Category: Apple Insider

The 2018 Mac mini is a welcome refresh to the compact Mac product line, but the Intel graphics are weak. AppleInsider examines whether it is worth the extra expense of adding an external GPU to the Mac mini.

In a previous comparison where the 2018 Mac Mini was put against the iMac 5K, it was decided the Mac mini is a great option for users who don’t really need best-in-class graphical performance, such as for photo editing and other intensive media tasks. The Mac Mini doesn’t pack a dedicated graphics card, and it definitely lags behind the iMac 5K which is supplied with a Radeon Pro GPU.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyM-NtjiRKU&w=560&h=315]

However, the Mac Mini does sport four Thunderbolt 3 ports, which means there is the opportunity of hooking up an eGPU, an external enclosure that houses a graphics card.

The actual setup process for the eGPU on the Mac mini is relatively straightforward, regardless of whether it is a separately bought graphics card and enclosure or a premade unit. If bought separately, insert the graphics card into the enclosure’s PCI-e slot and insert the power connectors into the card. Plug your monitor into the card, then plug the enclosure into an outlet and connect it to the Mac mini’s Thunderbolt 3 port.

Once connected, macOS should instantly recognize the eGPU and automatically start using it for graphics rendering.

Price comparisons

For the purposes of this test, a powerful $400 Radeon RX Vega 64 graphics card will be attached to the Mac mini using a $250 Sonnet 550-Watt eGPU enclosure via Thunderbolt 3. It is worth noting the enclosure is also capable of providing 87 Watts of power delivery, allowing it to recharge a connected MacBook for those interested in giving their portable Mac more graphical grunt.

The Mac mini next to the Sonnet eGPU enclosure

The Mac mini in this case is upgraded with an Intel Core i7 processor and 512 gigabytes of storage. Instead of upgrading the RAM to 32 gigabytes for $600 through Apple, a 32-gigabyte upgrade kit was acquired for the far cheaper cost of $200. Following a memory swap, the total cost of the Mac mini in this case is approximately $1,700.

The price of the Vega 64 eGPU brings the entire boosted Mac mini setup to $2,350, excluding the monitor and peripherals. Add these extras on, and you’re getting quite close to the cost of a similar-specification iMac 5K.

Just on comparative specifications, those switching from PC to Mac or upgrading from an earlier Mac mini model are likely to have their own mouse, keyboard, monitor, and in the case of the PC user, potentially even an AMD graphics card to add to an empty eGPU enclosure. In this sort of situation, opting for the Mac mini is probably going to offer the better overall value for money.

In the event you don’t need all of the power offered by the Vega 64, an alternative option is to acquire a $200 RX 580 graphics card and combine it with the $200 350-Watt Sonnet eGPU enclosure. Going for these cheaper options brings the overall cost down to $2,100, saving $250.

The eGPU enclosure is a considerable investment in terms of desk space

Realistically, you can also save a good amount of cash on the Mac Mini by opting for a smaller storage capacity, using less RAM, or maybe just going with the i5 processor instead of the i7 if you don’t need that much processing power.

Performance

The main downside to using an eGPU is that it isn’t as efficient as using an internal graphics card. The Thunderbolt 3 for a variety of reasons can shave off some performance compared to a native PCI-E connection, or a built-in version.

As part of the testing, the Radeon RX Vega 64 eGPU was put against the discrete Radeon Pro 580 in the iMac 5K and the Vega 56 installed in the iMac Pro. Both discrete cards are less powerful than the Vega 64 in the eGPU, but benefit from a wider data path than the Thunderbolt 3 eGPU.

Looking at raw performance in Geekbench 4’s Metal test, the Mac Mini with Vega 64 scored similarly to the iMac Pro with the Vega 56 card, but quite a bit less than the iMac Pro with the same Vega 64 GPU. More importantly, the Mac mini using the eGPU achieves a score over six times greater than without the enclosure.

Synthetic benchmarks are a decent approximation of everyday tasking, but aren’t a good indicator of specific performance on every given task. AppleInsider has its own real-world tests involving video editing in Final Cut Pro X. The tests also provide more variation in terms of load sharing, with some elements relying more on the processor than the eGPU, which can have more of a bearing on the final scores.

