mac mini (2018) i7 - 32 ram vs imac 21.5 i7 -32 ram.

[polax75]

any advices to make up my mind between

options between mac mini i7 with 32 go RAM (or 64 go ram)
or imac 4k 21,5inch i7 with 32 go RAM.
or even the option of imac 27' i5 with 32 go ram.

the only thing that makes me hesitating is the graphic card.
mac mini INTEL UHD and the imac radeon pro 555x with 2Go or (the 27'imac) radeon 575 with 4go.

It is hard to mesure the difference between those two graphic card option. I believe all of them are not great. but don t really see if it is worth to go on imac just radeon 2go/4go

let me know what u think.
my use would be video editing, photoshop, visual stuff. my budget is tight so MAC pro is not thinkable.

 

[0128672]

I'm not sure this will 100% help you, but I'll throw in a couple of general thoughts about Mac Mini versus iMacs. My usage is for Logic, so the graphics card wasn't a factor. I would think an SSD versus a fusion drive might be a big factor for you too.

I briefly considered the iMac 27" and 21" alongside the Mini. I've owned all three in the past, but went with a Mini refurb i7/64/1TBSSD because for the price, I couldn't beat the specs, and the flexibility of having my own display (27" 4K) that can easily be raised and lowered (a Dell U2718Q). The iMac displays don't do that; they only go back and forward.

Having separate components seems more practical to me because if the Mini or display needs repair or replacing, I don't have to replace the whole iMac.

Buying the refurb Mac Mini and new Dell display cost less than a new 27" iMac with the same specs (~$2600 versus $4000 for a similarly specced iMac). If I'd gone with the 27" iMac, I would have installed my own RAM upgrade, so might have saved ~$800. Users can easily upgrade the RAM in the 27", but not the 21".

If your budget is tight, consider an Apple refurb (https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/mac-mini), which might leave some funds for an eGPU if you find you need it. Right now in the US Refurb Store, there's an i5 Mini with these specs for $2039:

Originally released October 2018
64GB of 2666MHz DDR4 SO-DIMM memory
1TB PCIe-based SSD1
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports (up to 40 Gbps)
Intel UHD Graphics 630
10 Gigabit Ethernet port
2 USB-A ports
Headphone jack

 

[Spectrum]

any advices to make up my mind between

options between mac mini i7 with 32 go RAM (or 64 go ram)
or imac 4k 21,5inch i7 with 32 go RAM.
or even the option of imac 27' i5 with 32 go ram.

the only thing that makes me hesitating is the graphic card.
mac mini INTEL UHD and the imac radeon pro 555x with 2Go or (the 27'imac) radeon 575 with 4go.

It is hard to mesure the difference between those two graphic card option. I believe all of them are not great. but don t really see if it is worth to go on imac just radeon 2go/4go

let me know what u think.
my use would be video editing, photoshop, visual stuff. my budget is tight so MAC pro is not thinkable.

If this is important to you, the dedicated GPU in either iMac will likely be much faster than the UHD630 in the mac mini:

AMD Radeon Pro 555X vs Intel UHD Graphics 630

Compare AMD Radeon Pro 555X against Intel UHD Graphics 630 to quickly find out which one is better in terms of technical specs, benchmarks performance and games

askgeek.io

AMD Radeon Pro 575X vs Intel UHD Graphics 630

Compare AMD Radeon Pro 575X against Intel UHD Graphics 630 to quickly find out which one is better in terms of technical specs, benchmarks performance and games

askgeek.io

For me, the mac mini UHD630 is fine. I run two high-res 4K screens, but it is true that 3D animations in something like GoogleEarth are jerky.

The bigger difference is whether you want the "convenience" of an iMac, or the flexibility of a mac mini.
You can add an eGPU to the mac mini for example. But this is more cost, and potentially more hassle to maintain.
By contrast, an iMac is what it is, and just works.

If you want a 27 inch screen, it is VERY hard to beat the beauty of the 5K iMac.
DIY upgrading RAM in the 27 inch model is also trivial (And cheaper) compared to the mac mini (and impossible in the 4K iMac).

 

[mikehalloran]

It is hard to mesure the difference between those two graphic card option.

Not at all. The iMac has a getter GPU but do you need it? We can't answer that for you but most users don't.

Otherwise, the Mini is a much better choice. Maybe—we aren't you.