#  >  > Computers Can Be Fun >  >  > Computer News >  >  Mac Mini?

## Bettyboo

Should I buy one?

I don't like Apple generally speaking, but my 12" Macbook is the best computer I've ever owned, and I need a powerful computer for home and research stuff - I'd prefer a portable mini-PC setup.

I was thinking:

MacMini i7
8GB RAM (buy 32GB RAM online and install that meself).
128GB SSD (buy a Samsung external X5 SSD; connect through thunderbolt 3 and it's faster than most internal drives)
a 32" 21:9 curved QHD monitor for dual-screening.

That's about $2500, and you have a totally shite graphics card, so that's another $400++ if you want to add an external unit... I don't do gaming, but will be doing simulations which are more core intensive than GPU intensive (although a balanced CPU/GPU is good).

Alternatively a top end NUC Canyon with similar specs, once sent here to Korea with 30% tax, is about the same money, but you have a decent graphics card onboard, so no need to update. But, I f'kin made MS OS.

Alternative Dell all in ones or Lenovo, etc are very expensive here in Korea - no saving over the Mac Mini. The iMAC would end up the same price and the processor is dated, but the graphics cards are ok(ish). Hmmm...

Should I go all metrosexual and get a Mac Mini?

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## baldrick

what about a notebook with thunderbolt, displayport and a 1060 or 1070 video card ?

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Gigaby...91001546341805

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## Bettyboo

> what about a notebook with thunderbolt, displayport and a 1060 or 1070 video card ?
> 
> https://www.notebookcheck.net/Gigaby...91001546341805


That does look good - a lot of positives in that setup. I certainly like the video card and CPU.

Downsides would be thermal throttling (I might be running simulations for hours) due to the form factor, and I'd also like a minimum of QHD. A fully maxed out Macbook Pro at $4000 doesn't perform as well as the i7 Mac Mini, and it thermal throttles a lot (the Mac Mini doesn't drop below 3.4GHz, 6 Cores, so it actually out peforms the iMAC pro on less Core Intensive tasks - it's just that shitty GPU is a f'kin tragedy, but I could add one of these, also from Gigabyte:

https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Gami...NJP5NCH6SK9390

For $450 deiverd here, it's about the best value I can find, and the radeon RX 480 8GB is the same as a top spec iMAC, and works well with the Mac Mini i7.

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## Dillinger

Sounds like you've already done your research and made your mind up :Smile: 

I see it's just been updated for the first time in four years and you already have  a Macbook with a shiny apple on the back for gaining the attention of young professionals at Starbucks.

What I'd suggest is to look at the price in diffferent Country's apple stores. They vary a lot and it could well be worth your while grabbing one on a trip to Bangkok or KL and just imagine how many thousands of people will envy your plastic apple bag as you strut your stuff  around the airport and it's lounges.

Do it, you big gay bear :Smile:

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## Dillinger

> Throughout my professional life, I’ve tried to maintain a basic level of privacy. I come from humble roots, and I don’t seek to draw attention to myself. Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on our products and the incredible things our customers achieve with them.
> 
> At the same time, I believe deeply in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, who said: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’ ” I often challenge myself with that question, and I’ve come to realize that my desire for personal privacy has been holding me back from doing something more important. That’s what has led me to today.
> 
> For years, I’ve been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I’m gay, and it doesn’t seem to make a difference in the way they treat me. Of course, I’ve had the good fortune to work at a company that loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people’s differences. Not everyone is so lucky.
> 
> While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven’t publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.


Tim Cook

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## lom

> Mac Mini?
> 
>     Should I buy one?
> 
>     I don't like Apple generally speaking, but my 12" Macbook is the best computer I've ever owned


Ask your mum you ambivalent poofter!

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## TizMe

I've been thinking along the same lines.

I have an 8 year old iMac. It still works OK for most of my needs, but the GPU lets me down when doing intensive video editing using Davinci Resolve.

When the latest version of DR came out, I decided to buy a Windoze PC just for doing video editing and also stuck a big drive in it to use as a server.

But, %&$*, I hate Windoze more than I hate Apple !!

The advantage in having an external GPU, is that you can use it with either the mini or the Macbook, or any future mac/PC. Also its possible in some eGPUs to upgrade/replace the card at a later date if you decide in the future that you need some extra grunt.

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## Switch

Jeff needs advice on his next abacus purchase. Mac or Windows, must have an aftermarket random nonsense generator compatibility.  :Smile: 

Portability is not not an issue, doesnt travel much. It must be suitable for working in extreme conditions.

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## katie23

Lol. Just had a peek at this thread and Dill had me chuckling with his photoshops! You guys are a hoot!  :Smile: 

btw @bettyboo, I saw some mountain goats during my latest hike and took pics just for you.  :Razz:

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## Bettyboo

> Ask your mum you ambivalent poofter!


But, what if she says no?




