard and a mouse. So when you upgrade, you will only be buying the Mac mini itself. Unfortunately, when upgrading an iMac, you are forced to buy everything, so you get it (at a reasonable price) directly in the package.
Any graphics in such a small body would suck. eGPU makes sure of that. I have a 15″ Macbook Pro 2018 at home, my girlfriend has a six-core Mac mini 2018 and together the eGPU Razer CoreX with Vega 64 works great, I always connect it to the machine on which something needs to be rendered or exported.
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….
2 Nightingale. I don't know which mini you mean. But if it is 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 more space for a graphics card.
I think that MAC mini is only for a narrow group of users. It is much more meaningful to buy any macbook and connect it to an external monitor (preferably via USB-C).
Mirek: the first macbook that does not have backward hardware costs 56 thousand, with a 256 gigabyte disk, with a 1TB disk and 16 gigabytes of frames, it is the 80400. Now, something that is not overpriced, please
They are considering the Mac mini (late 2014) version, the previous sold generation, for regular office work, browsing the Internet, editing family photos and the occasional fullHD video, wouldn't there be some comparison? And how do you see it with OS update support?
That godlike: yes, I have a potato chip in my head and I'm going to compare 10-year-old iron.
I am comparing the highest configuration then and today. Since drives and dedicated cards were on the market, today for 130k I can get something for the rest of the silicon that somehow remained after the production of the core.
Dimensionally, it is a tall MacBook (the battery takes up 1/3 of the space there), and it cools it down. There's no reason why macmini shouldn't cool it down.
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 Mini under 15 thousand.
I'm small, smart and above all pretty overpriced
2 Nightingale. I don't know what Macmini you are talking about. The full-fledged quad-core was just in 2012, i7 2,6Ghz. This model didn't have dedicated graphics either, only Intel HD 4000. I don't really care if it did Apple he wants 130k for the top model macmini. I added the ram myself and I can get by just fine with a 256GB SSD. I have a 6 core without HT, so it's a medium model. I bought 16GB RAM in Alga. I bought it cheap and without VAT. So for 24 kc, which is a very good price. The performance is higher than my old Imac 500 with i2017 7K.
https://www.suntech.cz/produkt/485206-apple-mac-mini-space-gray-2018/
It will solve the money, then the comparison is useless. Or you don't worry about the money and then the comparison is useless again. To type an email, table or text, watch a video and play cards, even an iron from the time of King Klack is enough (the Mini 2010/2012 – 2010 has an advantage in expandability, it has an optical drive, and I consider that an advantage. In addition, the drive can pull out and insert a second disk. You can change the disk for about 2010-2012 + for some work. The Mini will be much better, of course.)
So:
You will calm down with the feeling that you have a machine sufficient for your work, but it is not the latest, so save some money and clean it differently, and it should be better. Or you won't get over that feeling and then you'll speculate about what processor and disk to use in the new one, and if by chance the iMac won't be better.
Advice: calculate when the machine will pay for itself. If thanks to Minim 2018 you can make a better business when you write a better email, create more amazing tables or write a breathtaking text (including office work) than with Minim 2014, then buy it. If you don't worry about the question of when it will be paid, it's still sumac.
To the article - "without the original Apple accessory is not Mac" - well, it's not faro without the temptation stripes on the chevron or golf! 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 :-(
The Mini does not have a monitor, keyboard and mouse because it is a modular machine, as someone wrote earlier. You have the opportunity to choose your own peripherals that suit you and (be careful) are better than those from the Apple factory. Someone needs a higher DPI and a magic mouse won't help them there.
True, with those peripherals... Until today, I use the wireless white keyboard from G4. For about 10 years, I used the terrible flat ATM that I got with aluminum iMacs... It's just not possible, so I took this one to 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 - doesn't today's Mini have a speaker inside? G4 works for me. And decent washing machines from Genius cost 5-7 hundred.
For example, my A4tech mouse for 3 has about 6 buttons, so it's fine. and on the sides I have a mapped dashboard and display of all windows. The next button cleans the screen up to the desktop... The wheel can be clicked to both sides... Probably no Apple mouse has ever offered me this. Mighty went away, the idea with the ball was great, but cleaning it every other day is a pain. In addition, her strange sensors instead of side buttons do not work so correctly and reliably,
Very biased article "After all, I'm holding a full-fledged computer with bloated hardware in my hand and not a MacBook Air. If I take it in comparison with classic computers that run competitors Windows, so the size and weight of the Mac is several times smaller."
What does this have to do with a classic computer? Nothing can be changed in it except the RAM.
A similarly powerful Intel NUC (so let's talk about a similar device) is about one-third the size (volume) and I always replace both RAM and SSD in it. This is basically a proprietary laptop without a display, with advanced integration of practically all components with a desktop processor with overpriced extras (128GB SSD is a joke these days... even if it's nVME, the price for each extra is unjustified...) and thermal throttling and I'm not even talking about the basic i3 .
Nothing for me, I'm staying with my i7 Hackintosh, which is more powerful than today's MacPro and cost me just 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..
Tomas: it's difficult with Apple, but you can buy a shitty dual-core for 40 thousand
Mr. Editor, you do not understand the potential of the Mac 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 the iPhone!!! :D:D and that iMac for 40K is dual-core and only has HDD, which is bad and what would you rather buy? A 40K iMac that has a HDD and only dual core, with a magic mouse that is not ergonomic, and has sharp edges, and has to charge from the bottom, ie. that you won't be able to use it while charging and also with a non-backlit keyboard, or a Mac Mini for 24K, which has a 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, a 4-core processor and I can connect whatever I want to it???!!?!?