[Edward Wallace]

I have a late 2013 13" Macbook pro which seems to get a lot of great publicity and talk but I also have a Mac Mini which I upgraded with 8 Gig of RAM and a Samsung SSD which is now beating the living tar out of the Macbook Pro. I hear all the time about Mac Minis being good for small business servers and such but rarely are they even mentioned about being a solid desktop replacement. I have run tons of tests and also just the feel (user experience) of the mini is solidly spanking the Macbook Pro retina. I have yet to see any drawbacks with the exception of a killer video card...does anyone feel the like the Mini is missing the hype boat all together like I do?

[rayz336]

I think it gets the least publicity and it doesn't get the chance to shine in the spotlight

[HankAZ]

What kind of "wrap" should it be wrapped in?

The Mac Mini is a solid performer. My first ever Mac was a Mini way back around 2005. It took me a number of years to actually make the change (was completed in 2010). But I currently have a 2012 Mini that I use to serve up all iTunes media to computers and AppleTVs in my house. I have seen others post on these forums of similar uses.

I know of some heavy duty users who buy them by the truckload for their video rendering operation. Just set ’em up and let them do their job.

[warcraftWidow]

What kind of "wrap" should it be wrapped in?

The Mac Mini is a solid performer. My first ever Mac was a Mini way back around 2005. It took me a number of years to actually make the change (was completed in 2010). But I currently have a 2012 Mini that I use to serve up all iTunes media to computers and AppleTVs in my house. I have seen others post on these forums of similar uses.

I know of some heavy duty users who buy them by the truckload for their video rendering operation. Just set ’em up and let them do their job.

Yep. I have my 2011 Mac mini set up for a similar use. It runs well and I like it a lot. I like my rMBP better but that's just because I would have to use the Mac mini at a desk and I prefer lounging on the couch with a laptop.

[KarlDag]

I have a late 2013 13" Macbook pro which seems to get a lot of great publicity and talk but I also have a Mac Mini which I upgraded with 8 Gig of RAM and a Samsung SSD which is now beating the living tar out of the Macbook Pro. I hear all the time about Mac Minis being good for small business servers and such but rarely are they even mentioned about being a solid desktop replacement. I have run tons of tests and also just the feel (user experience) of the mini is solidly spanking the Macbook Pro retina. I have yet to see any drawbacks with the exception of a killer video card...does anyone feel the like the Mini is missing the hype boat all together like I do?

It doesnt. It's just not marketed as much, because low margins = low profit. It's a great device, mine is set up as a HTPC and used as a Plex server. I love it. It's the 2011 model, if today's model has a much better CPU i might switch, otherwise I'll wait.

[Algus]

The only problem I have with my 2012 Mini is that it gets a little hot when running Windows. I haven't noticed a performance hit (especially since I upgraded to Intel drivers) but it is a point of concern as the machine ages.

HD 4000 is a fairly capable graphics chip. It'll be no good for business needs or high-end 3D work of course but it's going to run your games for you (maybe not with the visual quality a hardcore gamer will want though, heh).

I love the fact that it has user-upgradeable RAM and two drive bays. It's a real shame the newer Minis are not as amenable to aftermarket work. I'm planning to run mine until at least the next product cycle now, so 2016 or so.