> I've been thinking along the same lines.
> 
> I have an 8 year old iMac. It still works OK for most of my needs, but the GPU lets me down when doing intensive video editing using Davinci Resolve.
> 
> When the latest version of DR came out, I decided to buy a Windoze PC just for doing video editing and also stuck a big drive in it to use as a server.
> 
> But, %&$*, I hate Windoze more than I hate Apple !!
> 
> The advantage in having an external GPU, is that you can use it with either the mini or the Macbook, or any future mac/PC. Also its possible in some eGPUs to upgrade/replace the card at a later date if you decide in the future that you need some extra grunt.


Yeah, I'm agreeing with most of that. But, only the i5 available in Korea... Still fast, 6-cores.




> Lol. Just had a peek at this thread and Dill had me chuckling with his photoshops! You guys are a hoot! 
> 
> btw @bettyboo, I saw some mountain goats during my latest hike and took pics just for you.


WOW, now that's sexy!

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## Bettyboo

> Sounds like you've already done your research and made your mind up
> 
> I see it's just been updated for the first time in four years and you already have  a Macbook with a shiny apple on the back for gaining the attention of young professionals at Starbucks.
> 
> What I'd suggest is to look at the price in diffferent Country's apple stores. They vary a lot and it could well be worth your while grabbing one on a trip to Bangkok or KL and just imagine how many thousands of people will envy your plastic apple bag as you strut your stuff  around the airport and it's lounges.
> 
> Do it, you big gay bear


I knew you'd make it gay, and I agree... Pictures tonight.

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## Dillinger

Here's the different prices for an i5 Mac Mini in various Countries

UK -44,374
China-41,642
South Korea -40,932
Thailand -38,400
Singapore -38,125
OZ -38,062
Hong Kong - 36,949
Malaysia -36,478
USA -35,337

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## Bettyboo

^ strangely, Korea is expensive for everything, but not the Apple Store.

OK, that's $2000 spent, and I still need to get some RAM, an external drive (although I did get a 256 SSD), and an external eGPU...

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## Dillinger

> OK, that's $2000 spent, and I still need to get some RAM, an external drive (although I did get a 256 SSD), and an external eGPU...


$2000 for  an i5 desktop PC without a dedicated graphics driver but with a shiny apple on the top? 

Well done :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

> Well done


I would have preferred the i7, but they would've needed a special order - I can't be doing with that...



Wait until the screen is up and running, it's gonna be great.  :iagree: 

Just gonna put everything on my WD Passport then I'll throw this laptop away (bought it in Oman seven years ago, I can probably find the thread if you like...  :Smile: ) and fire up the super sexy, super fast, super mini-mac.

I've applied for research funds at work, if given, there's $$$ for hardware, so I will be getting a mega GPU (as well as an iMac Pro 18-core for my office at work).

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## Dillinger

^ you gonna buy some speakers. You're  gonna be needing a nice surround system now to do her justice :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

> ^ you gonna buy some speakers. You're  gonna be needing a nice surround system now to do her justice


My Yamaha THR10 sits on the desk and is an excellent stereo speaker (plugs in via USB). Just spent $300 getting 32GB Ram and a toolkit to get into my Mac Mini (probably void the warranty...).

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Mac/Mac...it/IF171-050-2

256GB hard drive will do for now, but I'm also ordering up one of these (they are actually quicker than onboard storage through the lightening 3):


https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Porta.../dp/B07GBWZJFG

Only a GPU to go, and I'm thinking about one of these because they are cheap and portable:






https://www.amazon.com/GIGABYTE-Gami...NJP5NCH6SK9390

Suffice to say, I have gone to town (still a bit peeved about not getting the i&, but...).

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## Dillinger

Is your 7 button broke? :Smile: 

of those different apple stores I looked on earlier, no country  had the i7 model listed.

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## TizMe

Here in the Philippines, the i7 is selectable after you click "Buy" for an additional PHP10K

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## Bettyboo

^same on the Korean website, but not so in the shop... Even though the i& is very fast it does get hot and throttles down to 3.4 GHz rather than staying at turbo boost, so maybe the i5 isn't a bad option, probably doesn't get as hot, so probably nearly as quick under workload.

I did make an error: I paid $100 for the extended 3 year warranty which will be void in about 2 weeks when I upgrade the RAM... Oh well...  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Topper

> I did make an error: I paid $100 for the extended 3 year warranty which will be void in about 2 weeks when I upgrade the RAM... Oh well...


I was going to ask about that....

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## Bettyboo

^ indeed...

Now, would you like full screen cinema or split screen for "working"?





Of course, I haven't managed to get the THR10 working yet, so just the sound from the Mac mini (not bad, not great) - maybe an opportunity to buy a USB-C speaker tomorrow and sell the THR10 to a mate.

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## Dillinger

Very nice.

Can you get any porn on it?

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## NamPikToot

> Very nice.
> 
> Can you get any porn on it?


