Green Compliance Certificate/Authority - Energy Star, EPEAT Gold
Memory Card Reader - Yes
64-bit Processing - Yes
Graphics Controller Manufacturer - Intel
Graphics Controller Model - Graphics Media Accelerator HD 3000
Bluetooth - Yes
Graphics Memory Capacity - 384 MB
Graphics Memory Accessibility - Shared
Wi-Fi Standard - IEEE 802.11n
Ethernet Technology - Gigabit Ethernet
FireWire/i.LINK - Yes
HDMI - Yes
Total Number of USB Ports - 4
Thunderbolt - Yes
Memory Standard - DDR3-1333/PC3-10600
Review
The Apple Mac mini has long been the cheapest way to own a Mac. Since
its introduction in January 2005, the small form factor desktop Mac has
offered a low-cost alternative to the all-in-one iMac or the high-end Mac Pro.
Although
it's sold without a keyboard, mouse or screen, everything else you need
is in the box. It's internet-ready, through Ethernet or wireless N, and
comes with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and all its bundled apps pre-installed.
The
2012 generation Mac mini is based on an aluminium unibody design. It's
available in two models. The cheaper one has a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel
Core i5 processor and a 500GB hard drive, and costs £499 in the UK,
AU$699 in Australia or US$599 in the US.
The
more expensive late 2012 Mac mini reviewed here has a 2.3GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7, a 1TB hard drive and costs £679/AU$899/US$799. Both
models offer 4GB of onboard RAM.
There's also a server version of
the high-end model, which includes the server edition of Mountain Lion
and twin 1TB hard drives, for £849/AU$1,099/US$999.
At just 19.7cm
(7.7 inches) long and wide, 3.6cm (1.4 inches) tall and weighing only
1.22kg (2.7lbs), it's comfortably transportable.
If
you want to use the same computer at home and at work, for example, you
can set up a keyboard, mouse and monitor at each, and then when you're
ready to leave, unplug the Mac mini and slip it in your bag.
Since
the mid-2010 refresh, the Mac mini's transformer has been built into
the body, so the power supply is a cheap figure-of-eight lead.
The
Mac mini lost its optical drive with the previous generation, in the
summer of 2011, and unsurprisingly, it doesn't make a return here. If
you want to use CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray discs, you have to buy an external
device such as Apple's own USB SuperDrive, or if you also have computer
with an optical drive fitted, a Remote Disc.
The
2012 refresh isn't a radical overhaul. It retains the same basic form
factor as the last generation of Mac mini, and makes no major changes to
its functionality. But it's more than a mere incremental upgrade.
The step up in processors, from the second generation Sandy Bridge chips to the new third-gen Ivy Bridge
CPUs, bring a welcome increase in power. Their integrated Intel HD
Graphics 4000 chipset is around 60% more powerful than the Intel HD
Graphics 3000 used in second-generation Core-i processors.
Unfortunately,
the discrete graphics chip that made its Mac mini debut in last year's
high-end model has now gone, so both 2012 Mac minis rely solely on
integrated graphics. This is annoying, considering making room for the
discrete chip was given as a reason for dropping the optical drive.
The Apple Mac mini has long been the cheapest way to own a Mac. Since
its introduction in January 2005, the small form factor desktop Mac has
offered a low-cost alternative to the all-in-one iMac or the high-end Mac Pro.
Although
it's sold without a keyboard, mouse or screen, everything else you need
is in the box. It's internet-ready, through Ethernet or wireless N, and
comes with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion and all its bundled apps pre-installed.
The
2012 generation Mac mini is based on an aluminium unibody design. It's
available in two models. The cheaper one has a 2.5GHz dual-core Intel
Core i5 processor and a 500GB hard drive, and costs £499 in the UK,
AU$699 in Australia or US$599 in the US.
The
more expensive late 2012 Mac mini reviewed here has a 2.3GHz quad-core
Intel Core i7, a 1TB hard drive and costs £679/AU$899/US$799. Both
models offer 4GB of onboard RAM.
There's also a server version of
the high-end model, which includes the server edition of Mountain Lion
and twin 1TB hard drives, for £849/AU$1,099/US$999.
At just 19.7cm
(7.7 inches) long and wide, 3.6cm (1.4 inches) tall and weighing only
1.22kg (2.7lbs), it's comfortably transportable.
If
you want to use the same computer at home and at work, for example, you
can set up a keyboard, mouse and monitor at each, and then when you're
ready to leave, unplug the Mac mini and slip it in your bag.
Since
the mid-2010 refresh, the Mac mini's transformer has been built into
the body, so the power supply is a cheap figure-of-eight lead.
The
Mac mini lost its optical drive with the previous generation, in the
summer of 2011, and unsurprisingly, it doesn't make a return here. If
you want to use CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray discs, you have to buy an external
device such as Apple's own USB SuperDrive, or if you also have computer
with an optical drive fitted, a Remote Disc.
The
2012 refresh isn't a radical overhaul. It retains the same basic form
factor as the last generation of Mac mini, and makes no major changes to
its functionality. But it's more than a mere incremental upgrade.
The step up in processors, from the second generation Sandy Bridge chips to the new third-gen Ivy Bridge
CPUs, bring a welcome increase in power. Their integrated Intel HD
Graphics 4000 chipset is around 60% more powerful than the Intel HD
Graphics 3000 used in second-generation Core-i processors.
Unfortunately,
the discrete graphics chip that made its Mac mini debut in last year's
high-end model has now gone, so both 2012 Mac minis rely solely on
integrated graphics. This is annoying, considering making room for the
discrete chip was given as a reason for dropping the optical drive.
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