M1 Mac mini for computer science student

[jrosser2000]

I have a 2017 MacBook Pro with a 2.8GHz i7 and 256 of storage. Because of online classes, I now do a lot more coding and work on my laptop than I used to. I am constantly running two separate VM Horizon sessions into different devices, running VirtualBox sessions, coding natively on my Mac, and sitting in zoom calls all at the same time. I am also running 2 external Samsung displays using a dock. My MacBook just cannot take it anymore, it gets very slow and is constantly hot and fans on full blast. I never planned to use it as much as I do now but I have no choice.

I have considered getting an eGPU or more external storage (since mine is almost full) but I feel like the M1 Mac mini would be a better option for me. Then I can use my laptop as a laptop, not as a desktop.

Any advice on whether the Mac mini would be able to handle this workload or if the eGPU/external drive is the better route would be super helpful.

I've also considered building my own windows machine but that is much more expensive than the aforementioned options.

Thanks!

 

[MacCheetah3]

For your workflow, I suggest skipping the M1. Programming and Zoom should be fine, but with virtualization the software isn't quite there yet. You don't define a budget, storage requirements, etc, however, given your mentioned needs, a newer model Intel CPU Mac mini with at least 16GB of RAM should satisfy your demands. To give you an idea, from the U.S. Apple Store refurbished section:

Refurbished Mac mini 3.2GHz 6 core Intel Core i7, 10GB Ethernet Space Gray - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

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Refurbished Mac mini 3.2GHz 6 core Intel Core i7 Space Gray - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

Refurbished Mac mini 3.0GHz 6 core Intel Core i5 Space Gray - Apple

Apple Store Search Results

www.apple.com

As a sort of comparison, I use my HP Envy x360 to do a variety of software development -- finishing up an AAS degree in computer programming. During one course we had a few sessions that required two VMs, Windows 10 client and Windows Server, plus the host OS all running simultaneously with instances of SQL Server. The VMs weren't snappy, though had no stutters or other problems.

The HP has...
• a lesser overall CPU, a Core i7 quad @ 1.8GHz with 4GHz Turbo, than the Mac mini
• a thin profile, undoubtedly further limiting the CPU due to high thermal-related throttling
• the same Intel UHD Graphics 630 as the (Intel) Mac mini
• an upgraded 32GB of RAM
• an upgraded 1TB SSD with plenty of space -- however, it's primarily a developer machine