Apple Mac Mini
THE MAC MINI 2018 proves once and for all that Apple hasn’t forgotten about the small form-factor Mac. Despite being a fan favorite, the Mac mini hasn’t seen a substantial update for more than four years, but with the Mac mini 2018, the smallest Mac is competitive once more.
On paper, the new Mac mini was worth the long wait, with Apple claiming that it’s five times faster than the last Mac mini. This performance increase is thanks to some impressive spec bumps, including a maximum RAM configuration of 64GB with a six-core CPU.
The Mac mini 2018 is being marketed as a tool for creators, with Apple claiming that it’s 30 times faster at encoding HEVC video than its predecessor. It also has a bunch of ports on the back, and while there’s just one HDMI port, there are four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports to pick up the slack.
DESIGN
Fans of the compact, no-nonsense designs of previous Mac minis will be pleased to learn that the new Mac mini pretty much keeps that intact, with the same small, square-ish metal design that measures 19.7 x 19.7 x 3.6cm and weighs slightly heavier than the last Mac mini at 1.3kg.
Apple has also made subtle changes to the Mac mini’s design, as it now come sin Space Gray to match the iMac Pro – though it’s the only colour option available – and, Apple proudly claims that the new Mac mini contains 60% post-consumer plastic, mostly in the base, with the case made from 100% aluminium.
Apple has also managed to cram more powerful hardware into the same compact Mac mini dimensions, thanks to a redesigned thermal architecture that includes a bigger fan, expanded vents and an overhauled PSU.
The move to a PCIe solid state drive (SSD) for storage doesn’t just make the Mac mini faster, it means it runs cooler and quieter as well – essential for a small form-factor PC.
Ports-wise the Apple Mac mini (2018) comes with four Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, two USB-A ports, audio jack and Gigabit Ethernet, along with a 10Gb Ethernet option. On the back corner there’s a power button and the increasingly rare (for
WE’RE PLEASED THAT APPLE HAS MAINTAINED THE SMALL SIZE OF THE MAC MINI WHILE FILLING IT WITH MORE POWERFUL COMPONENTS AND PLENTY OF PORTS, THOUGH CREATIVES THAT WANT MULTIPLE MONITORS MAY NEED TO THINK CAREFULLY THANKS TO THE SINGLE HDMI PORT, AND LACK OF ANY DISPLAYPORTS.
Apple products, at least) 3.5mm headphone jack as well.
All these ports are kept at the back of the Mac mini for a clean look, which keeps wires from sprawling all over the place.
With just one HDMI port, you’re going to have to either upgrade to a Thunderbolt 3 monitor or make do with an adapter if you want to plug in more than one monitor. Considering the Mac mini is built as a creator’s tool, multiple monitors are often a must, so many people will have to buy extra accessories.
The good news is that with Thunderbolt 3 you’ll be able to run two 4K displays at once, and you’ll still have two ports left over – maybe one for an external graphics card solution, which the Apple Mac mini (2018) supports. As per usual, the keyboard and mouse aren’t included, so there’s another two accessory to factor in to the overall price.
It’s also worth noting that thanks to the modern technology in the Apple Mac mini, you should hopefully not feel the need to upgrade for a while yet. And, considering the gap between Mac mini releases these days, that may be for the best.
Overall, we’re pleased that Apple has maintained the small size of the Mac mini while filling it with more powerful components and plenty of ports, though creatives that want multiple monitors may need to think carefully thanks to the single HDMI port, and lack of any DisplayPorts.
PERFORMANCE
The Mac mini runs with desktop-grade 8th generation Intel Core processors in quad- and hexa-core iterations, so we had high hopes for its computing power. According to Apple, its new square-shaped desktop delivers five times the amount of performance over its predecessor.
The choice of quad- and hexa-core 8th gen Intel Core processors with Turbo Boost Speeds of up to 4.6GHz, and support for up to 64GB of 2,666 MHz memory (which is four times the maximum amount the Mac mini 2014 could handle) will definitely keep the Apple Mac mini feeling fast and responsive for most tasks, and allows it to handle multiple tasks at once thanks to the generous helpings of RAM.
The only place the Apple Mac mini (2018) is let down, specs wise, is with the Intel UHD 630 integrated graphics. We would have much rather seen some form of discrete graphics, and anyone using the Apple Mac mini for graphicallyintensive creative work, such as video editing and 3D modelling, may find the integrated graphics a bit limiting.
However, those looking for a boost in performance on this front can always plug in an eGPU.
In our day-to-day use we were really impressed with the new Mac mini, which felt fast and responsive when running macOS 10.14 Mojave. Apps opened and closed instantaneously, and even more challenging processes, such as video transcoding, was accomplished quickly – and silently as well.
What we really like about this new Mac mini is that Apple has produced a powerful and versatile mini PC that’s compact enough to be easily carried around, or hidden out of view behind a display.
In our benchmark tests, the Mac mini doesn’t hit the highs of professional-grade Apple devices such as the MacBook Pro or iMac Pro, but it still performs very well, especially in the multi-core tests thanks to that quad-core Intel processor. If you go for the Mac mini configuration with a hexa-core processor, expect even better results.
Compared to the previous generation of Mac mini, there’s no competition: this year’s Mac mini blows it out of the water, performancewise. If you love your Mac mini and have been waiting for an upgrade, then you’re going to be very pleased with the new Mac mini.
VERDICT
Apple has acknowledged that the computing landscape has changed since the last Mac mini was released. Back then, the Mac mini was designed with casual users in mind, as well as an accessible device to win over people from Windows.
With the rise of laptops, and with the entry level MacBook now acting as that crossover device, Apple has pitched the Mac mini towards creatives and professionals.
That might sound crazy, but you know what? It works. This is a brilliant little machine in its own right, but paired with an eGPU (or even a few extra Mac minis) and you’ve got a powerful machine for heavy-duty tasks. By being scalable in this way, as well as allowing you to use your own monitor and peripherals, you’ve got a very flexible device.