Mini Buying Advice

[ROBB D]

I’m curious how these two buying options differentiate how the systems would perform.

I do not wish to upgrade both the chip AND the memory. Is one upgrade more operationally valuable than the other?

the 10-core system with 32GB RAM
or
the 12-core system with 16GB RAM

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

More cores means you can get more app tasks done and probably a little faster too. You are basically asking a "less power" vs. "more power" question here. You get a little more "brain" processing and a little more graphics processing for the extra $270. If you ask your Mac to do a lot of things at the same time and/or are concerned with how fast it can get things done, you should consider paying the extra.

Note: a new M4 Mac Mini is likely to be announced THIS MONTH based on many rumors. Before you pull this trigger, you might want to wait and see that one. Even if this one is still the desired one, a release of a new one may get this one dumped by retailers for less cost.

If you are not asking a lot of the purchase- such that a few extra cores don't matter, I'd get the extra RAM. 16GB is likely to be the new "baseline" as soon as the next one launches. Having more than base is generally a good idea to somewhat "future proof" a purchase. The rumored A.I. in macOS will likely be highly RAM demanding. You can't add more RAM later.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP:

Agree with post above.
WAIT until the 2024 M4 Minis are introduced, and THEN make your choice.

 

[ROBB D]

More cores means you can get more app tasks done and probably a little faster too. You are basically asking a "less power" vs. "more power" question here. You get a little more "brain" processing and a little more graphics processing for the extra $270. If you ask your Mac to do a lot of things at the same time and/or are concerned with how fast it can get things done, you should consider paying the extra.

Note: a new M4 Mac Mini is likely to be announced THIS MONTH based on many rumors. Before you pull this trigger, you might want to wait and see that one. Even if this one is still the desired one, a release of a new one may get this one dumped by retailers for less cost.

If you are not asking a lot of the purchase- such that a few extra cores don't matter, I'd get the extra RAM. 16GB is likely to be the new "baseline" as soon as the next one launches. Having more than base is generally a good idea to somewhat "future proof" a purchase. The rumored A.I. in macOS will likely be highly RAM demanding. You can't add more RAM later.

I appreciate your reply.

I was more leaning toward the RAM upgrade over the core upgrades as i don’t feel i would be asking my system to work more tasks. but know the feeling of running out of available RAM which often forces more frequent reboots.

I was not making my purchase with the current line-up that i used as my example, my plan was to wait for the refresh that we hope to happen in the coming weeks.

thanks!

 

[FirDerrig33]

I’m curious how these two buying options differentiate how the systems would perform.

I do not wish to upgrade both the chip AND the memory. Is one upgrade more operationally valuable than the other?

the 10-core system with 32GB RAM
or
the 12-core system with 16GB RAM

View attachment 2431990

This might seem like a crazy option, but have you considered buying a previous version of the Mac mini and skip the newest model until it's super necessary? That option w/o the storage upgrade comes in at 1999.00.

You could get a Mac mini 2018 from mac sales.com for $600. It might not be NEW but it does perform very well.

 

[ROBB D]

you’re right, that’s a crazy option. that may be a great system and a great price. but the life of that item will end long before a 2024 system. i don’t need a work-horse. but a system that may last a decade is well worth the investment.

 

[FirDerrig33]

you’re right, that’s a crazy option. that may be a great system and a great price. but the life of that item will end long before a 2024 system. i don’t need a work-horse. but a system that may last a decade is well worth the investment.

that's very true about the ability of a system to last a decade. That's why I still have my 2010 MP 5,1 and my 2014 Mac mini. the 2018 was only discontinued in 2023 as well. and if you don't need a workhorse, just something that will last, I think spending 1500 less on something that will most likely last just as long is something to seriously consider.

Plus, my 2014 Mac mini is also my PS5 remote gaming device! I also use it to fix my other Macs through TDM and also downloading things. once I installed a name ssd in there, it became even better.

 

[Ben J.]

This might seem like a crazy option, but have you considered buying a previous version of the Mac mini and skip the newest model until it's super necessary? That option w/o the storage upgrade comes in at 1999.00.

You could get a Mac mini 2018 from mac sales.com for $600. It might not be NEW but it does perform very well.View attachment 2432952

I owned that mini for a while. Very capable machine. Mine was 32GB, I think very few people would need 64GB. I got rid of it because under just a bit of load the fan would spin up and make a lot of noise. A temporary fix was to install a utility that let me turn off the Turboboost function of the intel processor, but then you get less processing power. I would not recommend it.

Much better deal would be, say, a second hand M1 mini with 16 GB ram. Much the same price level, but more powerful, cool, and therefore completely silent.

 

[FirDerrig33]

I owned that mini for a while. Very capable machine. Mine was 32GB, I think very few people would need 64GB. I got rid of it because under just a bit of load the fan would spin up and make a lot of noise. A temporary fix was to install a utility that let me turn off the Turboboost function of the intel processor, but then you get less processing power. I would not recommend it.

Much better deal would be, say, a second hand M1 mini with 16 GB ram. Much the same price level, but more powerful, cool, and therefore completely silent.

yes, that is a fair point for sure! Minis should not be loud.

I just try to keep things as long as possible. my computers start out as new and awesome as possible and then they end up getting used for basic tasks before I end up installing Linux for a while before then I finally get the next item.

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"i don’t need a work-horse. but a system that may last a decade is well worth the investment."

You'd better not "count on a decade of use" from ANY Mac you buy today.

Things are changing at a faster pace. I'll speculate that ten years from now the Mac OS will be considerably different than it is now. It may not even be called "The Mac OS" any longer.

Figure 6-7 years before you'll need (or WANT) a replacement...