Mac mini (Late 2009)

With the new Mac mini models, the choice is a bit more difficult. Unlike its predecessor, the new $599 model no longer requires a RAM upgrade out of the box, and it also gains a faster processor and a bit more hard-drive space. But this time around the higher-end model's $200 premium gets you a larger hard drive, 4GB of RAM, and an even faster processor--upgrades that, if added to the $599 model when purchasing from Apple, would cost $350 in total (or around $325 if you upgraded just the processor through Apple but purchased and installed the other upgrades yourself). Buying the $799 model is also the only way to take advantage of Apple's fastest Mac mini processor--you can't upgrade the $599 mini to a 2.66GHz CPU.

What this means is that if you want the very best performance in a Mac mini, you'll want to go with the $799 model with its faster processor and maxed-out RAM. Otherwise, the $599 model continues to offer a better value. In fact, based on our tests of an upgraded early-2009 mini back in March, I suspect that upgrading the hard drive on the new $599 mini--either via a 7200rpm internal drive or an external FireWire 800 drive--would again make it compete well with the $799 model, perhaps even surpassing its more-expensive sibling for drive-intensive tasks.

Macworld's buying advice

According to Apple, the mini line was designed to be the most affordable way to get a computer with Mac OS X and iLife. While that may be true, the early-2009 Mac minis were the first that actually let you take full advantage of that software. The latest models improve modestly on their predecessors with faster processors, more RAM, and--on the lower-end model--more hard-drive space at the same $599 and $799 prices. The results are Mac minis that address a few of my biggest criticisms of the early-2009 models. (Sadly, slow hard drives remain.)

The Mac mini continues to be a great option for those new to the Mac who already have a display, keyboard, and mouse. As for current Mac owners, if you purchased a Mac mini earlier this year, these relatively minor improvements are unlikely to convince you to upgrade unless a slight bump in performance will mean big productivity gains for your particular tasks. But if you've got an older Mac mini--or an older Mac of another line--and you're looking to upgrade, the latest minis are appealing. They give you all the impressive updates of the models released earlier this year along with better performance.