The "I just ordered / bought / got my new/refurb Mac Mini" threads, merged

[DoubleFlyaway]

I just bought my dad’s Mac Mini from him a few days ago for $300. It’s a 2014 (bought new in 2017, I think), 2.6, 1 TB, 8G of RAM.

I’ve been IPad Pro-only for a year, selling my MBP because I didn’t use it anymore. But my seven-year-old daughter has been begging for a computer to play Animal Jam on. I realized I still had my 2011 MacBook Air, so I set it up with a monitor. And it was nice to have full versions of Pages and Numbers for occasional use and fun to play around with OS X again. My dad saw it and offered to sell me his Mac Mini, which is a significantly better machine.

So it’s been fun! I still don’t have any needs an IPP can’t handle, but it’s nice to have my desk set up again, and I can put page numbers and tables of contents into my documents. And my daughter has learned how to use a mouse very quickly. Too bad the 1 TB is wasted on me! I’ve become a major iCloud user over the past year.

 

[StellarVixen]

I just bought my dad’s Mac Mini from him a few days ago for $300. It’s a 2014 (bought new in 2017, I think), 2.6, 1 TB, 8G of RAM.

I’ve been IPad Pro-only for a year, selling my MBP because I didn’t use it anymore. But my seven-year-old daughter has been begging for a computer to play Animal Jam on. I realized I still had my 2011 MacBook Air, so I set it up with a monitor. And it was nice to have full versions of Pages and Numbers for occasional use and fun to play around with OS X again. My dad saw it and offered to sell me his Mac Mini, which is a significantly better machine.

So it’s been fun! I still don’t have any needs an IPP can’t handle, but it’s nice to have my desk set up again, and I can put page numbers and tables of contents into my documents. And my daughter has learned how to use a mouse very quickly. Too bad the 1 TB is wasted on me! I’ve become a major iCloud user over the past year.

Welcome to the club!

Extra storage is rarely a waste, It is better to have a lot but don't use it, than to be low on it when you need it the most.

 

[jacklivehere]

Just bought i7/8gb/256gb version. Planning to upgrade to 32gb after couple of months.

 

[bigfatipod]

Just bought i7/8gb/256gb version. Planning to upgrade to 32gb after couple of months.

What are you upgrading from?

 

[jacklivehere]

2013 I

What are you upgrading from?

From 2014 iMac 5k i7 to 2018 Mac mini i7 with LG 27uk650

 

[Cheapassmac]

Just keep in mind that it's more of a hassle to upgrade than inserting into a typical pc or imac even. There's an annoying RAM shield that forces you to pull the entire thing out. Also consider looking into 16gb option. Check out activity monitor once in a while, you might be surprised how much you actually need (though certainly more then 8gb most likely).

 

[jacklivehere]

Just keep in mind that it's more of a hassle to upgrade than inserting into a typical pc or imac even. There's an annoying RAM shield that forces you to pull the entire thing out. Also consider looking into 16gb option. Check out activity monitor once in a while, you might be surprised how much you actually need (though certainly more then 8gb most likely).

Thanks for advise. Certainly will wait a week before ordering additional memory . I wish apple gives one 8gb stick. but they don't.

 

[Cheapassmac]

Thanks for advise. Certainly will wait a week before ordering additional memory . I wish apple gives one 8gb stick. but they don't.

I know how you feel, but the reason why they do it is because of dual channel memory. It's faster to run with 4gb x2 vs a single 8gb. Keep that in mind when upgrading too. Just because you find out you only use 11gb, don't just replace one of the 4gb with a 8gb for example... go with pairs.

 

[jacklivehere]

I know how you feel, but the reason why they do it is because of dual channel memory. It's faster to run with 4gb x2 vs a single 8gb. Keep that in mind when upgrading too. Just because you find out you only use 11gb, don't just replace one of the 4gb with a 8gb for example... go with pairs.

Thank you for information. that helps why it ships with 2 sticks rather than 1 stick.

