Buying Feedback Needed

[Ocnetgeek]

Have been reading here a lot as well as on Reddit and watching reviews on youtube and finally decided to replace my 2015 15" Macbook Pro with a Mac Mini since I used it at my desk connected to external Monitior/Keyboard/Mouse about 95% of the time. Use Case is General Computer use with some coding, network virtualization using Fusion, Light video editing using iMovie a couple times a year.

Looking to get the most for my money and buy the best system I can now. Here is what I am planning to get

3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)
8GB 2666MHz DDR4 (Upgrading to 32GB with Crucial Kit from Amazon)
Intel UHD Graphics 630 (May get eGPU in the future but not required initially
1TB SSD storage (I have read many threads about getting smallest SSD and using External Storage but so far it looks like adding external Thunderbolt Storage is not a lot cheaper than the cost of upgrading to this size Internal. The cost to upgrade from 256 to 1 Tb was $376 and most external Thunderbolt Storage was 350-400 for the 1 Tb size. I know the USB-C storage is cheaper but the performance does not seem to be as good based on what I have read.

Thoughts?

 

[Fishrrman]

Buy the Mini, but don't get rid of the MBP.
The 2015 model was one of the best of recent years...

 

[rambo47]

Add RAM to the Mini. 16GB is better, 32GB even better than that.

 

[Flekoun]

Well as you are looking for a desktop experience you should also evaluate iMac. I thought about mini as well but at the end decided against it and I will buy 27 iMac as soon as they refresh it.
Keep in mind what mini does not have and how cumbersome it can be compared to 27 iMac.
No microphone. No camera. No speakers. No 2nd gen keyboard and mice. No 5k 27 inch monitor which alone cost at least 1.5k$.
For me the iMac is actualy much better value than putting together cumbersome inferior setup with mac mini, monitor and some random keyboard with mice.
If you count it. Mac mini is actualy not cheap at all if you think about it. It is really just a shell without a lot of stuff the iMacs have.

 

[Ocnetgeek]

Well as you are looking for a desktop experience you should also evaluate iMac. I thought about mini as well but at the end decided against it and I will buy 27 iMac as soon as they refresh it.
Keep in mind what mini does not have and how cumbersome it can be compared to 27 iMac.
No microphone. No camera. No speakers. No 2nd gen keyboard and mice. No 5k 27 inch monitor which alone cost at least 1.5k$.
For me the iMac is actualy much better value than putting together cumbersome inferior setup with mac mini, monitor and some random keyboard with mice.
If you count it. Mac mini is actualy not cheap at all if you think about it. It is really just a shell without a lot of stuff the iMacs have.

the iMac is not an option for me. I have a KVM that I use to switch between my work and home computers. No room or interest in an iMac.

 

[Meatsuit]

I have Mini i7/32/500. Have had it for about a year. Some feedback
My internal SSD benchmarks around 2700mb/s read & 1800mb/s write. Its fast compared to my TB3 G-DRIVE Mobile SSD at 520mb/s read & 480mb/s write.
The i7 runs hot when you push it hard with big encoding tasks. Remedied it with Macs Fans Control and Speed Design cooling fan base. Was getting hot enough to effect the CPU performance and kinda worry me.
To date my eGPU with a Mini is not fully compatible with Catalina 10.15.4. I have to do a cable swap at startup. Starting to think Apple will never fix this issue with the RX580. They don't really acknowledge the issue.
Ram upgrade is very doable. You will need a T6S, T5 and T10 Torx.
Looking to get a second new i7 Mini to replace an ailing 2014 i5/8/1TB Mini not keeping up with demand of being a NVR w/AI and 8 HD IP cameras. It's more than maxed out.
I'm a fan of the Mini platform and its piece together approach. Like me a UW Monitor or two.

 

[MevetS]

I have Mini i7/32/500. Have had it for about a year. Some feedback ... snip ... To date my eGPU with a Mini is not fully compatible with Catalina 10.15.4. I have to do a cable swap at startup. Starting to think Apple will never fix this issue with the RX580. They don't really acknowledge the issue. ...snip ...

Here is a post from another thread about how I dealt with the 'cable swap' issue. Of course, your milage may vary.

"I have a Razor Core X with a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 (swapped out from my now retired MacPro 2010). I am very happy with it. In my usage it is silent (the Mini, the eGPU, and my OWC drive enclosure). However, I did need to get an HDMI adaptor plug to get my displays to come on when I boot up. You can read about it in this thread. And this link explains how to mirror the HDMI plug to your main monitor. Note that not everyone has this issue. Also note that I'm still driving the old displays I was using with the MacPro. With the current COVID-19 uncertainty I've put off updating the displays for now. But I'm very pleased with the transition from MacPro to MacMini."

 

[Meatsuit]

Here is a post from another thread about how I dealt with the 'cable swap' issue. Of course, your milage may vary.

"I have a Razor Core X with a Sapphire Pulse RX 580 (swapped out from my now retired MacPro 2010). I am very happy with it. In my usage it is silent (the Mini, the eGPU, and my OWC drive enclosure). However, I did need to get an HDMI adaptor plug to get my displays to come on when I boot up. You can read about it in this thread. And this link explains how to mirror the HDMI plug to your main monitor. Note that not everyone has this issue. Also note that I'm still driving the old displays I was using with the MacPro. With the current COVID-19 uncertainty I've put off updating the displays for now. But I'm very pleased with the transition from MacPro to MacMini."

I Have tried a few different dummy HDMI adapters with no luck getting the resolution correct. Last night I got an extra long HDMI cable and hooked it hook to to a large screen TV across the room. Doable workaround for now. Have a second monitor in a box needing mounting.That should fix this single screen cable swap BS. The craziness of life right now has keeping me from having much computer fun.
Sorry for the tread hijack Ocnetgeek. I kinda wish I had got the 1TB SDD. Something external, similar specs and TB3 will be costly.