Apple said they don't consider the memory user upgradeable but that system integrators could do it. I am guessing the install procedure is going to be much more complex than the picture indicates.
I don't think Apple has ever considered memory a user upgradeable component. For the Mac mini, the bottom pops off, and the RAM slots should be right there in view.
This appears to be an easy upgrade, but Apple would rather have you pay out the nose for more RAM when you order the system, or pay the Apple store to upgrade it later.
We'll have to see when people get it. The 2012 model just had a screw off rubber bottom to get to the RAM, the 2014 model added a steel plate blocking your path just to be a PITA. They did say SO-DIMM though so it seemed like a wink at upgrades.
Are you sure all CPU models have Hyperthreading? I was under the impression that the CPUs used where "B" versions of desktop models, and neither the i3s or the i5s have it.
That's only if one springs for the max ram and the max ssd from Apple.
I intend to start with the base model ($799), and only add on the 6C-12T Core i7 (+$300) and the 10 Gigabit Ethernet (+$100) for a total of $1199. These are the only upgrades that are at street prices and well worth it.
I'll upgrade to 32 GB of RAM myself ($300 vs Apple's $600) and connect a 1 TB Samsung 970 Pro over Thunderbolt 3 externally ($395 vs Apple's $800) + adapter. The built in 128 GB SSD will just be a boot drive with apps. That's all it's good for if I can't move the soldered SSD to another system.
The RAM is upgradable, we'll just have to see how hard it is to get to, which would save hundreds off that. And TB3 storage could be just as fast as internal, or much larger for cheaper.
Overall, an overdue upgrade. I am just disappointed that there is no real GPU option. If you can fit the newly announced Vega mobile into a MacBook Pro, it must be possible to put it in the mini.
From my point of view, this is hardly desirable. It defeats the purpose of having a very compact device. Also, it way more expensive than a comparable GPU alone. Check out the eGPU they presented. It is a Vega 56 for $1200.
You don't have to use blackmagic egpu. Also for some the point is lower cost to entry desktop that allows choice of display and 6 cores. So it could be better than 5k imac quadcore in performance, with the right egpu. And cheaper than imac pro. Plus you're not stuck with a 5k display you can't reuse later due to no more support for using imac displays as monitors for other systems. Form factor is nice because you could do things like stick it in a bag and take on a trip with just a wireless keyboard, mouse and iPad pro 2018 as display, for example. For those who want to get into apple.. say for video editing with final cut pro.. but want desktop class power, not notebook class, and expandable.. this new Mac mini provides that nore affordable entry point if properly configured.
If they soldered the storage, why didn't they just solder in the RAM also? The old Mac mini starts (on Apple) for $499. So basically a $300 increase in base price. Apple seems to be raising base prices on all products, iPads, iPhones, Mac Mini and laptops.
Exactly. The soldered RAM was one of the major complaints about the 2014 model (that and the axing of quad-core options). Now we're almost back to 2012-levels. An m.2 slot would be nice, but I'm thinking there might actually be some security advantage using encryption and the T2 chip. Does anybody know anything else about that? Personally I've gotten quite used to Windows by now and I love the upgradability and modularity in building my own machines. Really difficult to make something this compact though. And of course the Mac mini is very stylish too.
I'm by no means defending Apple's decision. I would very much prefer an m.2 slot. I was just trying to think of if there were any technical advantages to having it integrated, other than greed.
T2 chip is the security. Mac users have long enjoyed simple clone to external hard drive and actually boot from that hard drive (unlike windows), but you now have to enable it. Personally I could care less if my desktop computer is encrypted as I don't have people breaking into my house and stealing my computers.
If you 'could care less' then, logically, you care more than other people do about people breaking into your house and stealing your computers. You probably meant 'couldn't care less'.
