Review: Apple Mac Mini 2.5GHz Dual Core i5 Processor Model
My wife recently made the jump to Mac via the Mac Mini which gave me a chance to look at one seeing as it was just recently released. My wife isn’t a power user so the base 2.5GHz dual core i5 processor would suit her needs just fine. But if she was a power user, no problem. Apple does make a quad core i7 processor running at 2.7 GHz. The Mac Mini can be had with up to 16GB of RAM which is user upgradable which is a welcome feature. Some of the previous generations were actually quite difficult to upgrade as you had to disassemble most of the computer to get to the RAM. If you want to see what I am talking about, check out this iFixit guide to see what I mean. Now, you simply twist off the bottom and there’s the RAM. No tools required. As for hard disks, you have three choices. You can have up to 1TB of hard disk space using a 5400 RPM hard disk, a 256GB flash drive, or a 1TB Fusion Drive which combines the best of both worlds. To top it off, you get Intel HD Graphics 4000 which is powerful enough to drive my wife’s 1920×1080 widescreen monitor and play video games on it. Speaking of monitors, the Mac Mini has HDMI and Thunderbolt with a DVI to HDMI connector in the box. If you want to connect anything else, you’ll need a mini DisplayPort to either VGA, DVI, or Dual Link DVI adapter to hook it up. One thing to note, it will drive two Thunderbolt displays.
One thing that you notice about the Mac Mini is how quiet it is. It makes no noise. It has fans but you don’t hear anything, not even the hard disk when it’s in use. Another thing that you notice is that unlike some previous Mac Mini models, there is no DVD/CD drive. You have to get an USB based SuperDrive if you want to burn CDs and DVDs. Speaking of connectivity, it has four USB 3 ports, a Thunderbolt port, a FireWire 800 port, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11N WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI, SDXC card slot, Audio in and out. One thing to note, the Mac Mini has support for the Apple iPhone headset with microphone. Looks wise, it looks like a very high end product with a brushed aluminum case with a black Apple logo on the top. It feels well put together and clearly a lot of effort went into designing it. It takes up very little space and is perfect for someone who is space challenged on their desk.
Gripes? It could use an extra USB 3 port up front as all the ports are in the back which makes them hard to get to. Thus a USB hub is in my wife’s future. It also won’t update to Mac OS X 10.8.2 as I’ve documented previously for whatever weird reason that only Apple knows. But other than that, I think it’s a well put together Mac. If you want an entry level Mac and you have your own display, take a look at the Mac Mini.
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