Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Maflynn · Aug 22, 2008, 08:45 AM

Why are used Mini's so expensive? I go to eBay and the price is nearly the price of a new mini. To compound the matter, some of those 500 hundred dollar Mini's are not core 2 duos but plain old Core Duo.

I'm kicking around the idea of having a second mac as a back up, for my main machine, media hub and/or box to do development on.

This leads me to my second question. Is the concensus of a refresh to occur this year or sometime in 09. What will the refresh consist of as well, just a speed bump or a new cpu/gpu?

I've been keeping my eyes out for a fair deal either on ebay, craigslist or the refurb section of apple.com but so pickings have been slim for deals.

Simon · Aug 22, 2008, 09:02 AM

Originally Posted by Maflynn

Why are used Mini's so expensive?

They are popular. A lot of people who think cheap Mac think Mac mini. A lot of people - especially on the used market - are looking for a headless Mac. That's the mini. And finally, because frankly a lot of people on the used market simply don't have a clue. If you're getting a used Mac for $100 less than a new Mac, you're uninformed. Refurbs, warranty, MIRs, etc.

This leads me to my second question. Is the concensus of a refresh to occur this year or sometime in 09. What will the refresh consist of as well, just a speed bump or a new cpu/gpu?

With the Mac mini nobody really knows,. It has a low priority at Apple so it doesn't get updated as soon as Intel releases new chipsets or CPUs but rather when Apple "gets around to it". It hasn't been updated in twelve months so I would really expect an update soon, certainly within this year. But the honest answer is that we just don't know and hardly have anything to go by.

In terms of specs do not expect anything too dramatic from the Mac mini update. Some people believe the updated mini will get Crestline, a socket P Penryn and an X3100. While that's not impossible, it is neither an efficient nor a cost-effective solution for Apple. Therefore I believe they will probably just go for Cantiga (Cantiga with integrated graphics was delayed but should be released any day now) with an X4500, and a socket B Penryn. My guess would be P8600 and P8400 (2.4 and 2.26 GHz at 25 W TDP). These CPUs are very cheap and cool. The chipset is the same Apple is buying for the new MacBook. It is a simple (commonality) and cheap solution. The X4500 will be a nice improvement over the current 950 and possibly (although I woulnd't count on it) the RAM ceiling could be extended to 8GB (4GB is a given though). I'd say once the updated MB and MBP have been released it could take Apple one to two months to release the updated Mac mini. That would point to November. But, and I admit it, I am being optimistic here.

Maflynn · Aug 22, 2008, 09:06 AM

Thanks for the insight and opinions.

I'll be patient and keep my eyes peeled on craigslist (and the refurb page). eBay doesn't seem like it will be a good deal.

OreoCookie · Aug 22, 2008, 09:39 AM

The Mac mini is not that expensive if you compare it to computers that have a similar size. Dell's new Studio Hybrid isn't cheaper than the Mac mini, for example.

Maflynn · 01:52 PM

I'm not complaining about the price, rather why the used price is so close to the new price. Even on prior generation minis.

I don't mind dropping 600 for a new computer but if I can snag a "lightly" used one for 300 to 400 and I'll do that. I'm a little hesitant to buy one now because its been nearly a year since apple updated the line.

Simon raised a good point, one I had not considered and that the mini is low on apple's totem pole so it will probably wait till the other lines get updated before we see anything.

mduell · Aug 22, 2008, 10:42 PM

Originally Posted by OreoCookie

The Mac mini is not that expensive if you compare it to computers that have a similar size. Dell's new Studio Hybrid isn't cheaper than the Mac mini, for example.

The Studio Hybrid is about twice the volume of the Mac mini, but a better hardware value.
At the $599 price point, the Studio Hybrid offers double the hard drive space and n wifi; at $699, the Studio Hybrid is $100 cheaper than he $799 Mac mini, with double the hard drive space and n wifi.

macwall · Aug 23, 2008, 04:25 AM

They are indeed pretty popular even in the after market. Apple computer pricing are always out of whack.

stukdog · Aug 23, 2008, 04:51 PM

We keep a close eye on the used Mac mini market and you're right in that the "used" pricing isn't too far off from the new/refurbished pricing. We still have customers who buy the G4's for $375 and those machines are an old architecture and a couple years old.

The benefit to this of course is that you can buy a new one now and resell it when the new minis arrive without much of a loss.

chichow · Aug 25, 2008, 12:50 PM

based on your media server usage, would you upgrade to a new mini when they are released?

man...optimistic about NOV? so don't want to wait....

Maflynn · Aug 25, 2008, 01:18 PM

How about this puppy on eBay - $1,400 dollars for a NIB mini

eBay

OreoCookie · Aug 25, 2008, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by mduell

The Studio Hybrid is about twice the volume of the Mac mini, but a better hardware value.

I was speaking in terms of target market. The Mac mini uses notebook technology which entails a list of advantages and disadvantages. My point is that machines comparable to the Mac mini (i. e. same idea of a stylish, small pc) cost approximately the same.