Anyone else patiently waiting to replace they’re i7 Mini with more than an M1 chip?

[Codeseven]

I really don't have much bad to say about my 2018 i7 16Gb 1Tb Mac Mini, it has served me well. But an Apple product still using an old Intel chip does seem like old news. And with all the talk of an M2 Mini even a Mini with ’just’ an M1 chip is starting to sound like yesterdays news. I typically buy higher end maxed out computers to future proof them for 5 years or more so when I replace my i7 model I’ll want ‘at least’ an M2 chip, if not M3 before I do so.

Anyone else?

 

[gusping]

100% yes. I am also using a 2018 i7 mini, however, it has definitely started to slow down in the past year, even for basic tasks. I am very much looking forward to an M2 mini, or ideally an M2 Pro. Hopefully we hear something in Feb/March.

 

[pshufd]

Just join https://forums.macrumors.com/thread....1681773/page-752?post=31864070#post-31864070

 

[Boyd01]

No plans to replace mine at all, spend quite a lot of time running Windows 10 in a 32gb/4 core VM which works fine, and besides.... I can't afford it. Got this Mini in 2020 with the idea of using it for at least 5 years. Looking forward to the options I will have in 2025! 😄

 

[Yebubbleman]

I really don't have much bad to say about my 2018 i7 16Gb 1Tb Mac Mini, it has served me well. But an Apple product still using an old Intel chip does seem like old news. And with all the talk of an M2 Mini even a Mini with ’just’ an M1 chip is starting to sound like yesterdays news. I typically buy higher end maxed out computers to future proof them for 5 years or more so when I replace my i7 model I’ll want ‘at least’ an M2 chip, if not M3 before I do so.

Anyone else?

Without addressing whatever it is that you do with this Mac mini, I'll give you my hot-take on the 2018 Mac mini vs. the 2020 M1 version:

If you are cool with 16GB of RAM (and it seems like you are since that's what your 2018 Mac mini has) and don't mind sacrificing (a) the number of external displays your Mac mini can support simultaneously, (b) the ability to upgrade that RAM from 16GB to something higher (again, I'm guessing this one isn't a dealbreaker for you), and (c) two fewer Thunderbolt 3 ports, the M1 Mac mini is a seriously good upgrade.

When it comes to "Future-Proofing", determining that the M1 is too old for you when (a) no one really knows how long Apple intends to keep supporting M-series Macs and iPads before dropping macOS and iPadOS support seems...a little too over-cautious (especially since even a high end Mac mini doesn't cost that much relative to literally any other non-Pro/non-Max/non-Ultra M1 or M2 Mac) and (b) Apple clearly doesn't intend any of their desktop lines to receive anywhere near as frequent of an update cycle as their MacBook and iPad lines do and (c) ever since 2012, Apple's Mac mini refresh cycle has been as short as two years or as long as four (read: You may be waiting a good while for an M2 or M3 Mac mini).

That all being said, I do not know your workload for this Mac mini. If all you do is web browsing and streaming media, your Intel mini might continue to serve you just fine. That said, if 16GB isn't a problem, the M1 Mac mini screams.

 

[Giuanniello]

I am patiently waiting, molto patiently, to see when they come with an M2 one if they ever do, at this point I won't wonder if they wait for an M3 to upgrade the Mini, my 2014 one with i7 CPU, 1TB SSD and 16GB can't make it any longer, even exporting a 24MP photo has become a struggle and Apple is really pushing me towards the other side of the river at this point in time

 

[DotCom2]

I am waiting also to see what happens in March.

 

[TomM1]

I really don't have much bad to say about my 2018 i7 16Gb 1Tb Mac Mini, it has served me well. But an Apple product still using an old Intel chip does seem like old news. And with all the talk of an M2 Mini even a Mini with ’just’ an M1 chip is starting to sound like yesterdays news. I typically buy higher end maxed out computers to future proof them for 5 years or more so when I replace my i7 model I’ll want ‘at least’ an M2 chip, if not M3 before I do so.

Anyone else?

My Mac mini (2018) is still perfectly lovely.
Skipped the M1.
Would possibly buy an M2 to eliminate my eGPU.

 

[acemics4]

My 2018 i5 with 8G is limping toward the finish line. If there isn't something new by March, I am going to have to go with something else like the Mac Studio. It would be overkill for me, but I wouldn't have to worry about something new again for quite a long time.

