Instead of getting a new Mac Mini...

[GtrDude]

iGPU is fine for driving one large screen or two smaller screens. Else you can get a decent eGPU. (Which you can replace, cheaply, unlike the aging D300/500/700 in the trash can).

I'm only using one monitor HP LP3065c it has 2560 x 1600 resolution.
The Mac Mini should be enough for that.
I also don't play games or edit videos.

Couple of things on a slightly different note.
If I get the Mac Mini:

1. My monitor only has DVI-D input.
Is that ok?

2. The computer I use is on the other side of a regular sheetrock wall behind the monitor.
Can I still use the built in bluetooth (would the signal make it through the wall?) for the keyboard and trackpad, or should I try to find a place in the same room as where the monitor, and my desk, is?
The reason for this is that I need for my computers to be silent because I use them for recording. So I just put them in the next room and run the cables through the wall.

 

[Ploki]

I'm only using one monitor HP LP3065c it has 2560 x 1600 resolution.
The Mac Mini should be enough for that.
I also don't play games or edit videos.

Couple of things on a slightly different note.
If I get the Mac Mini:

1. My monitor only has DVI-D input.
Is that ok?

2. The computer I use is on the other side of a regular sheetrock wall behind the monitor.
Can I still use the built in bluetooth (would the signal make it through the wall?) for the keyboard and trackpad, or should I try to find a place in the same room as where the monitor, and my desk, is?
The reason for this is that I need for my computers to be silent because I use them for recording. So I just put them in the next room and run the cables through the wall.

Should be fine with an adapter. (Same goes for the mac pro, fwiw, none have the DVI port anymore).

as far as bluetooth through wall goes, I have absolutely no way of knowing that unfortunately. As i tried this, it worked in some studios and didnt work in others.

 

[th0masp]

Well yeah, via thunderbolt2, which is half the bandwidth of TB3.

Here's a TB1/2/3 comparison: https://egpu.io/forums/mac-setup/pcie-slot-dgpu-vs-thunderbolt-3-egpu-internal-display-test/

 

[Spectrum]

I'm only using one monitor HP LP3065c it has 2560 x 1600 resolution.
The Mac Mini should be enough for that.
I also don't play games or edit videos.

Couple of things on a slightly different note.
If I get the Mac Mini:

1. My monitor only has DVI-D input.
Is that ok?

2. The computer I use is on the other side of a regular sheetrock wall behind the monitor.
Can I still use the built in bluetooth (would the signal make it through the wall?) for the keyboard and trackpad, or should I try to find a place in the same room as where the monitor, and my desk, is?
The reason for this is that I need for my computers to be silent because I use them for recording. So I just put them in the next room and run the cables through the wall.

Connecting TB3 or HDMI to dual link DVI is not trivial unfortunately...
https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2017/20170818_0752-connecting-display-to-TB3.html

 

[Ploki]

Connecting TB3 or HDMI to dual link DVI is not trivial unfortunately...
https://macperformanceguide.com/blog/2017/20170818_0752-connecting-display-to-TB3.html

Painful.
But mini also has an HDMI port, which should be less problematic; also according to your link

 

[Spectrum]

Painful.
But mini also has an HDMI port, which should be less problematic; also according to your link

Where do you see the HDMI > DL-DVI cable/adapter solution?

 

[Ploki]

Where do you see the HDMI > DL-DVI cable/adapter solution?

Whoopsie, my bad, been a while since i used anything DVI related, i mistakenly thought DL DVI is DVI-D.

Yeah then no. Probably an USB-C >> DP adapter, then an active DP>DL-DVI (expensive) adapter.

might be cheaper buying a new monitor frankly

 

[Spectrum]

Whoopsie, my bad, been a while since i used anything DVI related, i mistakenly thought DL DVI is DVI-D.

Yeah then no. Probably an USB-C >> DP adapter, then an active DP>DL-DVI (expensive) adapter.

might be cheaper buying a new monitor frankly

Well, 2560x1600 30 inch monitors are still sold a hefty premium. And for a good reason - those extra vertical pixels are really useful. For me, I prefer 16:10 displays compared to 16:9. Maybe one day we'll get 4K 3840x2400 and 5K 5120x3200...

 

[Hessel89]

If you don't care about hiDPI (5K) screens and are fine with the D700 GPUs that are still great but non upgradable, then Mac Pro is definitely still a great machine that's very stable. Some people here have noted that you don't get Applecare and warranty but here in the Netherlands you can get some Refurbished base level Mac Pro's for around €1600 that still have 2 year warranty. I'd say that's great value. Forget about adding high speed storage and eGPUs though since the Thunderbolt 2 ports are only 20 Gbits/s which equites to around 1800 MB/s, and you'd have to share that bandwidth with all your TB2 devices. This is ultimately why I chose the Mac mini.

 

[pl1984]

If you don't care about hiDPI (5K) screens and are fine with the D700 GPUs that are still great but non upgradable, then Mac Pro is definitely still a great machine that's very stable. Some people here have noted that you don't get Applecare and warranty but here in the Netherlands you can get some Refurbished base level Mac Pro's for around €1600 that still have 2 year warranty. I'd say that's great value. Forget about adding high speed storage and eGPUs though since the Thunderbolt 2 ports are only 20 Gbits/s which equites to around 1800 MB/s, and you'd have to share that bandwidth with all your TB2 devices. This is ultimately why I chose the Mac mini.

Are you sure about this? I seem to recall reading the design of the nMP was such that all six of its TB2 ports could operate at full speed at the same time.

 

[Ploki]

Are you sure about this? I seem to recall reading the design of the nMP was such that all six of its TB2 ports could operate at full speed at the same time.

you are correct, it has 3 controller chips.

 

[th0masp]

Also you might want to check the link I posted further up re: TB1/2/3 comparison. If you follow the thread for a bit then at least at a glance it did not look to me like TB3 was at much of an advantage over the older protocols for running the eGPU. If I understood it right there seemed to be similar performance losses vs an internal GPU of the same type on all three of them.

 

[Ploki]

Also you might want to check the link I posted further up re: TB1/2/3 comparison. If you follow the thread for a bit then at least at a glance it did not look to me like TB3 was at much of an advantage over the older protocols for running the eGPU. If I understood it right there seemed to be similar performance losses vs an internal GPU of the same type on all three of them.

probably depends on the GPU, 1060X is pretty old. Wonder how a Vega 64 would compare.

 

[th0masp]

Well, check the thread - it's multiple pages of another forum - there's lots of cards being compared. Also note that it only compares 1080p resolution. Perhaps at high resolutions TB3 may have an advantage but in their test case it does not look glorious to me.

Anyway it's obscenely expensive to use one so there's that. But good to know that the option exists and that even a TB1 device like my old 2011 MBP could benefit a lot.