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  • Mac mini 2018 Review: Apple's mightiest mini yet

    As a dual Mac Os and Windows 10 user, check it out. That’s my advice. 

    I purchased the $1099 in-stock i5 6-core / 8GB / 256GB model at my nearby Apple store. It includes Apple's standard 14-day return policy (for any reason) for a full refund. I would suggest doing the same if you are interested in evaluating how well software you typically use on other hardware actually performs on the new Mac Mini. 

    You see the key thing here, which seems to be left out of many YouTube reviews and even a few of the online reviews, is that individual software programs make use of individual hardware components to varying degrees. Some hardware components may be used relatively infrequently. In fact, some well-known professional-standard software programs with 3D components rely almost entirely on CPU rendering. Such programs aren't written to heavily utilize a GPU for manipulating 3D objects. 

    This point is entirely relevant to any discussion of the Mac Mini. 

    And yet, many people aren't being made aware of this key consideration. The YouTube reviews I have seen often leave it out, instead focusing almost exclusively on performance of Gaming and 4K Video Editing software. And that's a shame. More people would try out the new Mac Mini if there were greater awareness of the differences in software design. 

    To help illustrate this point, I will share my experience: 

    On my first day with the Mini, I ran the usual native Mac OS home and home office productivity software programs without any issues. As you would expect. Very nice.

    Since I will also use my new Mini for professional CAD work, photometric calculations, and photometric renderings, I then spent some time installing Windows 10 Pro on a 128GB partition using Boot Camp. During the installation, I used the free twocanoes ISO converter to avoid hang-ups caused by installation errors.

    With Windows 10 Pro installed, I than spent two days stress testing the Mini's hardware capabilities. 

    I created and edited large 3D models in AutoCAD 2019 and AGI 32 photometric software (both running under Windows). I was very pleased with the Mini's performance using each program. The Mini's 6-core Intel CPU did all of the heavy lifting. Meanwhile, the Intel integrated graphics rested comfortably off to the side, occasionally called upon for a few minor tasks.

    The AGI 32 software made use of all 6 processor cores to perform photometric calculations in full radiosity mode. The i5's Turbo Boost feature was a big help here, raising the 3.0GHz base processor speed up to 3.9GHz (according to Windows 10's Task Manger). Impressively, Apple's new internal layout and fan design allowed the i5 processor to maintain the boosted 3.9GHz processor speed over the 35-minute duration required for the largest calculation file. No thermal throttling of the processor speed occurred - over a 35-minute operation utilizing all 6 cores. Very nice hardware, indeed.

    Next, I exported the AGI 32 photometric calculation file, comprised of a 25,000 square foot building containing (12) individual 2,000 square foot office spaces and 1,600 light fixtures, into an AutoCAD format 3D drawing. Opening and editing the newly created 3D CAD drawing in AutoCAD 2019 posed no problems for the Mac Mini in the stock i5 6-core / 8GB / 256GB configuration. As in the AGI 32 software, the AutoCAD 2019 software relied on the i5 CPU for most of the task work. The Intel Integrated Graphics performed the role of an assistant to the CPU, hoovering nearby, waiting to be called on for some relatively light work. 

    Justifiably impressed thus far with the Mac Mini's performance running AutoCAD 2019 and AGI 32 under Boot Camp and Windows 10 Pro, I will next evaluate it using 3DS Max 2019 modeling software. The goal being to create far more polished photometric renderings than (the largely technical) AGI 32 software is intended for. 

    At this point, I am pleasantly optimistic, as 3DS Max 2019 includes the Arnold rendering engine which, just like AutoCAD 2019 and AGI 32, is written to rely heavily on the CPU, and not the graphics processor, making it another potentially good match with the new Mac Mini 2018.
    shamino