Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

ArsTechnica Reviews The Intel Mac Mini (Core Solo)

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the checking-out-it dept.

phaedo00 writes "Ars Technica has put together a review of the recently announced Intel-powered Mac mini. The model reviewed was the public's first look at a Core Solo desktop from Apple and the results are promising: 'Up until Apple's "fun" announcement on the last day of February, there was really no indication of how Apple's low-end Intel offerings would be presented. Now that Apple has disclosed the specification and price points for their entry-level machines, we can get a better idea of where Apple is trying to take their product line. For those people who might be unaware, two new Mac Mini models were released and by most accounts, the products have been well received aside from a few quibbles over specifications.'"

11 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Upgradable by tak+amalak · · Score: 5, Informative

    I'm happy it's al least processor upgradable. See here. Upgrading the processor would speed the internal graphics as well. Not a bad little bugger.

    --
    Don't lead me into temptation... I can find it myself.
    1. Re:Upgradable by jcgf · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I figured that like me they just had to use it at work.

    2. Re:Upgradable by BenjyD · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I think a lot of Slashdotters are going in the other direction, linux to OSX.

    3. Re:Upgradable by tigersha · · Score: 4, Funny

      No, I know one Slashdotter who decided to splurge on a Powerbook after Suse screwed him over for the nth time and X was still not working. Me.

      And he will never go back to Linux on a Desktop.

      Linux is free as in beer. Not bloody likely. Linux is free as in Syphilis.

      --
      The dangers of excessive individualism are nothing compared to the oppressiveness of excessive collectivism
  2. My complaint: integrated video. by Hamster+Lover · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I have a 1.42 G4 Mac Mini with 512 MB and was very impressed with the Intel version. Apple managed to counter every complaint with an improvement -- SPDIF audio in and out, additional USB ports, SATA hard drive, etc. I expect to buy one within the next few months and retire my G4 to the living room for use a VLC media centre.

    My only disappointment was the integrated video. I was hoping for something better than the Intel chipset, and it's shared video memory to boot.

    Someone convince me I am wrong...

    1. Re:My complaint: integrated video. by Golias · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Someone convince me I am wrong...

      Wish I could. It seems to be everybody's "only problem" with the machine. It would be a sweet little media unit if they even managed to slap in fair-to-middlin' 128 MB video card.

      As it is, it's an awesome li'l feller for a lot of headless tasks (as an example, my old G4 mini has been rack-mounted as an audio processor, and is only accessed via VNC on the Airport card), but it still falls just barely short of being a media center "dream system."

      Lucky for me, with my projector at the back of the room and a re-arranged coat closet next to it, I have plenty of space for a dual-G5 tower... but I feel a little sympathy for mac-heads who need something small and unobtrusive in their living-room TV cabinets, yet still want full HDTV resolutions and maybe the occasional 3D gaming experience. The new mini seems to come about 90% of the way to meeting their needs.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    2. Re:My complaint: integrated video. by heinousjay · · Score: 4, Informative

      I'm not sure how you picked up an informative mod, since you asked questions and provided no information, but such is Slashdot.

      Anywho: I couldn't tell you how it would do with an MPEG-2 stream at 1920x1080, but I do know my Core Duo mini plays 1080p H.264 QuickTime movies at full resolution with no frame dropping.

      So far as games: who buys a Mac to play games in the first place? And when people do buy a gaming PC, do they typically go for the lowest end machine available? Personally, I'd have to answer no to both of those questions, so the gaming contention doesn't really make sense here.

      --
      Slashdot - where whining about luck is the new way to make the world you want.
  3. Re:Graphics Irony by Golias · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They weren't wrong when they said that either. The new mini is not a very good game system.

    The real question is, why do you keep posting this exact same quote on every single Mac mini story? Are you just trying to get more hits for the "free mini" pyramid scam in your sig file?

    You must not think it's that bad of a computer if you are willing to turn yourself into a total whore to get your hands on one.

    --

    Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

  4. Its like this. by NDPTAL85 · · Score: 4, Funny

    The thing is, OS X is like Linux only without the headaches and politics.

    Linux is like OS X, without the ease of use and reality of actually getting things done in a timely manner.

    --
    Mac OS X and Windows XP working side by side to fight back the night.
  5. Re:The only thing that matter to me.. by Slashcrap · · Score: 5, Funny

    Compiling software should also be much quicker, which is another gripe I have.

    I expect that's exactly why they put a faster HDD in there. I bet Apple were just sick of getting thousands of support calls from first time buyers about how slowly Emacs was compiling.

    In fact, that's probably why they sacrificed a better graphics chip. They just had to get those compile times down for the end user.

  6. One thing people don't mention... by frankie · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...is that the OLD mini G4 had damn poor graphics of its own. Remember, we're comparing to a 32MB (yes, 32) ATI 9200.

    For example, MacWorld's game benchmark results. In UT 2004 (at default quality settings) the new mini gets a pathetic 10-12fps ... whereas the old mini got 14fps, gee so much better.

    Also, the new mini will get FASTER in the months ahead. For starters, upgrading to paired DIMMs will use the dual-channel bus, which is always a boost for shared-memory IGPs. Secondly, the Intel compilers for Mac are on the way.

    Sure, a mini with GF 6200 or Radeon X200 would be better, but GMA950 is not the apocalypse some have been claiming.