# 2018 Mac Mini vs refurb Mac Pro Cylinder?



## vocalnick (Nov 15, 2018)

Hey Folks 

Long story short, I can get a brand new Mini or a really nice refurb 6-core Pro Cylinder with similar spec (on paper) for similar money, and I'm not sure which to go with.

I'm currently using a mid-2012 Retina 15" MacBook Pro - I dock it up in the studio, then pick it up and take it with me to travel. But I'm hitting the ceiling of the CPU/RAM, and it's definitely time to upgrade. I'm going to abandon the "one computer to rule them all" approach this time, and instead go with a dedicated studio machine, with a slimmed down setup on a notebook for portable use.

Either the Mini and the Pro will be a substantial performance boost compared to the old MBP, but I'm having serious trouble deciding which way to go.

*Mini Pros:*
Brand new
Nice form factor
Slightly faster GeekBench results than the older Pro

*Pro Pros:*
Xeon CPU (although does this give me any real "on the ground" advantages?)
More expandable
Dual GPUs
TB2 ports will work with my current setup without adapters!

I'm leaning _slightly_ toward the cylinder, mostly because I also do some video work and I suspect the integrated graphics on the Mini are going to be a bottleneck. But brand new is attractive, and I can always get an eGPU down the line if I need it. And it just feels weird to be talking about replacing a 2012 machine with one that's only a year newer...

So I'm a bit torn. Keen to hear any and all thoughts and provocative questions


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## Saxer (Nov 15, 2018)

The Pro's are normally built for continuos operation. So I trust those more. It's another class.


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## GtrString (Nov 15, 2018)

The pro, only the ram on the mini is upgradable, everything else is soldered. or wait for new imacs in 2019.


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## LaurensGoedhart (Nov 15, 2018)

I was in the same boat you're in, but have chosen the Pro. I just ordered a 10-core Pro, with 1 TB SSD and 64 GB RAM. I got it refurbished with an additional year of warranty, for a price you can't get the same or comparable specs in the new Mini!


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## lumcas (Nov 15, 2018)

I have used a 6-core cylinder for 3 years and I'm still happy with it. Wouldn't really come to my mind to switch to a new mini if that answers your question. BTW, nMP has 3 Thunderbolt 2 busses (6 ports), how many T3 busses are on a nMM, are they 2 for those 4 ports?


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## vocalnick (Nov 15, 2018)

Thanks all - pulled the trigger on the Cylinder. 3.5Ghz 6 core Cylinder. 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Dual FirePro D500 GPU.

I was attracted to the Mini's higher GeekBench score, but ultimately I think the workstation-class hardware should put me in good stead.


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## galactic orange (Nov 15, 2018)

vocalnick said:


> Thanks all - pulled the trigger on the Cylinder. 3.5Ghz 6 core Cylinder. 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD, Dual FirePro D500 GPU.
> 
> I was attracted to the Mini's higher GeekBench score, but ultimately I think the workstation-class hardware should put me in good stead.


I think that’s the best choice. If you’re planning on upgrading the RAM, you’ll be able to buy more for less money with the Cylinder. The memory for the nMM is horrendously expensive; much more costly than I was expecting after such a long wait. I ordered a Mini anyway for various reasons, but the idea of sending it back and getting a nMP will probably nag at me for a while.


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