I'm on the fence between threadripper 1950x with 64gb on Windows 10 with davinci resolve for video editing.. or hackintoshed, using Vega 64 vs Mac mini 2018 which I can upgrade later to 64gb and add tb3 ssd plus egpu with Vega 64.. I think in Windows app windows will seem snappier due to maybe better single threaded performance, with Mac mini i7. But threadripper will smoke it in multithreaded.. the thing is for 4k video editing 6 cores may be enough.. plus some advantages of final cut pro like export times.. magnetic timeline.. and hackintoshed may be a headache.. more time spent fiddling than working.. upgrades will also be more painful.. if I ever go 8k editing threadripper may be smoother and I can swap out the Mobo and CPU.. with Mac mini I'd be stuck with the CPU.. I'd have to look at proxy media to maintain performance at 8k.. or sell it when a newer model comes. Or move it to other tasks..
You are badly informed. Apple is making billions in profits each quarter of computers sales alone. You can't do that without moving product. People are buying no matter what you tell yourself.
How does the Xcode server stuff work in a stack? If I send a batch of automated testing to do to a stack, does the entire stack split the work, or does the first one take that job, then the next takes the next, etc?
I can't imagine main memory accesses would be something you want to do even over TB3.
The hexa-core variants are likely i5-8500B and i7-8700B, so 65W according to Intel ARK. (B as in BGA, for soldered Ball Grid Array version.) Not sure about the i3 though. I don't see any BGA SKU of that, but it might be Apple gets a special one from Intel, like what happened in the 2018 rMBP 13.
I was looking forward to a Core i5 with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage to get started with Swift. Is it really that hard for these guys to offer anything of actual value to people who're not iSheep??
Like WTF. I'm NOT going to pay workstation prices for what is considered a STARTER configuration for development.
So just because some people care more about the features actually offered and hold the prices against expected downtime (less) and resale value, then you must offend this group? I have no respect for that.
Very curious about those SO-DIMM's. For a max upgrade that will require 32GB modules, which are not common. Samsung is the only one I know that has them available (https://www.anandtech.com/show/12824/samsung-unvei... but those are ECC registered.
Considering Apple's expertise in cooling both their current and last 2 Macbook Pros and the latest iMac Pro, I wonder how effective their cooling on this thing would be.
With recent news about side channel attacks on Intel and potentially other cpus.. the word is to avoid smt/hyperthreading. So i5 6 cores might be best and u save $150ish? Unfortunately apple doesn't offer that option with 10gbe and 128gb
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zepi - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Psu for sure is internal, judging from the figure of 8 socket?Ryan Smith - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Aye, it is. Thanks!crimson117 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Good to see a Mac Mini update! Any user-upgradeable parts in this revision?sbrown23 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
RAM appeared to be SO-DIMM in the stream of the Apple event. So as long as you can get to it, you should be able to upgrade it.sbrown23 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
In the picture above it looks like the RAM is easily accessible, on the top left.smartthanyou - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Apple said they don't consider the memory user upgradeable but that system integrators could do it. I am guessing the install procedure is going to be much more complex than the picture indicates.sbrown23 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
I don't think Apple has ever considered memory a user upgradeable component. For the Mac mini, the bottom pops off, and the RAM slots should be right there in view.This appears to be an easy upgrade, but Apple would rather have you pay out the nose for more RAM when you order the system, or pay the Apple store to upgrade it later.
tipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
We'll have to see when people get it. The 2012 model just had a screw off rubber bottom to get to the RAM, the 2014 model added a steel plate blocking your path just to be a PITA. They did say SO-DIMM though so it seemed like a wink at upgrades.gsalkin - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Yes, it appears the ram slots are regular SO-DIMMs and not soldered!sbrown23 - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Since when does an i5 have 6C/12T? Is that a typo?On Intel's site I see various i5 models with 6C/6T, but not even the 9th gen i5 has 12T from what I can see. What model is it that they are using?
Ryan Smith - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
"Is that a typo?"Yes.
AssassinX - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
I thought the new intel processors didn’t enable hyperthreading for i3 and i5?tipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
They don't, typoMeaker10 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Mobile market, different rules, look at the i5 8300h, that's a 4/8 4ghz part.Meaker10 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Whoops read that as did enable.pvgg - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Are you sure all CPU models have Hyperthreading?I was under the impression that the CPUs used where "B" versions of desktop models, and neither the i3s or the i5s have it.
