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Monday, August 08, 2011
Mac Mini w/Thunderbolt: preferred platform for many new editing systems
Allan Tépper | 08/08
Whether they are planning to edit video with software from Adobe, Apple, or Avid, the new Mac Mini with Thunderbolt has become the preferred platform for many people, including several of my consulting clients who are tired of waiting for new MacPros to be released and can’t stand the glare from the ultra-glossy iMac. The Thunderbolt capabilities in the new Mac Mini (helpful for fast external RAIDs and the upcoming professional interfaces from AJA, Blackmagic, and Matrox) together with the available i7 processor and 8GB —or even 16GB— RAM upgrades from third-parties, plus direct dual monitor capability (which gives the editor the choice to purchase one or two high-quality matte displays) really seem to make the Mac Mini much more sensible for serious audio/video editing than in the past. In this article, I’ll cover all of the details about such a system.
How to order your Mac Mini built-to-order online (or via an Apple dealer that has access to BTO Macs)
Since Apple doesn’t currently offer the i7 processor in any of the off-the-shelf Mac Minis, for a serious editing system, you’ll definitely want to order a BTO (built-to-order) Mac. That way you can get the i7 processor you want, plus several other details.
- At publication time, via the USA online store store.apple.com (or a USA-Apple dealer that has access to BTO Macs), it will cost you an additional US$100 to upgrade your BTO Mac Mini from the standard i5 2.5GHz processor to the i7 2.7GHz.
- Next comes the RAM upgrade. If you are in a rush and only want 8GB, you can upgrade that at time of purchase of your BTO Mac Mini for US$200. However, if you can wait and are willing to install the upgrade yourself, you can save approximately US$123 by going to a reputable third-party RAM supplier like OWC (Other World Computing) and purchasing their 8GB upgrade kit here for US$76.99. That savings will more than cover the extra US$100 you’ll pay for the i7 upgrade. If you need 16GB RAM, then OWC also offers a 16GB upgrade kit at the same link, but the price is so high at publication time that it’s better if you just check when you need it. Hopefully it will have dropped by then. At publication time, Apple doesn’t yet offer a 16GB upgrade for the Mac Mini via its BTO system.
- Next comes the internal hard drive choice. Unlike the RAM (which is very easy to upgrade yourself), I recommended ordering your Mac Mini BTO with the drive you think you really want/need, knowing that it is much more difficult to transplant the drive later. As of publication time, there are external Thunderbolt disk arrays available (see ahead in this article), but there are still no Thunderbolt standalone hard drives or containers, so unless the speed of USB 2.0 is enough, you’ll need to have sufficient internal capacity for applications to hold on until those Thunderbolt standalone drives appear.
A keyboard for your BTO Mac Mini
If you like any of the Apple keyboards (whether it be the wireless or wired version) and don’t already own one that you’d like to use with your Mac Mini, you can order it at the same time you configure your BTO computer, especially if you live outside of the USA. However, at publication time of this article, Apple USA has mysteriously segregated the keyboard offerings (although exclusively) with the Mac Mini. See my related article Apple USA unfortunately segregates Mac Mini’s keyboard options. If you already own a keyboard you’d like to use, or would prefer to buy a non-Apple keyboard, than this issue won’t matter for you.
Selecting a pointing device for your Mac Mini
Pointing devices are a very personal choice. I still find a Logitech trackball to be my first choice, whether it be the traditional USB-wired Logitech Trackman shown below…
or the latest Wireless Trackball M570 with its “leave-in” USB receiver shown above.
On the other hand, especially after the MacOS 10.7 (Lion) launch, Apple seems to be attempting to compete with the Kama Sutra with all of the new MacOS finger gestures, so Apple’s Magic Trackpad would currently be my second choice. Of course, you can still choose a mouse (either Apple’s Magic Mouse or any other USB or Bluetooth mouse), but I wouldn’t.
Professional audio video interface
I’ll be covering the yet-to-be-released Thunderbolt-capable professional audio video interfaces in upcoming articles.
The Mac Mini with Thunderbolt allows for up to two monitors when used without a professional audio/video interface, and up to three if one is used.
High-quality matte monitor for your GUI
At publication time of this article, my three favorite matte (not glossy) monitors for your GUI (Graphic User Interface, not your video monitor) are the following, all of which are classified as 24” 1920x1200:
- My first (and fairly expensive) choice (only if you are going to make critical gamma/color decisions on your GUI monitor): the HP LP2480ZX DreamColor monitor, which I have covered in several past articles.
The HP LP2475w monitor is both matte and IPS, for high quality at various angles.
- My second choice (because it’s the best matte IPS non-DreamColor I currently know): the HP LP2475w. At publication time, it’s selling for US$531.39 but may have dropped by the time you read this. This is close to half the price of Apple’s LED Cinema Display and it won’t glare you!