For that price it should be part of the service package :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

I can split the screen into 4 areas and have 4 porn sections - if I wanted...

Sound is fine now through the THR10 - took a few hours, but everything is fantastically good now. &, 32GBs on the way, & space for a eGPU under the desk... Just downloaded some simulation software, very basic stuff, so we'll have a go with that tomorrow; can only justify this if it's for work too.

&, the wife hasn't complained because work is going well, and she sees this play centre of wonderfulness as a work system.

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## NamPikToot

> and she sees this play centre of wonderfulness as a work system.


What even with 4 porn films running simultaneously, she's a keeper.  :Smile:

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## Seekingasylum

That keyboard is very ugly and totally ruins the aesthetics.

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## Switch

> That keyboard is very ugly and totally ruins the aesthetics.


From one who asked for advice on IT purchases recently, you are not very bright or practical are you duffer?  :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

The Mini Mac is working superbly. I added in 32GB of RAM, so it's now even faster:

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## Dillinger

^ but can it wash your underpants? :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

> ^ but can it wash your underpants?


Hmmm, no.

It is bloody good though - you wanna get yourself one of these, Dil.

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## Bettyboo

Extremely fast internal drive too:

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## Dillinger

> Hmmm, no.
> 
> It is bloody good though - you wanna get yourself one of these, Dil.


I've never needed that much speed to justify spending  the equivalent of a laundrettes machinery budget on tbh. :Smile:

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## Seekingasylum

The point is, it is a beautiful square of machined aluminium which works efficiently and has fuck all to do with microsoft.

Apple is for people who can maintain an erection and form a syntactically correct sentence.

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## Dillinger

> Apple is for people who can maintain an erection and form a syntactically correct sentence.


 :Smile: 

No, Apple are  for poseurs  who  can't tie their own shoelaces,  need everything spoonfed to  them and are a risk to themselves outside their  secure locked down enviroment.

A bit like your good self at Budleigh Salterton nursing home :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

> I've never needed that much speed to justify spending  the equivalent of a laundrettes machinery budget on tbh.


Wait til I spend $1500 on this baby (eGPU)!



& this Amazon purchase on it's way, should be here in a few days (just a backup drive):



Haven't decided how much external space I need yet, or how fast it needs to be, but these raid Glyph Atoms are nice (but what colour?), and at 800mbps are probably fast enough for the stuff I need to do on an external drive:

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## NamPikToot

Boo you need to speak to Simon43 and get advice on extra curricular activities when your and the Gents tastes align, give me B, Give a D, an S and M.

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## Bettyboo

^  it is a bit of a worry, but even Mr Sausage is right from time to time.

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## thailazer

I've currently got three Mac Minis running in the house, one being almost a decade old.    The Mac Mini is a real value in my eyes and they simply work well all the time.     I am forced to use Windows 10 in my work environment which feels darn cumbersome, especially when using Sharepoint and Office 365 and sorting through all the messages of why things aren't working.         

I see you got the Mac Mini.  You won't regret it.

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## thailazer

By the way,  here are some handy Apple commands:  

Command-Shift-4     Screen capture
Command-Option-ESC    Force quit a single app.  (Unlike Windows, the Mac OS will not crash when an application stops responding.)
Command-Control-F    Exit full screen.   (This will ultimately happen to you and it will drive you nuts if you don't have an out!)
Command-Q   quit the app you are currently displaying

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## TizMe

Did you decide to get the BlackMagic eGPU rather than the GIGABYTE Gaming Box? 
If so, why and which one, Radeon Pro 580 or Radeon RX Vega 56?

The BMs sure look the bees knees, but they are quite a bit more expensive than some of the alternatives.(USD700 & USD 1200 in the US, probably add 20% to get one in Asia)

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## Bettyboo

> Did you decide to get the BlackMagic eGPU rather than the GIGABYTE Gaming Box? 
> If so, why and which one, Radeon Pro 580 or Radeon RX Vega 56?
> 
> The BMs sure look the bees knees, but they are quite a bit more expensive than some of the alternatives.(USD700 & USD 1200 in the US, probably add 20% to get one in Asia)


I haven't decided yet, kinda depends on how much research money I get from the uni, as I'll buy it from that.

The Gigabyte seems to be temperamental and noisy; most other eGPUs seem to be very noisy and large. The BM one is near silent, small and easy - even the 580 would be fine for me, but if I get oodles of research money then I'll go for the BM with Vega. I'm not using anything which I need a GPU for, but I will later on and the internal graphics card is really really poor. The machine can keep up with an iMac at $4000+ easily and even an iMac Pro to some extent - as long as you don't need a GPU! &, this isn't even the i7 model; the i7 2018 Mac mini has hyper threading (this i5 doesn't) and with 32GB/64GB RAM and the BM 56Vega would be an absolute monster...