 

[Codeseven]

My Mini’s workload during music production is not really too demanding, DAW with allot of plugins->Audio Interface with multiple inputs recording drums, guitar and vocals. It’ll lag at times but no crashes. One external 1080p display.

I have to admit, wanting new shiny things does play into it. Nothing like a new Mac to make computing seem all new and fun again. My Mini kept up alright with the music production demands I’d put on ii so maybe it’s more of a ‘geez, my computer is 5 years old and has just an Intel chip, wish it was one of those shiny new M powered ones!’

 

[Boyd01]

I have to admit, wanting new shiny things does play into it. Nothing like a new Mac to make computing seem all new and fun again.

It's funny... there was a time when I was like that, but the older I get (my first computer was an Apple ][ in 1978), the more I dread upgrading hardware and software. It's all just a distraction from the work I need the computer to do... hours transferring data, updating software, troubleshooting, etc.

Sure, once I get it all sorted out then I enjoy the benefits of a new system, but getting there isn't much fun anymore.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

My 2012 i7 got replaced a few months back…. Partly (mostly?) because I didn’t want to use Catalina. If I had a 2018 I’d hang onto it until the M2s come out at this point.

 

[The_Interloper]

At least you can run the latest macOS on the 2018 Mini. My perfectly capable Ryzen 7 1700 PC from around the same time is locked out of Windows 11 completely - meaning it can't even run Apple's latest Music, TV and Sync apps.

My 2018 i5 with 8G is limping toward the finish line. If there isn't something new by March, I am going to have to go with something else like the Mac Studio. It would be overkill for me, but I wouldn't have to worry about something new again for quite a long time.

That i5 with 8Gb would get a great boost from a RAM upgrade. Don't forget the integrated graphics alone steal away 1.5Gb.

 

[Spock]

I was thinking about getting an M1 Mac mini to replace my 2014 Mac mini but now that I have thought about it so long, with the Mac mini due for an update, I am just giving it some more time.

 

[fuchsdh]

I got my 2018 in 2020 (right when they dropped the prices on flash storage) to upgrade from my 5,1. i7, 32GB RAM added aftermarket, 1TB SSD. With a 6600XT eGPU, it still performs very well, and certainly based on GPU power it's still competitive with the M1.

Right now I figure I've still got at least one more year of service before the per-month cost of the machine has amortized to an acceptable level, but I'm curious to see what the Mac lineup ends up looking at that point when I decide to buy. The Mac Pro will probably be too expensive to be worth it (versus just getting a cheaper computer and upgrading more frequently.) The Mac Studio is basically a better, more connectivity-minded setup than what I've got now, albeit at a higher price than what I bought the mini for (especially once you factor in the upgrades I'll definitely want) and I presume the Mac mini won't change that much from its current template. The question really becomes whether Apple releases an Mx Pro-powered Mini, because that might hit the sweet spot for performance/cost on a machine where you can't really upgrade it.

Hell, unless my work requirements change, I might hang onto it until it's just not getting software support anymore. It's been a great computer (things like the Mojave sleep crash issue aside) and I'll probably still keep it around for old 32 bit apps indefinitely.

My 2018 i5 with 8G is limping toward the finish line. If there isn't something new by March, I am going to have to go with something else like the Mac Studio. It would be overkill for me, but I wouldn't have to worry about something new again for quite a long time.

$50 would get you 16GB of memory and probably give it a pretty big boost (I dunno if the second DIMM is filled, you could get a single 16GB stick at the same cost and end up with 24GB.) Even factoring in the time to upgrade, that's a lot cheaper than a new computer and you'd probably feel like it's an enjoyable experience while you wait.

I was thinking about getting an M1 Mac mini to replace my 2014 Mac mini but now that I have thought about it so long, with the Mac mini due for an update, I am just giving it some more time.

On the plus side, as with all these things, when you do upgrade it'll feel like a quantum jump I've always found the sizable step up from waiting longer between upgrades more enjoyable, not to mention more economical, than quicker update schedules.

 

[Gudi]

Anyone else?

Three new minis between 2012 and 2022. Get used to waiting!

The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

 

[goodcow]

I have a 2018 i7 32GB mini, and I'm getting a Studio next, but I haven't decided on which configuration yet, or if I should wait for an M2 Studio.

