# Want to go with mac mini



## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I want buy a mac mini cause I am tied of Windows
A new mac mini is $799 from apple
I really dont want to spent that much so I been looking at refurbished mac mini on amazon (and other places I am not sure who is reliable to buy from) but amazon has been good with returns etc on products purchased from them
I am looking at 

*Apple Mac Mini MD387LL/A Desktop, Intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD (Renewed)*
For $580
With 1TB Solid State $599
I think I will go the 1TB hard drive cause its cheaper!
I used Macs about 20 yrs ago at the newspaper I worked at
And had a Umax mac clone for myself
But then again that was long ago and macs have changed as far as speed etc.
I am not stuck on the mac mini I listed but I thought it would be good starting point since I had to re-educate myself on
Intel processors and cores
RAM
Hard Drive 
and how they work on Macs
I was a little confused to say the least
Does anyone have a any suggestions where to purchase a mac mini and if the one I’ve listed will suit my needs
The one I really I really like is the higher end (I think it starts at $1000-1200)model on apple website but I can justify me buying it!!


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Anybody have suggestions on processor speed etc and a place to purchase a Mac mini


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Pretty much any Mini from the past 5-6 years will be fine for most uses. You're not doing graphics or video editing, are you? If I was looking for one, I'd be checking local Craigslist. If you want to order from a company, Apple often has refurbs but $, or try somewhere like Newegg or Micro Center.


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## Dan1973 (Oct 18, 2019)

I've bought 3 refurb Macs from the Apple site over the years and they've all been great. Comes with full warranty, they go through more extensive testing to ensure whatever issue had to be fixed is really fixed. As huesmann mentioned, unless you're doing video editing just about any modern-ish mac will suffice. I work in graphics professionally and for standard graphic apps like Photoshop you'd still be fine unless you are building huge files with hundreds of layers.

Go with the SSD drive - it's only $19 more and it'll boot up crazy fast, as well as booting apps very quick. I have a 10-year old iMac that was starting to show its age, but I installed an SSD hard drive and it's like a new machine.

While you're at it, buy an external USB drive that is 2-3X the size of your internal drive and use it as a Time Machine backup. Cheap and easy insurance against a future HD failure.


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## diyorpay (Sep 21, 2010)

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Some may be refurbs but some are new but not current.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Huesman,Dan and dyi:
Thanks your views
Yeah I checked out newegg and it same company selling on amazon I think its —techforless
I used adorama and BH photo when I grew in NY and I ordered from them in Fl where I am now
I think I trust amazon free returns and shipping
Adorama & BH photo I remember would sell cheap cause it would have an open box or sell stuff they got from Europe/Asia so it was new but you could NOT get a USA warranty But I didnt because I was buying Nikon and Canon lenses and I wanted them cheap!
I am sure thats all changed!
Yes I am a photographer and will be using w photoshop —Video maybe just for fun
I just want a mini mac that can handle what want do 
I feel the one I am interested in will suffice(I hope)
yes I would like to add a external hard drive after a while
That was a good point
And I guess I will go with SSD hard drive also a good point


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## Dan1973 (Oct 18, 2019)

For Photoshop you'll want to max out the RAM. Not sure if that is easily user upgradeable anymore. If it is, get Ram from Crucial.com, not Apple.

Don't wait on the external - get it right away. I know a guy who kept putting it off and eventually his hard drive died and he lost all of his data, including family photos. Or you could subscribe to a cloud backup, but do something.


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

Other world computing specializes in Mac stuff, they sell both new and refurb as well as most any accessories. I've bought stuff from them many times. Also numerous refurbs from the apple store. That's usually my first choice for a new computer. Save a few bucks and still get as new with full warranty.

The refurb mini you listed is a 2012 model so it's getting some age. Probably approaching the point that it will lose the ability to run a current OS release. Once that happens software support can begin to slowly fade. I'm using a 2012 macbook pro and it's still a very capable system. Has an i7 with maxed out ram and an ssd, quite fast and responsive.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Dan thanks for heads up on ram!
Mrfitit-that's what I was worried about being an old machine I guess I should look around some more unless you guys can recommend something you see on Amazon I would really appreciate that!
I should have never asked all these questions now I'm doubting what picked out!! LOL


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

mga123 said:


> Dan thanks for heads up on ram!
> Mrfitit-that's what I was worried about being an old machine I guess I should look around some more unless you guys can recommend something you see on Amazon I would really appreciate that!
> I should have never asked all these questions now I'm doubting what picked out!! LOL


As I said, can still be a capable machine with additional ram and an ssd, but it is 8 years old. Keep in mind that newer machines, even though the model may have a lower end processor, can still be considerably faster overall. Later models of processors are a different architecture, likely have more cores/threads, higher clock speeds and offer higher benchmarks than the the older processors. Here's a geekbench comparison of mini models. The old i5 with 2 cores scores a 569, but the later I3 is 897, so it's faster despite being an entry level processor. 