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## Dillinger

> The machine can keep up with an iMac at $4000+ easily and even an iMac Pro to some extent - as long as you don't need a GPU! &, this isn't even the i7 model; the i7 2018 Mac mini has hyper threading (this i5 doesn't) and with 32GB/64GB RAM and the BM 56Vega would be an absolute monster.


That kinda talk is normally reserved for Ferraris, Ducatis, racehorses and supermodels

 Its just a fukkin  computer mate and my mobile phone is keeping up with your $2000 beast right now :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

Just when you thought it couldn't get any more exciting:

1) I got creative and made a Mac Media Centre Stand.
2) Bought a backup drive; a tiny little Glyph Atom backup drive - only 500mbps or so, not USB-C 3.2/thunderbolt3, but it just backs up...







In time I'll get a Blackmagic eGPU to sit behind the Yamaha speaker, and I'll sort out a 1GB fast hard drive like the Samsung X5 when I need more space.

BTW, if you do get a Glyph Atom then it's very small and light, reasonably fast, well made, pretty tough, comes with USB-C to USBC-C/USB-A adaptors which are sooooooooo short, just about 5cms.

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## pseudolus



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## Bettyboo

^ apparently, Papillion has a few of those for sale.

I decided not to go silly on an eGPU and just get the most portable one at a decent price that has good performance, so I ordered one of these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1



I'm a bit worried it's gonna be crap, but for $400 I'll take the risk.

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## baldrick

what games do you intend to use to benchmark it  :Smile: 




> ^ apparently, Papillion has a few of those for sale.


I guess the echo was a problem

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## lom

> I'm a bit worried it's gonna be crap, but for $400 I'll take the risk.


Seems you know the answer already, a good GPU is double or more than double that price.

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## Seekingasylum

So, all this paraphernalia is simply to play .......games???

Christ, how fucking puerile. How old are you?

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## NamPikToot

Gent, do keep up. Betty said right at the start that it was for Research at his Uni that gave him a grant toward it, its feasible he may use it outside of work......

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## baldrick

> Christ, how fucking puerile


Flying Spagetti Monster , how fcuking stupid are you

graphics cards are very good at large parallel computations and thus are used for mathematical modelling and video processing

there is even a operating system which you can use to turn multi graphics card computers into DIY supercomputers to use in a laboratory on the cheap

stick to wailing about the cost of sausages now the great british peso is tanking

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## Bettyboo

> what games do you intend to use to benchmark it


I've never really been a gamer in that sense... I do like a bit of Super Mario Kart once a decade or so.




> Christ, how fucking puerile. How old are you?


Getting on for 50 although I look a lot younger.  :Smile: 




> Gent, do keep up. Betty said right at the start that it was for Research at his Uni that gave him a grant toward it, its feasible he may use it outside of work......


This is correct, Sir.

Heaven Benchmark seems to be a reasonable one, and I've seen some folks with i7 Mac minis getting around 4fps - they must be trying to drive a huge 5k screen or something ridiculous, as my i5 with 32GB RAM averaged 12fps and got over 30fps at times, and looked fairly smooth and nice on my 29" 2560x1080 IPS monitor (seems to be a nice balance between good quality picture and not requiring too much from the computer).

I want/need a balanced system, and the shitty Intel onboard graphics are miles below everything else. A bit like an audio system, you're sometimes only as good as the weakest part, so I wanna bring the GPU up to a reasonable standard and an RX580 8GB should get me there. I'll see how it goes on the Heaven benchmark as well as the Geekscores - even though they record different areas in theory, the weakest link does seem to dramatically affect the other parts (CPU/RAM/SSD type/GPU - probably in that order for my requirements; I think the T2 controller really helps to speed things up too; should help with the thunderbolt 3 to eGPU as well).

I have the first 3 weeks of February off and will need to be getting into simulations at that time, so I thought I might as well go for the eGPU now and have everything ready. I should be in the ballpark of a top specs'd iMac which would cost about $4000 at Apple RAM/SSD prices (actually, my Mac mini is a lot higher on multi-core score as the 8th generation Intels are so much better than the 7th generation - you'd need to be spending around 3 times what I paid and get an iMac Pro to stomp on the little Mac mini - I highly recommend them, depending on your system needs).

Actually, an i9 MacBook Pro with the Vega 20 would also be around my system levels, but the thermal throttling and low wattage chips would be problematic, never mind the lack of upgradability and $4500 price tag; lots of nice thunderbolt 3 ports though...

https://browser.geekbench.com/mac-benchmarks

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## Looper

Sexy rig betty.

 :Sexylady: 

I recently upgraded my machine but I went for the most bang I could get for minmum dollar so I did not win big in the style stakes.

Asus S406UA
i7 8th generation coffee lake 4 cores 8 threads
16Gb
512 GB SSD
14 inch FHD
$1276 australian shekels

Only problem is the keyboard build quality is a bit rattly and shit and also it started blue-screening and had to go back for servicing and is currently wending its way back to me with a new motherboard under warranty.

