Last year, Apple upgraded all its Macs except the Mac Mini, the new Haswell processor and faster SSD, while the poor Mini had to wait until this year for a routine upgrade. Two years had passed since the release of the last Mini, and this upgrade of the Mini was really unsatisfactory.
As a matter of fact, the beggar version of Mini is currently priced at $499. If you have a little demand for the processing performance of the computer in addition to the installation, the well-off version priced at $699 will be better. The version we are evaluating this time is the well-off version, but we have selected it One 1TB hybrid drive , the price is 899 dollars. For those who have no money to spend, Apple has prepared a local luxury version for 999 dollars.
Things that haven't changed:
First, the appearance of the "new" Mini is basically the same as that of the old model. The simple and flat aluminum alloy shell and right angle edges are classic at best. There is a small white LED and an infrared receiver on the front, but there is no interface on the side. On the back, there is a cooling fan and other interfaces on the black independent plastic panel, and the settings of these interfaces are similar to those of the old model (it can't be distinguished from the front).
The new Mini discards the FireWire 800 interface, which is now replaced by the second Thunderbolt 2 interface, while other interfaces include Ethernet interface HDMI、 There are four USB 3.0 interfaces, SD card readers and audio input/output interfaces. For those who complain that Apple puts all the interfaces on their back, Apple's attitude is obviously "It's not me who's wrong, it's your usage habit" (the old one is at the top, the new one is at the bottom).
In terms of volume and weight, the new Mini is the same as the old one. If you want a lighter Mini, please wait for a long time.
Those who have been upgraded:
The delay of Intel's Broadwell architecture processor means that the performance upgrade of the new Mini is the same as that of the Mac family in 2013. There is no surprise in this small iron box. The new Haswell CPU replaces the old Ivy Bridge CPU, which improves the performance of the processor and GPU while reducing power consumption, The addition of 802.11ac WI-FI module also means that the maximum theoretical connection speed has reached 1.3Gbps, which is about three times that of the 2012 Mini.
The transmission speed of Thunderbolt 2 has been increased to 20Gbps. The built-in DisplayPort 1.2 also enables the new Mini to support 30Hz 4K display output. The HDMI port can output 3840 × 2160 pictures at 30Hz or 4096 × 2160 pictures at 24Hz. As for 60Hz 4K output, the GPU performance is limited.
Among other upgrading projects, the new GPU and the new storage speed are the most noteworthy. The 2012 Mini uses Intel's HD4000, while the 2014 GPU will vary depending on the version of Mini you buy. The 499 beggar version uses HD5000699 and 999 Xiaokang and Tuhao versions use Iris 5100, In terms of performance, this CPU is slightly better than the GPU on the 13 inch RMBP. As for the difference between this CPU and the Iris Pro 5200, there is no dedicated eDRAM on the 5100, which limits the performance. However, in terms of performance, it must be right to pay the price and pay the price.
The new GPU will not make the Mini a qualified game console. According to our test results, Iris 5100 scored 98% higher than HD4000 in the Tyrannosaurus Rex test and 45% higher in the CineBench test. For the more difficult Manhattan test, the score of 5100 has also improved, but compared with that of Tyrannosaurus Rex, the score of Manhattan has improved much less, so the improvement of experience is also related to the program running on it.
In terms of storage performance, the new PCI Express SSD has significantly improved compared with the original SATA III. We installed Samsung's 128GB SSD on both the 2012 Mini and the 2014 Mini for testing. The new Mini's write speed has increased by 48%, while its read speed has increased by 62.2%. However, in terms of specific speed, there will be differences between each machine, Because there are several SSD suppliers of Apple.
The 5400 RPM HDD equipped with the new Mini for beggars has improved in speed. Therefore, our suggestion is to add money to hybrid drives no matter whether you buy the Xiaokang version or the beggar version. As the representative of Apple, it is not enough to focus on HDDs in 2014.
Finally, in terms of energy consumption, thanks to the new Haswell CPU and LPDDR3 RAM, the power consumption of the CPU is greatly reduced, but the main reason is that the new Mini only provides dual core processors. As for GPU, the power consumption is higher. As for Apple's claim of "the most power-saving desktop computer in the world", we disagree. The energy consumption of the new Mini is a little better than that of the old Mini.
Those who have stepped back:
Like the old MINI, the new MINI has a plastic cover at the bottom, but on the old MINI, users can simply remove the cover and upgrade the hardware configuration by themselves, such as replacing the memory module or the hard disk. But on the new MINI, there is also a metal plate under the plastic cover. The metal plate is fixed with a Torx safety screw. Remove the metal cover, and then take out the whole motherboard. Turn it over. Then users will find that Apple has cured the memory chip on the motherboard, and users cannot upgrade it by themselves, So make sure you have enough memory when you buy it.
