M2 Mini config for the Grandparents

[Dr Mick Mach]

MAIN QUESTION: What config will maintain the speed and usability best?

Want to buy an M2 Mini for my Grandparents. They're both in their 80's. Healthy, but, you know.
They currently have an old iMac that is super sloooooooooow, and they get very frustrated with it.

They use it for:
email and web browsing (and they have a habit of leaving ALL their tabs open, like sometimes 50-60)
keeping and typing files on word and excel
photo storage and very light photo manipulation,
playing the odd game like solitaire, bridge etc,
They'd watch more YouTube videos if it wasn't such a pain to do so on the old machine.
Video calling is also too slow on it (tho they have an iphone to do that)

So they're definitely not power users.

I want this to last them 5+ years, without the slow speed frustrations they have put up with for several years.

However, I'm a student on a budget, and only have the $ for one upgrade (if one is needed): either ram or HDD. I've seen on a lot of reviews that the 512gb HDD can significantly boost the Mini's performance/speed in some operations.

So what's going to maintain the speed and usability best (and calling me less for tech help hah) - M2 base, M2 16gb ram, or M2 512gb HDD?

Thanks

 

[August West]

I'd go for the RAM, especially if they keep that many tabs open. RAM cannot be upgraded once you purchase the machine. While the internal SSD can't be upgraded either you can always add an external SSD like the Samsung T7 Shield at any time and they aren't all that expensive anymore. Won't be as fast the the internal drive but plenty fast enough for what they are doing.

 

[ignatius345]

Inactive tabs aren't the issue people seem to think. Safari is pretty smart about not background refreshing stuff you're not looking at, and from what I understand Chrome is as well (right?)

Also if you can train them to use Tab Groups, they can chose entire windows full of tabs with impunity.

 

[Euroamerican]

the real question is.

Which is the better hedge for long term usability

8 vs 16 gb of RAM

256 vs 512 gb of storage, with the 512gb being speedier storage as well.

You cannot add more RAM later, but you also cannot speed up "slow" 256gb either.

 

[Dr Mick Mach]

the real question is.

Which is the better hedge for long term usability

8 vs 16 gb of RAM

256 vs 512 gb of storage, with the 512gb being speedier storage as well.

You cannot add more RAM later, but you also cannot speed up "slow" 256gb either.

yes that's exactly it, well put. Got any thoughts? I'd spring for both if I could but it's just going to be a bit beyond me

 

[KaliYoni]

yes that's exactly it, well put. Got any thoughts? I'd spring for both if I could but it's just going to be a bit beyond me

If you're looking to hedge, as in taking steps to offset future risk, I would choose adding RAM if I was facing a similar choice. Why? RAM is set forever with the Mac Mini; there is no easy way to swap or change RAM from its initial configuration. On the other hand, it is simple and inexpensive to plug an external HD or SSD into a Mac whenever more storage is needed. Plus files that aren't changed or accessed often, such as photos and videos, can even be stored on optical media or thumb drives without much hassle. Finally, many tasks such as using email, watching streaming video, and web surfing are much more limited by Internet connection speeds than by disk speeds.

 

[richmlow]

MAIN QUESTION: What config will maintain the speed and usability best?

Want to buy an M2 Mini for my Grandparents. They're both in their 80's. Healthy, but, you know.
They currently have an old iMac that is super sloooooooooow, and they get very frustrated with it.

They use it for:
email and web browsing (and they have a habit of leaving ALL their tabs open, like sometimes 50-60)
keeping and typing files on word and excel
photo storage and very light photo manipulation,
playing the odd game like solitaire, bridge etc,
They'd watch more YouTube videos if it wasn't such a pain to do so on the old machine.
Video calling is also too slow on it (tho they have an iphone to do that)

So they're definitely not power users.

I want this to last them 5+ years, without the slow speed frustrations they have put up with for several years.

However, I'm a student on a budget, and only have the $ for one upgrade (if one is needed): either ram or HDD. I've seen on a lot of reviews that the 512gb HDD can significantly boost the Mini's performance/speed in some operations.

So what's going to maintain the speed and usability best (and calling me less for tech help hah) - M2 base, M2 16gb ram, or M2 512gb HDD?

Thanks

If you have to choose between RAM or storage, I would definitely recommend RAM.


richmlow

 

[tstafford]

If you have to choose between RAM or storage, I would definitely recommend RAM.


richmlow

Me too

 

[Dr Mick Mach]

Great thank you all, excellent response and much appreciated

 

[Fishrrman]

M2 Minis have just hit the Apple refurbished store.

Get 16gb of RAM. DO NOT get 8.

Try to get the 512gb SSD, as well.

If your grandad is a veteran, it's easy to get the Apple veteran's discount.
I believe you need to go here to find out about it and sign up:

Veterans and Military Store

Veterans and Military personnel receive a 10% discount on Apple products. You may also purchase for immediate family who live in the same household.

www.apple.com

AND... you can "piggyback" the veteran's discount ON TOP OF the refurbished price, for an even better deal.
To do this, get registered for the veteran's discount FIRST, then sign into it.
Then, "move over" to Apple, and scroll to the bottom of the page and look for the refurbished items link.

One other thing...
By the time folks get into their 80's, their vision is usually "less than" it was in younger times.
For this reason, I'd suggest a 27" 4k display.
4k for clarity of text,
and
27" to make the text a little larger (when running at the Apple default setting of "looks like 1080p").

I predict they WILL like this very much.

 

[Serge88]

I just ordered a refurbished Mac mini M2 24gb of ram + 1tb SSD. Today 8gb is the minimum, in 3 years 16gb will be the minimum and in 6 years 24gb will be the minimum. This machine will last 9 years.

 

[mcnallym]

I just ordered a refurbished Mac mini M2 24gb of ram + 1tb SSD. Today 8gb is the minimum, in 3 years 16gb will be the minimum and in 6 years 24gb will be the minimum. This machine will last 9 years.

When I collected my Mac Studio from Apple Store then Apple Employee waxing lyrical how it will last me 10 years.

so i asked if Apple would be providing OS support for 10 years as run FCP X on it and tend to find that updates for that tend to require you to update the OS, so no OS update, no FCP X update.

oddly enough he didn’t look too happy with my response.

 

[ovbacon]

It sounds like a complete base model will be more than fine for them.

I have a 16GB/512GB and I do an extreme amount of photo editing and I have multiple browsers and tons of tabs open. I run Photoshop and Lightroom and Illustrator simultaneously and often have other applications running. My mini has no problem responding fast to any needs I have.

It does not sound like your gramps are having anything close to what I do so the base would most likely be more than fine for many years. Just add a external ssd for photo storage or even an hdd since they are not doing any heavy stuff.

Of course 16GB is better but really just get a good deal.