First Mac Mini Benchmark Surfaces Ahead of November 7 Launch

The first Geekbench benchmark for one of the 2018 Mac mini models has surfaced (via VentureBeat), giving us an initial look at the performance we can expect from Apple's revamped desktop machine.

The benchmarked model is a higher-end custom configuration that features a 3.2GHz 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor, UHD Graphics 630, and 32GB RAM. At a minimum, this configuration would cost $1,699.

macmini2018benchmark
Two scores for the machine were uploaded today from the same user taken eight minutes apart. The first features a single-core score of 5070 and a multi-core score of 16818, while the second, which suggests much better performance, features a single-core of 5512 and a multi-core score of 23516.

The higher-end score set puts this particular Mac mini configuration right on par with the high-end 2.9GHz 2018 MacBook Pro, which earned a single-core Geekbench score of 5433 and a multi-core score of 22556. Given the price point of this Mac mini's configuration, its MacBook Pro-matching performance comes as no surprise.

The Mac mini also closely matches the 2013 Mac Pro models when it comes to multi-core performance and exceeds them when it comes to single-core performance. With the exception of the iMac Pro, it outperforms 2017 iMac models, which were not refreshed this year.

It's not clear why there's such a disparity between the two Geekbench readings, but it's possible with the first that background tasks produced a lower result, hence the retest.

We should see additional Mac mini benchmarks surfacing in the near future as the device is set to launch on November 7. Benchmarks of the base models will give us a better idea of what to expect from the lower priced versions of the device.

MacBook Air and iPad Pro benchmarks have also surfaced over the course of the week, with the iPad Pro also demonstrating MacBook Pro-class performance.

Related Roundup: Mac mini
Buyer's Guide: Mac Mini (Caution)
Related Forum: Mac mini

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Vertical Camera Feature

iPhone SE 4 Production Will Reportedly Begin Ramping Up in October

Tuesday July 23, 2024 2:00 pm PDT by
Following nearly two years of rumors about a fourth-generation iPhone SE, The Information today reported that Apple suppliers are finally planning to begin ramping up mass production of the device in October of this year. If accurate, that timeframe would mean that the next iPhone SE would not be announced alongside the iPhone 16 series in September, as expected. Instead, the report...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature

iPhone 17 Lineup Specs Detail Display Upgrade and New High-End Model

Monday July 22, 2024 4:33 am PDT by
Key details about the overall specifications of the iPhone 17 lineup have been shared by the leaker known as "Ice Universe," clarifying several important aspects of next year's devices. Reports in recent months have converged in agreement that Apple will discontinue the "Plus" iPhone model in 2025 while introducing an all-new iPhone 17 "Slim" model as an even more high-end option sitting...
Generic iPhone 17 Feature With Full Width Dynamic Island

Kuo: Ultra-Thin iPhone 17 to Feature A19 Chip, Single Rear Camera, Semi-Titanium Frame, and More

Wednesday July 24, 2024 9:06 am PDT by
Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today shared alleged specifications for a new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model rumored to launch next year. Kuo expects the device to be equipped with a 6.6-inch display with a current-size Dynamic Island, a standard A19 chip rather than an A19 Pro chip, a single rear camera, and an Apple-designed 5G chip. He also expects the device to have a...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Series Is Less Than Two Months Away: Everything We Know

Thursday July 25, 2024 5:43 am PDT by
Apple typically releases its new iPhone series around mid-September, which means we are about two months out from the launch of the iPhone 16. Like the iPhone 15 series, this year's lineup is expected to stick with four models – iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max – although there are plenty of design differences and new features to take into account. To bring ...
icloud private relay outage

iCloud Private Relay Experiencing Outage

Thursday July 25, 2024 3:18 pm PDT by
Apple’s iCloud Private Relay service is down for some users, according to Apple’s System Status page. Apple says that the iCloud Private Relay service may be slow or unavailable. The outage started at 2:34 p.m. Eastern Time, but it does not appear to be affecting all iCloud users. Some impacted users are unable to browse the web without turning iCloud Private Relay off, while others are...
iPhone 17 Plus Feature Purple

iPhone 17 Rumored to Feature Mechanical Aperture

Tuesday July 23, 2024 9:32 am PDT by
Apple is planning to release at least one iPhone 17 model next year with mechanical aperture, according to a report published today by The Information. The mechanical system would allow users to adjust the size of the iPhone 17's aperture, which refers to the opening of the camera lens through which light enters. All existing iPhone camera lenses have fixed apertures, but some Android...

Top Rated Comments

seatton Avatar
75 months ago
I still have about 1,000 days to decide whether I should get it or not before the newer model comes out.
Score: 88 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SoN1NjA Avatar
75 months ago
Apple's new strategy: don't update your products for 1000 days so when you update them the performance gains seem big
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Spectrum Avatar
75 months ago
The base models are a joke and shouldn't exist at those price points.
No way. All these models are fantastic updates, coming in cheaper than the 2011 and 2012 quads with loads more expected performance.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Razeus Avatar
75 months ago
Will be interesting to see results for the base models.
The base models are a joke and shouldn't exist at those price points.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mockletoy Avatar
75 months ago
I see a lot of people talking about how expensive and underpowered the base level Mini is, but yesterday I went to the MicroCenter website and started putting stuff in the cart to more or less replicate the Mini.

So, an i3 w/ a decent (quiet) cooler for it, a mini-ITX motherboard (only 1 Thunderbolt port), some RAM, an SSD (much slower than the Mini's, probably), case (bulkier than Mini), PSU, all that stuff. Not top of the line stuff, just what I considered good quality at good prices. My cart ended up totaling around $600 after taxes.

By the time you add in the time I'd spend building it, plus more intangible but still valuable things like the Mini's industrial design, macOS without any Hackintosh hackery, Apple's support system, and the 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports that I simply couldn't replicate with a PC build, the base asking price starts looking pretty fair to me.

Anyway, that helped me get some perspective. If the new Minis turn out to be solid, with no thermal throttling issues or anything like that, I'm thinking maybe ... just have to wait for the reviews and the first batch of folks to get their machines unboxed and tested out.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jack Burton Avatar
75 months ago
I want to see cinebench numbers and performance on sustained load, like rendering for 4 or 5 hours. I wonder if the enclosure is just too small to handle that.

I'd love to throw a couple of minis in the other room as quiet render nodes.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)