- 2014 MAC MINI REVIEW UPGRADE
- 2014 MAC MINI REVIEW FULL
- 2014 MAC MINI REVIEW PRO
- 2014 MAC MINI REVIEW MAC
Even with the external GPU, however, those users are going to want to consider an Apple product with “Pro” in the title, coupled with one of the aforementioned external GPUs. Apple’s also be pushing to be a content creation platform for even heavier lifts like VR production.
2014 MAC MINI REVIEW UPGRADE
But more to the point with a system like this, it’s an important upgrade for users performing more graphic resource-intensive tasks like photo and video editing. That’s a nice step toward the company’s growing ambition to become a more serious gaming platform. In fact, it wasn’t mentioned onstage, but hardware partner Blackmagic launched a second Apple-focused eGPU the same day as the event, this time with a much-improved Radeon RX Vega 56 card (and a price increase to match). This is another place you’re going to want to potentially turn to those Thunderbolt ports, by hooking up an external GPU or two. Though the Cinebench score of ~530cb puts it roughly in line with the latest iMac (not Pro). The internal graphics have been overhauled, with the Intel UHD Graphics 630 promising a bump of up to 60 percent over the last gen. For now, however, I’m using the additional ports to charge up devices. If you’re feeling crazy, you can also plug in a third 4K screen via the HDMI port. There’s enough power to support two 4K displays or one 5K. I would include a photo here were it not already a source of great shame. Lord knows the last thing I need is another thing to plug into my already overworked power strip. As far as my own desk is concerned, I welcome the ability to power the LG 4K monitor Apple sent along for testing purposes. It opens things up to a lot more computing versatility.
2014 MAC MINI REVIEW PRO
That’s the same number found on the iMac Pro and twice as many as you get on the 2017 standard iMac. The biggest turn on the I/O side of things, however, is the inclusion of an impressive four Thunderbolt 3 ports. Though, naturally, stranger things have happened. The ability to plug in wired headphones is just too important for those creative audio pros who rely on Apple desktops and laptops to go away soon. Fingers crossed that sticks around for good.
2014 MAC MINI REVIEW MAC
HDMI 2.0 is present here, as well, along with a headphone jack - that once-ubiquitous port, which is hanging on for dear life on the Mac line. Of course, you can also go the wireless route or invest in the inevitable adapter. Admittedly, I utilized both immediately to hardwire a keyboard and trackpad - pretty important, so far as most desktop computing is concerned.
2014 MAC MINI REVIEW FULL
There are two full USB 3 ports here, which is good news as far as backward compatibility with older accessories. Along with the built-in components, which bring benchmark performance levels up to somewhere around that of the last (and admittedly also overdue for an overhaul) Mac Pro, the company’s also added more user upgradability - never a given for an Apple product.Īlso notable here are the crazy number of ports available on the rear of the device. The price jump, naturally, comes with a notable spec increase, one that puts the diminutive desktop in line with a desktop ecosystem that finds Apple catering once again to its core competency of creative pros. With a $300 price bump, the latest version still represents the lowest cost path into the world of desktop Macs, but arguably removes “entry” from the equation.
The $499 price tag on the 2014 model certainly highlighted this fact.
The Mini has long been Apple’s entry-level desktop.
In fact, the whole of the company’s desktop line has clearly gotten a rethink over the course of the last year, including the addition of the iMac Pro, and the still MIA Mac Pro. Granted, Apple continued to stock the Mini, but in the rapidly evolving world of computer components, a four-year system might as well be an artifact from some long-forgotten ancient civilization.Īmong other things, that gap gives us a good occasion to reconsider the Mac Mini’s place in the Apple ecosystem and the computing world at large. The phrase in science is “Lazarus taxon,” the return of a grouping that had seemingly been lost to history. In the four years since its last meaningful update, the Mini had been encased in amber, seemingly a relic of Apple’s past. Like the MacBook Air, the plucky little desktop had been ostensibly abandoned. Most likely, however, it had at least a little to do with the return of an Apple line that had seemingly been forgotten. Maybe it was the over the top space advert or the fact that the company had packed the seats of the Brooklyn opera house full of local employees. At last month’s Apple event, the Mac Mini was greeted like a returning hero.
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