- Third choice, if you’re on a real budget: the HP LA2405WG. This monitor is not IPS, so its performance will vary depending upon your angle of view, and will only give you its best performance when you are directly front and center. It is currently selling for US$298.58.
As of publication time, there is only one manufacturer that is already shipping Thunderbolt RAIDs: Promise, and here are the configurations and prices at publication time:
- Pegasus R4 4TB (4x1TB) RAID System for US$999
- Pegasus R6 12TB (6x2TB) RAID System for US$1,999
- Pegasus R4 8TB (4x2TB) RAID System for US$1,499
- Pegasus R6 6TB (6x1TB) RAID System for US$1,499
Promise has just sent me an evaluation unit of one of these, and I’ll be reviewing it very soon here in ProVideo Coalition magazine. One comment for now: Even though the prices of these Thunderbolt-capable RAIDs are more expensive than the eSATA-based RAID5 units that I have reviewed and recommended to clients in the past, the overall system price for a maxed-out Mac Mini with one of these Pegasus RAIDs is still much lower than that of a similarly configured MacPro tower with eSATA RAID5. Even after adding a Thunderbolt-capable professional audio/video interface from AJA, Blackmagic, or Matrox, the system price will still be lower than that of a similarly equipped MacPro system, based upon prices already announced from Blackmagic and Matrox, and the presumed ones from AJA.
Related articles
Please consider reading the following related articles:
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Good article Allan. I hadn’t thought about the MacMini as an affordable editing platform. But what about heat? Transcoding video (and other things) on our MacPro work the processors really hard, but the MacPro has extensive built-in fans. Does a MacMini have built-in fans?
Posted by Mitch L. on 08/10 at 05:51 AM
Thanks Mitch,
I’m glad you liked the article. So far I have never heard of anyone having a heat problem with the MacMini even in a video editing application. I just searched and found an answer that says there will not be a heat problem if you follow Apple’s environment requirements for temperature and altitude for the Mac Mini:
Operating temperature: 50° to 95° F (10° to 35° C)
Storage temperature: -40° to 116° F (-40° to 47° C)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95% noncondensing
Maximum altitude: 10,000 feet
Allan Tépper
Posted by Allan Tépper on 08/10 at 07:19 AM
Hi AT,
You write a very nice blog. Thanks!
I would like to get your opinion on one small detail on these Mac mini:
Besides the i7 faster CPU and GPU option you wrote about, there is also the option of taking the server version. What you get with that is the quad i7 but also the intel basic GPU.
I am sure it depends if you use more the FCPX or the Motion, but I would like to have your opinion on that, if you also think it could be a good choice for editors.
Regards
Zn
Posted by zenuno on 08/10 at 07:20 AM
Hi Zenuno,
I am glad you liked the article. As you know, the GPU requirements (for extended performance) vary among the individual apps. However, Adobe has stated and demonstrated that the Mercury engine performs extremely well even with the latest MacBookPros whose GPU doesn’t currently support hardware acceleration of Mercury. So the answer is: if you know which is the most demanding video app you plan to use, and if that app can take more advantage of the GPU in a particular Mac Mini configuration over another, go for that one. If you don’t know (or if neither matches), then know that at least Premiere Pro CS5.5 will work very well even without the extra GPU support. The other detail of the Mac Mini Server of course is the extra internal hard drive.
Allan Tépper
Posted by Allan Tépper on 08/10 at 07:38 AM
Great post Allan! Looks like I’m not the only one thinking about this. And after reading about the supposed delay on the new MacPros I think some editors are going to be looking a lot closer at a mac-mini option. In the future we’re gonna see all kinds of configurations in post. And it’d be nice if Bare Feets did some speed tests on a suped up BTO mac-mini. Interesting times…
Posted by Eric Wise on 08/11 at 04:58 PM
Eric,
Thanks for commenting. I’m glad you liked the article.
Allan Tépper
Posted by Allan Tépper on 08/12 at 02:05 AM
Hi Allen, great Article!
I am a graphic designer and work mostly with adobe programs like Photoshop and After Effects.
Do you think that the mac mini is strong enough to handle after effects? or even cinema 4D?
and one other thing. I understand that there are 2 slots for RAM in the mac mini. is it possible to buy two kits of 8 GB Ram from OWC and install both of them instead of the 4 Giga Apple’s kit RAM installed in the mac mini?
Thanks, Ron.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/12 at 02:34 AM
Ron,
I am glad you liked the article.
OWC has tested these latest Mac Minis and is offering the best combination kits that is currently available, as indicated on the their linked page. Their 8GB kit includes two 4GB modules, and their 16GB kit includes two 8GB modules. Either of those kits requires removing the original modules supplied by Apple.
