24" iMac vs m2 pro mac mini

[jpohio]

My brother has a 2011 27" iMac that he wants to replace. He was set to buy a 24" iMac but is torn between that and a M2 mac mini. Money not an issue, he is not wedded to the all-in-one design. He asked me (I have 24" iMac) if I thought he would see any appreciable difference between a 16GB/1TB 24" iMac and a 32GB M2 1TB mac mini. He uses the system for MS office, web browsing, turbo tax, quicken. No video editing or other intensive applications. He wonders if he would be better off with the M2 Mac mini as it is newer and would, in his opinion, future proof him for a long time.

I love my 24" iMac but am not qualified technically to advise him on any possible performance differences between the two systems he is considering. Any isight or advice is welcome.

Thanks

 

[TechnoMonk]

Depends, personally I am not big fan of AIO. He does need a display for Mac Mini. He can use the display for other macs in future. I would go with mac Mini + display.

 

[mcnallym]

Would go with the M2 mini but keep at 16Gb Memory.
Would also suggest that stick with an M2 rather then a Pro Mini.
Unless wanting to attach more then 2 screens (and why would you be considering an iMac then) and the 2 CPU cores really not going to be used with what saying used for.

M2 won't support 32Gb of RAM however is £750 pounds cheaper here in UK for M2/16Gb/1Tb SSD at 1249 vs M2 Pro/32Gb/1Tb at 1999.

That 750 will pay for a good monitor or at least a big chunk of it. I bought a Dell 3008WFP back when launched and still using some 15 years later everyday, so a good one should last several mini refreshes whereas each iMac is buying the screen again etc.
If is happy with a 2560 x 1440 27" then Dell U2722D is 349 in UK. Same screen size and res as current iMac so should be good. Tend to stick with Dell U rather then P models with Mac.

Apple will drop support for M2 and M2 Pro at the same time so won't last longer as such in terms of Apple Support and would expect certainly to last as long as the 2011 iMac has with what used for.

I know said money not an issue but just don't see that will see an appreciable difference in what stated use is

 

[theluggage]

He uses the system for MS office, web browsing, turbo tax, quicken. No video editing or other intensive applications.

That's not going to stretch the M1 iMac and certainly doesn't need a M2 Pro. If he likes your iMac and its screen that's probably the thing to go for. If he wants a 27" screen then its the Mac Mini (regular M2) plus the fun of choosing a display.

I love my 24" iMac but am not qualified technically to advise him on any possible performance differences between the two systems he is considering.

Essentially, the M2 (regular, non-pro) is a newer processor that is a bit faster all-round than the M1 (regular non-pro).

The "pro" version offers more CPU and GPU cores, which is good for video/graphics/audio but probably won't make a blind bit of difference for office applications. It also supports more than 2 displays, which is probably also irrelevant. 8GB RAM would probably be fine for that, 16GB gives a bit of future proofing.

A new version of the iMac, with a M2 or better processor, is overdue, but nobody really knows if or when that will happen. The developer conference in June is one of the 3-4 dates during a year where new product launches often happen but there are absolutely no guarantees.

 

[eXan]

There is a small chance the next iMac (potentially) arriving this year might have a variation with a larger screen size. Looks like your brother keeps his computer for a while and although a 24" iMac is a more elegant solution, it's hard to equip it with the future in mind without breaking a bank. Tough choice man! If he is pulling a trigger right now, I'd recommend searching for a discounted iMac if he's okay with keeping it light core.

Remember, with a Mini he'd also need a keyboard, mouse, monitor, webcam, speakers, etc. It does add up even if you go for 3rd party peripherals.

 

[Bodhitree]

Amazon has been doing some great deals on the M1 iMac (499 usd discount), and performance wise its unlikely he would see any difference. It’s worth taking a look.

Earlier in the week, we tracked a new all-time low price on Apple's 8-Core GPU, 256GB M1 iMac, and now today Amazon has introduced more colors of this computer on sale. You can get four colors now at $999.99, down from $1,499.00, which is a massive $499 discount on the 24-inch iMac.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

Colors on sale include Yellow, Purple, Orange, and Pink. Shipping estimates have slipped into the middle of May with the fastest options, and as far into early June for some. This is quite a discount, so we recommend getting your order in as soon as possible if you're interested; these have been known to disappear quickly.

M1 iMac (8-Core GPU, 256GB) for $999.99 ($499 OFF)​

With this discount, the 8-Core/256GB model is now cheaper than the entry-level 7-Core/256GB model, which has only ever reached as low as $1,099.00 in previous sales. The M1 iMac first launched two years ago in April 2021, and it features a 24-inch 4.5K Retina display, M1 chip, Touch ID keyboard, and more.

If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.

Article Link: Deals: Amazon Expands M1 iMac Sale to Include More Colors at $999.99 Price Tag ($499 Off)

 

[jpohio]

Thank you for all the replies.

 

[andreyush]

While the mac mini sounds the cheaper and better solution performance wise.
Good luck finding a monitor matching the quality of the iMac display. Also the resolution of a QHD monitor on MacOS looks horrible IMO. MacOS is not that good with rendering fonts.

I would rather wait for the next iMac if you want more power than what M1 offers than buying all the accessories, find a good monitor and bother with the resolution scaling on mac mini.

It's about what suits you best

Mac Mini: cheap and a bit more powerful than the iMac
Needs accessories and monitor. Depending on this you could go cheaper, same prices or even more expensive than the iMac.

iMac: about 20% less powerful than mac mini.
Clean and easy setup. Already comes with mouse and keyboard, speakers etc.
No fuss about external displays.

For what your brother needs M1 will be more than sufficient. You should definitely go with at least 16GB no matter the option you choose.

 

[Spock]

Clean and easy setup. Already comes with mouse and keyboard, speakers etc.

This right here is what I like the most about the iMac, you only have one wire on your desk for everything. The iMac is perfect for those that hate wires like I do.

 

[Gudi]

He wonders if he would be better off with the M2 Mac mini as it is newer and would, in his opinion, future proof him for a long time.

You can not future-proof a computer by buying more of current generation memory and storage. It will age at the same speed as the rest. Only if you know that in the near future (less than two years) your computer usage will dramatically change and you will venture out into video editing and running virtual machines, then you should buy a little more than what you need right now. Even the M1/8GB/256GB iMac is perfectly fine for the tasks you described. So 16GB/1TB is already all the future-proofing your brother will ever need. You need to change his mindset towards: What is a computer without speakers, microphones, monitor, webcam, keyboard, mouse and color-coordinated braided Lightning cable even good for? Absolutely nothing!

 

[Fishrrman]

M2pro Mini with 1tb SSD. 1tb SSD is 2x as fast as the 512gb.
Comes with 4 USBc ports on the back and 16gb of RAM standard.

27" 4k display. Don't buy the cheapest one(s), but don't buy the "high-end" ones, either, unless you really feel like spending the money.