Fan noise and heat are my concerns, not with the base model, but with the Pro.
My Mac Mini M4 512 24 did just find with my 15 track or so Apple Logic project, which uses live audio recording. I was using a RME UCX II interface, and an external OWC with a 2TB 990PRO. Never heard the fans come on, and it only got warm, never hot. That's was in January, in my sunny back room.
Then the mini died. It couldn't connect to the internet - wired or wireless - at more than 10 mps when it was in the 900s when I first got it. Called Apple, then had me try a few things, and then said to return it. Back to Costco it went (they have a great 3 month return policy).
So now I'm not sure if I want to replace it with the same, or upgrade to the Mac Mini Pro.
Why? The Pro offers more choices on resolutions for different monitors, with text reportedly displaying crisp, which when using the base version leaves some resolutions a tad blurry. I speak from experience, as I didn't have a 5K monitor to connect, and after using a5K display in my old 2017 imac, I'm used to a sharp display, and the mini won't work as well as it should have with my monitors. (can anyone comment on their experience with this?)
And the Pro would be obviously be more future proof than the base model. And a bit quicker, although I'm not sure than would significantly impact what I do. Not a gamer, only do light Photoshop projects, nothing intensive.
But what is holding me back from getting the Pro are the reports of how the Pro runs hot.
My sunny backroom is not air conditioned, and it gets in the 80s and 90s in the summer back there. If the Pro is hot in January, what would it be like in my back room in summer? How hot will the unit get, and will the fans run loud?
So Is anyone from the southern hemisphere where it's hot now, and/or using it in any other hot environment, able to report on real world use of the Pro in such temps? Is it extremely hot when the ambient air is in the 80s or 90s? Do the fans kick in so that it would interfere with audio recording?
My Mac Mini M4 512 24 did just find with my 15 track or so Apple Logic project, which uses live audio recording. I was using a RME UCX II interface, and an external OWC with a 2TB 990PRO. Never heard the fans come on, and it only got warm, never hot. That's was in January, in my sunny back room.
Then the mini died. It couldn't connect to the internet - wired or wireless - at more than 10 mps when it was in the 900s when I first got it. Called Apple, then had me try a few things, and then said to return it. Back to Costco it went (they have a great 3 month return policy).
So now I'm not sure if I want to replace it with the same, or upgrade to the Mac Mini Pro.
Why? The Pro offers more choices on resolutions for different monitors, with text reportedly displaying crisp, which when using the base version leaves some resolutions a tad blurry. I speak from experience, as I didn't have a 5K monitor to connect, and after using a5K display in my old 2017 imac, I'm used to a sharp display, and the mini won't work as well as it should have with my monitors. (can anyone comment on their experience with this?)
And the Pro would be obviously be more future proof than the base model. And a bit quicker, although I'm not sure than would significantly impact what I do. Not a gamer, only do light Photoshop projects, nothing intensive.
But what is holding me back from getting the Pro are the reports of how the Pro runs hot.
My sunny backroom is not air conditioned, and it gets in the 80s and 90s in the summer back there. If the Pro is hot in January, what would it be like in my back room in summer? How hot will the unit get, and will the fans run loud?
So Is anyone from the southern hemisphere where it's hot now, and/or using it in any other hot environment, able to report on real world use of the Pro in such temps? Is it extremely hot when the ambient air is in the 80s or 90s? Do the fans kick in so that it would interfere with audio recording?