Ordered my first (old) Mac Mini M1

[OldMacPro2]

I know some people would think I'm a little crazy, but I have a very limited budget.

I've been wanting an Apple Silicon system for quite a while.

So I finally ordered a "refurbished" (not Apple refurbished) Mac Mini M1 from eBay.

There's a bunch to choose from. I am guessing that so many people have upgraded to the newer M4, there is aa glut of used M1s now.

 

[Starfia]

I'd say that's smart, not crazy. I bought my M1 mini used on eBay a year or two in when it was halfway affordable, and I think it's nowhere near close to finished as my main machine. It's a pretty darn good decade for Mac users.

 

[LelandHendrix]

I think you are going to love it. I had several Intel Macs from the 20-teens like your MacBook Pros, and I'll never forget my shock at going to Apple Silicon. My first was an M1 MacBook Air, and since yours is a Mini with cooling you're getting even better performance.

Be excited for the upgrade! I bet you're going to love it. I'm interested to see how long these M1 machines are supported by updates going into the future. Supposedly part of the reason for Macs being left behind in updates was because hardware vendors and drivers and such, so it will be interesting to see our software longevity now that Apple owns the whole package.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

It's truly a fantastic computer. I've actually already upgraded to M4 Pro, but frankly not out of "Need" - my brother-in-law needed a new computer so I took the opportunity to upgrade; sold him my M1 and bought the M4 Pro.

 

[OldMacPro2]

I've got the M1 Mini now and it's working fine.

Honestly, I was OK with my vintage Mac collection. I still have a very soft spot for my Mac Pro 2008, running Open Core Legacy Patcher. But it was getting harder to spend more money on upgrades.

Before the M1, the "newest" Mac that I ownedwas a MBP 2017, with the i7 CPU. And I do plan to keep it. Regardless of all the bad press, mine is a great laptop.

My income tax refund this year was small, so I couldn't "go big" with a new computer, but I had "upgrade fever". LOL.

thanks for all the encouragement

 

[A Happening in Hades]

Mac Mini M1 brilliant machine, runs fast and cool, solid as a rock.

 

[EdwardC]

Great machine with years of use ahead.

 

[OldMacPro2]

I had the Apple USB-C HDMI dongle for my MBP 2017 and it works fine on the Mac Mini, so dual monitors now.

 

[OldMacPro2]

It’s almost strange having a Mac desktop that I don’t have to continually tweak to keep current. 🤓

 

[redheeler]

8 GB RAM is the main limitation and reason people are upgrading, not the M1. M1 + 16 GB is still very capable and will be for years to come. 8 GB can be used for basic usage but you will experience slowdowns with lots of apps or browser tabs open. A lot of things compete for that memory including the integrated graphics needing VRAM, Apple Intelligence (if you choose to use it), etc.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Yeah, well, I am stuck with 8GB for now.

I did notice on Amazon that the M1 16GB RAM with 256GB SSD is one of the biggest sellers of "old Mac Minis".

That extra 8GB is probably why it outsells the M2 8GB models.

I also noticed that the M4 Mac Mini outsells just about every Mac Mini on Amazon.

Oh well....maybe next year!

 

[mapleleafer]

You should be fine with 8 GB if you close applications you are no longer using (they are easily re-opened from the Applications folder, or keep them in the dock) and close browser tabs that you are no longer accessing (use bookmarks). Many who "need" 16 GB do not do these things. I'd rather keep the money.

 

[OldMacPro2]

I'm not a "power user". I do "photoshop" type work, with my sideline photography work (image processing, photo library work, etc.). So, I don't expect to tax either the memory or the CPU/GPU much.

With 512GB SSD installed, I won't be pushing storage soon either. I do need to get a Thunderbolt enclosure to put my NVME 1TB drive to work. It's in my old Mac Pro on a PCIE adapter at the moment.

 

[Mrbobb]

As long as Open Core Patch keeps it updated.

 

[OldMacPro2]

Not sure Open Core works on Apple Silicon? Dont need it for my M1, just the old Intel stuff.

I’m guessing Apple will give this M1 a couple more years of MacOS updates. I’m not on the bleeding edge of Adobe software so the pressure to yearly upgrade is low. The other things I use will run on just about any MacOS version from Big Sur onwards

 

[LelandHendrix]

Not sure Open Core works on Apple Silicon? Dont need it for my M1, just the old Intel stuff.

I’m guessing Apple will give this M1 a couple more years of MacOS updates.

I hold on to old machines using OpenCore Legacy Patcher as well and I’m hopeful to see slightly longer software support than before. It only seems simpler for them to do so now now that so much is in-house.

 

[OldMacPro2]

I haven't fired up my 2009 Mac Pro in a week or two.

This M1 seems to be taking over...LOL

But I am not going to "dump" the two Mac Pros that I own (a 4,1 and a 3,1).

They are just on an "extended vacation".

 

[ignatius345]

I'm shocked at how smoothly the M1s continue to perform. Half of the graphic design studio I work at is running M1 Minis, all with 16 GB RAM, and the performance is honestly quite decent. When I work from home I have an M4 iMac with 24 GB of RAM and you'd think on specs alone that it would be a dramatic difference, but the experience is pretty similar. The M4 feels a bit zippier of course and launches apps a lot faster, but I'm not seeing beachballs or slowdowns or anything of the sort on the M1.

 

[dmccloud]

Not sure Open Core works on Apple Silicon? Dont need it for my M1, just the old Intel stuff.

I’m guessing Apple will give this M1 a couple more years of MacOS updates. I’m not on the bleeding edge of Adobe software so the pressure to yearly upgrade is low. The other things I use will run on just about any MacOS version from Big Sur onwards

At present, there is no need to update OCLP for Apple Silicon because even the most basic M1 can run Sequoia. That could change in the next 2-3 years, at which point there could be a replacement for OCLP itself.