KVR Audio

Lofiluke · Post by **Lofiluke** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 2:53 pm

I'm interested in switching from my Windows 7, i7 860 based desktop to a 2012 Mac Mini with an i7, 16GB of Ram, and an SSD.
I'd get something newer but Mac's are terribly expensive.

I use Ableton & NI Komplete 11.

Is the 2012 Mac Mini too antiquated, or is it still a worthwhile machine for audio production? I don't need it for anything but audio production since my Windows machine still works great.

Thanks for any advice.

EDIT: I should note that I already have a dual monitor setup I want to be able to utilize and I want to have SSD's in any Mac I get. I have an SSD in my Windows system and I'm spoiled by it.

Zexila · Post by **Zexila** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:11 pm

Depends on the price, but it's quite antiquated to pay much for it and it's basically glorified laptop, will overheat and all that jazz, better get Mac Pro, even 2008 Eight Core will give you similar performance and I saw them going for 200-250 bucks.

superscan · Post by **superscan** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 3:50 pm

I had a 2012 Mac Mini QC until earlier this year. It was a great entry point into Mac. These are due for refresh soon so you might get an even better deal once those are released if rumors prove true.

You’re really going to benefit from an SSD or hybrid drive if you need to save a little more.

I was able to use all of the major VSTs with minimal issues.

sprnva · Post by **sprnva** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 4:20 pm

If future-proofing is of any concern it should be at least a LATE 2012 Mac Mini. The upcoming macOS 10.14 doesn't support Sandy Bridge and earlier Macs due to the lack of Metal graphics support. The 2010/2012 Mac Pros are an exception as the cards can be upgraded in those.

And really, whether you want to or not you WILL have to upgrade your OS at some stage. That's part of the Apple life.

Michael L · Post by **Michael L** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 5:49 pm

+1
Calculate the cost per year of different options, to see if newer will be cheaper over its lifetime.

llze · Post by **llze** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 5:51 pm

maybe consider a hackintosh as well.

jdnz · Post by **jdnz** » Fri Jul 20, 2018 9:30 pm

sprnva wrote:If future-proofing is of any concern it should be at least a LATE 2012 Mac Mini. The upcoming macOS 10.14 doesn't support Sandy Bridge and earlier Macs due to the lack of Metal graphics support. The 2010/2012 Mac Pros are an exception as the cards can be upgraded in those.

And really, whether you want to or not you WILL have to upgrade your OS at some stage. That's part of the Apple life.

also be aware that earlier mac minis (pre-2014) can’t drive a 4K screen - limit of the HD4000 graphics

Even the current (2014) mac mini isn’t a very attractive proposition due to it’s aging hardware and lack of quad core cpus - better off looking for a good deal on a used 15” (QC) macbook pro (even if it’s only ever going to be hooked to external monitors and used as a ‘desktop’)

Considering getting a 2012 Mac Mini