Apple Mac Mini 2011

The Mac Mini, a compact computer for the desktop or for use in a kitted-out living room, has existed for years but it has now been updated with more powerful components. It's still just as small and has kept its original design, but what does the addition of a Core i5 give it?

Hardware: "Have you seen my DVD player?"

There haven't been many changes on the design side. It's very much the same as the 2010 version in aluminium. The front is even barer however as it no longer has a DVD player. All that's left is the power light and the infrared sensor.

Not much change at the back either. There are still 4 USB 2.0 ports (no USB 3.0 from Apple), a FireWire 800, 2 optical mini-Jacks (mic and headphones), an Ethernet (RJ45) connection, a card reader and an HDMI out. The mini-DisplayPort has been replaced by Thunderbolt, Apple's new flagship connector which can be used both to link up a screen (DisplayPort or Thunderbolt) and one of the rare compatible storage devices.


The disappearance of the DVD player doesn't only have an aesthetic impact on the Mac Mini. Most software can now be downloaded and doesn't require an installation disc, but to enjoy your DVD collection, you'll have to rip films on another computer before transferring them to the Mac Mini, unless you get an external player that you can link up via USB. This is a shame for a machine whose size makes it a good candidate for use as a home cinema computer. Cynics might see this as a disguised attempt by Apple to push consumers to buy video content from iTunes and the lack of DVD player (even more so the lack of Blu-ray) will be felt.

Processor power: a computer for everyday use

In spite of its slightly slow hard drive, the Mac Mini is responsive overall thanks to its Intel Core i5 CPU clocked at 2.5 GHz, coupled with 4 GB of RAM. It can handle pretty much any application - video encoding, 3D modelling and so on - in more than decent times, which wasn't the case with the previous generation. When you compare components with older generation Mac Minis - using the Xbench test tool - the 2011 model clearly outdoes them:

Hard drive 3D OpenGL RAM Processor

The Mac Mini 2011 vintage is no longer a simple home cinema oriented nettop, but rather a computer that can satisfy all your everyday needs, at least when it comes to its CPU.

Gaming performance

The AMD HD 6330M graphics card doesn't make the Mac Mini a world beater but it does open a few doors (Starcraft 2, Left 4 Dead, Half Life and so on). Note however that whatever the resolution of the screen you're using, you'll need to revise your graphics options downwards, especially on recent titles.

Audio: quality headphones out and mic in

The audio out is good quality (good dynamics and very little noise). The mic in is also very decent, with no trace of hiss. This is in keeping with Apple's reputation for taking care to give decent audio on its machines.
The speakers are however very mediocre though you will be able to use them as a fallback when you've nothing else to hand. You don't find speakers in every mini computer so at least they're there.

Energy consumption and temperature: Watch out! It heats up.

At idle, the 2011 generation draws a little more than its predecessors. While the previous Mac Mini only consumed around 8 Watts at desktop, the 2011 model draws 15 Watts under the same conditions. This is the price to pay for using a higher performance processor. On standby it draws just 0.3 Watts and 20 Watts during playback of an HD 720p video.

While the Mac Mini 2011 is completely silent 95% of the time, when you're pushing it hard on heavier applications, the sound made by the fan does sometimes become audible. It remains within very reasonable limits however. At such times, the air expelled gets up to 53°C and the temperature inside up to 65°C. As with the MacBook Air, Apple will have to rethink the heat management on the forthcoming generations of Mac Mini if we're not to see the components suffering from overheating.