Later models are much less upgrade capable than older models. I think ram can be upgraded but it's not very easy. For a drive upgrade you'll be limited to external only, the internal drive is soldered on the motherboard.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Wow I looked at mac mini 2012 (I 5) and its came in at 569 and 2018 entry model mac mini (I 3) came in at 897 
that quite a difference!
Alright now I really give up!
Somebody has got to tell me what mac mini I can get for about $600 or less!
BECAUSE I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA There are just too many choice I definitely want 16 RAM memory and 1 Gig harddrive


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Is that late 2012 at $569 spec'd out with the 16GB RAM and 1TB drive?


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I got to look and see


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Mac mini "Core i5" 2.5 (Late 2012) Specs (Late 2012, MD387LL/A, Macmini6,1, A1347, 2570): EveryMac.com


Technical specifications for the Mac mini "Core i5" 2.5 (Late 2012). Dates sold, processor type, memory info, hard drive details, price and more.




everymac.com


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Heres the specs above


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I just saw the spec are a 4GB memory and a smaller harddrive
Let me see if I can find a listing showing the exact specs in the one I am interested in


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I can find the exact specs but this give you an idea





Differences Between Late 2012 and Late 2014 Mac mini Models: EveryMac.com


Compares and contrasts all differences between the Late 2012 and Late 2014 Aluminum Mac mini. Aluminum Mac mini specs, ports, upgrades and more.




everymac.com


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

No, my question was this: the specific $569 mini you were looking at, what were its specs? Can you give a link to an online shop where you would be buying it from?
Because if it's tricked out to 16GB and 1TB SSD, $569 is a reasonable price.






Buy Used and Refurbished Apple Mac Minis | Mac of All Trades


Mac of All Trades offers used and refurbished Apple Mac Minis with complimentary free ground shipping, battery, charger, and warranty! Shop online now.




www.macofalltrades.com




Add $100 or less for a 16GB RAM upgrade and $100 for a 1TB SSD, from Crucial, and you're right there.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Yes I can provide a link to the mini mac:





Amazon.com: Apple Mac Mini MD387LL/A Desktop, Intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD (Renewed): Computers & Accessories


Amazon.com: Apple Mac Mini MD387LL/A Desktop, Intel Core i5-3210M 2.5GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD (Renewed): Computers & Accessories



www.amazon.com


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

Then that seems about right for a refurb. Might be able to get a cheaper machine off eBay or Craigslist.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

Yes I looked on craigslist but there was a Mac mini but it didn't come with the stuff I wanted on it plus the guy was asking too much for it I thought ($450) and then I checked eBay and the same sellers where on there it didn't include free shipping Also on eBay there a lot of hackintoshs for sale! I've given that a passing thought but I would imagine your going thru windows to get to Mac OS
I can't win for trying!!


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## iamrfixit (Jan 30, 2011)

Hackintosh doesn't use windows to run mac. A hack uses careful choice of standard PC hardware along with custom drivers and specialized install procedures to get it up and running. You basically trick the OS into thinking it's running on a regular mac.

I built one a few years ago and it wasn't too hard to get it going, but it was often a struggle to apply updates. It ran very stable and overall very well with only a few minor issues, but with the constant flow of os updates I got tired of the battle. Minor version updates or bug fixes weren't usually a problem. The more major updates would almost require starting over and doing a complete re install. Each one brought new workarounds and new issues to figure out. It was fun for a while but just don't have the desire to do it anymore. 

My hardware got a few years old and became more problematic for installing newer mac os versions, I just run win 10 on it now. It still has several ssd's inside with different mac versions installed and it will boot right up and run. Fine if you want to run older software versions but so many require you keep your system up to date.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I went with a mac mini on ebay
I bid on it and won it at $365

Apple Mac Mini - MD389LL/A - Server – (Core i7 2.3Ghz – 16GB Ram – 1TB HD)

I am very pleased with it!
I hooked up an vga monitor with a thunderbolt to vga and it works fine
Now I want to hook up two monitors 
Can I use a vga to two vga adapter and then use the thunderbolt to vga adapter
It only has one thunderbolt port 
Would this work
Any suggestions would be appreciated


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

VGA to two VGA adapter, like a splitter? That'll only duplicate your display.

That machine should have an HDMI port that you can use on one monitor, and the thunderbolt port you can use for another monitor.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I guess that wont work!
I have old monitors both with vga and dvi outputs 
I have one hooked up through the vga with a vga to thunderbolt adapter and it works
I tried one with the hdmi to vga adapter and it didnt work I guess theres no voltage in a hdmi connection


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

I'm gonna assume you have two monitors with VGA and DVI _inputs._

I've used HDMI to VGA adapters and some work well, some don't. You may have to try a different type. I have used HDMI to DVI adapter cables, as well.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I think the hdmi to vga adapter doesn't work I tried a few and I could get a signal on one but it had a faint image and it then it went blank
I been wondering if a USB to vga would work if they make one that is?


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## huesmann (Aug 18, 2011)

I don't think USB outputs a video signal. You may just need to try a different HDMI>VGA or HDMI>DVI adapter. I know this one worked for me.


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## mga123 (Feb 29, 2016)

I'll try that VGA to HDMI cable on amazon
I'm not sure if cable connection needs voltage to work at least that what I read.


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