Starting with the BruceX Final Cut Pro benchmark, the Mac mini with the eGPU is right up there with the iMac Pro, and is even faster than the iMac 5K. Compared to the Mac mini by itself, there is a considerable performance increase with the external card.

In a test for stabilizing a 20-second 4K clip, the eGPU-equipped Mac mini is actually slower than both the iMac Pro and the iMac 5K, but again is still a marked improvement over the Mac mini alone, running approximately 3.5 times faster. The slowness despite having a more powerful card is likely down to the inefficiencies of using an externally-located graphics card.

In another video test exporting a 5 minute 4K project, the Vega 64 helps the Mac mini finish over twice as fast as a stock model, but it’s unfortunately still slower than the iMacs. This is somewhat surprising as the Mac mini’s processor and eGPU are both more powerful than what is offered in a top-of-the-line iMac 5K.

Moving on to a 5 minute 4.5K RED RAW project, the Mac mini actually outperforms the iMac 5K, as the Red RAW codec is extremely processor intensive rather relying than eGPU-based processing. Since the Mac mini’s processor is faster, it finishes quicker than the iMac 5K.

In the last test, exporting a 60p Canon Raw Lite project, the Mac mini is yet again slower than the other two, because it is a less processor-intensive task, and more of GPU-bound one. However, it was able to play back the project at 52 frames per second compared to only 45 on the iMac 5K. The iMac Pro played back at the full 60 frames per second.

The result dropped down to around 22 frames per second in the Canon Raw project when the display was plugged directly into the Mac mini, instead of into the eGPU. Treat this as a warning that, if you ever use an eGPU, make sure the monitor is plugged directly into the enclosure.

A mixed result

If you already own a 2018 Mac mini, getting an eGPU can really boost graphics performance compared to the stock specification, but graphical power is your primary differentiator between the Mac Mini and the iMac 5K, just go with the iMac. It performed better in almost every test put to all of the models, even though the processor and graphics card aren’t as powerful as the Mac mini’s processor and the eGPU’s graphics card. There is also the benefit of having a beautiful 5K display to use at the same time and minimal desk usage due to being an all-in-one unit.

Throughout, the iMac Pro showed itself to be a viable alternative to both of the other Macs, passing with decent results in all of the tests. It may not necessarily offer the cost savings of a Mac mini with an eGPU, but it is certainly an option for those looking for reliable performance.

By Roger Fingas
Friday, February 15, 2019, 09:12 am PT (12:12 pm ET)

Facebook and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission are in talks over a privacy violations fine that could cost the former billions of dollars.

The two sides are still going back and forth over the exact amount, Washington Post sources said. Facebook confirmed the existence of negotiations, but declined to say anything more. It could be hoping to reduce what it pays in exchange for business changes and tougher scrutiny.

Both sides have an interest in a settlement, since the alternative could be a protracted court battle. At the same time the fine could easily become the biggest the FTC has ever leveled against a tech firm, dealing a meaningful blow to Facebook’s bottom line. The current record holder is Google, which paid just $22.5 million in 2012.

The FTC began investigating Facebook in March last year following the emergence of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. Analytica and Cambridge University researcher Aleksandr Kogan used a quiz app to collect data on Facebook users and their connected friends, the latter without their consent, enabling Analytica to build voter profiles for some 71 million Americans and a smaller amount of people overseas. The harvesting was discovered in 2015, but only made public by Facebook in March 2018. This drew the scrutiny of governments in both the U.S. and the U.K.

Some clients of Analytica — now mostly defunct — included the Presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, and the Institutional Revolutionary Party during Mexico’s 2018 general election.

The FTC is concerned that Facebook’s past and recent activities constitute violations of a 2011 agreement in which Facebook promised to improve its privacy standards. One of these is likely its abuse of an Apple enterprise certificate for “Facebook Research,” an app people were paid to install to monitor usage habits. Apple briefly revoked the certificate.

Under pressure from citizens and lawmakers, Amazon has pulled the plug on a large facility in New York City and is walking away from billions in incentives.

Amazon declared the retreat from previous plans in a statement on Thursday morning.

After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens. For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term. While polls show that 70% of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.

We are disappointed to have reached this conclusion—we love New York, its incomparable dynamism, people, and culture—and particularly the community of Long Island City, where we have gotten to know so many optimistic, forward-leaning community leaders, small business owners, and residents. There are currently over 5,000 Amazon employees in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Staten Island, and we plan to continue growing these teams.

