Hi, having been using a 27" iMac for the past 9 years I'm about to take the plunge on a M4 Mac mini using the student deal. Do I go for the base 256GB and get an external HD to run Mac OS from and if so which would you recommend? I saw that the 512GB's HD runs faster than the 256GB but if using an external HD would make much difference would it?
In terms of a monitor I have ben spoilt by the quality of the 5K Retina display on the iMac but can't afford the overpriced Apple Studio Display so need something that will be sharp for text. Mainly using it for web design and Photoshop etc. 27" minimum, would consider a 32" but don't like curved screens. Any recommendations would be most welcome.
It is an SSD not HDD, which means adequately fast externals via Thunderbolt. But
no, do not run the Mac OS from an external drive unless you have some other really good reason. Let the OS run unimpeded on the internal drive; even the smallest base unit SSD will be big enough for the OS and normal apps including PS.
Recommendation #1: Do not waste money paying Apple's high mass storage prices because external SSDs via Thunderbolt [and good quality TB5 cables] work just fine. Use one or more relatively inexpensive external SSD(s) for files, backups, etc.
You state
"Mainly using it for web design and Photoshop etc." PS and other images apps very much take advantage of RAM. For images apps RAM should be a primary consideration, actually much more important than CPU speed in my experience with PS since v1. RAM limitations of your current box may have a lot to do with the SBBOD and other slowdown anomalies that you are experiencing.
The rub of course is that the new base model Mac mini is a smoking hot bargain - - but the base model only comes with 16 GB of RAM (upgradable to to 32 GB of RAM for +$400). The Mac OS would of course make PS work under 16 GB RAM, but it would be sub-optimally constantly paging.
Most non-images workflows I would say just buy the 16 GB RAM and plan a shortened life cycle; letting Mac OS deal with the paging and the fast M4 chip deal with the extra clock cycles necessitated by the sub-optimal RAM. But not for PS and its ilk. My last MBP required replacement not because of the 7-year-old i7 chip, but because the 16 GB RAM became too limiting.
Recommendation #2: Do spend money paying Apple's high RAM prices to max out RAM to 32 GB, because RAM is not upgradable. Consider older minis, refurbs, etc. but do
not cheap out on RAM with PS-type apps. Frankly the way PS and other image editing apps are going with use of RAM-hungry AI I consider 64 GB RAM or more much more appropriate moving forward, but that would require the overpriced/undervalued pro chip.
Your next likely step up would be to a Studio next year with 64 GB or preferably more RAM. IMO the pro chip M4 Mac minis are so pricey once they get loaded up that they become poor deals, and the jump to Studio will probably make sense [assuming we ever see new Studios...]. What you choose depends on your Mac life cycle expectations and whether or not it is used recreationally or as a primary money maker.
Recommendation Summary: Today the base Mac Mini upgraded to 32 GB RAM is the way to go.
Displays are very much a personal preference/workspace thing, and also how color-accurate your work needs to be. For the last decade I have found 4K Viewsonic displays to be good value for my needs. YMMV.
