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Could the mini be enough?
- Thread starter zoran
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The fully buffed out Mini would suffice for most users, but for $200 more you can buy a base model Studio, which steams way ahead of the Mini. It's almost a no brainer.
Even at the base price, the Studio has double the ram and higher core CPUs and GPUs, this is especially true for the GPUs.
Even at the base price, the Studio has double the ram and higher core CPUs and GPUs, this is especially true for the GPUs.
If you can afford it: I wouldn't get less than 32GB of RAM for your workload.
The best pick is the most capable computer, hence the Studio in this case.
If you are a hobbyist and learning the ins-and-outs of the trade, a Mini will do just fine and actually be preferable.
I am a professional senior-level designer making $150k a year. Been using design programs since I was 3 when my father bought me Corel Draw 2 to keep me entertained while he worked late nights doing IT. Went to a design school. Freelanced making absolutely nothing out of school. Worked at both consultancies and in-house. Hustled my way here. Design is what I breathe everyday.
And I can honestly say design isn't about the tools. It's about the designer and the creativity and skills that you absorb from others and your own experiences. Having a $3000 Mac Studio doesn't mean **** over a $500 Mac Mini if you are just starting out. In fact, it's worse. I'd rather take that $2500 I saved and use it to go on a trip to Italy or Japan (the two countries with the world's greatest design) and make that trip all about learning and witnessing firsthand design there and network with people who you can ask for mentorship from over the years. Or take that $2500 you save from getting a Mac Mini and take a class. Or take that $2500 and use it as a down payment on an apartment to move to a design mecca like New York City and start your career and life here where you will grow exponentially over someone who stays put in Minneapolis.
Those sort of things will help you grow as a designer way more than a faster computer would. When the time comes and you need a faster computer because computing renderings is the difference between making a profit and losing money on a project, then you upgrade. Until then, it's about the journey and learning, not necessarily executing in the most efficient way possible.