Apple unveils new Mac Mini, iPad Pro, and MacBook Air

[jvlata]

https://www.apple.com

[jhwalker]

Really looking forward to the new Mac Mini - I currently host Roon, iTunes, and JRiver MC on an older Mini (which works well), but it begins to stutter with HQPlayer at DSD256 and above.

 

I can't recall what @Miska has said in the past - would HQPlayer run better with the 3.6GHz quad core model or the 3.0GHz six core model?  i.e., are clock cycles more important than cores, or vice versa?

[Ralf11]

have you seen the pricing on new Mac Mini??

[jhwalker]

1 hour ago, Ralf11 said:

have you seen the pricing on new Mac Mini??

 

Yes, I have no problem with it.  Every Mac I've ever had has lasted 5+ years, and I prefer macOS over any other for ease of use, etc.  The configuration I want would be about $1,350.

[Ralf11]

I liked Macs until they effed up the OS...

[rickca]

The Mac Mini is a full fledged desktop machine now (if you can live with external graphics card).  I don't think the pricing is too crazy for Apple.  I am more surprised by an entry configuration iPad Pro at $799.  Clearly the strategy of increasing ASP applies to their entire product line. 

[audiophile65]

3 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

have you seen the pricing on new Mac Mini??

 

Good thing I already got the 2014 mac Mini with 1TB HDD. There is no way in Hell that I am going to pay $2,399 for a 2TB SSD version (aka the new Mini that starts at $799)!!!!!

A good $1700 to $2000 would be better spent (and will soon) on a Shunyata Venom PS8 power conditioner with Venom Defender, a Shunyata Delta NR power cable, and the set of 4 iso feet (Shunyata) designed for Venom or Hydra power cond./distrib.

They weren't kidding that the new mac Minis would be purely professional applications!!

[Ralf11]

how about some Shunyata RAM ??

[AudioDoctor]

@audiophile65 Why would you need a 2TB SSD in a Mac Mini? You can get that and more on an external for a lot less. I have a 2011 Mini still running at home on a 60GB OWC SSD.

[kirkmc]

10 hours ago, rickca said:

The Mac Mini is a full fledged desktop machine now (if you can live with external graphics card).  I don't think the pricing is too crazy for Apple.  I am more surprised by an entry configuration iPad Pro at $799.  Clearly the strategy of increasing ASP applies to their entire product line. 

 

It was a full-fledged desktop machine in the past too. I used a Mac mini as my desktop Mac for a couple of years. The problem is that they hadn't updated it for four years. I'm still using my late 2011 Mac mini as a media server, and probably won't upgrade until it dies, but the specs on the new one are very nice. 

[kirkmc]

6 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

@audiophile65 Why would you need a 2TB SSD in a Mac Mini? You can get that and more on an external for a lot less. I have a 2011 Mini still running at home on a 60GB OWC SSD.

 

Exactly. You'd be foolish to pay for 2 TB internal unless you plan to do serious work on that machine. An external SSD, even with USB-3, is more than fast enough for a media server. 

[jhwalker]

9 hours ago, kirkmc said:

 

Exactly. You'd be foolish to pay for 2 TB internal unless you plan to do serious work on that machine. An external SSD, even with USB-3, is more than fast enough for a media server. 

 

Right - my existing Mini has 256GB of flash storage, but only about 60GB used for OS and assorted applications (e.g., iTunes, JRiver MC, Roon, etc.).  I could easily have gotten by with a 128 (or even 64!).

 

I saw a write-up on Darko's site today about how a fully-loaded Mini would be over $4k.  I guess that's true, but who would ever put in 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and 10Gb Ethernet for a music server?  The configuration I'm craving would be the top CPU (i.e., the six-core i7) with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD.  That'd do me just fine

[57gold]

Waiting on Miska to check the new Mini out. 

 

I'm stuck on DSD128 with my late 2012 Quad Core.

 

Limited to DSD256 with Mytek B+, so not sure what processor option to pick.

[AudioDoctor]

3 minutes ago, jhwalker said:

 

Right - my existing Mini has 256GB of flash storage, but only about 60GB used for OS and assorted applications (e.g., iTunes, JRiver MC, Roon, etc.).  I could easily have gotten by with a 128 (or even 64!).