It's not over yet. Two 2.5-inch hard disks have been thrown out of the sky on the new MINI, replaced by a small PCI Express SSD interface. Like the new Mac, this is no problem for users who only need one hard disk, but it's impossible to expand by inserting more hard disks.
If the size of the new MINI shrinks, it is understandable. But the problem is that the new MINI is still so large. Yes, using a fixed memory chip can really save power, but it is of little significance to save power on your desktop. Even the NUC of Intel, a competitor, is smaller, but it still provides expanded memory slots.
Where is my processor core?
To put it simply, the new MINI no longer provides a quad core processor version, and the processors users can choose are all low-voltage dual core processors, which are similar to those on the current high-end Ultrabooks. However, Apple is not the only one to blame for this, and Intel actually has some responsibility.
Mac Mini has always had the tradition of using notebook processors. Although these processors are slower and more expensive than desktop processors, they are smaller and more power saving. On the previous Ivy Bridge processors, Intel has uniformly equipped HD4000 GPU, so no matter which chip you buy, you will get Intel's best integrated GPU, And dual core and quad core processors all use the same socket. For Apple, it is just a matter of changing the processor when installing.
But for Haswell processors, the M-series dual core and quad core processors now use the HD4600 GPU, which is the fourth best GPU currently provided by Intel. As a hardware addict, Apple has always been unwilling to discount the performance, so the new Macs basically use the HD5000 or Iris GPU.
The HD5000 and Iris 5100 can be found on the current dual core U series processors. This processor uses the FCBGA1168 socket, while the number of quad core processors using this socket is 0 at present, which can be inserted into the mini's HQ series quad core processors (these processors have a TDP of 47 watts, which is similar to the 45 watts of the old mini's quad core processors, and both are equipped with Iris 5200 GPU) The socket used is FCBGA1364, and the dual core processor using this socket is not absent, but neither HD5000 nor Iris 5100 is equipped.
So for Apple, there are four options to choose between these different sockets:
We continue to provide dual core and quad core processors on the same motherboard, but some or all models of Mini have to use inferior GPUs;
Customizing two motherboards that are slightly different can take care of the performance, but it is not cost-effective for the Mac with the worst sales (or the second worst sales);
The whole system is equipped with a quad core processor and a powerful GPU, and uses the same motherboard. However, this will cause the price of the Mini to rise to the level of the iMac, and its own products will compete;
The whole system is equipped with dual core processors and powerful GPUs, using the same motherboard.
There is no doubt that Apple has chosen the fourth option, and Apple's choice... can only be said to take into account the production cost and pricing, but in terms of performance, it can only be ha ha.
It is easy to see the comparison between the mid-range Haswell and the Ivy Bridge from the scores. At the same frequency, Haswell processes more instructions per cycle than the Ivy Bridge, but the highest frequency of the i5-4728U on the new Mini is lower than that of the i7 previously used. Although the single core performance can win or lose, the old Mini has four cores after all. That is to say, the multi-core performance part, The new Mini is so fucked that she can't take care of herself.
In daily use, the dual core processor is certainly fast enough for light applications such as daily Internet access (of course, this is mainly due to the mixed hard disk because it is true that in many cases, the experience improvement achieved by changing a SSD is much greater than using a faster CPU.)
Summary:
Many people who pay for the new Mini may still be unhappy - after all, the new Mini is $100 cheaper than the old one. The purpose of the Mini is to let those who cannot afford to buy the iMac enjoy the glory of the Mac. In this regard, the new Mini is doing well.
However, in addition to lowering the threshold for Macs, the 2011 and 2012 Mini's performance is not bad. The quad core processor enables them to have good media playback performance, and even can be used as a mini server. Two 2.5 inch hard disk sockets and memory that can be upgraded by DIY also make it more playable.
The worst thing is that Apple has not improved in other aspects (RMBP) after taking away the advantages of Mini Repairs are more difficult and upgrades are more difficult, but it is lighter and has better endurance. The 2012 iMac cannot expand its memory but has a better screen.
promote:
Better storage, WI-FI and graphics performance;
Lower energy consumption slightly;
The dual core performance of the 2014 model should be better than that of the 2012 model;
Two Thunderbolt 2 interfaces and HDMI can output 30Hz 4K pictures;
It's 100 yuan cheaper.
ha-ha:
The second 2.5-inch hard disk interface expansion is no longer provided;
No more mini servers;
No more memory expansion;
4K output does not have 60Hz.
get out:
Recommended options:
8GB RAM ($100 for the beggar version, 8GB for the well-off version and the local tyrant version);
1TB hybrid hard disk ($250 for the beggar version, $200 for the well-off version, and standard configuration for the local tyrant version).
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