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Mr. Mac Mini


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hey all, brand new here to the forum, though have been using logic for about 7 years or so. . .Im just curious about opinions or any information anyone had on the new mac mini. It looks like a powerful little beast. Currently im running an old iMac 2009 core duo with upgraded ram and I will say I have no complaints. However, as of recent as my production becomes better I notice it taxes the system a bit more than I like and I have already had to replace the hard drive once. The mac mini's price looks right and it has all the old connections unlike the newer iMacs and MacBook Pro's. My main concern I guess is that the Mac Mini runs at 5400rpm's and my current iMac runs at 7200. Im wondering if I was to use the thunderbolt technology as my record/write drive or for my plug ins if it would just about equal out in terms of performance. Unfortunately the Mac Pro's are out of my $ range otherwise I would have pulled the trigger! Let me know thoughts or experience.
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I'm quite happy with my mid priced i7 mac mini. Briefly they had a problem with the HDMI port randomly blinking off for a sec or two. A recent firmware update seems to have cured that.

 

David has mentioned that 5400rpm drives are often fine for Logic use (seek times are quick for audio and a more important spec than bandwidth.) I also installed a 512GB SSD inside for OS X and my sample libraries. Can now audition large sample sets as quickly as synth patches. Alternatively I suppose one could put a sample libraries SSD in an external USB 3 case or 'Hot Swap' box and enjoy the speedy response.

 

One other thing is the mac mini i7 2012 fan is much quieter than my previous i5 2011 model. (Maybe they used the new asymmetric blade design or something else?)

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Mark thanks so much for your response. . .Ill say it seems like a good little workhorse. . . I hope your enjoying yours. . . and Im glad u mentioned the synth patches because some of my projects run heavy with CPU hungry synths and even with bandwidth and sample rate settings set on optimal on my old iMac, Ive been running into latency and crashing. I was considering doing the same thing with the solid state drive even though it's less space I would prefer the efficiency. Again Mark thanks for your input and you may have just swayed me :) Just curious as to how many tracks you typically run? Also Im wondering about the HDMI as Ill probably just be using a small monitor or HDTV I have. . .thanks again!
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I like to run "lean and mean" (a good habit from my core 2 duo days), and am just now getting into Kontakt 5 and higher CPU plugins. Haven't hit a road block yet but I don't like piling track upon track. I also use dual monitors in my setup (arrange page on my 37" Visio can be seen anywhere in the room).

 

For the mac mini don't bother with the cheaper i5 version. Get the Quad Core i7, the difference is astounding. See this post started by the most helpful Jay Asher:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=85914&start=40&hilit=mac+mini

 

As for the Mac Pros, we are expecting a long awaited refresh to the line sometime in 2013. I may need one for my video work but for now the Mac Mini just smokes!

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No definately the i7. . . not necessarily the Server but the upgraded Quad Core and ability to upgrade ram and HD sounds right for the price. I mean IMHO the iMacs and Macbooks are waaayyyy more consumer driven than artist driven. Luckily, I dont need portability, but you know what seems great to me, if you wanted to bring the Mini on a vaca or somewhere and you could find an HD output you could get some work done unlike the leaning tower of Pro ya know??

I hear you on lean and mean, like I said though as of recent with my productions getting bigger, the guy just can't handle it anymore

:( lol

Thanks again Mark appreciate the support, sounds like your enjoying that little beast. I may have found my new machine.

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