The cons of migrating from Intel MBP to new Mini?

[NJRonbo]

My first Apple Mini is arriving Tuesday. I bought a 16GB/TB SSD.

I currently have a 2019 16" MBP with 64GB ram and 700GB of apps/data

I have two choices. Either start fresh and spend hours re-installing and configuring all my apps -OR- simply connect a thunderbolt cable between the Mini and MBP and just migrate everything over.

I am leaning towards going the easy route and just migrating everything over.

I am very interested to see how the setup I have now on my 16" MBP that is using 32GB+ of ram is processed on the Mini with only 16GB.

I suspect if I do that, at some point when I open an app, it's going to ask me to install Rosetta 2?

Are there any major cons to doing the migration rather than starting fresh?

Appreciate the help in advance, guys!

 

[svanstrom]

Are there any major cons to doing the migration rather than starting fresh?

In theory, yes; in practice, mostly just user-based ones.

I always start fresh to get my brain away from any clutter that I've created; and to make sure that if there's anything "bad" in the old system it doesn't just carry over.

And by bad I don't mean malware as much as old config files and software that might have a hard time updating without a manual touch; so mostly just the stuff I've done deep-diving in the murky un*x waters.

 

[Cyberskier]

I initially used Migration Assistant to go from a 2017 MBP to a new m1 Mac Mini. It was in November, so I can't remember the specifics, but I had a few odd issues, such as being unable to unlock with my Apple Watch. After a couple days, I went and did a nuke and pave, to do a clean install (which created its own set of hurdles, as the process wasn't as simple as it had been in the past).

 

[NJRonbo]

Yeah, I am thinking it's probably best to start from scratch then. Appreciate all the input you guys have provided.

 

[Madhatter32]

It's fine to migrate. That said, I have migrated my system for the last fifteen years or so. At some point, it is wise to do a fresh install. My /Library is filled with things that would impress an archaeologist. I think a leaner system is likely to run more efficient. That is only an assumption though as I never had a problem with a migration and it is so much easier. So, for most people, I think it is the way to go.

 

[NJRonbo]

Off the top of your head, how many hours would it take to migrate about 650GB of data from the Intel 16" MBP to the new M1 Mini via TB3 cable?

 

[Madhatter32]

Off the top of your head, how many hours would it take to migrate about 650GB of data from the Intel 16" MBP to the new M1 Mini via TB3 cable?

My guess is about 2 but it is only a guess. Let us know.

 

[Alive76]

I did the migration. No problems at all. My new M1 indeed didn't unlock with my watch at first but that was due to that option not being enabled in sys preferences.

 

[mini5apple]

factor a 4k monitor into the price