#APPLE MAC MINI 2012 UPDATE#
#APPLE MAC MINI 2012 SOFTWARE#

That's barely behind the 0.96 scored by the latest iMac, and it's a much more impressive score than the 0.72 result of the Core i5 chip in 2011's machine. The chip is aided by 4GB of DDR3 RAM and scored 0.93 in our benchmarks. Its base clock of 2.6GHz is reasonable, it's got four physical cores, and its Turbo Boost stats are impressive: all four cores can hit a peak of 3.4GHz, with one core able to go an additional 200MHz faster. That's not to say the Core i7-3720QM used in this particular Mac mini is found wanting in the power department.

There's no sign of desktop chips here, though - this PC is too small, so Apple has had to turn to Intel's mobile parts.

#APPLE MAC MINI 2012 UPDATE#

Specification and performanceДЄpple's other hardware update also follows in the iMac's footsteps, with Ivy Bridge processors replacing the Sandy Bridge technology employed in older Mac minis. The drive scored 277MB/s and 315MB/s in Xbench's sequential read and write benchmarks - much quicker than even the fastest hard disk, even if it's not able to match the 302MB/s and 364MB/s of the Fusion Drive in the latest iMac. The benefits of the Fusion Drive will only become obvious over time, but we're still able to test the raw speed of the SSD thanks to OS X benchmarking tool Xbench. Those installing Microsoft's OS via Apple's Boot Camp are only able to partition the hard disk. Windows users aren't able to access these benefits, however.

#APPLE MAC MINI 2012 SOFTWARE#

New software is automatically installed to the SSD as long as there's room. Out-of-the-box, the OS and several of Apple's key apps are installed to the SSD, and the system monitors your behaviour over time - if apps aren't used, they're moved to the hard disk. OS X manages interaction between the SSD and hard disk by itself, so there's no way for the user to intervene. That's double the amount of space supported by Intel's system, and it works in a much more advanced way: OS X and key applications are stored on the SSD for increased responsiveness, while rarely-used software is relegated to the hard disk to preserve system performance. The concept is similar to Intel's Smart Responsive Technology, but it goes one step further by strapping a 128GB SSD to a 1TB hard disk. Build quality is beyond reproach too.ДЇusion Drive was introduced in the latest iMac, is the Fusion Drive. It's not ugly or dated: the curved corners, flat top and aluminium construction ensure it's better looking than every small-form-factor business machine.

Apple mac mini 2012