Mac mini or new iMac?

[Thomas Langston]

I currently have a made 2015 iMac and 21.5 I would like to purchase a new Mac as a secondary that’s going to be my new primary and I’m contemplating on it either a Mac mini or an iMac 27 inch I currently use two screens with my 21.5 or use the 21.5 screen and I now have a 32 inch screen that I use and that’s why am thinking of getting a Mac mini to connect to the 32 inch screen instead of purchasing the 27 inch iMac I would like some input and some suggestions comments pros cons etc. thanks for your help guys

 

[retta283]

This mostly depends on how much money you're willing to spend on upgrades, and how long you plan to keep the computer.

 

[Thomas Langston]

This mostly depends on how much money you're willing to spend on upgrades, and how long you plan to keep the computer.

i usually refresh my Mac every 4 to 5 years

 

[retta283]

Depending on your use case, you should be fine with a base model 27" iMac, but make sure to do the SSD upgrade, as it will greatly increase the lifetime of the machine in terms of speed. I'd get the 512GB SSD minimum, 256 is too small. I'd also recommend getting some more RAM, but don't buy it from Apple. Their RAM prices are higher than third party, so just get third party and pop it in yourself. It's an extremely simple process to replace the RAM. With this, your computer will cost $2,099 before tax, and then add on the price of the RAM config.

The Mac Mini is also another good choice if you like your current displays and accessories, but there's a performance catch. Compared to the iMac, the Mini's onboard GPU is not very good. If you game at all or do any GPU intensive tasks, it might not be enough. If it is enough, I'd recommend either upgrading the base model to i7 and a 512 SSD, or the higher end model with 512 SSD. Both come out to $1,499, so your pick. Again, for RAM upgrades buy from a third party.

 

[Thomas Langston]

Depending on your use case, you should be fine with a base model 27" iMac, but make sure to do the SSD upgrade, as it will greatly increase the lifetime of the machine in terms of speed. I'd get the 512GB SSD minimum, 256 is too small. I'd also recommend getting some more RAM, but don't buy it from Apple. Their RAM prices are higher than third party, so just get third party and pop it in yourself. It's an extremely simple process to replace the RAM. With this, your computer will cost $2,099 before tax, and then add on the price of the RAM config.

The Mac Mini is also another good choice if you like your current displays and accessories, but there's a performance catch. Compared to the iMac, the Mini's onboard GPU is not very good. If you game at all or do any GPU intensive tasks, it might not be enough. If it is enough, I'd recommend either upgrading the base model to i7 and a 512 SSD, or the higher end model with 512 SSD. Both come out to $1,499, so your pick. Again, for RAM upgrades buy from a third party.

Thank you so much for the breakdown and your comparisons and your thoughts that definitely gives me something to think about I appreciate your time I also clicked on the follow button so I’ll be following your threats thanks a lot

 

[Fishrrman]

IF you like the 32" display, a 2018 Mini would be a good choice.
I'd suggest buying from the Apple online refurbished store -- more for your money.

I'd suggest spending extra for the i7 CPU and 16gb of RAM "from the factory" (Mini is on the complex side to install RAM into).
Also, the 512gb SSD represents the best compromise between size and price (for both the Mini and the iMac, too).