Apple's Mac mini Core Duo reviewed

While rumors were a swirlin' in the days leading up to Apple's "It's Showtime" event, one thing we didn't exactly forecast was a refresh in the Mac mini lineup. Nevertheless, Apple bumped its most minuscule Macs by tossing in Intel Core Duo processors, while leaving just about everything else (including price points) the same. In case you've been dreaming up a homegrown media center or recording studio, and need to know if the revamped mini would fit the bill, Macworld's review crew has the scoop. Reviewers admired the inclusion of Core Duo chips in both high and low-end models, the built-in WiFi / Bluetooth, and the "admirable" Front Row performance. Aside from praising the small footprint (and the "impressive versatility" it allowed), they found the "10 to 15 percent" performance boost quite helpful in the typical media center related tasks, but (as expected) didn't hesitate to slam the weak integrated Intel GMA 950 graphics set. Overall, the speedier new Mac earned a 4 out of 5 ranking, and was deemed an "excellent, fully-featured system" -- so be sure and hit the read link for the complete critique on the this maxed-out mini.

[Jason @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:57AM]

the current "low end" was the previous "high end" model. the 1.66. thats the one i bought back in april, and it's served me pretty well since then. just don't expect to play games on it. (i also opted for the 2 gig of ram though)

[Gil @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:57AM]

Priiiiiiiiice?

[Gil @ Sep 23rd 2006 9:58AM]

Nevermind. It was right there at the top of the article but I didnt see it.

Mac Mini Core Duo 1.83GHz Price as rated: $799

Mac Mini Core Duo 1.66GHz Price as rated: $599

[Ed @ Sep 23rd 2006 10:09AM]

I thought about purchasing the mini when it was upgraded. What stopped me? That damn integrated graphics card.

I mean, look at the Apple lineup. You have the mini, the iMac and then the Mac Pro. I don't have $2,000 to spend on a new computer and I don't want my computer to be stuck behind some clunky all in one display (NO monitor looks good next to it when I dual display. Not a display from Dell, Apple, etc.).

So what does that mean? Well, I am grouped into purchasing either an $800 product or a $2100 product. What about all those price points in the middle for someone that wants the simplicity of the mini, but wouldn't mind a little bit bigger box if it had a real graphics card?

Still waiting Apple, still waiting.

[Tek @ Sep 23rd 2006 1:13PM]

I think Apple has overpriced themselves as well. I just want a simple computer, but for $599, I could really get something with a keyboard and mouse at the least.

I really think that the Mac mini just serves to make customers go to the 17" iMac at $1,199. It's sad to see that they've upgraded the iMac's processor, RAM and lowered the price while the Mac mini was upgraded in processor but not lowered in price. (The integrated graphics card, by the way, isn't as bad as you'd think for average users [like myself]. I have absolutely no care for gaming on my PC. I watch Divx movies, edit photos/art and surf the web...)

[Greg @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:23AM]

I just have one thing to say about this.

The iMac 17" can be had for $999.
This includes a 1.86GHz quad core processor and a 160 GB Hard Drive.

If you were to buy the mini with 1.86 GHz Dual core and 80 GB Drive for $799, you would still need to buy a keyboard/mouse/display if you didn't have them already. So to get a nice 17" LCD monitor would run you about $150 and The Apple Keyboard and Mighty mouse runs you another $80. Of course you could get a nice wireless Keyboard and mouse from logitech for about $30, but still, look at the price difference.

iMac 1.86 quad 17 inch 160 GB-$999
mac mini 1.86 dual 80 GB+ monitor + KB and Mighty Mouse-$1030

Your choice :)

[RussSchultz @ Sep 23rd 2006 2:37PM]

RE: Greg

The only quad core is the MacPro.

The Core 2 Duo is the 'next generation' of the core duo, not 2 core duos.

[J Ozer @ Sep 23rd 2006 6:56PM]

No quad core processor is currently made by AMD or Intel, and certainly none in any iMac. The iMac currently has a dual core Core 2 Duo. Perhaps you are thinking of the mac pro, which has dual dual core Xeon processors (They are Mernom cores, similar to the Core 2 but with a more enterprise feature set).

