There are 3 enterprise switches between the Macs and my DAC and amplifier.Ī wildcard option would be to run Roon in a Linux virtual machine using VMWare Fusion on the Mac Pro. It’s unlikely Roon and Plex would be used together.Ĭommon to both options is a Synology NAS for backup, a Synology expansion unit to backup the NAS and a decent pipe for online backups to Crashplan and Dropbox.Īll the hardware is racked together with a UPS in the basement of my home. Apple brought back the 599 model, and a year later in 2012, the separate Server edition was quietly discounted. A year later, the Mid 2011 Mac mini brought Thunderbolt, and the removal of the optical drive. will be stored on a directly attached rackmount Thunderbolt RAID from Lacie. While a separate server model remained, the mainstream Mac mini for 2010 was now 699.
I'd still only recommend for someone who's technical and doesn't mind experimenting as I had to disable SIP to get the patch to work. There has been a few minor graphical glitches, but overall I'm very happy with the upgrade. In this case Roon would run on the internal SSD. Performance has been good, and both mid-2011 Mac Mini's work well with MacOS Catalina. The NewerTech HDMI Headless Video Accelerator is designed to work with the following Mac mini models: Mac mini Mid 2010 (Macmini4,1), Mac mini Mid 2011 (Macmini5,1 / Macmini5,2 / Macmini5,3), Mac.
Mac Pro (Late 2013) Shared with OS X Cacheing server, Plex, Crashplan and Dropbox: I could add a second smaller SSD for OS X and Roon leaving the 2TB disk exclusively for music. There won’t be a ton of extra room but my music will fit on the 2TB disk. Mac mini (Mid 2011) 100% Dedicated to Roon: Given the following options, would you run Roon Core on the more powerful machine, or the less powerful but dedicated machine? The iMac came out on top with the Mac Pro hex-core in second and the mini Quad-Core i7 Server in third.Having read some of the threads regarding Roon’s performance, I’m in a quandary.
Using Adobe After Effects to represent the extreme pro app and a "pro" configuration of each model of Mac (16G of RAM, one SSD, one HDD, and a 27" Apple display), we concocted an equation to determine best bang for the buck. Apple Power Cord for Apple TV, Mac mini (2010 - Current) Mfr P/N: 922-09554 OWC SKU: APL92209554U Apple Replacement power cable for Apple TV (all models) and Mac mini (Mid 2010 - Current). And I would not be upset if support for jumpering multiple GPUs (CrossFire and SLI) was added - a feature supported on Windows PCs for years.
It would be nice if the controller for the four internal drive bays was upgraded to 6Gb/s (like the iMac and MacBook Pro) to handle the full speed potential of 6Gb/s SSDs. I would like to see the Mac Pro updated to include two Thunderbolt ports (like the iMac). I will be watching with great interest to see what happens next with the Mac Pro line. I'm thinking of Thunderbolt ports and 6Gb/s rated internal drive interfaces. The back is open for easy access to all the Mac minis ports and power button while front of the bracket remains open to provide access the minis optical drive and to keep the Apple Remote sensor unobstructed. Then again, there are some advantages that the iMac and MacBook Pro have over the Mac Pro. The NuShelf Mount for 2010, 2011, 2012 to Current Apple Mac mini is secured to the bottom of your desk with four included screws.
I'm thinking of four internal drive bays, four PCie slots, and two optical bays. There are advantages that the Mac Pro offers that are not apparent in our performance graphs. Mac mini (Mid 2011) 100 Dedicated to Roon: 2.3 GHz Intel Core i5. I only wish it had a faster core frequency - like around 2.5GHz. It's definitely a contender for use with pro-apps. Notice we included the Mac mini quad-core i7 Server in the PhotoZoom and After Effects graphs. If you are trying to replace your Mac Pro with an iMac or MacBook Pro, I suggest you go with the quad-core i7 models. I use Apple Remote Desktop because it just works. Ive never had a problem running a headless Mini. The Macs that do get smoked running pro apps are the dual-core models. I have a Mac Mini (mid-2010, upgraded with an SSD and 8 GB RAM). And if you are comparing a new 'high-end' iMac or Macbook Pro to a 2006-2008 Mac Pro, you will be impressed. The gap varies depending on the app and the specific function within the app.
The gap has definitely closed between the 'mid range' Mac Pro versus the 'high-end' iMac and MacBook Pro when it comes to pro apps - thanks to quad-core i7 "Sandy Bridge" processors with hyperthreading and turbo-boost.