Amazon is not planning on reopening a search for another loaction at this time. The company says that it will continue the deployments in Northern Virginia and Nashville, Tenn., and it “will continue to hire and grow across our 17 corporate offices and tech hubs in the U.S. and Canada.”

Not everybody in New York is happy about the news.

“Amazon’s decision to withdraw from New York is no doubt a blow to our local economy and the tens of thousands of people the company would’ve employed here. New York City is today one of the most dynamic tech hubs in the world, but there is no guarantee we will maintain this status in the future, which makes this news so disappointing,” said Tech:NYC Executive Director Julie Samuels in a statement to AppleInsider. “It’s especially disappointing given the overwhelming local support for the deal and there can be no doubt that bad politics got in the way of good policy here.”

“Amazon’s decision to withdraw from New York is no doubt a blow to our local economy and the tens of thousands of people the company would’ve employed here. New York City is today one of the most dynamic tech hubs in the world, but there is no guarantee we will maintain this status in the future, which makes this news so disappointing. It’s especially disappointing given the overwhelming local support for the deal and there can be no doubt that bad politics got in the way of good policy here.”

The search for a new headquarters started in September 2017, and saw 238 initial candidates applying to host the facility. The list for the potential HQ2 was narrowed down to 20 cities in January, including 19 cities in the United States and one in Canada.

New York was assisting Amazon to the tune of $1.525 billion —assuming the company created 25,000 jobs. The inducement package offered to Amazon included a refundable tax credit through New York’s Excelsior Program of up to $1.2 billion over the next 10 years, based on what the company is expected to pay employees.

Both the Virginia and New York locations were expected to see $2.5 billion each in Amazon investment. It isn’t clear if Amazon will amp-up spending in either Virginia or Tennessee as a result of walking away in New York City.

“We are excited to build new headquarters in New York City and Northern Virginia,” said Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos. “These two locations will allow us to attract world-class talent that will help us to continue inventing for customers for years to come. The team did a great job selecting these sites, and we look forward to becoming an even bigger part of these communities.”

At the same time as announcing the two selected HQ locations, the retailer also selected Nashville to become a new Center of Excellence for its Operations business, which handles the supply chain, customer fulfillment, and transportation. The new center will create more than 5,000 jobs from an investment of over $230 million, with the facility consisting of 1 million square feet of office space, and will create an estimated incremental tax revenue of more than $1 billion over the next decade.

By Christine McKee
Wednesday, February 13, 2019, 09:36 am PT (12:36 pm ET)

Apple authorized resellers have issued dramatic markdowns on Apple’s current Mid 2018 15-inch MacBook Pros, with discounts of up to $700 off. In addition to the lowest prices anywhere on the premium configurations, many models also come with free expedited shipping for fast delivery to your door.

Top discounts can be found below, while a full list of deals on every 15-inch MacBook Pro can be accessed 24/7 in the AppleInsider Price Guide. In addition to the cash savings, each MacBook Pro listed below qualifies for free expedited shipping within the contiguous U.S. at B&H Photo. Meanwhile, Adorama, also an Apple authorized reseller, will not collect sales tax on orders shipped outside New York and New Jersey — and the company is knocking $30 off AppleCare when ordered with a 15-inch MacBook Pro (plus all CTO models qualify for an exclusive coupon discount with code APINSIDER).

2018 15″ MacBook Pro deals

• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.2GHz, 16GB, 256GB, Radeon 555X) Space Gray: $2,215* ($184 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.6GHz, 16GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Silver: $2,499* ($300 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 16GB, 1TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $3,199* ($300 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 512GB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $3,099* ($400 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 2TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $3,999* ($700 off)
• 2018 15″ MacBook Pro (2.9GHz, 32GB, 4TB, Radeon 560X) Space Gray: $5,999* ($700 off)
  Find dozens more MacBook Pro deals…

Add AppleCare

You can easily tack on an AppleCare extended protection plan to these 2018 15-inch MacBook Pros by selecting the AppleCare option in your cart on the respective reseller’s site.

Additional Apple Deals

AppleInsider and Apple authorized resellers are also running a handful of additional exclusive promotions this month on Apple hardware that will not only deliver the lowest prices on many of the items, but also throw in discounts on AppleCare, software and accessories. These deals are as follows: