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I've always had a negative opinion on Mac mini's

S

sinanziric

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 8, 2012
45
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Like, I always had a negative opinion on Mac mini as if it was an entry level computer 'just to try' that could not actually do much, just like those mini window pc's, oh boy was I wrong...

Mac mini with apple silicon is definitely not a joke or a 'computer that can not do much' - this thing is actually very powerful.

I use it every day and I am still shocked that this tiny device can handle most of my Adobe, Office tasks for $599

So I wonder, why are we even purchasing those expensive laptops for 3k when we can simply buy upgraded Mac minis :D
 
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yes I do agree, and i am typing this on my mac mini from 2012
which is doing well, and i can add another 4GB if i needed to!

seems to me that  should not be that insecure with this product and keep upgrading Catalina
so these minis can still work in the future, but that would risk mew mini sales growth.

im happy with mine, and only need Mountain Lion which seems to run the best on this mini.
 
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MBAir2010 said:
in 2002 i would tote an iMac G3 bondi blue keyboard, mouse, external CD burner, zip drives to my office once a week!
i was very happy when the powervooks were available!
Click to expand...

Ha! Reminds me of the old days:

vintagemacintosh.jpg
 
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If you are at your desk 99% of the time, but you need to go somewhere 1% of the time, then you have to get a laptop. That's why everywhere you look people work on laptops docked to external monitors, keyboard and mouse.

Otherwise, if you are okay with a desktop computer, Mac mini (and Mac studio) are great value, as you discovered.
 
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sinanziric said:
Like, I always had a negative opinion on Mac mini as if it was an entry level computer 'just to try' that could not actually do much, just like those mini window pc's, oh boy was I wrong...

Mac mini with apple silicon is definitely not a joke or a 'computer that can not do much' - this thing is actually very powerful.

I use it every day and I am still shocked that this tiny device can handle most of my Adobe, Office tasks for $599

So I wonder, why are we even purchasing those expensive laptops for 3k when we can simply buy upgraded Mac minis :D
Click to expand...

The Mac mini (Apple Silicon) is great! Currently, it's my main workhorse and is rock-solid.

richmlow
 
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sinanziric said:
Like, I always had a negative opinion on Mac mini as if it was an entry level computer 'just to try' that could not actually do much, just like those mini window pc's, oh boy was I wrong...

Mac mini with apple silicon is definitely not a joke or a 'computer that can not do much' - this thing is actually very powerful.

I use it every day and I am still shocked that this tiny device can handle most of my Adobe, Office tasks for $599

So I wonder, why are we even purchasing those expensive laptops for 3k when we can simply buy upgraded Mac minis :D
Click to expand...
Actually, the pre-Apple Silicon Mac Mini’s were quite powerful, IMHO. I was doing complicated video edits (special effects, green screen, object tracking, etc) with DaVinci Resolve on a base model Mac Mini years ago. It wasn’t exactly the fastest thing around, but it got the job done.
 
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curnalpanic said:
If you are at your desk 99% of the time, but you need to go somewhere 1% of the time, then you have to get a laptop. That's why everywhere you look people work on laptops docked to external monitors, keyboard and mouse...
Click to expand...
Its that 1% that is a killer, especially at MacBook's current prices.

It was less of an issue when Apple was selling the MacBook Air to the student / mobile warrior crowd at a very (for Apple) competitive price - people could (almost) justify the Apple Tax to get a real Mac and screen in that mobile package, rather than the pricier iMac or Macbook Pro. Then Apple released the even less-expensive Mini, in an effort to cut into Windows desktop crowd looking to update their box, but were increasingly disenfranchised by what Win was offering.

Still, that 1%. For all of my computing experience, I was always a laptop (initially Win, but then Mac) user, but increasingly, my needs shifted to 99% of the time it was sitting on a desk, probably connected up to external peripherals. When I felt it was time to upgrade, I took a hard look at reality and went with the M2 Mini. If I was going to an upgrade, I really couldn't justify even the price of base MacBook Air. "You want how much? Ha, ha, ha!"
But in doing the purchase, I did hold onto my 2017 Air. For that 1% where I might want it as a travel / work computer. And even then, it sits in its bag unused more often than not.
 
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My M2 Mac Mini is a beast and a half and I love it. I slightly wish I had shelled out for the M2 Pro and more storage but even with what this thing is capable of, I would have a hard time justifying the upgrade. On my old Windows computer, I could only dream of doing Photoshop, Lightroom and Davinci Resolve without even a hiccup on performance. With this M2, it barely blinks when I have all three open, running smooooooth with zero problems.

If I was doing any kind of traveling, I'd shell out for a M series MacBook Air or Pro but right now, I'm not that target audience and that's ok. But the thought of having both at the same time has crossed my mind until I remember what my wife would do to me...
 
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sinanziric said:
I use it every day and I am still shocked that this tiny device can handle most of my Adobe, Office tasks for $599
Click to expand...
I use an M1 Mini (16 GB RAM) at work all day long and it never misses a beat. Illustrator, InDesign running a lot, plus the usual assortment of productivity stuff running all at the same time. Everything runs smoothly. The only thing it chokes on is super complex PDFs generated out of CAD.
 