Regarding Photoshop and After Effects: I suppose that if 16GB is enough for you, at that point it may depend upon the GPU. I’ll defer to Chris Meyer, the editor of ProVideo Coalition magazine and resident expert on those two programs.
Allan
Posted by Allan Tépper on 08/12 at 04:00 AM
Hi Allan,
Thanks a lot for the article, it is one of the few covering this issue. Tiny question though.
Also tired of waiting for MacPro.
When Editing is the main job (FCPX, FCP7, CS5), would you go for the MacMini server or just the dual core i7? The GPU is really putting me down on the server, while the quad core seems like definitely a better option.
Are there any other resources that could help with this issue at the moment? Really hard to find any for professional editing, sine were talking MacMini
Thanks again,
Dusan
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/12 at 07:01 AM
RAM is indeed one of the biggest issues when setting up a computer for After Effects or Photoshop. 16 gig is the minimum I’d personally feel comfortable with (although a lot of work can be done with 8 gig or less - especially web or standard definition video).
Another important issue for higher-end After Effects users is the ability to add the video card of your choice. More plug-ins etc. are relying on CUDA acceleration from select NVIDIA cards. It will be interesting to see how things develop on the Thunderbolt front for expansion chassis and/or external video GPUs.
Posted by Chris Meyer on 08/12 at 07:47 AM
Decided to go for it. Purchased the Pegasus raid, and Mac Mini server. Planning to get hold of Blackmagic thunderbolt I/O (waiting a bit to see what others come up with), and when external graphic cards are out, that as well.
Will post findings on handling of Mac miniserver and Pegasus on its own, since I’m going put an editor on it asap, therefore without the external I/O.
Will test with FCP 7, FCP X, And Avid MC5
If it works, it could be a great short project setup
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 08/19 at 12:48 AM
When I suggested that the Mac Pro’s days were numbered after the launch of FCPX on another board, I was treated as being alarmist. I thought we had 12 to 18 months before Apple got out. Seems I may have underestimated Apple’s desire to get out of the Pro market as quickly as possible.
Concerned about the video card options though.
Posted by Justin Benn on 08/20 at 01:36 PM
hi there! great article!
i am choosing between a hackintosh or the new mac mini server to use with fcp7 and after effects. which one do you recommend?
can i install fcp7 and AE on the lion server OS or do i need the regular Lion OS ? i am searching a lot about this new mac mini and the specs are great. i am not that worried about the integrated GPU cause i have the i5 13” mbp with the same GPU and it is fine for AE and fcp7(except that i cannot use magic bullet looks).
what i really liked the server besides beeing a quad i7, it is the fact that i can choose to put 2 HD’s running 7200rpm . can you tell me if i can use them in RAID 0 mode? tks a lot ! cheers!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/12 at 06:38 PM
Hi, thanks for the article. It’s good to see others thinking along the same lines.
I have a question though. I’m trying to work out the best mac solution for myself. I’m wanting to start using FCP however I don’t have the budget for a 15”+ macbook pro so was considering my other options. I have read/heard that the 13” macbook pro’s are not suitable, however when I look at their specs, they appear to me to be very similar to the mac mini.
Do you (or others) have any comments or experience regarding the difference or suitability of running FCP on a 13” Macbook pro compared to a mac mini?
Thanks!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 10/25 at 12:04 PM
@ fredmuller
Hi fred,
I can tell you that for professional motion graphics/frequent video editing a hackintosh is only semi-viable. I went down the hackintosh route back in november and built myself a system that’s equivalent to the top-of-the-line iMac (at the beginning of 2012). I do have crashes, similar in frequency to any average wintel system. iMovie is unreliable at times and although FCP7 works for 99%, somehow my “apple” key doesn’t work in FCP for some reason, which is annoying with regards to shortcuts. The biggest annoyance though is that in my system Premiere Pro CS5.5 crashes at the faintest mouse click. That is a shame, because I really like Premiere, especially since its return to Mac. Furthermore, the integration across all CS software is very appealing. After Effects works perfectly, as does Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. All the software I’m running is not hacked btw, so the stability issues should not come from there. I mentioned that a hackintosh is semi-viable and I mean that. It is an interesting route for more raw performance at the same price, but for day-to-day professional use it simply is too unreliable. A hackintosh can be worth your while to investigate as an option when you simply want more systems to create an in-house renderfarm. I liked the excitement of going out again and sourcing the components for my system, then coming home and somehow making it all work, but in the end I’d rather spend all that time just creating instead of tinkering.
That’s why I decided for me, the hackintosh experiment was interesting and I learned a lot, but I’m not going to repeat it. Now, almost six months later, I’m considering indeed to buy a Mac Mini as an editing/after effects system. The hackintosh will then be retired to help me out when it comes to numbercrunching renders.
Hope this helps! 
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 04/06 at 12:50 PM
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