iMac Pro or mini

[grandM]

So a local shop comes each year with a 17.36 percent discount. They never do so on the latest stuff.

As I am clumsy I will not change the ram myself on the mini 2018. If I would order the 3.2 i7 with 1 TB SSD and 32 GB ram it would set me 2929 euro back.

With the discount the iMac Pro 3.2 with 32 GB ram and 1 TB SSD would come down to 4380.45 euro.

Am I foolish feeling the iMac Pro to be the better deal? Or is it better to buy a mini with separate eGpu?

 

[mdbradigan]

Not sure you'll get very useful answers without providing a use case.

Saving 17% by telling yourself that you are obtaining a larger discount because the item costs more originally is not entirely a great argument; by that logic, you save 1,300 euro by buying the lower cost item, no? (not trying to be critical - I tell myself stuff like this all the time to talk myself into buying things...)

iMac pro is a great product. But it's a lot of money for professional-grade components like Xeon/ecc that may or may not make sense for a lot of consumer-grade work. I.e. - you can save money by buying more consumer-grade parts and still get everything you want done. iMac pro is overkill for a lot of use-cases. Mac mini is definitely sufficient for most workflows. What is it you're wanting to do - and what limitations are you finding with your current gear?

So - what are you using them for? Do you "need" that eGPU? If not, and you have fairly standard computing tasks, would think you could either:

• Choose the lowest cost device that will get the job done ... or
• Pick the one you like the best and can afford

Either way, hope you are satisfied with your purchase - they're both great computers.

 

[F-Train]

As I am clumsy I will not change the ram myself on the mini 2018. If I would order the 3.2 i7 with 1 TB SSD and 32 GB ram it would set me 2929 euro back.

You can always hire a technician to change out the RAM for you. One participant here said that a chain called Micro Center quoted him US$30 to do the job.

 

[Hessel89]

You mentioned getting a seperate GPU with the Mac Mini. I don't know what your use case is but if a GPU is an absolute necessity I'd say get the iMac Pro. You'll get a free 5K screen worth €1400 with it and it includes a Magic Keyboard + mouse/trackpad worth €250/€300.

 

[MandiMac]

Or is it better to buy a mini with separate eGpu?

This depends solely on your use case. What are you gonna use it for?

 

[Ploki]

I wouldn't open an iMac Pro. I opened a mac mini. imo it's a waste of money to order it with 32GB of RAM.

 

[F-Train]

I opened a mac mini. imo it's a waste of money to order it with 32GB of RAM.

Especially given that Apple's RAM pricing is based on RAM prices that are starting to go down and many people believe will go down much further.

 

[harriska2]

Especially given that Apple's RAM pricing is based on RAM prices that are starting to go down and many people believe will go down much further.

Newegg has it under $200 already for 32gb.

 

[opeter]

I wouldn't open an iMac Pro. I opened a mac mini. imo it's a waste of money to order it with 32GB of RAM.

Actually, you can open the iMac Pro, and change some things inside (like the CPU, RAM, maybe even the SSD if you can find one, that will fit in the Apple proprietary connector). But these components right now are very expensive to buy yourself.

 

[Ploki]

Actually, you can open the iMac Pro, and change some things inside (like the CPU, RAM, maybe even the SSD if you can find one, that will fit in the Apple proprietary connector). But these components right now are very expensive to buy yourself.

I know that you can, i said that i wouldn't.

 

[grandM]

This depends solely on your use case. What are you gonna use it for?

I use my Mac all day long. I use it to do common things as text editing, surfing the web, watching YouTube movies, watching real movies. I also use the device to write books in iBooks, coding in for android and iOS. I am also running Nox player for an android game I'm in to.

Problem with my current device is that the fan goes wild for YouTube and nox player. This gets on my nerves to be honest.

I own my current mini for six years now. The specs are good. i7, 16 GB ram, added a SSD. Sometimes the device isn't as snappy as I'd like to. But that is not the main concern. That fan is...
[doublepost=1549496839][/doublepost]

I wouldn't open an iMac Pro. I opened a mac mini. imo it's a waste of money to order it with 32GB of RAM.

