Mac Mini for Rhinoceros

Rhino Mac Hardware
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1

Hi,

we are thinking of buying a new mac mini for Rhinoceros. We have been working with mac minis since 2016 and have always been satisfied with its speed. Our office is doing architecture & interior design.

Which mac mini is better for running Rhino 7 and 8 wip?

  • Chip Apple M1 con CPU 8‑core e GPU 8‑core Archiviazione 512GB
  • Processore Intel Core i5 6‑core a 3,0GHz con Intel UHD Graphics 630 Archiviazione 512GB

Thanks

2

Please see the system requirements for Rhino 7 for mac, particularly in the Graphics

3

Ok, but currently there are no mac minis for sale which do have an AMD graphic chip. You would either have internal graphics with a M1 Chip SoA or an Intel UHD Graphics 630

4

I don’t think anyone offical’s going to say anything more. I’M going to say, looking at a Mac Mini to do real CAD work is silly on multiple levels. Get something that meets the requirements first, then worry about whether or not it comes in a cute box. IT’S FOR WORK. It needs to WORK, and it should have better performance than your average deck jockey who never runs anything more demanding than Quickbooks. Just look at all the support questions here about cruddy intel graphics on laptops or teething problems on Mac M1, and decide if you have time for that.

5

What about the new mac studio?

6

why would that be so silly? what does real CAD work define then? i am running a computer which is 8 years old and was no the strongest then, the mac mini sure outperforms mine, and i work just fine for most instances, when it does not work fine it is not an issue of performance but because Rhino is not flawless currently having many bugs slowing it down.

i am considering one either, still i would prefer paying less and saving a bit space on my small table. i am still considering just to buy a mac mini and see if it works but i was hoping for an update for it hence waiting so long. Rhino runs now native and with metal together that should do if you are not in need of a production rendering machine.

1 Like
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I would also prefer to buy a new mac mini, because the old ones (2014) still work quite well. The mac minis are workhorses, I can just praise them in highest tones. Silent, fast, reliable and you can run them easily with two 22inch screens.

I just want to hire a new employee so I was wondering if I shoud go for the M1 mac mini or the UHD 630 graphics mac mini. I am sure that for furniture design and small architecture here in Italy such a setting is not bad at all.