I will see how it goes once it is back.

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## Bettyboo

^ looks like a nice system; great bang for buck all round. Good CPU scores, nice SSD, decent RAM, lots of ports and great price. Good buy, Looper.
(you do have similar onboard intel graphics to mine, but the good news is that I might be able to sell you a nearly new eGPU in a few weeks time...  :Smile: )

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## TizMe

I found an article today regarding enabling eGPU usage on my old iMac.

https://github.com/mayankk2308/purge-wrangler#recovery

purge-wrangler.sh enables unsupported external GPU configurations on macOS for almost all macs.

I'm pretty happy really with my old iMac, except for its GPU performance.

Might be worth trying this before I upgrade the lot..

My old iMac has thunderbolt 1, which is only 10 Gbit/s (T3 is 40 Gbit/s), so that still might be a bottleneck.

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## baldrick

> 512 GB SSD





> nice SSD


no - you need m2 SSD not sata SSD - they are literally 10x faster and the new 500gig samsung evo plus is RRP 150 USD

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## foobar

Better to build your own PC.

That way when it goes wrong you will know how to fix it yourself.

No more difficult than Lego.

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## Looper

> no - you need m2 SSD not sata SSD - they are literally 10x faster


I am a trailing edge technology adopter.

This is my first ever SSD of any description!

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## Bettyboo

> I found an article today regarding enabling eGPU usage on my old iMac.
> 
> https://github.com/mayankk2308/purge-wrangler#recovery
> 
> purge-wrangler.sh enables unsupported external GPU configurations on macOS for almost all macs.
> 
> I'm pretty happy really with my old iMac, except for its GPU performance.
> 
> Might be worth trying this before I upgrade the lot..
> ...


Yeah, give it a go. My Gigabyte should turn up early next week then I'll do a small review, just in case you're thinking about that model - it seems to be the cheapest quite powerful GPU around. My Macbook only has Thunderbolt 2, so I'll also try the eGPU through that for comparison.




> no - you need m2 SSD not sata SSD - they are literally 10x faster and the new 500gig samsung evo plus is RRP 150 USD


The Samsung evo/pro 560/570 SSDs are superb, 'tis true - really decent prices for the 250/500GB models, but get expensive above that.

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## baldrick

> but get expensive above that.


250 USD for a 970 EVO plus 1 TB seem quite reasonable - I have a 500g 960 EVO in my desktop and it is a marvel of data serving speed - the CPU is actually the bottleneck now

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## Dillinger

You geeks wanna get out some more :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

^ noooo, there's so much to do on the computer...

^^ that is a good price. I suppose I was thinking of the external SSD with the same/similar chip which is so expensive for 1TB.

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## Looper

> Good CPU scores, nice SSD, decent RAM, lots of ports and great price. Good buy, Looper.


My craptastically cheap and nasty Asus is back from the shop with a new motherboard and has been up for 36 hours now with not a single bluescreen to to be seen. Hopefully the back-room tech-monkeys at the asus repair sweatshop have cracked it.

They also did not make any wisecracks in ther problem report about the several GB of hardcore goat porn which was still on the HD. Had been deleted but not wiped so I am sure they found it.

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## Bettyboo

Hmmm, and not a trotter in sight - I suppose you keep that for your exclusive stash...

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## Bettyboo

OK, the eGPU turned up today. It was boxed well, came with a nice Thunderbolt 3 cable of nearly decent length, is well made and solid.









Nothing about GPUs, GPU enclosures, fans, PSUs or eGPUs are cheap - blame the bitcoin miners, but for $400 this is as probably as good as you'll get. I plugged in the power supply, connected the HDMI from the monitor to the eGPU, connected the Mac Mini to the eGPU with the supplied TB3 cable, restarted the Mac mini and everything was go - as easy as that. It just worked.

I would recommend the product if it's what you need. It's not too noisy at idle, a bit noisy when going at in (in fact it gave me a headache), but not noticeable over any sound you have going from a game, movie, music, etc. It's not silent, but it's no whiner or screamer.

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## Bettyboo

Benchmarks...

First, here is my MacBook 12" 2017, very low spec: Intel m3, 8GB RAM, 615 Intel graphics - not impressive, but very light and works perfectly work making documents, email, etc; by far the best laptop I've ever owned for simple business day to day stuff. 

Geekbench CPU score (pretty bad...):



Open CL score for graphics (pretty much as bad as it gets):



Heaven Benchmark - this is like a very graphics intensive game, so it pushes the graphics hard. Knowing the MacBook is poor I just started on Medium settings (there's low, medium, high and ultra), but because the score was better than I thought (must be that small screen) I then tested on the Ultra setting (this is a tough ask...):





OK, now you can see what a low spec laptop can do, lets look at the Mac mini scores:

Geekbench CPU (these scores are high - you'd need to spend $5000+ on an iMac Pro to beat them):



Open CL and Heaven Benchmark on Ultra setting (these scores are terrible...):





Now the same CL and Heaven Benchmark with the RX 580 eGPU plugged in. It's also worth noting that the Mac mini CPU temperature dropped significantly from around 60 degrees when pushed to about 40 degrees when pushed, so that'll help the CPU to run at higher speeds.