 

[Codeseven]

Haven’t looked it up, but I think the increase in performance going from an Intel i7 to an M1 (given the same amount of RAM) is probably substantial whereas going from an M1 to an M2 is probably much less so, true? Thats why when I get rid of the i7 I’d prefer at least an M2 Pro if not M3.

 

[- rob -]

I had a 2018 Mac mini i7 with 64GB RAM and the RX 580 Blackmagic eGPU. I used this rig with the XDR Pro Display—excellent set up.

But I also had the 2018 MBA and that thing was terrible. Slow, bad battery life, horrendous GPU capability. I loathed going mobile on it.

When the M2 MBA dropped I picked up a fully loaded machine and have since liquidated all of the old equipment, including the eGPU.

As mentioned above, I was looking at price per month after liquidation and all the mini stuff did great.

I now use the M2 MBA in clamshell at the XDR and pull the single TB cable to go mobile it’s amazing. Way faster than the mini, and battery life is great.

One of the reasons I sold the Mini and equipment when I did was out of fear a new M2+ mini would drop that would make the i7 really undesirable / eat into the resale value.

Today, at least, the 2018 + eGPU setup is relatively competitive.

If the M2+ mini doesn’t drop soon, and the Studio remains too costly (which is what I evaluated it as) I recommend folks with this setup consider the MBA. Hell of a portable.

 

[nottorp]

I'm waiting, but I have a feeling a reasonably configured mac mini with M2 Pro will end up costing so close to the equivalent Mac Studio that you might as well get the Mac Studio...

And yes I know the Studio starts at the Mx Max not Pro

 

[ixxx69]

I use both a 2018 Mini i5 16GB and a 2020 MBA M1 8GB, and the MBA crushes the Mini. AS Macs are just crazy fast. Regardless of "benchmarks", just the system responsiveness for daily tasks is off the charts, everything just feels faster and smoother. That's not to say the 2018 is chopped liver - it's still a solid daily driver, but it just feels lacking compared to the MBA.

I almost got a Studio, but the "noise issues" have put me off for now, and a mini M2 Pro would be ideal to replace my 2018 mini. Which makes me doubtful that Apple will do it. Apple almost never seems to give me exactly what I want -the M1 MBA being the exception (my first Mac was over 30 years ago).

 

[weirdsmith]

I have a 2018 i7 Mini with 16GB of RAM which drives a couple of 4K screens through a BlackMagic eGPU with a Radeon Pro 580 8GB. I tried a Mac Studio (M1 Max Chip with 10‑Core CPU and 32‑Core GPU) but the graphics performance was a huge step backwards so I returned it and went back to the Mini. I really liked the Studio, but it wasn't dramatically snappier than the Mini in normal use in spite of the much improved specs.

 

[- rob -]

I have a 2018 i7 Mini with 16GB of RAM which drives a couple of 4K screens through a BlackMagic eGPU with a Radeon Pro 580 8GB. I tried a Mac Studio (M1 Max Chip with 10‑Core CPU and 32‑Core GPU) but the graphics performance was a huge step backwards so I returned it and went back to the Mini. I really liked the Studio, but it wasn't dramatically snappier than the Mini in normal use in spite of the much improved specs.

How did you measure graphics performance? I would have expected the above configured Studio to easily beat the i7 w the base BM egpu—both in benchmarks and real world responsiveness.

 

[weirdsmith]

How did you measure graphics performance?

The most obvious thing I tried was StarCraft II, which is great on the mini with all settings maxed. It was basically unplayable on the Studio, even with all the graphics settings turned way down. I was very disappointed to have to return it over that, but I couldn't justify keeping such an expensive machine that was so much worse in performance than its predecessor. More detail here if you're interested.

 

[ixxx69]

The most obvious thing I tried was StarCraft II, which is great on the mini with all settings maxed. It was basically unplayable on the Studio, even with all the graphics settings turned way down. I was very disappointed to have to return it over that, but I couldn't justify keeping such an expensive machine that was so much worse in performance than its predecessor. More detail here if you're interested.

You were unhappy with the performance of a decade old video game that is widely reported to have performance issues on AS. It's understandable that you would return the Studio if the game was that important to you. But it doesn't say anything about the GPU performance of AS.

While it may be unintentional, you're conflating the performance of a single game with the performance of AS Macs in general, which is misleading.