mac mini worth it?

bitburger

hello all

For the past couple of months ive been running ableton and logic pro on a circa €200 sandybridge celeron system. it actually ran very well but with a few problems i think it is time for a new machine.

amazon currently have the mini at a knockdown price of around €540, which is the cheapest ive been able to find it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Apple-Dual-Core-2-5GHz-Processor-Graphics/dp/B009XCJ4QM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387243749&sr=8-1&keywords=mac+mini

is the mini really worth it or should i wait till i can afford a current gen imac or similar? this outspecs the current machine which so far has only suffered with logic crashing on a particular 40+track multieffect song which would not be somthing i would be editing a lot


Lastly, is there any likelyhood of a new mini coming out soon and should I really worry about it, and does anybody know a cheaper price than that knockdown rate? Do apple have january sales or any of that jazz?


Few things that worry me, I already use 4 usb devices (wireless keyboard dongle, sound card, and 2 midi controllers(novation launchpad and novation impulse, thats before thumbdrives or the like, is there any limit to the number of usb devices i can use with a powered hub? Would probabaly be using flash drives and stuff too so and for some reason

Also as far as the warranty goes, do I void it if i go to upgrade any of the internals of the mac?

The portability also has a big appeal to me at the moment, I am a student who lives at the other end of the country to home and travel home for a weekend or longer every 2-3 weeks, being able to stow the machine into a small bag and carry it home really appeals and allows me to work for that particular weekend, I have a spare monitor mouse and keyboard at home so there should be no issue on that front.

gctest50

Those dual-core ones are slow compared to the newer ones

That one is just a door stop at this stage


.

whiterebel

I have one OP, a couple of years now, I think i5 dual core. Fast enough for anything I do with it, but I don'y use any of the apps you do. Ram is upgradeable, I have 8GB in mine and the 500GB HD. You can daisy chain hubs, so that shouldn't be a problem.

holystungun9

I have the current base model which is an i5 with 4 gig of RAM. I got it in August but was also half expecting them to upgrade it soon after. There is no specific upgrade announced. It is due an update which could happen quietly anytime over the next six months. If you need/want one just pull the trigger on it.
I run Logic Pro X on mine and generally use it as my main machine. I have a powered USB plugged into it which works fine and gives my more USBs. Of the four on the machine, one is for a backup drive, one is for a mouse, one is for my soundcard and the last is for the USB hub.
On the hub I have my novation keyboard, Maschine (thank you santa claus), and the odd cable to sync my ipod or whatever.
The only problem I have had is not that big a deal real. You have a full track in logic playing and you want to change to keyboard sound. It is nice to leave the full thing playing or looping as you cycle through keyboard sounds (I don't mean playing in the part, you have the midi pattern and just auditioning other keys). The Mini doesn't like this and will quickly say that it can't deal with it.
The solution is to just solo the keyboard part you are auditioning and then if you want to hear it with the track then unsolo it.
It is upgradeable to 8gig or prob more but I don't expect to do this for quite a while. You could easily hawk it around if you have a monitor in both locations. I would wrap it up nice and snug though as you don't want it getting knocked about.

unclebill98

I am using Mac Mini i7, 12GB of ram user. Logic Pro X. 2GB USB3 Drive for audio.

Been using it for a 2 or so months. I'd not bother with the i5 version for Logic. Mainly due to everyone who gave me advice just said get the i7 version as their not having a problem.

Over all I've hit 64 tracks of audio and I stopped after that, could easily do more. Not a single plug in on it. Yesterdays session had 38 tracks, eq on all and I'd say about 20 with 3 plug ins each.

I find LPX can be a little sluggish at times and I am not sure if its the mini or the program as their have been a lot of reported bugs within the program.

My main gripe is the Meter's can get a little sluggish but go back to normal etc. Not sure if its the mac or or LPX but the audio never fails. I've been adviced only to use it for LPX and no internet connection unless for upgrades to software.

Mac refurb store is your best bet for a cheaper one and you don't need the server version.