i5 32gb ram mini to M1 16gb worth it?

[Stow]

I mainly use the system for coding and a little bit of iOS and MacOS development. I know the M1 is faster but I also know that they still sell my version and was wondering if it would be a downgrade for me?

 

[Kaida]

I would think the 2018 advantage over the M1 now is only bootcamp with the ability to run windows natively. If you are just using MacOS, then the M1 would do the job better and cooler.

 

[Stow]

I would think the 2018 advantage over the M1 now is only bootcamp with the ability to run windows natively. If you are just using MacOS, then the M1 would do the job better and cooler.

Just trying to see if losing the memory is worth it.

 

[chabig]

Just trying to see if losing the memory is worth it.

I think you'll find the M1 machine faster, and you won't have any problems with the smaller memory footprint.

 

[Scorned]

If your system works for your needs, why bother?

An upgrade won't be earth shattering.

 

[CC88]

I own an i5 with 64gb of ram. I will upgrade it when and if they will release a mini where I can install the same amount of ram and with the same amount of tb ports.

EDIT: forgot to mention eGPU Support.

 

[Boyd01]

I have the 2018 i7 with 64gb. The M1 just won't do what I need, I use Windows 10, MacOS Sierra and MacOS Mountain Lion virtual machines heavily. Still delighted with my 2018 Mini, the M1 is certainly cool but just not for me.

 

[Honza1]

I own both, bought few weeks apart this year. 8GB M1 is faster, cool, and quiet. Perfect mac machine. i5 is noisy and hot but allowed me to up the memory to 20GB (4 original + 16 replacement) for reasonable price and I can run Parallels with Win10 on it. It runs two OSes, 24h/day, without any issues. Major difference is heat and power - i5 routinely uses 40-60W and is hot, M1 uses few wats and is cold.
Would I replace i5 with M1 if I did not needed Windows? No, its not worth it - difference to M1 is not large enough to force upgrade for me. May be in few years with M3 or whatever next generation will be.