My desktop computer is an M1 mini as well. I love that machine. I just my MBA for a lot of things because I like to sit on the sofa or in the kitchen and do stuff there, but certain things (music recording, image editing, some gaming for example) I do with the mini. It's a joy to work with.
It still sometimes blows my mind thinking of all the stuff I can do with it without it ever even being audible :D
Not to mention the difference in energy consumption between the mini and my previous Windows desktop 😬
 
Mac minis were less than ideal during the late PowerPC era - when they first came out - due to the I/O being limited and due to the G4 being somewhat slow for 2005. The Intel Mac minis, like the white MacBooks, were pretty good, but suffered from weak graphics performance (because Intel IGPs were always pretty lame compared to pretty much anything with a discrete GPU with dedicated VRAM). The 2009 and 2010 Mac minis had a shot in the arm when the IGPs were done by NVIDIA instead; but we still weren't getting the same kind of graphics performance offered by a discrete GPU.

Quad-Core Mac minis in 2012 were quite performant for the time; essentially using the Ivy Bridge CPUs from the 2012 retina and non-retina 15-inch MacBook Pros. The GPU performance was still weak, but if graphics wasn't important, then it was a fantastic machine.

The 2018 Mac minis were a pretty good note for Intel Mac minis to end on. Built-in graphics performance is still trash, but they support eGPUs if that's what you need.

Honestly, they're fantastic desktops. They were never trash, relative to what else was out there.
 
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BanjoDudeAhoy said:
Well, I’d like the same for RAM, really…
Click to expand...

Same .. was trying to start with something easy, as NVMe is out there in various form factors and as fast and faster than Apple SSDs already

RAM gets people all fired up talking about SoC and "benefits" of soldering it down ... generally that can be avoided with NVMe chit chat 😀
 
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I used Macbooks as docked desktops for 15 years. I had to stop last year when the cost of a Macbook could no longer justify its limitations when it came to AI development. I bought a mini with an M2 Pro, and already it's not nearly enough. I need to either buy a much more powerful Mac desktop or switch to PCs. I don't want to switch to PCs, but with the paltry desktop offerings from Apple, I might have to. Sad day for me if that happens.
 
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Bazza1 said:
Its that 1% that is a killer, especially at MacBook's current prices.

It was less of an issue when Apple was selling the MacBook Air to the student / mobile warrior crowd at a very (for Apple) competitive price - people could (almost) justify the Apple Tax to get a real Mac and screen in that mobile package, rather than the pricier iMac or Macbook Pro. Then Apple released the even less-expensive Mini, in an effort to cut into Windows desktop crowd looking to update their box, but were increasingly disenfranchised by what Win was offering.

Still, that 1%. For all of my computing experience, I was always a laptop (initially Win, but then Mac) user, but increasingly, my needs shifted to 99% of the time it was sitting on a desk, probably connected up to external peripherals. When I felt it was time to upgrade, I took a hard look at reality and went with the M2 Mini. If I was going to an upgrade, I really couldn't justify even the price of base MacBook Air. "You want how much? Ha, ha, ha!"
But in doing the purchase, I did hold onto my 2017 Air. For that 1% where I might want it as a travel / work computer. And even then, it sits in its bag unused more often than not.
Click to expand...
That’s why whenever I need to do anything on-the-go, I use my iPad w/ Magic Keyboard to remote into my desktop at home. No need for me to buy another computer that rarely gets used when I already have something that I can use to get the job done. 😉
 
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ILoveCalvinCool said:
I used Macbooks as docked desktops for 15 years. I had to stop last year when the cost of a Macbook could no longer justify its limitations when it came to AI development. I bought a mini with an M2 Pro, and already it's not nearly enough. I need to either buy a much more powerful Mac desktop or switch to PCs. I don't want to switch to PCs, but with the paltry desktop offerings from Apple, I might have to. Sad day for me if that happens.
Click to expand...

Well, maybe you should have tried with Mac Studio, those are really punchy and not extremely expensive.
 
I've had two Mac minis in the past. A Core 2 Duo and an i5 I got that someone was getting rid of. I loved them. the Core was my first new Mac, and it served me well. I don't remember what I did with it. The i5 is now a print server at my friend's place. It's not great for using directly, but it happily sits in the corner running the printer.

I'd love to get another Mac mini one day. I miss being able to just sit down at my desk and work, with my setup there waiting for me. But it would be quite a luxury I would have a hard time justifying, since I already have an M3 Pro MacBook...

For now I'll just dream.
 
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sinanziric said:
Well, maybe you should have tried with Mac Studio, those are really punchy and not extremely expensive.
Click to expand...

Thank you, that kind of hindsight is always invaluable. ;) At the time I bought it, I had no idea how quickly my resource demands were going to escalate. AI is like that. My issue now is that for my use case, there is no reasonable upgrade path in terms of Mac desktops. Either I get a PC now or I cross my fingers and hope new Studios get released soon.
 
sinanziric said:
... just like those mini window pc's, oh boy was I wrong...
Click to expand...
Actually, the mini PCs are quite powerfull. Especially these with x86 Intel or AMD Core and Ryzen CPUs from the H and HS series. They also have plenty of ports, that the Mac minis can still only dream off.

Anyway, enjoy your Mac mini.
 
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opeter said:
Actually, the mini PCs are quite powerfull. Especially these with x86 Intel or AMD Core and Ryzen CPUs from the H and HS series. They also have plenty of ports, that the Mac minis can still only dream off.

Anyway, enjoy your Mac mini.
Click to expand...
Yup, especially at the same price point. They often have more RAM and more storage plus those are socketed so you can swap them out if needed too.
 
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