By Justin Yu, CNET.com
06/03/2009
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/pcperipherals/0,39051161,44597497p,00.htm

Apple breathed fresh air into its line of Mac Mini, whose specs haven't changed since an update in August 2007. With this S$988 model, Apple adds significantly improved Nvidia graphics, a new 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, and a larger hard drive. Those changes are welcome, and we're also impressed by the Mac Mini's power efficiency as well as its ability to handle multiple programs at once. We still take issue with the Mac Mini's overall value. The Mac Mini remains a distinctive-looking computer and it has more than a few useful features. We can easily imagine it in a light duty work role. But if your goal for a lower-cost desktop is core hardware bang for the buck, you're better off with a more well-rounded Windows system.

Editors' note : This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some of other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia. Please check directly with your local distributor for details.

Design And Features

In terms of design, there's not much here for fans of the previous Minis to get excited about. The case is made of the same aluminum housing and white plastic top, and the only minor differences in the rear panel are an additional USB port (bumping the total up to five), a single FireWire 800 port, a Mini DVI input, and Mini DisplayPort input. That display standard change is actually significant because it lets the Mac Mini support two displays for the first time. The internal hardware is also powerful enough to drive a 30-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 LCD.

At the moment, Apple's 24-inch LED Cinema Display is the only monitor that will connect to a Mini DisplayPort input without an adapter. A mini DVI-to-single-link DVI adapter comes in the Mac Mini box, and Apple sells a variety of other adapters for both inputs, with prices starting from S$34.

Performance

For S$988, the baseline Mac Mini nets you a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor with the aforementioned integrated graphics chip, 1GB of DDR3 RAM, a puny 120GB hard drive running at 5,400rpm, a dual-layer DVD burner, and built-in 802.11n wireless networking. You need to add a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse, as well as to build out a complete setup. In comparison, the Acer X1700 slimline PC is cheaper yet gives a faster processor speed, three times more RAM, and a staggering 640GB of storage space--at 7,200rpm to boot. The Acer lacks the Mac's good looks and wireless networking, but the Acer's hardware becomes even larger when you consider expansion possibilities, both inside and out.

Thanks to its accessible case interior, the Acer system provides room for a dedicated half-height graphics card, along with a spare full-size hard-drive bay and a 1x PCI Express slot. On the outside, its prospects improve even more. Its HDMI video output is more living-room-friendly than the Mac Mini's mini DisplayPort and it also needs no special adapter to connect to a television. Its eSATA input also offers nearly four times the data bandwidth and twice the transfer speed of the Mac Mini's FireWire 800 jack. Those features all give the less expensive Acer more flexibility as either an office or a living room PC, with the potential to add features down the road. In comparison, Apple's traditional closed box system looks decidedly rigid.

We have mixed feelings about the Mac Mini's benchmark performance. On the one hand, it came in behind the Acer system on three of our four application tests. That's hard to forgive considering the Mac Mini's higher price tag. The Mini performs better in a multitasking environment where we suspect OS X continues to provide Macs with an advantage by requiring fewer system resources than Windows Vista. We imagine more people will use low-cost desktops for basic word processing, Web surfing, and emailing than ripping through large-batch media-file conversions. So though we wish the Mac Mini's performance was more balanced, if we had to pick one area for it to excel in, multitasking seems most appropriate.

The Mini's gaming performance is also to its credit, considering the older model's near-total inability to render a 3D image. Thanks in large part to the new Nvidia graphics chip, we were able to run Quake 4 at 1,600 x 900 at decent image quality with minimal lag. Our gameplay experience wasn't entirely seamless, and more recent games will surely provide a larger challenge. But as a budget gaming system, the Mac Mini is at least respectable.

While we may have some doubts about the Mac Mini's performance, its power efficiency is highly encouraging. We hooked both the Acer and the Mac Mini to a Watts Up power meter and tested both systems' consumption at idle with a few basic apps open, and under load while playing Quake 4. Happily, our results fell in line with Apple's claims: When the system is powered on but idle, the Mac Mini used only 15.4 watts compared with Acer's demanding 70.9. The Mac Mini also saved a relatively large amount of energy under load, consuming only 28.3 watts during our Quake 4 session as opposed to the Acer's 95.6. Needless to say, the savings are notable. We're still refining our power consumption testing, and we have some concerns about accuracy at low wattages. But with such a large gap, we feel comfortable saying that compared with other low-cost systems, we expect you will save a few bucks on your yearly electric bill.

Even though we have questions about the Mac Mini's hardware value, Apple helps close the gap by including its iLife '09 application suite with every new Mac Mini. We're also glad to see the mini DVI-to-single-link DVI dongle mentioned above, but as usual with the Mac Mini, there's no mouse or keyboard. We're also disappointed that Apple left off the tiny Apple Remote this time around. You can add an Apple keyboard and mouse set for S$156, and the remote for an extra S$34. Other options from Apple for the Mac Mini include a faster 2.26GHz CPU for an extra S$235.40, and more RAM and larger hard drives, both for reasonable prices.

System configurations:

Apple Mac Mini
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 1GB 1,067MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9400 integrated graphics chip; 120GB 5,400rpm hard drive.

Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A
64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium; 2.4GHz Intel Pentium Dual CPU E2220; 4GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce G100 integrated graphics chip; 640GB 7,200rpm hard drive.

Apple Mac Mini
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 2GB 1,067MHz DDR3 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 9400 integrated graphics chip; 320GB 5,400rpm hard drive.

Dell Inspiron I530-120B
64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium SP1; 2.8GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E7400; 6GB 800MHz DDR2 SDRAM; 128MB (shared) Intel GMA 3100 integrated graphics chip; 750GB 7,200rpm Seagate hard drive.

Gateway DX4200-09
64-bit Windows Vista Home Premium; 1.8GHz AMD Phenom 9100e Quad-Core; 4GB DDR2 SDRAM; 256MB (shared) ATI Radeon HD 3200 integrated graphics chip; 640GB 7,200rpm hard drive.

Service And Support

As per usual, Apple supports the new Mac Mini with its standard coverage, including one year of parts-and-labor coverage and access to all of the extra goodies that come along with Apple Store support. The Apple Web site also provides a portal for extra support, including rebate information and online service assistance, but email support is available only for the iTunes Store and Apple photo services. We're also still disappointed by the diminutive 90-day technical support over the phone--most PCs allow for a year of free phone calls under the one-year umbrella, some even offering 24/7 service. Bumping the warranty to three years with the AppleCare package will cost an additional S$252.