Mac Mini updated to Core 2 Duo CPUs

Rich Brown, CNET News.com | Aug 08, 2007

Thanks to an uncommon Q&A session after the iMac and iLife '08 announcements, we also learned that the Mac Mini has received an update as well. The previous models came with Intel Core Duo chips. The new models get Core 2 Duos; a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo T5600 chip in the S$1,048 (US$689.47) model and a 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo T7200 on the S$1,348 (US$886.84) unit.

In addition to the faster clock speeds, adding Core 2 Duo also means 4MB of L2 cache on the S$1,348 (US$886.84) Mac Mini, an upgrade over the 2MB on the new S$1,048 (US$689.47) system and both older Core Duo-based units. That extra cache should translate to better performance on the S$1,348 (US$886.84) model, beyond its faster CPU clock speed. Apple also added iLife '08 to both new Mac Minis as well.

While both of today's Mac Mini updates are nice, our question from earlier remains: If you purchase a new Mac today, what happens when Apple's Leopard OS X update comes out in two months? Given that the Mac Mini is ostensibly Apple's budget system, potentially tacking on S$250 (US$164.47) or so for an upgrade down the road is an even bigger concern for potential purchasers of this system who are likely more price-conscious.