I am clumsy. I am not opening it again. Did so on my current mini and broke some things. Luckily nothing that I really need. But it stays closed. I learned my lesson

 

[ixxx69]

I use my Mac all day long. I use it to do common things as text editing, surfing the web, watching YouTube movies, watching real movies. I also use the device to write books in iBooks, coding in for android and iOS. I am also running Nox player for an android game I'm in to.

Problem with my current device is that the fan goes wild for YouTube and nox player. This gets on my nerves to be honest.

I own my current mini for six years now. The specs are good. i7, 16 GB ram, added a SSD. Sometimes the device isn't as snappy as I'd like to. But that is not the main concern. That fan is...
[doublepost=1549496839][/doublepost]
I am clumsy. I am not opening it again. Did so on my current mini and broke some things. Luckily nothing that I really need. But it stays closed. I learned my lesson

You're not going to find a much quieter computer than the 2018 mini. And it will handle your usage great (I don't know much about gaming, but I assume none of the games you're into are GPU-intensive.

And I completely understand the RAM upgrade... I've put together dozens of custom computers, but I don't have the patience and dexterity for something like the mini and just too easy to mess something up. There are some folks around here who insist it's easy and pressure people into thinking they're stupid to "waste" money by not doing it themselves, but that's their own trip. Most people pay someone to change the oil in their car even though it's not that hard to do themselves - there are lots of things like that.

Good luck!

 

[MandiMac]

I use my Mac all day long. I use it to do common things as text editing, surfing the web, watching YouTube movies, watching real movies. I also use the device to write books in iBooks, coding in for android and iOS. I am also running Nox player for an android game I'm in to.

Dumb question: Not any of this warrants the price and power of an iMac Pro. Did you ever think about the entry 27-inch iMac? Could be the ideal machine for you, and you would have no problems with GPU applications on top of a great screen. (Then again, the 2019 version seems to be just around the corner.)

That your old Mini is on its last legs is clear; the old Minis had laptop CPUs whereas the new Mini has a plain ol' desktop CPU (4-core to 6-core) in it. But be aware that the current Mini has just an Intel GPU inside, so gaming needs are to be left unsatisfied on a Mac mini 2018. Source: I have one (i5, 256 GB).

 

[grandM]

Dumb question: Not any of this warrants the price and power of an iMac Pro. Did you ever think about the entry 27-inch iMac? Could be the ideal machine for you, and you would have no problems with GPU applications on top of a great screen. (Then again, the 2019 version seems to be just around the corner.)

That your old Mini is on its last legs is clear; the old Minis had laptop CPUs whereas the new Mini has a plain ol' desktop CPU (4-core to 6-core) in it. But be aware that the current Mini has just an Intel GPU inside, so gaming needs are to be left unsatisfied on a Mac mini 2018. Source: I have one (i5, 256 GB).

Are you implying the fan of the mini 2018 would go nuts once more playing a game on Nox?

I like to buy a bit future proof. But maybe I should indeed take a look at the iMac 27''. I must say I do like the look of of the mini compared to the iMac to be honest. The iMac Pro of course has the same disadvantage. My screen is now exactly at the height I like it to be. This cannot be done with an iMac. Honestly wonder why apple did not think of this.

 

[MandiMac]

Are you implying the fan of the mini 2018 would go nuts once more playing a game on Nox?

I like to buy a bit future proof. But maybe I should indeed take a look at the iMac 27''. I must say I do like the look of of the mini compared to the iMac to be honest. The iMac Pro of course has the same disadvantage. My screen is now exactly at the height I like it to be. This cannot be done with an iMac. Honestly wonder why apple did not think of this.

I am implying that the GPU isn‘t really a workhorse in the current Mini, that is all. So before you consider the iMac Pro, the normal one should be way more interesting and fitting.