These scores are decent, very decent, a big improvement.

Let's compare to a top end iMac i7 which costs about $3000+ These run hot and noisy and thermal throttle quite a lot. My i5 really doesn't thermal throttle, it consistently stays fast high speeds even under heavy loads.

Geekbench single core: 5681
Geekbench multi core: 19354
CL score: 111823
Heaven Benchmark: 1041

Conclusion. The Gigabyte box is very good, a reasonable price and gives me nice results.

Just out of interest, I will plug the Gigabyte eGPU into my MacBook 12" and see what kinda scores it gives out, but interestingly, at medium setting, the Macbok has surprisingly good (or less bad than I thought anyways) GPU real work performance.

It really depends what you're doing and what you need from your computer. I have already boxed up the eGPU and will only plug it in when I need it for heavy simulations or the occasional game. If you need this kinda device then I'd say go for it, but buy a 2m/3m active thunderbolt 3 cable to get the fan noise away from you.

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## Bettyboo

I think, upon Mr Sausages advice, I will go out and get a Mac keyboard (I really don't like this salmon colour beastie...).

&, I've ordered up a proper little computer table to make it all look nice. Should be here by the end of the week, so there's a photoshoot you can all look forward to.

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## lom

> &, I've ordered up a proper little computer table to make it all look nice. Should be here by the end of the week, so there's a photoshoot you can all look forward to.


I barely can't wait to see it, tables are soo interesting..

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## baldrick

will the table have the USB powered ball scratcher option ?

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## Troy

Heavy simulations of what exactly?

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## Bettyboo

> Heavy simulations of what exactly?


I'm currently running through the EU permutations, outcomes, etc.  :Smile: 

This machine is just a dream to use in all ways. The workload will be stuff like little autonomous robots running around sending back real-time information via bluetooth on one screen segment, and some software simulations of neural networks on a platform such as Nengo on another screen section (I could do this on their cloud, but I don't want them having my information, so I wanna run it locally), and I still want my central screen section running smoothly for my TD workload...

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## Bettyboo

> will the table have the USB powered ball scratcher option ?


It's only a little small table, nothing too exciting, just to raise the screen and give plenty of space under it.

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## Seekingasylum

> I'm currently running through the EU permutations, outcomes, etc. 
> 
> This machine is just a dream to use in all ways. The workload will be stuff like little autonomous robots running around sending back real-time information via bluetooth on one screen segment, and some software simulations of neural networks on a platform such as Nengo on another screen section (I could do this on their cloud, but I don't want them having my information, so I wanna run it locally), and I still want my central screen section running smoothly for my TD workload...


He's playing games, downloading movies and watching porn while posting interminable shite on what appears to be a plethora of boards.

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## lom

> downloading movies and watching porn


He needs the GPU for real-time depixelating of Jap porn!

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## baldrick

^ if he had ordered the table from japan he could have probably gotten the warm water ringpiece stimulating option

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## Bettyboo

> ^ if he had ordered the table from japan he could have probably gotten the warm water ringpiece stimulating option


That DOES sound interesting.

I've yet to find anything that slows this little Monster Mini down - you should get one, Badders...

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## Troy

I did actually bother to look into the Mac mini and the MacBook Pro. However, several things, besides price have put me off both. The Mac mini isn't really portable enough for my needs and the MacBook has gone downhill. 

I am currently looking to buy the HP Z-book with 4k display, the usual ports as well as 2 thunderbolt 3s, sufficient cooling for an i7 hexcore, and able to use in the dusty environment of Issan without the need for Aircon. Not only is it expandable but I can replace RAM and SSD and hardrives if required. It's a pro machine where pro doesn't mean profit.

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## Bettyboo

> I barely can't wait to see it, tables are soo interesting..


Ask and ye shall receive...



I'm just gonna edit this to add up all the costings:

Mac mini i5 = $1283
32GB fix RAM = $325
Trackpad = $150
Keyboard = $150
External SSD drive for backup = $250
eGPU = $400
2m TB3 cable = $100 (fuking@£$%%$£@)
screen = $280
Wavcom stylus = 60

Total = $2998 Fukin expensive.

For comparison, a similarly specs'd MacBook Pro which would have lesser outright CPU and GPU performance, slightly slower RAM, get hot and thermal throttle and not have a big screen for multitasking (anybody who doesn't have one of these widescreens, but works from home really does need to get one...) would cost about $500 more. It comes with a bigger onboard storage and could be backed up on the cloud cheaply rather then spending $$$ on a backup drive and it's portable. It really comes down to what you wanna use it for - my system is better for my needs.

