If Apple were to implement an Intel Kaby Lake-G that combines an AMD dGPU, this cooling system would not able to keep up.

The lack of discrete graphics is partially due to this design’s limited thermal envelope. After testing the i5, I needed to exchange it for the i3 configuration because of overheating. I ran the Mac mini vertically without the plastic bottom cover to help airflow. One of our forum members presented a fun and effective DIY solution, aptly named Glory Blow Hole. Due to thermal throttling additional cooling solutions would be needed to sustain maximum performance. From my and others’ observations, it’s not effective enough for the i5 and i7 configurations. A single blower fan exhausts hot air through the vents on top of the rear ports. Intake is through the circular gap between the plastic bottom cover and metal bottom shield. There are also stability issues with Bridge OS that lead to random reboot and forced Recovery boot.įor thermal management Apple used a more substantial cooling system compared to previous Mac minis. For example, this gatekeeper prevents our community eGPU solutions for older Macs, Nvidia graphics cards, and Boot Camp. However there are concerns regarding ecosystem lockdown once all Macs are equipped with the Apple T2 chip. It handles the SMC, internal SSD encryption, audio and image controllers as well as Touch ID in compatible models. Apple touted the T2 chip provides better security and a new level of integration. It’s a co-processor that runs the Mac subsystem. One new component that has made its way into all 2018 Macs is the Apple T2 Security Chip. Expansion capabilities are possible externally through the Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Unfortunately this is the only upgradable internal component because CPU and NVMe SSD are soldered to the logic board. We can now replace the RAM modules unlike the soldered RAM in the previous iteration. One much-requested change in this new Mac mini is the RAM slots. Apple removed two USB-A ports, SD card reader, and Audio IN jack. Ĭompared to the 2014 Mac mini that had two Thunderbolt 2 ports, the four Thunderbolt 3 ports are the only added value in the 2018 Mac mini. Maxing out a Mac mini would cost you $4,199. Another BTO feature is the 10Gigabit Ethernet port for $100. The 6-core, 12-thread i7-8700b is the most desirable option and only available build-to-order. At $1,099 you get a Mac mini with a hex-core i5-8500b, 2x 4GB RAM modules, and 256GB PCIe NVMe flash storage. It gets worse with the higher configuration. Priced at $799, it’s a whopping 60% price hike over the last generation Mac mini base model. The base configuration has an i3-8100b quad-core processor, 2x 4GB RAM modules, and 128GB PCIe NVMe flash storage. The 2018 Mac mini comes in two configurations, three processor choices, and lots of big money upgrades. VisionTek Mini eGFX R9 Nano 4 Monitor Setup Hardware Specifics

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