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

[JayMysterio]

Ordered a new i3 from with 512SS from BH, arriving today some time. As I've put in some effort to working more with my iPad Pro, I don't need the most powerful mac for my everyday browsing & such. Looking forward to another Mini though, have loved mine since the 09 version. I need to learn how to turn my previous ones into entertainment centers so many seem to do.

 

[frou]

Mac Mini has been augmented with a big beast eGPU.

I took the AMD Vega 64 card from a desktop PC, and am also using a spare Corsair RMx PSU instead of the PSU that came with the enclosure. The nice thing about those components together is that when it's not being stressed it is silent, literally, because the three fans on the graphics card and the one inside the PSU are not moving at all.

 

[pipedreams86]

Just placed my Mac Mini order AND making my first post here! Been reading the forums for awhile decided to finally join up now that I ordered the mini...

Ordered:

• Mac Mini i7 with 256GB SSD and 8GB ram (will be continuing to use my 4TB SSD installed in a Akito Quad X from my previous MacBook Pro 2012 setup)
• 32GB ram from OWC
• Razer Core X Chroma eGPU enclosure
• AMD Vega 64 GPU
• WASD mechanical keyboard v3 with Mac keys

Just waiting on apple and WWDC to see if anything moving on the rumored display and if it’s something I want, or may look at something like the Dell U4919DW...right now still using my trusty Dell U2713HM & U2414H dual monitors setup and it’s still going strong!

Can’t wait for it all to arrive! Will post it in the Mac Mini setups thread when it’s all setup...

 

[bpd115]

Well, ordered my i7 with a 512 gb SSD and 8 GB of Ram. I ordered 32 gb of Ram after market. I'll wait to see what happens with Navi GPUs that are weeks away before going the eGPU route.

I'll be boxing up my 27" Late 2014 core i5 Retina iMac. Apple trade in value was $550.

I've been using my iMac with a 34" Samsung curved widescreen display anyway.

 

[ascender]

Just looking at a Mini to replace an ageing iMac as we have a spare 4K screen. Aftermarket memory is a given looking at Apple prices, but as regards SSDs, would there be any downsides to going with a 128GB one and then buying an aftermarket external SSD for storage of media etc?

 

[Stephen.R]

would there be any downsides to going with a 128GB one and then buying an aftermarket external SSD for storage of media

The smaller sizes are slower (presumably because the larger sizes use striping across the actual modules).

IMO the sweet spot on the Mini is 512GB - the speed increases on the larger sizes aren't as dramatic, but the cost is quite high.

 

[tibas92013]

Last week I purchased a Refurbished 6 Core MM 2018, 3.0Ghz,8GB Ram, 256SSD from the Apple On-line Veterans Store along with Apple Care Plus. Total net cost was $1,000.

In addition to the above MM I have a Refurbished i5 MM(2014),8GB Ram,256SSD and i5 MM(Late 2012), 16GB Ram, 500GB HD all bought from the Apple On-Line Store.

 

[Easttime]

In December I replaced my refurb 2014 MM with a new 2018 MM i5/16/512 running dual 27” monitors. Sold the 2014 MM to a happy student. Only glitches are the Bluetooth problem (got everything wired now instead of BT), and need to be careful with cooling in the summer during intensive core use. iStat Menus app helpful. All very good. Very productive on the new mini.

 

[Ed217]

Ordered and received an I5/8/256 unit last week. Many problems right from the start, all relating to Secure Boot Utility and external drives. Many Apple Chats and calls with no real progress. Yesterday the unit totally died and fails to show any activity at boot (no sound or display of any kind). It goes back today.

 

[bpd115]

Ordered and received an I5/8/256 unit last week. Many problems right from the start, all relating to Secure Boot Utility and external drives. Many Apple Chats and calls with no real progress. Yesterday the unit totally died and fails to show any activity at boot (no sound or display of any kind). It goes back today.

Playing around with this with my new i7/32/512 the last few days, trying to get Windows to boot. Didn't have much luck from a USB 3 external partitioned with 1 TB chunk for Windows. When it hung, I made sure to unplug external drives and my eGPU. Did the LED come on?

 

[littlepud]

I just ordered i7/16/512. Will probably pick up an eGPU after a lower-end Navi gets announced (RX 5600?).

 

[LiE_]

Just ordered a refurbed 2018 MM i5/16/256. I have an external USB-C Gen2 1TB SSD so all my media and photos will go on that. The i5 should be more than enough for my day job (web dev) and occasional use of Lightroom.

Also bought the new 23.7 Ultrafine 4k to pair with it.

 

[antman2x2]

WOOHOO! Ive been debating between the new mac pro or a mac mini since the announcement and ive come to the conclusion that most of the cost of the mac pro is for things ill never really use. Ive been on the hunt for a powerful headless mac so I was leaning more towards the mac pro for a little.

