As of his past week, all iMacs -- even the cheapest 21-inch models -- come standard with SSDs. I agree that Fusion drives are not a good pick, but you no longer get them unless you specifically get a built-to-order configuration (or unless a reseller has inventory of the old ones). This changes the Mini-versus-iMac value analysis.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Mini vs Desktop
- Thread starter TDHawks
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Get a refurb base Mac Mini from the Apple refurb store. You have to check everyday or you can set up an alert but you don’t need more computer than that for what you want to do and they’re only $600. Throw in a decent third party mouse and keyboard for $50 and a 1080P monitor for $100 and you’ve got yourself a Mac set up as powerful as an iMac for half the price.
I looked on the refurb site and the notification site and it looks like the last Refurb Mac mins of any kind to be offered was over a month ago. How rare are these things?
I bought a refurb Mini in January and then another in April, both times I wasn’t looking for more than a week. They aren’t super rare, I don’t know if the pandemic changes things but normally you wouldn’t be waiting a long time.
Edit: You can also find deals on Minis across the web, there are particularly good deals on the ones that were replaced in March. The only difference is the SSD size but they can get down close to refurb prices. They are probably rarer now though.
I watched the store for about a month before deciding I wanted to buy, then it took a little over a month to get the one I wanted. Two weeks was the longest period without any refurbs back then. See this thread:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...re.2232630/page-2?post=28505582#post-28505582
As an inveterate refurb watcher, I agree, it's been about a month since I've seen Minis in the US store. When they do appear, typically they're sold out within a few hours although I've seen it happen more quickly than that. The only 2020 Macs in the refurb store are the MBAs. There's a decent amount of those (and 2019s sometimes), and 2017-19 MBPs (and of course Mac Pros), but iMacs, particularly the 27", and the 2018 Minis aren't showing up very much lately. Friday night there was a restock of ~12 27" iMacs, some with SSDs, but they were gone overnight.
I can snag a i5 8GB 512GB from Costco right now for only $950, only $150 more than the i3 256GB. Seems like a no brainer.
Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate all the feedback.
Thanks for all the replies, I appreciate all the feedback.
That’s a great deal, I’m pretty sure that’s only about $15 ish above the Apple refurb price, very nice.