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## Bettyboo

> I am currently looking to buy the HP Z-book with 4k display, the usual ports as well as 2 thunderbolt 3s, sufficient cooling for an i7 hexcore, and able to use in the dusty environment of Issan without the need for Aircon. Not only is it expandable but I can replace RAM and SSD and hardrives if required. It's a pro machine where pro doesn't mean profit.


That sounds like a nice specification which I hope will serve you well. but beware...

Just be aware that half of those Z-books come with 7th generation processors - do not get one, they are 40% or more slower for many tasks. Only consider a Z-book with an 8th generation processor.

Also, these U-series processors in a laptop are a lot slower than the i5/i7 B processors in the Mac mini (draw much lower wattage) and will also thermal throttle much more - the highest spec Z-book will get at least 20% lower in benchmark tests than my 32GB/i5 and then it'll thermal throttle to even slower speeds under any kind of 'pro' workload. The 'workstation' wording on the Z-book is somewhat deceiving, imho, because it isn't. I use Word, Powerpoint and OneNote on my Mac and they work far better than they ever did on any Windows machine (I have a 365 contract, so it's 'free' on the Mac).

Some other points:
- the DDR4-RAM on the z-book is a tad slow which will affect you on many tasks.
- unless you are working in graphics design, etc, don't get a 4k on a laptop because it will slow down your entire system, suck power like crazy and offer very little if any worthwhile improvements. I considered a 4k monitor for home use, the Mac mini supports them, but it just doesn't add anything to my setup for the tasks I do - films look fantastic on my 2560x1080.
- the Radeon Pro WX3100 isn't really powerful enough to push 4k for any graphics intensive applications, so you'll have to turn the resolution right down anyways. It's a much better card than Intel onboard graphics, but it's not workstation or game capable. For reference, it's about 30% as powerful as the RX580 I've benchmarked/referenced on this thread. It'll be a great card for everyday tasks though, so decent.

Unless you need to pick up a laptop and travel with it then don't buy a laptop for performance. I was in a position to spend $3000+ on a laptop, but as I only use a laptop for light tasks my 12" MacBook is fine, and I can spend decent money on a powerful and 'portable' (when I move home, etc) desktop (or near desktop) class machine.

This overview is decent: https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/cpu-comparison

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## lom

> Ask and ye shall receive...


Nice doggy!!

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## Bettyboo

> Nice doggy!!


Hmmm...

You can have him if you want; it's the missus' dog, not mine; I just get all the responsibility...

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## Troy

Coffee-lake hex core with Nvidia P2000. I am happy with my 5 year old hp running Ubuntu for everyday stuff but I need windows or Mac for the Nikon software and lightroom. Adobe have stopped selling lightroom 6 so I am looking at the different CC options for photography. This is the g5 model not the studio but  the heavier one. My house in Thailand kills machines with the dirt, high humidity, and curious insects that like to nest in laptops. My old low power hp is one that has survived, where many have died.

I will heed your advice regarding display though...

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## Bettyboo

> Coffee-lake hex core with Nvidia P2000. I am happy with my 5 year old hp running Ubuntu for everyday stuff but I need windows or Mac for the Nikon software and lightroom. Adobe have stopped selling lightroom 6 so I am looking at the different CC options for photography. This is the g5 model not the studio but  the heavier one. My house in Thailand kills machines with the dirt, high humidity, and curious insects that like to nest in laptops. My old low power hp is one that has survived, where many have died.
> 
> I will heed your advice regarding display though...


^ The processor and graphics are nice.

For photos and Lightroom a nice monitor would be nice - maybe get an HD monitor on the Z-book then a 4k monitor for home use (maybe a 28" to not stress the laptop too much)?

It really all depends on one's needs, and that system sounds great for those applications. Write up a report once you make your purchase, it'll be interesting to see how well it works for you.

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## Dillinger

Nice shitzu Betty, fucking ugly though :Smile:  Did you know they are circus dogs and can stand and walk around on their front legs?



Where exactly is your Mac Mini in that pic? Or have you bolted it to the underside of your desk to stop someone sticking it in their arse pocket and walking off with it? :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

Chokdee does all sorts of tricks and is a constant pain in the arse.

Top left.

& the Gigabyte at the bottom left to keep the noise as low as possible.

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## TizMe

I've done some further research.

It looks like the application that I'd be throwing at mini with an eGPU just wont perform due to the T3 still being too slow compared to an internal GPU.

I decided to wait until the new Trash Can Mac Pro replacement later this year.

In the mean while, I'll upgrade the GPU in my windoze box (currently GTX 1050) with a newer NVIDIA with more onboard memory.

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## Bettyboo

I thought the T3 was supposed to be quick at controlling command signals. Hmmm.

Whatever the new Mac Pro is should be interesting; supposed to be more modular than current Macs, but Apple do love their upgrade money, so we will see.