[Eric @ Sep 23rd 2006 11:55AM]

That $999 iMac also has the same craptastic integrated GPU. Fine for most HTPC duties (and great for low cost and heat), but a dog for games and the increasing range of stuff hardware-accelerated on the GPU by the Mac OS and various apps. And Ed has said he doesn't want an iMac or the integrated GPU.

Well, Ed, the current Mac lineup simply isn't going to meet your needs. You're last in a very, very long and very, very vocal line of people who want what's been nicknamed an "xMac" (check ArsTechnica: http://arstechnica.com/staff/fatbits.ars/2005/10/30/1676 and http://episteme.arstechnica.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/8300945231/m/607004350831). I'm in line somewhere ahead of you.

[Steve @ Sep 23rd 2006 12:05PM]

I was thinking about getting one of these to hook up via DVI to a 40" Sony LCD HDTV. The resolution on the TV is 1366x768. 1080i / 720p
Do you guys think it would look good?

[Eric @ Sep 23rd 2006 12:32PM]

One other thing -- you'll see constant comparisons to Shuttles and other SFF PCs, which pretty much have all the hardware specs we're all looking for in an xMac. However, if you actually go configure a Shuttle with what you'd want in an xMac (midrange graphics, 3.5" hard 250MB hard drive, DVD burner, etc.), it comes in over $1,700, and that's without any preinstalled software (e.g., iLife). At that point I'd be looking hard at a MacBook Pro or entry-level Mac Pro for just a little more money.

[Steve @ Sep 23rd 2006 2:18PM]

With regards to the Engadget writeup, it kinda makes it sound as if the linked review slammed the graphics chipset for media-related activities when in fact they were referncing its suitability for gaming.

Umm, the mini WAS lowered in price, what was the high end model basically got dropped to the low end (although it did lose the DVD-RW drive which was annoying). Also the cost of upgrades got cut, a big deal when you remember you really should stick 1Gb in this machine if you're going to be using it for anything more than basic office tasks.

Oh, and that 17" iMac for $999? You might want to take a VERY close look at the spec of that machine. There's no superdrive, no bluetooth and no apple remote. How much you value those things will of course be up to you but these are all features that ARE included on the mini.

[Paul @ Sep 23rd 2006 2:32PM]

@ Steve

I have a 1.5GHz core solo MacMini connected to my Sony 42" LCD HDTV. Looks great using front row to watch DVD's & other programs (including tv shows from itunes)

Performance is excellent for this kind of stuff. I can even watch SDTV size H264 files without problems (Ripped dvd's that i own stored on a windows file server)

[Ed @ Sep 23rd 2006 2:43PM]

I did a similar configuration to what Eric was saying with a Shuttle PC. Keep in mind, these are prices from NewEgg.com and that the markup that they perform and the other manufacturers perform about equals the profit margin that Apple keeps on their products. Also, Apple is able to negotiate even cheaper prices for quantity, etc.

My Shopping Cart:
Shuttle SD37-P2-BK-V1 ($440)
CD/DVD notebook combo ($79)
Radeon X800 128MB ($119)
Intel Core Duo 1.833GHz ($254)
120GB Western Digital Notebook hard drive ($95)
512MB DDR2 Corsair RAM ($63)
Microsoft Windows XP SP2 ($140)
-------------------------------
Total is ~$1,191

So, we have a $400 price difference for something we built out of consumer parts with Windows XP. Apple could place their version at $1,199 and still make a nice profit, quite possibly a higher margin than the iMac. The graphics card I used is lower than what is put on the iMac, so it still maintains it's differentiation. Apple can also turn around and sell someone a $700 display if they want that. If not, then it's their choice.

In short: Yes Eric, the xMac would be welcome in my book and I agree it looks completely feasable for Apple to make.

[Dave Johnson @ Sep 23rd 2006 3:26PM]

Only an extremely slow person would go for a mini over a 17" iMac. There must, evidently, be a lot of slow applets- because they are still producing this underpowered, overpriced piece of incomplete hardware. Go figure.

