Top 10 Mac I5 Desktop

The Apple Mac mini “Core i5” 2.6 (Late 2014/Aluminum Unibody) features a 22 nm “Haswell” 2.6 GHz Intel “Core i5” (4278U) processor with two independent processor “cores” on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 8 GB of onboard 1600 MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM, various hard drive options, and an “integrated” Intel Iris 5100 graphics processor that shares system memory. Connectivity includes two Thunderbolt 2 ports, four USB 3.0 ports, an HDMI port, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11ac Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n compatible), and Bluetooth 4.0 as well as an SDXC card slot. Compared to its predecessor, this model looks identical, but it has a more advanced architecture and graphics, Thunderbolt 2 capability, and faster Wi-Fi. On the other hand, it has a processor with half the number of cores, no longer supports Firewire, has RAM that can no longer be upgraded, and no longer supports two 2.5″ drives.

The Apple Mac mini “Core i5” 2.5 (Mid-2011/Aluminum Unibody) features a 32-nm “Sandy Bridge” 2.5 GHz Intel “Core i5” (2520M) processor with two independent processor “cores” on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-10600) memory, 512GB Solid State Drive, and AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics with 256 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. It does not have an internal optical drive, although an external one could be purchased for US$79. Connectivity includes a Firewire “800” port, four USB 2.0 ports, combined “audio line in (digital/analog)” and combined “audio line out/headphone (digital/analog)” minijacks, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, an SDXC card slot and an HDMI port as well as a new “Thunderbolt” port that is backwards compatible with Mini DisplayPort and likewise supports an external display at 2560×1600 and passes an audio signal as well. Thunderbolt also supports other peripherals that use the Thunderbolt standard which provides up to 10 Gbps of bandwidth in both directions. Compared to its non-server predecessor, the most obvious external difference is that this model lacks an optical drive, but it also has the aforementioned Thunderbolt port and is a bit lighter. Internally, it also has a faster processor, architecture, RAM and graphics as well as improved wireless capabilities. All Mac mini systems are configured by default without a display, keyboard, or mouse, but numerous Apple and third-party options are available.

The iMac “Core i5” 2.7 21.5-Inch Aluminum (Late 2012) features a 22 nm Quad Core 2.7 GHz Intel “Core i5” I5-3330S (Ivy Bridge) processor with four independent processor cores on a single chip, a 6 MB shared level 3 cache, 8 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (which is not intended to be upgraded after purchase), a 1 TB (5400 RPM) hard drive, and a NVIDIA GeForce GT 640M graphics processor with 512 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. It also has a built-in “FaceTime HD” webcam and stereo speakers, but lacks an optical drive. This model has a 21.5″ 1920×1080 LED-backlit 16:9 widescreen IPS display with the “cover glass fully laminated to the LCD and anti-reflective coating.” The rear of the case is aluminum and is thicker in the middle and tapers to a razor thin 5 mm at the edges. Connectivity includes four USB 3.0 ports, dual Thunderbolt ports, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n, and Bluetooth 4.0.

The Apple Mac mini “Core i5” 2.5 (Mid-2011/Aluminum Unibody) features a 32-nm “Sandy Bridge” 2.5 GHz Intel “Core i5” (2520M) processor with two independent processor “cores” on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 16 GB of 1333 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-10600) memory, a 1TB Solid State Hybrid hard drive, and AMD Radeon HD 6630M graphics with 256 MB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. It does not have an internal optical drive, although an external one could be purchased for US$79. Connectivity includes a Firewire “800” port, four USB 2.0 ports, combined “audio line in (digital/analog)” and combined “audio line out/headphone (digital/analog)” minijacks, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, an SDXC card slot and an HDMI port as well as a new “Thunderbolt” port that is backwards compatible with Mini DisplayPort and likewise supports an external display at 2560×1600 and passes an audio signal as well. Thunderbolt also supports other peripherals that use the Thunderbolt standard which provides up to 10 Gbps of bandwidth in both directions. Compared to its non-server predecessor, the most obvious external difference is that this model lacks an optical drive, but it also has the aforementioned Thunderbolt port and is a bit lighter. Internally, it also has a faster processor, architecture, RAM and graphics as well as improved wireless capabilities. All Mac mini systems are configured by default without a display, keyboard, or mouse, but numerous Apple and third-party options are available.

The Apple Mac mini “Core i5” 2.5 (Late 2012/Aluminum Unibody) features a 22-nm “Ivy Bridge” 2.5 GHz Intel “Core i5” (3210M) processor with two independent processor “cores” on a single chip, a 3 MB shared level 3 cache, 4 GB of 1600 MHz DDR3 SDRAM (PC3-12800) memory, a 500 GB hard drive, and Intel HD Graphics 4000 which shares system memory. It does not have an internal optical drive, although an external one was offered for US$79. Connectivity includes a Firewire “800” port, four USB 3.0 ports, HDMI, Thunderbolt, combined “audio line in (digital/analog)” and combined “audio line out/headphone (digital/analog)” minijacks, a 10/100/1000Base-T Gigabit Ethernet port, 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and an SDXC card slot. Compared to its predecessor, this model looks identical, but it has a faster internal architecture with a faster processor, faster graphics, faster RAM, and USB 3.0 ports. All Mac mini systems are configured by default without a display, keyboard, or mouse.