Lost amid the ado of Apple ’s recent - summertime product announcement was a small-scale but pregnant acclivity to the Mac mini demarcation : in addition to drop the humble - end Mac miniskirt Core Solo 1.5GHz and lower the price of the Mac mini Core Duo 1.66GHz model to $ 599 , Apple released a new top - of - the - line $ 799 Mac miniskirt power by a 1.83GHz Core Duo processor . It ’s a solid , if unstimulating , upgrade to Apple ’s midget desktop Mac .
With the exception of the C.P.U. , the new in high spirits - end Mac mini is basically identical to the first round of golf of Mac minis with Intel processors , issue earlier this year . Like those models , it arrive with an Apple Remote , a establish - in infrared receiver for the remote , and Apple ’s Front wrangle media - playback software package . Like all Mac mini exemplar , itdoesn’tcome with a keyboard , mouse , or display .
The Intel Core Duo 1.83GHz processor powering the new Mac mini runs with a clock speed that ’s some 10 percent faster than the former top - of - the - air 1.66GHz model . And as you might await , the final stage result is that the new exemplar was mostly 10 to 15 percent quicker than its predecessor on Macworld Lab ’s bombardment of covering tests . Its overall score of 165 in our Speedmark test suite make it the fastest Mac mini yet , but it ’s observably slower than the iMac line , which has been upgraded to the more muscular Intel Core 2 Duo processor ( see benchmarks ) .
The other half of the Mac mini product channel , the $ 599 model power by a 1.66GHz Core Duo central processing unit , is largely the same organisation as the previous high - end Mac mini model ; in cut down its cost by $ 200 , Apple has also swapped its SuperDrive for a atomic number 48 - combustion , DVD - meter reading jazz group movement and reduced its internal operose driving content by 20 GB to 60 GB . The fresh version of this system is essentially the same fastness as the older model ; although the new interlingual rendition received a high Speedmark score , this was almost all due to the hard drive . The smaller drive offer up better public presentation for platter - base activities such as the Finder ’s Zip Archive trial or the iPhoto import test .
Although the Mac mini does have some limitation , it ’s an impressively full - boast organisation . In addition to built - in AirPort Extreme and Bluetooth 2.0 wireless feature , it supports Gbit Ethernet networking . The top - of - the - communication channel poser come with a DVD - burning SuperDrive , and all Mac mini models are powered by an interior Serial ATA drive .
Convenient size
The Mac mini ’s size makes it an interesting option as a primed - top loge sequester to a television . We were able to hook up the mini to a Sony HDTV via DVI , and to a Sony home dramaturgy receiver via an optical cable .
As in our late test , Front Row do admirably , letting us watch wide - screen videodisc with 5.1 - distribution channel surround sound and enjoy music and coast shows from the comfort of a couch . But getting the program to function properly took much experimentation that ask a keyboard and a black eye connectedness : for lesson , we had tried change configurations in the DVD Player coating , switch the Displays Overscan preference set up on and off , and changing solvent .
Having a Mac miniskirt bond to your TV set can be a geeky sumptuousness , but it ’s not really something we ’d recommend for regular people ; we ’re hop Apple ’s forthcoming iTV merchandise better fills this corner by doing out with the information processing system user interface and relying solely on a simple , Front Row - stylus menu system .
Another interesting potential habit of the Mac mini is as a waiter . We attached a Mac mini to a keyboard , mouse , small flat - panel monitoring equipment , and large external hard drive , and stowed the whole assemblage on a ledge in a bedroom cupboard . The system was comparatively quiet , super summary , and had more than enough computing great power to consort a Web server , deal a large iTunes subroutine library , power two Slim Devices audio players , and run a few other assorted applications .
Forget about gaming
Anyone debate the purchase of a Mac mini must keep in mind that some of the feature of speech on this minor and cheesy Mac have been compromised , either for space or price intellect . The Mac mini ’s biggest impuissance is its habit of Intel ’s GMA 950 structured graphics organisation , which take up memory from the computer ’s main memory . Put bluntly , while the Mac miniskirt and the GMA 950 are adequate to of play back HDTV - calibre video , they do n’t supply acceptable 3 - D functioning for plot child’s play . If you ’re await for a Mac on which to play game , look elsewhere .
We also paint a picture that you consider upgrading the mini ’s random memory beyond the stock 512 MB parceling . If you call back you ’ll want more random memory , we suggest having it put in when you order your mini so that you do n’t have to throw forth the pair of 256 M module Apple include by default or struggle to launch the mini ’s typesetter’s case with a putty knife to set up the RAM in the tight slots . you’re able to choose between two 512 MB mental faculty for 1 GB , or two 1 GB modules for the 2 GB upper limit .
Mac mini Core Duo (Sept. 2006)
Best effect inbold . Reference system initalics .
How We Tested : Speedmark is a suite of 15 labor using the Finder and eight other applications . Only a portion of those tests are represented in this chart . The individual scores are relative to those of a 1.25GHz Mac mini , which is assigned a score of 100 . Adobe Photoshop , Cinema 4D XL , iMovie , iTunes , and Finder score are in arcminute : seconds . All systems were running Mac OS X 10.4.7 with 1 GB of RAM , with processor performance set to Highest in the Energy Saver preference pane when applicable . The Photoshop Suite examination is a set of 14 written tasks using a 50 MB data file . Photoshop ’s computer storage was lay out to 70 percent and History was set to Minimum . We recorded how long it took to provide a shot in Cinema 4D XL . We used Compressor to encode a 6 - minute and 26 - 2d DV file using the videodisk : Fastest Encode 120 minutes – 4:3 setting . In iMovie , we applied the cured video effect to a 1 - second movie . We converted 45 minute of AAC audio single file to MP3 using iTunes ’ High Quality setting . We used Unreal Tournament 2004 ’s Antalus Botmatch average - frames - per - second score ; we test at a resolution of 1,024 by 768 pixels at the Maximum stage setting with both audio and artwork enable . We created a Zip archive in the Finder from a 1 GB folder . The Photoshop CS2 and Compressor tests are not part of Speedmark and do not factor out into the Speedmark overall score . To liken Speedmark 4.5 scores for various Mac systems , visit ourApple Hardware Guide.—Macworld research lab testing by James Galbraith and Jerry Jung .
Macworld’s buying advice
Both of these new Mac miniskirt modeling are unspoilt values , and Apple made an excellent choice in drop the underpowered Core Solo - found model — the last single - core Mac in Apple ’s product line . As a budget Mac , a supplemental home base reckoner , a server , or a home medium rig - top box , the Mac miniskirt ’s cost and sizing make it an impressively versatile system . If you ’re a gamer , the Mac miniskirt ’s incorporate art system wo n’t be knock-down enough for your needs . But for everyone else , the Mac miniskirt remains an excellent system , specially for user with a special amount of free space or money — or both .
[ Jason Snell isMacworld ’s editorial director . ]
