Mac Mini Server i7 2.0 Quad

[JaxMan]

Thanks for the great info and update, Caleb! ...the more I read about these little computers the more impressed I am. Is the computer quiet? Any loud fan noise?

[Obsidian Dragon]

Originally Posted by CalebB

now I am using HDMI straight into a 28" 1080 HG Hanns-G.

I have this monitor also. I love it.

[elicious]

re: hyperthreading, here is an internal report from avid;

Here is the report on HT on Macs (first observed on Nehalem Mac Pro)

"In the simple example where there’s a single Hyperthreaded physical processor, there are 2 logical processors. Say the audio engine thread needs 80% of the processor to do its work. With Hyperthreading turned off, the audio thread runs to completion and gets the 80% of the core it needs. Lower priority tasks such as GUI drawing get the remaining 20% of the core. The result choppy GUI updates but the audio is not affected. Now turn on Hyperthreading. Both the audio thread and the lower priority GUI thread contend for the same core’s performance. The GUI thread can get up to 50% of the core. Say it takes 30%. This only leaves 70% for the higher priority audio thread and it blows its deadline as it needs 80% to get its job down on time. "

[CalebB]

Originally Posted by JaxMan

Thanks for the great info and update, Caleb! ...the more I read about these little computers the more impressed I am. Is the computer quiet? Any loud fan noise?

It is quieter than my external LaCie Big Disk Extreme and my Belkin APC Uninteruptable Power Supply by a long shot but it does make some noise, about the same as my external Rocstor drives. I haven't noticed any fan noise kicking in but I haven't had it long. The CPU didn't go above 24% at 128 Buffer with 40 tracks and lots of plugs including 6 Auto-tune Evo plugs. If anybody know of a good fan for this I am interested to hear about it although I haven't noticed it getting warm. My son has had the $599 Mac Mini for weeks and I have noticed that one getting warm to the touch before.

[JaxMan]

Cool, CalebB...I'll pop over to my local Mac store and check it out! The nearest iMac equal in performance is about 1000 bucks more...it's crazy. If you haven't already, check out the geekbench score for your current mini...it gets high marks...you bought well....

JaxMan

[CalebB]

Originally Posted by JaxMan

Cool, CalebB...I'll pop over to my local Mac store and check it out! The nearest iMac equal in performance is about 1000 bucks more...it's crazy. If you haven't already, check out the geekbench score for your current mini...it gets high marks...you bought well....

JaxMan

I have been checking out the Geekbench scores for weeks and weeks and I still can't believe that this mini with a i7 2.0 Quad beats our church's iMac i7 2.8 Quad which was only two years old. This Mac Mini Server is unbelievable. Lot's of folks on Portland Craigslist are selling of their Mac Pro's of two years ago or so and say they're "downgrading" to the Mac Mini, but with the Mini having thuderbolt and this CPU we are really being fooled into believing it's a down grade. As a student I saved $40 or so with the harddisk capacity but even just buying it straight up is the best bang for the buck for an Apple computer in the history of Apple computers. (Am I off in this?) (For the price and strength of the machine?

[JaxMan]

Update! After about a week of debate I decided on an iMac. Just as powerful as the mini, but I like the "all in one" kinda thing. That i7 is almost comically powerful. As a test I recorded 48 tracks to the system drive with 2 d-verbs inserted on each track, at 64 buffers, and the CPU usage meter didn't go above 4%...it's just crazy powerful...

[CalebB]

Wow! Which configuration of iMac did you get. I have been running sessions in 64 buffers too with my Mini Server but my CPU usage is not that low. (I am running Strike and maybe more plugs and tracks though).

I never thought I could run in 64 buffers throughout the whole process of recording. I can add whichever instrument I want at whatever time in the process (instead having to disable tracks to lower the buffer to add something).

[JaxMan]

Hey CalebB...I got an iMac 17 2.93 GHz. 4 gigs of ram. Up until today, I've been readying the computer for the transition from the PC setup in my studio.....buying plugins, downloading Mac versions of the ones I already own...it's was all pretty seamless. I had an 8 hr session today and the thing never made a whimper...and so beautiful to look at. I literally had the warm and fuzzies watching the CPU and Disk usage meters barely rise above 10% on sessions that were making my old PC grind to a halt...

Are ya still diggin' the MacMini? I think we both have the same computer, just wrapped up in a different package....

I do have some regrets about not having a secondary internal drive like the Mini does...I'll still have to buy an external for sessions (although.....I used the system drive all day today without the slightest hint of a problem...) I can disconnect the optical drive and hook up a SATA hard drive in it's place, but that requires opening the thing up...

[Dirt_]

I've got the same iMac and ya know what's funny? Been recording to the system drive since January due to laziness of getting around to installing second drive and I've not had a single error. I thought I was lucky at first but now I'm beginning to wonder if it it's just not an issue anymore?