Mac Mini - i5 with 16GB or i7 with 8GB?

Question

Mac Mini - i5 with 16GB or i7 with 8GB?

I am currently trying to persuade my husband to let me buy a Mac Mini. As we have always had PCs, price is a big issue. I really want the fastest I can, but I can't go for the very highest spec due to price. I'm wondering which will be best / fastest, the i5 with 16GB memory or the i7 2.3 Ghz with 8GB memory. The second option would also give me a bigger hard drive (I can only go for the standard drive) which would be nice, but performance is more important.

Also, is it possible to buy & fit extra memory in the future as it is with a PC? I'm thinking that if I got the i7 with 8 GB memory I could buy another 8 GB in a year or 2 if I feel its necessary (I would need it to last me longer than 3-4 years I get from a PC)

I am not a gamer, but would be wanting to mess about with video editing etc.

Posted on Oct 16, 2013 12:15 PM

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Answer 1

Best reply

tbirdvet

Level 6

13,677 points

Oct 16, 2013 1:19 PM in response to louisefromleeds

If any doubts go for the I7. Like you said you can always had more Ram later but your stuck with the processor.

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Answer 2

Oct 17, 2013 2:55 AM in response to louisefromleeds

As far as performance, it is really a question of what you do

with a computer? Unless you do a lot of work that requires

serious number crunching or have a lot of applications open

simultaneously that run in the background, you really would

not notice much benefit between the i5 and i7.

I would suggest getting a machine with 8gig or more right off.

If opting for 16 gig, I suggest that you just buy the Mini with

base RAM and buying the RAM seperately from OWC or Newegg.

The cost will be 1/2 to 2/3 of what Apple charges for adding it.

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Answer 3

Oct 17, 2013 3:17 AM in response to woodmeister50

Thank you for your advice.

I would only have a few apps running in the background - mainly mail & safari (although assuming you can have different user account as you can in windows, these apps would probably be running on 2 users). I will want to do video editing (something that can be a problem on my old windows computer). However, I am concerned about performance as far as future proofing it is concerned - one of the reasons for the move to (much more expensive!) Mac is that it will continue to be quick for many years, unlike a windows pc - it would need to last me twice as long as a windows PC to justify the expense.

After reading some of the threads on here I did start looking at the idea of getting it with base RAM & upgrading it myself, but was slightly concerned that some people had problems with this? Depending on the price of the RAM it might mean I could push towards getting both the i7 & 16gig.

Am I right in thinking that the faster of the 2 speeds for the i7 is going to make very little difference relative to the cost? I'm assuming that the fact that the i7 is quad & i5 dual will make the bigger difference.

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Answer 4

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Oct 17, 2013 2:18 PM in response to woodmeister50

Woodmeister read my mind. The difference between the i5 and i7 is real but benchmark tests don't tell the full story. Video editing itself isn't particularly processor hungry but rendering the final project is. I'd say the i7 is going to be worth the price if you do more than 3-5 minute spots. But if you are mostly doing 5 minutes or less with little in the way of post production special effects the i7 may not be so cost effective. What will have an immediate impact is memory. So I'd say the i7 is worth it and then go for a 3rd party RAM upgrade from OWC or Crucial Tech. OWC has video instructions for all upgrades and the RAM is an easy upgrade. The trick for memory is getting quality RAM from a vendor that stands behind its product. The two I mentioned have stellar reputations.

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Answer 5

Oct 19, 2013 12:44 AM in response to dwb

Many thanks. I think that, assuming I can persuade my husband(!), I'll go for the i7 with third party memory. I ca get Crucial Tech memory on Amazon.co.uk (I'm slightly concerned about import problems if I buy from OWC as I am in the UK), & can also get the base i7 from Amazon.co.uk slightly cheaper than from Apple.

Thanks again

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Answer 6

dwb

Level 7

32,920 points

Oct 19, 2013 4:55 AM in response to louisefromleeds

I know OWC exports to the UK but Crucial memory is absolutely fine and it'll be quicker. I hope you enjoy the new computer. The mini was my first Intel Mac and it has remained one of my favorite models.

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