Papaspud - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
$$ 4200$$, for a mac mini....hahahahahahahahahahahahahaHxx - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
cmon dude its apple what did u think? anything less than 2k is considered a price mistake. hahaEidigean - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
That's only if one springs for the max ram and the max ssd from Apple.I intend to start with the base model ($799), and only add on the 6C-12T Core i7 (+$300) and the 10 Gigabit Ethernet (+$100) for a total of $1199. These are the only upgrades that are at street prices and well worth it.
I'll upgrade to 32 GB of RAM myself ($300 vs Apple's $600) and connect a 1 TB Samsung 970 Pro over Thunderbolt 3 externally ($395 vs Apple's $800) + adapter. The built in 128 GB SSD will just be a boot drive with apps. That's all it's good for if I can't move the soldered SSD to another system.
zepi - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Get 256GB SSD if you can afford it. It will make things like OS upgrades etc. nicer in the long run.tipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Yeah but 3/4ths of that is RAM and storage.The RAM is upgradable, we'll just have to see how hard it is to get to, which would save hundreds off that. And TB3 storage could be just as fast as internal, or much larger for cheaper.
GruenSein - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Overall, an overdue upgrade. I am just disappointed that there is no real GPU option. If you can fit the newly announced Vega mobile into a MacBook Pro, it must be possible to put it in the mini.MikhailT - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
I agree. However, you do have four TB3 ports there that you can connect a few eGPUs to.GruenSein - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
From my point of view, this is hardly desirable. It defeats the purpose of having a very compact device. Also, it way more expensive than a comparable GPU alone. Check out the eGPU they presented. It is a Vega 56 for $1200.corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
You don't have to use blackmagic egpu. Also for some the point is lower cost to entry desktop that allows choice of display and 6 cores. So it could be better than 5k imac quadcore in performance, with the right egpu. And cheaper than imac pro. Plus you're not stuck with a 5k display you can't reuse later due to no more support for using imac displays as monitors for other systems. Form factor is nice because you could do things like stick it in a bag and take on a trip with just a wireless keyboard, mouse and iPad pro 2018 as display, for example. For those who want to get into apple.. say for video editing with final cut pro.. but want desktop class power, not notebook class, and expandable.. this new Mac mini provides that nore affordable entry point if properly configured.taisingera - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
If they soldered the storage, why didn't they just solder in the RAM also? The old Mac mini starts (on Apple) for $499. So basically a $300 increase in base price. Apple seems to be raising base prices on all products, iPads, iPhones, Mac Mini and laptops.tipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
Because you can get an external hard drive but not external RAM?Quite grateful for their reversal, even if soldering on a desktop was stupid in the first place.
AdditionalPylons - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Exactly. The soldered RAM was one of the major complaints about the 2014 model (that and the axing of quad-core options). Now we're almost back to 2012-levels.An m.2 slot would be nice, but I'm thinking there might actually be some security advantage using encryption and the T2 chip. Does anybody know anything else about that?
Personally I've gotten quite used to Windows by now and I love the upgradability and modularity in building my own machines. Really difficult to make something this compact though. And of course the Mac mini is very stylish too.
TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
As long as your drive doesnt die, because when it does, you are royally screwed, as there is no way to remove the drive or erase the data.The best security is being able to entirely remove the drive itself.
AdditionalPylons - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
I'm by no means defending Apple's decision. I would very much prefer an m.2 slot. I was just trying to think of if there were any technical advantages to having it integrated, other than greed.Dug - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
T2 chip is the security. Mac users have long enjoyed simple clone to external hard drive and actually boot from that hard drive (unlike windows), but you now have to enable it. Personally I could care less if my desktop computer is encrypted as I don't have people breaking into my house and stealing my computers.nico_mach - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
Today, I WILL BE THAT GUY!If you 'could care less' then, logically, you care more than other people do about people breaking into your house and stealing your computers. You probably meant 'couldn't care less'.
corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Get 128gb and then exclusively use tb3 ssd.. remove when not in use..corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
I'm on the fence between threadripper 1950x with 64gb on Windows 10 with davinci resolve for video editing.. or hackintoshed, using Vega 64 vs Mac mini 2018 which I can upgrade later to 64gb and add tb3 ssd plus egpu with Vega 64.. I think in Windows app windows will seem snappier due to maybe better single threaded performance, with Mac mini i7. But threadripper will smoke it in multithreaded.. the thing is for 4k video editing 6 cores may be enough.. plus some advantages of final cut pro like export times.. magnetic timeline.. and hackintoshed may be a headache.. more time spent fiddling than working.. upgrades will also be more painful.. if I ever go 8k editing threadripper may be smoother and I can swap out the Mobo and CPU.. with Mac mini I'd be stuck with the CPU.. I'd have to look at proxy media to maintain performance at 8k.. or sell it when a newer model comes. Or move it to other tasks..corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Also we don't know if we will see throttling with i7 on new Mac mini..Speedfriend - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
Well they are struggling to increase units sales of any of their products, so the only way to raise revenue is to gouge the suckers more...MiBi - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
You are badly informed. Apple is making billions in profits each quarter of computers sales alone. You can't do that without moving product. People are buying no matter what you tell yourself.corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Recent article says sales for quarter aren't up.. revenue is.. jacking up prices does the tricktipoo - Tuesday, October 30, 2018 - link
How does the Xcode server stuff work in a stack? If I send a batch of automated testing to do to a stack, does the entire stack split the work, or does the first one take that job, then the next takes the next, etc?I can't imagine main memory accesses would be something you want to do even over TB3.
Valantar - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
"therefore uses Intel’s custom 8th Gen Core CPUs with four or six cores operating at 4.6 GHz Turbo Boost frequency."Care to expand on "custom" here?
8steve8 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
65W CPU? 45W? 95W?AdditionalPylons - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
The hexa-core variants are likely i5-8500B and i7-8700B, so 65W according to Intel ARK. (B as in BGA, for soldered Ball Grid Array version.)Not sure about the i3 though. I don't see any BGA SKU of that, but it might be Apple gets a special one from Intel, like what happened in the 2018 rMBP 13.
TheinsanegamerN - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
So more CPU cores and RAM, less GPU performance, and an even higher pricetag.Meh. Apple tax is getting way too high to recommend anything they make these days.
lilmoe - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
I was looking forward to a Core i5 with 16GB RAM and 256GB of storage to get started with Swift.Is it really that hard for these guys to offer anything of actual value to people who're not iSheep??
Like WTF. I'm NOT going to pay workstation prices for what is considered a STARTER configuration for development.
Zdigital2017 - Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - link
You consider $1299 USD workstation pricing?lmcd - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
Entry level desktop is 600. 16 GB RAM and 256 Storage should thus be around 800-900.nerd1 - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
You can build a 2700X and 1700 in tiny ITX case for $1200. That's as powerful as an iMac Pro, so $1299 is definitely "workstation pricing"MiBi - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
So just because some people care more about the features actually offered and hold the prices against expected downtime (less) and resale value, then you must offend this group? I have no respect for that.corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
Hackintoshed yourself an 8700k 6core system using gigabyte Mobo. Start dwift Dev. Enjoy.hardwickj - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
Very curious about those SO-DIMM's. For a max upgrade that will require 32GB modules, which are not common. Samsung is the only one I know that has them available (https://www.anandtech.com/show/12824/samsung-unvei... but those are ECC registered.dgingeri - Thursday, November 1, 2018 - link
Considering Apple's expertise in cooling both their current and last 2 Macbook Pros and the latest iMac Pro, I wonder how effective their cooling on this thing would be.MiBi - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
Especially with intensive use.nico_mach - Friday, November 2, 2018 - link
But think of how much space you'll save under that 40" monitor while your chip is heat throttled.corinthos - Saturday, November 3, 2018 - link
With recent news about side channel attacks on Intel and potentially other cpus.. the word is to avoid smt/hyperthreading. So i5 6 cores might be best and u save $150ish? Unfortunately apple doesn't offer that option with 10gbe and 128gb