On Friday I ordered a brand new top-tier mac mini with the 6-core i7 16 gigs of RAM and 512GB storage!

The best part: My razer core X eGPU just came in! Im pairing it with a vega 56.

Gonna be an awesome set up.

 

[littlepud]

WOOHOO! Ive been debating between the new mac pro or a mac mini since the announcement and ive come to the conclusion that most of the cost of the mac pro is for things ill never really use. Ive been on the hunt for a powerful headless mac so I was leaning more towards the mac pro for a little.

On Friday I ordered a brand new top-tier mac mini with the 6-core i7 16 gigs of RAM and 512GB storage!

The best part: My razer core X eGPU just came in! Im pairing it with a vega 56.

Gonna be an awesome set up.

I’m looking at a similar setup, but I’ll wait until the lower-midrange Navi cards come out.

 

[antman2x2]

I’m looking at a similar setup, but I’ll wait until the lower-midrange Navi cards come out.

Yeah ill let you know how it goes! I tested the eGPU on my MacBook Pro for a little just to make sure it works before the mini gets here and DAMN! Its insane to see graphics performance like that in these computers.

My mac mini is in "preparing for shipment" so im hoping it ships today (before the holiday).

 

[Ed217]

Playing around with this with my new i7/32/512 the last few days, trying to get Windows to boot. Didn't have much luck from a USB 3 external partitioned with 1 TB chunk for Windows. When it hung, I made sure to unplug external drives and my eGPU. Did the LED come on?

In my case, nothing. Totally dead other than a small periodic sound of some sort. Bought a new one and it has been fine so far.

 

[littlepud]

I just got my i7/16/512 today. I’m running it with my 38” ultra wide at “4K” 21:9 and the machine flies through VMware Fusion, iMovie and Photos. I’m not planning on doing any gaming or 3D work, so an eGPU is probably not necessary at this time.

 

[weezin]

I just found a 2018 base Mini on Craigslist for $400 and bought it instantly. Not sure why he was selling it for so cheap, but he emailed me the Apple receipt with matching serial number!

Now need to figure out whether to pair it with an external SSD and run it that way (maybe off of the external), or sell it for profit and get something with more storage space. I think the i3 is good enough for me, but would also like to add some ram. Whatever I do, it will be replacing my iMac (and will be paired with a 30" ACD).

 

[tibas92013]

A 2012 machine is right on the cusp of "unsupported" already, and is almost certainly going to be in the list of machines dropped in the next change to "hardware requirements" for macOS.

My i5 MM(Late2012), 16GB Ram, 500GB HD is presently on OS Sierra and need to decide if I should upgrade the OS to either High Sierra or Mojave??

 

[mjfutures]

My i5 MM(Late2012), 16GB Ram, 500GB HD is presently on OS Sierra and need to decide if I should upgrade the OS to either High Sierra or Mojave??

I would keep "as is" and buy a new MM and get ready for Catalina.

 

[mjfutures]

Mac Mini has been augmented with a big beast eGPU.

View attachment 839514

I took the AMD Vega 64 card from a desktop PC, and am also using a spare Corsair RMx PSU instead of the PSU that came with the enclosure. The nice thing about those components together is that when it's not being stressed it is silent, literally, because the three fans on the graphics card and the one inside the PSU are not moving at all.

Are you happy with this performance so far?

 

[inmnbob]

Wow, what a nice machine! I got the 2.6 i7 and 256GB SSD. I have 16 GB of RAM coming from NewEgg, but even with the stock 4 GB it's nice and fast. I love that it boots up in a few seconds and that launching an application takes almost no time.

I think my plan of replacing my aging laptop with the mini and an iPad is going to work out just fine.

 

[frou]

Are you happy with this performance so far?

Absolutely. Vega seems to be incredibly well supported by macOS. Not only is the peak performance great, but the power usage scales down really low as well:

When I had an RX580 (same brand) in the eGPU enclosure it was using 130W minimum, and obviously had lower peak performance too.

 

[ascender]

Have been looking for a solution to a few different things (iTunes server, fileshare, replacement for an iMac) so ended up ordering a Mini last night. Went for the stock 256GB 6 core option as that's more than fast enough for what I need. Will pair it with a 1TB external SSD for storage of photos and the like. Not exactly short of ports to use.

Went to look for memory upgrades on Crucial, but they were out of stock for this model. Interestingly though, when their stuff is out of stock they have a link to buy from other suppliers which took me to Amazon. On there, the 32GB memory kit was the same price as the 16GB kit was from Crucial so have just gone for that.

Can't wait to get it, I haven't had a Mac Mini in years!

Am now trying to resist buying an external gpu!

 

[ridgero]

Bought an i7, 8 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD, upgraded to 64 GB Samsung