On the other note, do you guys think I can use Mac mini 2018 /i7. with 4K monitor without EGPU? Or do I must need EGPU. Planning to use this Mac mini for SW development and Productivity , and rarely for video editing.

 

[Cheapassmac]

Thank you for information. that helps why it ships with 2 sticks rather than 1 stick.

On the other note, do you guys think I can use Mac mini 2018 /i7. with 4K monitor without EGPU? Or do I must need EGPU. Planning to use this Mac mini for SW development and Productivity , and rarely for video editing.

You don't need an eGPU for 4k desktop use, or to watch 4k videos. The integrated is good enough, though you might want to tone down the special effects in the operating system for best performance. This is assuming you are using a one monitor setup. You might want to consider an eGPU if you are doing 2+ 4k monitors with separate desktops (mirrored might be okay, but I have not tested the impact of that set up).

eGPU would be best for specific apps (most notably games and other apps that utilize mostly 3d rendering)

 

[jacklivehere]

You don't need an eGPU for 4k desktop use, or to watch 4k videos. The integrated is good enough, though you might want to tone down the special effects in the operating system for best performance. This is assuming you are using a one monitor setup. You might want to consider an eGPU if you are doing 2+ 4k monitors with separate desktops (mirrored might be okay, but I have not tested the impact of that set up).

eGPU would be best for specific apps (most notably games and other apps that utilize mostly 3d rendering)

Hi
Thanks for quick advise , this certainly will save money which I planned on egpu

 

[Applefan2015]

Dell S2419H 24 Inch FHD IPS LED-backlit LCD 2019 Monitor - (Black) (5 ms Response Time, Full HD 1920 x 1080 at 60 Hz, Waves MaxxAudio, 2 x HDMI, Tilt)

 

[Stephen.R]

On the other note, do you guys think I can use Mac mini 2018 /i7. with 4K monitor without EGPU

If you only have 8GB of RAM, you'll see issues if you try to use a non-native or non-default "scaled" (aka "Looks like X") resolution - if you use the native 4K, or the "Default" of "@2x scaling" aka "Looks like 1920x1080" you should be fine.

 

[seble]

Slightly off topic question for any Samsung T5 / X5 users. The drive comes in an ExFat format and with that proprietary Samsung encryption software installed.

What's the consensus with this drive? Use it ExFat and with Samsung encryption, or Apple Format and I'll just make encrypted disk images in disk utility like I usually do? Been meaning to set up this drive with my MM2018 for a while now...

 

[Minxy]

I set up my new Mac mini today. When I shut it down but its still plugged into the mains if I place my hand on it I can feel gentle vibration - it is drawing power. This stops when I turn it off at the mains. Is this normal/ other people's experience?

 

[andy2141]

I set up my new Mac mini today. When I shut it down but its still plugged into the mains if I place my hand on it I can feel gentle vibration - it is drawing power. This stops when I turn it off at the mains. Is this normal/ other people's experience?

Mine does the same, as does various other laptops from Apple. It's an earthing issue, nothing to worry about.

Here in the UK if you use a three pin plug that's earthed you don't get the effect.

 

[Minxy]

Mine does the same, as does various other laptops from Apple. It's an earthing issue, nothing to worry about.

Here in the UK if you use a three pin plug that's earthed you don't get the effect.

Thanks for the reply. I am in the U.K. and I’m using a 3 pin plug. I thought all plugs were earthed?

 

[airbatross]

I just ordered mini i7 with 16gb ram and 512gb ssd. Store page says it'll arrive on 4th Feb. (Booo..)

It's been years since I had a desktop after switching from my Windows desktop to white Macbook in 2010. 7 years of no problems later switched to 2017 macbook air/2018 ipad with pencil/iphone x combination. Work computers/laptops have always been powerful enough for day to day learning/tasks. Now I decided I'll start doing video/photo editing, xcode and some entry level work with Blender for fun. I'm happy to upgrade with an egpu later on. Already have mouse and keyboard so it'll fit perfectly. Dell USB-C monitor is also on its way.
My new empty desk is waiting..