[Kris @ Sep 23rd 2006 3:28PM]

I want one

[John Parkhill @ Sep 23rd 2006 8:37PM]

I bought one of these two weeks ago. It's incredible. Plenty snappy, and for 600 I get to enjoy OSX which I would gladly have paid 300$ to put on a windows rig. Plus I got a complete computer too, which drives my 21" widescreen display with it's DVI output perfectly. This graphics card drives aqua perfectly. My only complaint is the 500Mb ram, but it's a problem which can be easily and cheaply solved. You can even toss an x64 bit proc. in these babies if you want (on your own of course). Plus the lil remote is the best thing that ever happened to computers. Even comes with a free Develeopment environment... How could a similarly configured windows machine for more money compete?

[Jeff @ Sep 24th 2006 7:54AM]

I was playing with one of these last night at an Apple store. It was torture. The thing is so slow compared to most modern computers. Opening simple apps like iTunes or iPhoto took way too long. Wonder how long it would take to start Photoshop.

I agree with the above posters who are waiting for an "xMac". I have no interest in spending $2K plus for a Mac, but the mini just doesn't do it for me.

[anon @ Sep 24th 2006 8:09AM]

DISPLAY:
The Mac Mini has a Dual Link-DVI which can handle any consumer HDTV or monitor you can throw at it.

COST:
The cost isn't just competitive, it's lower than PC alternative. Check out AOpen's MiniPC (http://minipc.aopen.com/Global/spec.htm), and note that the specs are mostly lower than Apple's Mac Mini.

LOW-END:
This may be Apple's current low-end model but it is in no way a low end machine. A low end machine does not have Core Duo, IR port, Dual Link-DVI, Digital Audio, built-in WiFI and Bluetooth, Firewire, & Gigabit Ethernet. The Mac Mini contains NOTEBOOK parts engineered into a very small desktop footprint. If you want a low end machine go get a Dell of HP/Compaq for $150. For simple emailing and webbrowsing they'll serve you well enough.

GRAPHICS CARD:
This wasn't designed for gamers. Gamers make up a good deal of these forums but they do not represent the majority of computer buyers. Seriously, do you really think you can get a mid-range video card into a FANLESS computer that measures the only 2" high? It doens't take much intelligence to realize Apple choose the right card.
Note: I think Apple needs to reinvent the Cube to allow for full size HDD, RAM, single CPU, & a swapable Video Card. Essentially a downgraded Mac Pro, or the guts of a 24" iMac without the display, or camera.

[CJ @ Sep 25th 2006 9:05AM]

For those looking to get keyboard, mice and such with your Mac Mini, dont buy from Apple, a lot of the catalog and online sellers will package the peripherals free with the computer. My mom got a Mini and the whole setup for 800 dollars. (bought a cheap LCD too)

[Brendon @ Sep 25th 2006 11:08AM]

Ed,
Are you serious on your newegg built computer comparison? A X800 is far superior to Intel integrated graphics. Also the 120 gig HD you picked is a 100 upgrade to the mac mini. Also why did you select a notebook drive for the optical drive? Do shuttles no longer use a standard CD/DVD size drive?

[Ed @ Sep 26th 2006 5:27PM]

Brendon, the Shuttle based computer I priced out is not me attempting to relate Shuttle Apple Mini, instead it is to relate the Shuttle xMac. The xMac (name irrelevant really) would be a product slotted above the Mini and below the Mac Pro but without the integrated display.

So, you are correct that the Shuttle has a standard 5.25" expansion bay. However, an equivalent product from Apple would feature a notebook drive (all their products except for the Mac Pro have notebook optical drives) to reduce product size. There are also other features that are impossible for me to price out correctly (integrated IR remote, iSight) and therefore other parts of my Newegg built computer compensate with better parts.

Yes, I know the X800 far outperforms the integrated graphics card. Please refer to first paragraph above in this comment. The selection of the X800 would allow the graphics performance to be:

Mini > xMac >= iMac > Mac Pro

Which is precisely what Apple would want it to be.

[Bryan Canning @ Sep 25th 2006 12:24PM]

I'll take it!

[scott @ Oct 26th 2006 2:58PM]

i am looking at purchasing a mini to use with a hdtv. as for the grapics chipset, anything bigger would be wasted on this set up as most hdtvs around the 26"-32" are only 1366 x 768. I can't wait to try it out