Apple Introduces New MacBook Air and Mac Mini

[UtterDisbelief]

That's always been the "thing" about Macintoshes - their exclusivity by price and engineering.

Agreed that the Mac mini is really (come on this is true, isn't it?) unbeatable for size, performance and now apparently power.
I think we Hackintoshers would find it impossible to build a comparable machine so we have to let it rule.

However, as @trs96 points out, the side-effects of this new machine are excellent for us builders.

 

[trs96]

That's always been the "thing" about Macintoshes - their exclusivity by price and engineering.

I was most curious to see if they would make this into an iOS device with an A12X chip in it or go the route they did with 8th gen hardware from Intel. If they tried the former and sold it at a much lower price say 2 or 399 it would really hurt Apple TV sales or else flop completely and not sell well at all like the underpowered 2014 model. So this is great news that they went in the right direction. With everything other than the price anyway. All the sales they get to Mac server farms probably pointed them in the right direction. An Intel chip and the option to go up to 64GB of ram.

 

[Jamieson]

Well guys, I just placed my order for a Mini. Fully loaded, except for the RAM, which I'll upgrade myself. I'll be getting an eGPU enclosure asap and tossing the RX580 in it.

I don't think this is the end for me here though, as I'm a tinkerer, and I love being a part of this community. I can't believe how much I've learned from everyone here...It's actually astonishing.

 

[trs96]

However, as @trs96 points out, the side-effects of this new machine are excellent for us builders.

Just saw this on Appleinsider.com

Apple retained the rounded square exterior of the Mac mini, including the user-accessible bottom and a lineup of ports on the back. Mac mini's vocal userbase was clearly heard as Apple took a lot of their considerations to heart. Memory consists of two user-upgradable SO-DIMM slots and the flat body design makes it a great choice for server farms.

https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/10/30/hands-on-with-the-new-space-gray-2018-mac-mini

 

[pastrychef]

Well guys, I just placed my order for a Mini. Fully loaded, except for the RAM, which I'll upgrade myself. I'll be getting an eGPU enclosure asap and tossing the RX580 in it.

I don't think this is the end for me here though, as I'm a tinkerer, and I love being a pert of this community. I can't believe how much I learned from everyone here...It's actually astonishing.

I think it's a really good solution. When the need arises, you can easily upgrade the GPU. When the CPU gets outdated, swap out the entire Mac Mini for the next model. It'll probably be more expensive than building a PC, but you get 100% compatibility and support. I think it's a fair trade off.

 

[dblack71]

While I can appreciate the Hackintosh, I no longer have time to mess with it. I am at the point with personal life and work life where I don't want to spend my spare time messing with my computers. The Mac mini announced today was refreshing to say the least.I'll probably buy a 6-core with the 512GB SSD and upgrade the RAM myself.

 

[izo1]

If hackintoshing didn't exist, I would probably go for a Mac Mini and stack it on top of an eGPU box.

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I wonder why they didn’t use a 9900k. It is about $200 more than a 8700k and has a similar thermal envelope.

 

[trs96]

I wonder why they didn’t use a 9900k. It is about $200 more than a 8700k and has a similar thermal envelope.

The i7 they offer is the i7-8700 and not the K version. The TDP of the 8700K was likely too high for that enclosure.

 

[izo1]

The i7 they offer is the i7-8700 and not the K version. The TDP of the 8700K was likely too high for that enclosure.

Ah good to know. They could have put in the 9700k (or 9900k) at least and downclock it if necessary (as they have on the iMac Pro).

Why they put last gen cpus is beyond me.

 

[pastrychef]

I wonder why they didn’t use a 9900k. It is about $200 more than a 8700k and has a similar thermal envelope.

The i9-9900K is probably way too hot and I think they are using the non-K i7-8700 which has a 65W TDP.