 

[hkoster1]

Ordered an i5/16/512 to replace the MBP that I no longer need. To be used with Dell P2415Q 4K-screen and Sonnet 550 + Vega 56 eGPU.
Ordered a space-gray set of keyboard/mouse/trackpad to go with it. Delivery slated for 8 Feb, I can hardly wait.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Slightly off topic question for any Samsung T5 / X5 users. The drive comes in an ExFat format and with that proprietary Samsung encryption software installed.

What's the consensus with this drive? Use it ExFat and with Samsung encryption, or Apple Format and I'll just make encrypted disk images in disk utility like I usually do? Been meaning to set up this drive with my MM2018 for a while now...

Erase and use Apple format.
[doublepost=1549067759][/doublepost]

I just ordered mini i7 with 16gb ram and 512gb ssd. Store page says it'll arrive on 4th Feb. (Booo..)

It's been years since I had a desktop after switching from my Windows desktop to white Macbook in 2010. 7 years of no problems later switched to 2017 macbook air/2018 ipad with pencil/iphone x combination. Work computers/laptops have always been powerful enough for day to day learning/tasks. Now I decided I'll start doing video/photo editing, xcode and some entry level work with Blender for fun. I'm happy to upgrade with an egpu later on. Already have mouse and keyboard so it'll fit perfectly. Dell USB-C monitor is also on its way.
My new empty desk is waiting..

Mine won't arrive until 2/5, unless Fed Ex can get it delivered sooner. It is a shame that it has to be built in Hong Kong instead of the U.S. I am also surprised my local Apple only stocks the base models.

 

[DYER]

It has been a very long time since I bought a new Mac, but I've literally just pulled the trigger on a new Mini.

I ended up going for the i7 and 16GB of RAM and despite umming and arring between a 256, 512 and 1TB, I ended up going for the 1TB.

Hopefully this will give me a similar 5-6 years of service as my current one.

Delivery date isn't expected to be until around the 15th, so guess I've got some waiting ahead of me... sigh.

 

[Clix Pix]

Slightly off topic question for any Samsung T5 / X5 users. The drive comes in an ExFat format and with that proprietary Samsung encryption software installed.

What's the consensus with this drive? Use it ExFat and with Samsung encryption, or Apple Format and I'll just make encrypted disk images in disk utility like I usually do? Been meaning to set up this drive with my MM2018 for a while now...

I have both Samsung T5s and an X5. First thing I do when getting a new one is to reformat it to APFS as my computers are all Macs, and I do not use Windows for anything. I also do not use encryption, as for me it is not necessary. I prefer to clear proprietary software off the drive so that I have full use of the drive's capacity rather than having space taken up by features I will not use.

 

[hkoster1]

Ordered an i5/16/512 to replace the MBP that I no longer need. To be used with Dell P2415Q 4K-screen and Sonnet 550 + Vega 56 eGPU.
Ordered a space-gray set of keyboard/mouse/trackpad to go with it. Delivery slated for 8 Feb, I can hardly wait.

Got early delivery and experienced a smooth transfer from my MBP. Early impressions are good, also when using the eGPU.
Only problem: that spacegray Magic Keyboard - it's just terrible: too flat and no backlighting - a major fail for such an expensive piece of kit. It will be returned, so back to my trusted K811...

 

[kensic]

when yall think mac mini refurbs will start showing up on apple website?

 

[Apple_Robert]

Got early delivery and experienced a smooth transfer from my MBP. Early impressions are good, also when using the eGPU.
Only problem: that spacegray Magic Keyboard - it's just terrible: too flat and no backlighting - a major fail for such an expensive piece of kit. It will be returned, so back to my trusted K811...

I believe this will remedy your space gray keyboard problem. I recently bought from them and it works great. I too have the space gray keyboard and trackpad. The cherry wood looks great with them. Much easier to type.



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