Mac mini m2 24gb ram vs mac mini m2 pro 16gb ram

[Mardiel8128]

Hello,

So I'm about to buy my macmini, I want to use it as it lasts (maybe 5 or 8 years)
I am going for 1tb ssd but about ram 24in m2 or should i go with the 16gbram with m2 pro?

It is my first mac
I'm starting computer science in july, but I most of the time i used my pc to web browsing a lot of tabs (maybe 40), excel.

Do you recomend maybe 512gb and a ssd? As I said before i want to keep it as long as it possible

 

[meson]

Will this mini be your primary machine? If so, check with your computer science faculty to see what type of machine is required for their students. Some programs may be Mac friendly, some may not be.

Based on your usage, as it stands now, I would look hard at the regular M2 with 16GB of ram and 512GB SSD. You can always plug in an external drive when needed. I wouldn’t assume that a machine you buy today will need your needs as a computer scientist for 5-8 years. Look more at the 2-3 year range. If you get more use, consider that a bonus.

 

[thebart]

Are you sure you don't want a laptop? Something you can carry around, use in class?

I agree with above replier that 16/512 will be plenty. But do check with the dept to make sure they don't have some bespoke program you need to use that runs on PC only, or whether you'll be constantly swimming against the tide because their Mac support is lousy