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## TizMe

To throw another cat amongst the pigeons.. The new iMac is a huge leap forward from the previous model.

https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/im...19_imac_lineup

Apple refreshed its iMac lineup on March 19, 2019 after a two-year wait, introducing 8th and 9th-generation Coffee Lake processors and upgraded Radeon Pro Vega graphics options for significant performance improvements over 2017 models. Apple's tagline for this update, is, in fact "freaking powerful."

For the first time, Apple has introduced Radeon Pro Vega graphics in both the 4K and 5K iMac models. In the 4K Macs, Radeon Pro Vega graphics offer 80 percent faster graphics performance, while in the 27-inch model, the upgraded option provides 50 percent faster graphics performance.

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## Dillinger

> For the first time, Apple has introduced Radeon Pro Vega graphics in both the 4K and 5K iMac models. In the 4K Macs, Radeon Pro Vega graphics offer 80 percent faster graphics performance, while in the 27-inch model, the upgraded option provides 50 percent faster graphics performance.


That's gonna cut

How much you asking for the Mac Mini mate? :Smile:

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## Bettyboo

^ I wanna up and go anytime by putting the mac mini in my pocket, so an iMac isn't for me... But, I will say that an iMac with an 8th generation chip like in the mac mini, and a good GPU along with the nice 27" screen and decent fast SSD storage would be a good buy. The current model is woefully slow in both CPU and hard disk; a fusion drive ffs...

Just looked on the US site and the basic specs are surprisingly poor although most machines now have 8th generation. To get a 21" specc'd to the level of mine, but the improvement of the Vega 20 is $2749 - a bit cheaper than mine, nice setup, but maybe the 21" screen is a bit smaller than one would want.

Looking at the 27" (the bigger screens are well worth it, imho), you have to go up the range before you get a radeon580 or above, as my set up is $3000 - pretty much the same as mine, but all in one which is nice and a better quality (if smaller) screen. I'd go for that. If you need the radion pro vega (48 which is pretty fine) it's $3500, but that'll be a really nice system (only i5, maybe you'd wanna pay $400 extra for the i9; not sure how well that'd be cooled in the iMac). You can upgrade the RAM on the 27", not the 21", so that'd save you $300 if you buy it with 8GB of RAM and put in 32GBs your self. - I really cannot see many situations that you'd need more than 32GB. I think my system would have been the same almost all the time with 16GB.

A sweetspot could be the 27" i5 (it does not lack speed, I can assure you), 8GB RAM (I'd then put 16GB in myself - a single 16GB in case I wanna buy another single 16GB stick later- you then actually have 24GBs because you can use the stick (2x4 or 1x8, not sure) that come in the iMac because I think there are 4 slots, radeon pro 580x with its own 8GBs of RAM, 512SSD (you can plug fast SSDs in via thunderbolt for backup and extra storage) - you'd be all in for $2600.

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## Seekingasylum

> Ask and ye shall receive...
> 
> 
> 
> I'm just gonna edit this to add up all the costings:
> 
> Mac mini i5 = $1283
> 32GB fix RAM = $325
> Trackpad = $150
> ...


So, Bettyboo is gay, then. Them mutts nail it every time.

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## harrybarracuda

Definitely, fucking handbag mutt that one.

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## baldrick

the mac purchace was shouting it from the rooftops

and as for that laptop

25k baht will get you a lenovo Y530 and then +2600 baht add a 250gig NVME and you have a screaming machine - I have been looking for a cheapo to buy some one and this is the winner

http://www.invadeit.co.th/product/no...black-p041678/

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo....317420.0.html

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## Bettyboo

> the mac purchace was shouting it from the rooftops
> 
> and as for that laptop
> 
> 25k baht will get you a lenovo Y530 and then +2600 baht add a 250gig NVME and you have a screaming machine - I have been looking for a cheapo to buy some one and this is the winner
> 
> Buy Lenovo Legion Y530-15ICH-81FV015WTA Black - invadeit.co.th
> 
> https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo....317420.0.html


Nice, but not gay enough for my liking...

Chokdee does not approve.

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## lom

^ Shoes on a dog, that's just too much! I assume he sleeps in your bed as well, between you and the missus..

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## baldrick

> I assume he sleeps in your bed as well, between you and the missus..


something to wipe your cock on

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## Bettyboo

^ he does have lovely soft fur; reminds me a bit of a woman I shagged in Istanbul about 20 years ago.




> ^ Shoes on a dog, that's just too much! I assume he sleeps in your bed as well, between you and the missus..


I was about to take him for a walk the other day when the wife did this... After a decent argument, which I lost, I took him out, walked around the corner pulled them off, threw them away then returned home saying that I didn't know what happened to them, they must have fallen off... She's probably ordered some more, in pink...

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## Dillinger

Is that a bow tie and tuxedo?

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## Bettyboo

> Is that a bow tie and tuxedo?


What other way to dress for an afternoon stroll...

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## Dillinger



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## Bettyboo



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