I have had a 2018 MacMini for about a year and a half now and it has worked great. It is fully tricked out and it works great for programming radios (Parallels and Windows 10), my work from home job, web browsing and watching streaming. I run 3 32-inch HD displays and the little thing just plain works.
My only complaints have been thermal. It gets HOT! The top of the computer runs so hot one cannot keep his hand on the case. This makes a good heat spreader I guess but that cannot be good for long-term viability.
The Apple fan profile is set for silence and allows thermal throttling but will not run the fan at full speed even when the temp is maxed out. I do have the Satechi fan-hub base that adds airflow to the bottom as well as USB and SD slots but it really does not help cool the computer much. I have considered replacing the thermal compound to see if a better transfer would help but then figured since the case top is so hot the transfer must be pretty good.
I downloaded Macs Fan Control (https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control) and set the fan to run full blast all the time. Now the case barely gets warm to the touch even driving all three monitors with Netflix and Youtube etc. I can barely hear the fans over my tinnitus and age-related hearing loss as well as the other ambient noise in the office.
I wish I found this 18 months ago! I am using the free version right now but will likely get the $15 Pro version to allow me to tailor the fan profile to my liking. I might still replace the thermal compound at some point but for now I think I will hold off.
My only complaints have been thermal. It gets HOT! The top of the computer runs so hot one cannot keep his hand on the case. This makes a good heat spreader I guess but that cannot be good for long-term viability.
The Apple fan profile is set for silence and allows thermal throttling but will not run the fan at full speed even when the temp is maxed out. I do have the Satechi fan-hub base that adds airflow to the bottom as well as USB and SD slots but it really does not help cool the computer much. I have considered replacing the thermal compound to see if a better transfer would help but then figured since the case top is so hot the transfer must be pretty good.
I downloaded Macs Fan Control (https://crystalidea.com/macs-fan-control) and set the fan to run full blast all the time. Now the case barely gets warm to the touch even driving all three monitors with Netflix and Youtube etc. I can barely hear the fans over my tinnitus and age-related hearing loss as well as the other ambient noise in the office.
I wish I found this 18 months ago! I am using the free version right now but will likely get the $15 Pro version to allow me to tailor the fan profile to my liking. I might still replace the thermal compound at some point but for now I think I will hold off.
