Best Mini PC – the Future is Small & Compact
3. Apple Mac mini – BEST ALL-ROUNDER
Here is an all-rounder from Apple. The bring your own keyboard, mouse and display is still Apple’s cheapest option for anyone wanting to hop on the MacOS system. Measuring no more than 19.7cm square finished in brushed aluminium (now in space grey), the Mac mini is becoming an icon for its consistent look and style. Configure your Mac mini with ultra fast 2TB SSD drive, bucket loads of memory (up to 64GB) and the fastest Intel Core i7 processor with 6-core in the range and you are flying with a very powerful small form factor machine. Unfortunately, that will also burn a big hole in your pocket.
The most cost effective way to get a Mac mini is to go with one of three pre-configured set ups. The cheapest entry level Mac mini comes with 3.6GHz quad-core Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB memory and 256GB PCIe SSD storage. Gone are the measly dual core, 4GB memory and 500GB hard drive. The mid-range pre-configured model comes with a respectable 3.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i5, 8GB memory and 512GB PCIe-based SSD storage. PCIe based SSD storage is up to 4 times the read speed of previous flash options.
But, our favourite is taking the base model and upgrading its processor to a whooping 3.2GHz 6-core 8th generation Intel Core i7 with Turbo Boost speed up to 4.6GHz. In any case, the move to only use PCIe-based SSD storage gives the Mac Mini an upperhand when compared to the iMac which are still relying on 1TB Fusion Drive for storage with their pre-configured options.
The Mac mini is also the most versatile when it comes to connectivity and ports. It is jam-packed with a variety of ports including four Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports each capable of daisy-chaining up to 6 peripherals. If that is not enough, there are two USB 3 ports, Gigabit Ethernet, Microphone, and Headphone sockets and HDMI 2.0 port.
It will support up to 3 displays at 4K displays, 2 via the Thunderbolt 3 ports (4096×2304 resolution at 60Hz) and on via HDMI 2.0 ports (4096×2160 resolution at 60Hz). Another concurrent display configuration possible is one 5K display via the Thunderbolt 3 port (5120×2880 resolution at 60Hz) and one 4K display via HDMI 2.0 port (4096×2160 resolution at 60Hz).
