Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 120GB, Winter 2009)

Apple breathed fresh air into its line of Mac Minis, whose specs haven't changed since an update in August 2007. With this $599 model, Apple adds significantly improved Nvidia graphics, a new 2GHz 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.

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, and the internal hardware is also powerful enough to drive a 30-inch, 2,560x1,600 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 ranging from $19 to $99.

For $599, 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 to build out a complete setup. In comparison, the Acer X1700 slimline PC cuts the price down to $480 for a faster processor speed, three times more RAM, and a staggering 520 added gigabytes 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 out is, 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.

Cinebench
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Rendering multiple CPUs

Rendering single CPU

Dell Inspiron I530-120B

6,501 

3,382 

Gateway DX4200-09

5,819 

1,627 

Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A

4,796 

2,575 

Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 120GB)

4,365 

2,224 

Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 320GB)

4,352 

2,305 

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 outlier comes 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 e-mailing 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 the Mac Mini to excel, 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 1,600x900 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.

Power consumption (watts)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Load

Idle

Apple Mac Mini (2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 120GB)

28.3 

15.4 

Acer Aspire X1700-U3700A

95.6 

70.9 

While we might 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 only used only 15.4 watts compared with Acer's demanding 70.9. The Mac Mini also saved a relative 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-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 $98, and the Remote for an extra $20. Other options from Apple for the Mac Mini include a faster 2.26GHz CPU for an extra $150, and more RAM and larger hard drives, both for reasonable prices.

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 Genius support. The Apple Web site also provides a portal for extra support, including rebate information and online-service assistance, but e-mail support is only available for iTunes store and Apple photo services only. 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.

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System configurations:

Apple Mac Mini
Mac OS X v10.5 Leopard; 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo; 1GB 1067MHz 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 1067MHz 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 7,200 rpm 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.

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