 

I saw a write-up on Darko's site today about how a fully-loaded Mini would be over $4k.  I guess that's true, but who would ever put in 64GB of RAM, a 2TB SSD, and 10Gb Ethernet for a music server?  The configuration I'm craving would be the top CPU (i.e., the six-core i7) with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD.  That'd do me just fine

 

What do you have on there?  I am using 34.4GB (I just checked) on mine, that's the OS and as few apps as possible.

[jhwalker]

3 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

 

What do you have on there?  I am using 34.4GB (I just checked) on mine, that's the OS and as few apps as possible.

 

Thanks for prompting - I never paid much attention as I had so much space left  but thought I'd check it out.

 

Main culprits:

System                                 39.99GB

Documents                            6.71GB

Applications                          6.64GB

GarageBand Sound Library 2.49GB

 

I did a little cleanup and was able to get it down to:

System                                 37.32GB

Documents                            1.50GB

Applications                          1.50GB

GarageBand Sound Library 0.00GB

 

That's about as low as I could go - final usage is about 41GB with latest macOS (Mojave) and 16GB RAM.

[Ralf11]

did you let the OS turn on file compression ?

[audiophile65]

20 hours ago, AudioDoctor said:

@audiophile65 Why would you need a 2TB SSD in a Mac Mini? You can get that and more on an external for a lot less. I have a 2011 Mini still running at home on a 60GB OWC SSD.

 

Well, an external SSD would be an option to consider. I can always consider that at a later time and use it with my 2014 Mac Mini. I wonder if anyone here has a 2014 Mini and if they use an ext. SSD?

The only reason I mention all the Shunyata stuff is because they are all I need to finally get my system up and running/burned in optimally.

[AudioDoctor]

1 hour ago, jhwalker said:

 

Thanks for prompting - I never paid much attention as I had so much space left  but thought I'd check it out.

 

Main culprits:

System                                 39.99GB

Documents                            6.71GB

Applications                          6.64GB

GarageBand Sound Library 2.49GB

 

I did a little cleanup and was able to get it down to:

System                                 37.32GB

Documents                            1.50GB

Applications                          1.50GB

GarageBand Sound Library 0.00GB

 

That's about as low as I could go - final usage is about 41GB with latest macOS (Mojave) and 16GB RAM.

 

 

My 2011 Mini is still on High Sierra

 

System:                                                    19.54GB

iOS files(which are now gone)                3.45GB

Apps:                                                           1.36GB

and Other Volumes                                   2.81GB

 

for some reason my Free Space went down...  I don't get it. Whatever Apple is doing with "Free Space" and "Purgable Space" makes no sense.

[Tone Deaf]

1 hour ago, audiophile65 said:

 

Well, an external SSD would be an option to consider. I can always consider that at a later time and use it with my 2014 Mac Mini. I wonder if anyone here has a 2014 Mini and if they use an ext. SSD?

I use an Oyen Digital MiniPro RAID V2 with mine.  

[jhwalker]

21 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

did you let the OS turn on file compression ?

 

I'm not aware of this option - I know there is a file compression option in Windows, but I don't recall seeing in OS X or macOS, certainly not in many years.

[kirkmc]

2 minutes ago, jhwalker said:

 

I'm not aware of this option - I know there is a file compression option in Windows, but I don't recall seeing in OS X or macOS, certainly not in many years.

 

No such thing on macOS. 

[Ralf11]

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25411?locale=en_US

[jhwalker]

13 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25411?locale=en_US

 

That's for individual files / folders, not the file system, per se.  I guess you COULD compress your boot disk, but I've never seen that be anything but a hassle.

 

I also don't encrypt my boot disk, as my computer is never outside my house, and there's nothing on it anyone would want, in any case

[kirkmc]

24 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

https://support.apple.com/kb/PH25411?locale=en_US

 

Did you even read what it says?

[audiophile65]

21 hours ago, Tone Deaf said:

I use an Oyen Digital MiniPro RAID V2 with mine.  

 

This sounds good, as I have two Oyen MiniPro 1TB HDDs - both 6 years old and still going strong!