#Apple a1347 mac mini review 2010 tv
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#Apple a1347 mac mini review 2010 windows

More forgiving titles like Torchlight play smoothly enough, but you can expect choppy frame rates from first-person shooters.Īpple boasted improved power efficiency for its new Mac Mini, a bold claim given its faster 3D chip and the older model's already-conservative power draw. Both that demo and our own experience with Portal suggest that the Mac Mini, like other PCs in its price range, barely qualifies as gaming capable.

#Apple a1347 mac mini review 2010 download

Apple didn't pitch this system to us as a gaming box, but when we met with Apple's reps they couldn't resist a brief demo with Team Fortress 2 via Valve Software's newly Mac-compatible Steam download service. In addition to the boost to HD video performance the Mac Mini's new Nvidia GeForce 320M chip might suggest a decent gaming experience. It's also worth noting the Mac Mini's far superior performance to the Dell and Asus Nettops. In practical terms that performance difference likely won't mean much to those shopping for a system in this price range, particularly if you intend to put it in the living room. Its HyperThreaded dual core Core i3 CPU emulates a quad core chip, and gives the Gateway a dramatic boost while highlighting the Mac Mini's relative weakness on multithreaded programs. The Gateway's primary advantage comes on our multithreaded Cinebench test.

#Apple a1347 mac mini review 2010 windows

The Gateway's capacious 1GB hard drive also underscores the large disparity between Apple and the Windows side of the desktop aisle in terms of storage space for the dollar. The less expensive Gateway gains a minor productivity edge over the Mac Mini in terms of productivity thanks to a fast 2.93GHz Intel Core i3 CPU that's more current than the Mac Mini's 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo chip.

The SX2840-01 lacks wireless networking, and Gateway's design sensibilities trail Apple's by a decent margin, but aside from Wi-Fi, there's little else the Mac Mini can do that the Gateway can't. We like the Gateway SX2840-01 best as a comparison to the Mac Mini, although you could reasonably consider an upgraded Dell Inspiron Zino in the same price range as well. When you consider that a $470 Dell Inspiron Zino HD matches the Mac Mini's 320GB hard drive, you can reasonably start to question Apple's value proposition. You can find small Windows-based systems for as low as $199 equipped with HDMI, and in the hands of a determined enthusiast they can even be made to handle HD video. Of course, the Mac Mini is not the only small computer out there with an HDMI output. Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11a/b/g/n/ wireless We had luck connecting the Mac Mini to two different HDTVs via HDMI.Ģ56MB (shared) Nvidia GeForce 320M integrated graphics chipĦ4MB (shared) Intel GMA X4500 integrated graphics chip Apple also provides a convenient underscan slider bar in the display settings, which lets you adjust for the size differences between TVs and standard computer monitors. A new Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics chip helps with the video chores, and we found that the system was able to handle HD video in QuickTime, as well as from Amazon Video on Demand, Hulu, NetFlix, and YouTube. Adding HDMI to the video outputs is more crucial, because it means you can new Mac Mini as a home theater system right out of the box. We never really minded the old Mac Mini in-line power brick, since you rarely had to deal with it after the initial setup. By moving to a simple power cable, says Apple, it achieved an overall 20-percent volume reduction in the Mac Mini's total hardware. Apple has also done away with the older model's cumbersome power brick. The previous model required you to purchase a Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapter. Chiefly, a built-in HDMI port simplifies the process of connecting the Mac Mini to a modern television. A few features and design adjustments push the Mac Mini-as-HTPC concept further. Despite its new measurements, the new model retains that same appeal. The old Mac Mini was always a living-room-friendly device due to its size.

#Apple a1347 mac mini review 2010 tv

Its dimensions also match those of the Apple TV and Apple's Time Capsule networked data backup device.

At 1.4-inches thick, and 7.7-inches square, the new case takes up slightly more desktop real estate than the older 6圆-inch model, but it's also shaves half an inch off its height. The new aluminum case carries with it all of the uber-industrial charm common to the iMac, the MacBook Pro, and the iPhone 4. Say what you want about the new Mac Mini's features or its price, but the new chassis further secures Apple's standing as the best enclosure designer in the computing business.