Today Apple released an updated range of iMacs, Mac Minis and Mac Pros. Since I am a Mac Mini user (and so are several of my friends) I am going to take a deeper look at the new Mac Mini.

The Mac Mini line was last refreshed in 2007 and came in two models the 1.83Ghz and the 2.0Ghz model.

The new Mac Mini also has two models but interestingly they both are running at 2.0Ghz. This makes sense as it means that Apple has less parts and inventory to manage. The main difference between the two Mac Mini models is one comes with 1GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive and the other 2GB memory with a 320GB hard drive. So as they roll down the assembly line some will have more memory added and a different hard drive, that’s all. This makes for a very simple, lean and cost effective manufacturing process. Having said that both models can be upgraded to the 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo for $150.00. The maximum memory in the new Mac Mini is 4GB compared to 2GB in the previous line.

Other than the speed, memory and disk improvements the big change in the Mac Mini is the use of the 9400M nVidia graphics chip. The previous range of Mac Minis used the Intel GMA 950, which didn’t support hardware T&L and wasn’t a very good 3D performer. The new nVidia GeForce 9400M brings up to five times faster graphics performance to Mac mini.

Another interesting feature of the Mac Mini is its power consumption.
Mac mini uses 45 percent less power than the previous model — less than 13W while it’s idle. This makes Mac mini the most energy-efficient desktop computer in the world.

The Mac Mini comes with WiFi, Bluetooth, Gigabit Ethernet, FireWire 800, Five USB 2.0 ports and a Mini DisplayPort video out (like on the Mac Books).

When compared to the iMacs the Mini isn’t that small… Ignoring the lack of incorporated screen the level entry iMac is almost identical to the higher end Mac Mini (in terms of memory, hard disk, DVD and graphics) with the only exception being that the iMac has a 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo.

However interestingly enough, if you take the 2GB/320GB Mac Mini and add a 24 inch Apple display it will cost you $1,796.00 which is nearly $300 more than the entry level 24 inch iMac!

Like all Macs, the Mini comes with Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard and iLife ’09 pre-installed. Prices start from $599.00 for the 1GB/120GB model and $799.00 for the 2GB/320GB model.

So, what does it mean. The first upgrades any Mac Mini user makes are to buy an external hard drive and add more memory. Sadly there was nothing that could be done about the graphics. So the new Mac Minis have more memory and bigger hard disks (and so should nullify the need to upgrade these) and now the graphics is much, much, much better.

All round the new Mac Mini looks like a great deal and a good improvement over the previous incarnation.

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