Trying to decide which route to go down.

[SS4Luck]

It is time for me to get a new desktop/home station and it will be my first iMac/Mac system and I have a few questions.

I am currently a grad student (and will continue to be through a masters degree into a PhD) and would like to build a system that is productivity driven more than anything. I am not a gamer so i'm not overly worried about graphics qualities, but I would like to be able to run 2 (or maybe even 3) monitors. I think this means i should just stick to a new Mac mini but i am honestly lost.

I have a new MacBook pro and iPad pro that I use during class and I would really enjoy everything being seamlessly transitioned between all of my devices. At which model mini should I really be looking at? Obviously we all want to save money, but i know that can bite me in the long run. I just want something I can setup once and forget.

I use a lot of cloud storage already, so im not worried about large amounts of physical storage mostly about memory and processors as i dont want multiple screens to bog productivity down.

The majority of the usage for the machine will be one screen for Microsoft office and the other screen(s) for research/youtube/music/general internet browsing.


Am I asking too much out of a Mac when i should just be building a budget PC?

 

[Ghokun]

What major are you enrolled in? Although I love apple devices, I needed CUDA for phd work, so I built a linux desktop with an nvidia card.

 

[SS4Luck]

What major are you enrolled in? Although I love apple devices, I needed CUDA for phd work, so I built a linux desktop with an nvidia card.

Psych/youth development. All of the programs that i need for assessments and reporting etc are Mac friendly, which while usually I would view as a plus has only complicated my life! haha

 

[pldelisle]

I don’t think you need a third Apple device. You already have a good MacBook Pro and the best iPad. Why not just add a desktop monitor and plug the MacBook Pro in ?!

 

[SS4Luck]

I don’t think you need a third Apple device. You already have a good MacBook Pro and the best iPad. Why not just add a desktop monitor and plug the MacBook Pro in ?!

With the current state of the world my Macbook is tied up as a glorified Zoom machine and I need an additional work station to actually do my work on while viewing the slides/information that is being presented to me. It is a significant chore trying to do this with a MacBook and iPad, and would be significantly easier to do it with the MacBook and a desktop. When school/the world goes back to normal it will be easiest to take notes with the ipad and then come home and work on my workstation as well. Each device has its intended purpose and my home office/state needs its own device. Not to mention when youre working on 20+ page papers it is easier to research on one screen while typing on the other screen.

 

[SS4Luck]

Ive done enough searching to figure out the new mini will do everything i need.

My real initial question should have been:

1) Is the M1 chip sufficient, or should I upgrade to an Intel?
2) 8gb of memory enough or should i bump to 16gb?

 

[pldelisle]

With the current state of the world my Macbook is tied up as a glorified Zoom machine and I need an additional work station to actually do my work on while viewing the slides/information that is being presented to me.

Why adding an external monitor would not suffice ????

I have an iPad Pro And MacBook Pro too. I just don‘t use the MacBook Pro anymore since I do everything with my iPad when going mobile. That‘s why I abandon my old 2013 MBP to get a Mac Mini M1. With two monitors, it’s perfectly sufficient.

If you keep your MBP and add an external monitor, one screen can have your zoom calls while the other is for your work. I don’t understand why you’d need two full machines ... I’ve docked my MBP its whole life at home and used it on the go and at school too.

but it’s your money. I’m just trying to save you money lol.

 

[EastHillWill]

You're definitely better off with the M1, unless there's some weird software you need and didn't mention *and* doesn't play well with Rosetta. Ah, the RAM question. So many opinions! With your use case 8 sounds like more than enough. However, if you're planning on keeping the mini for a while and you have the money, you may as well spend it and get the 16. Some folks keep their minis forever, and if that's you then sure, spring for 16.

 

[SS4Luck]

Why adding an external monitor would not suffice ????

I have an iPad Pro And MacBook Pro too. I just don‘t use the MacBook Pro anymore since I do everything with my iPad when going mobile. That‘s why I abandon my old 2013 MBP to get a Mac Mini M1. With two monitors, it’s perfectly sufficient.

If you keep your MBP and add an external monitor, one screen can have your zoom calls while the other is for your work. I don’t understand why you’d need two full machines ... I’ve docked my MBP its whole life at home and used it on the go and at school too.

but it’s your money. I’m just trying to save you money lol.

I situations will arise where i need 2 screens for work and 1 for zoom which is why im trying to figure out a desktop machine in the first place.

 

[SS4Luck]

You're definitely better off with the M1, unless there's some weird software you need and didn't mention *and* doesn't play well with Rosetta. Ah, the RAM question. So many opinions! With your use case 8 sounds like more than enough. However, if you're planning on keeping the mini for a while and you have the money, you may as well spend it and get the 16. Some folks keep their minis forever, and if that's you then sure, spring for 16.

Yup no weird random software, and if it does i can crutch it with the MBP if i have to. Thankfully most of the psych/education world tailors a lot of stuff for Mac. I was mainly not sure if the M1 would be sufficient for the work I Was wanting so i figured i would either upgrade to 16 or upgrade to intel but not both. M1 and 16 it is!

 

[chabig]

1) Is the M1 chip sufficient, or should I upgrade to an Intel?

M1 is the upgrade! It is far more powerful than the Intel chips in every way.

 

[Apple_Robert]

The base M1 mini 256GB would probably fit your needs depending on how much iCloud space you use.

 

[Phil77354]

. . . or should I upgrade to an Intel?

. . . or upgrade to intel . . .

Unfortunately, the way that Apple currently presents the Mac mini on it's website, when you select 'buy' then it gives you three Mac mini configuration choices to begin with, and the Intel version is the third and most expensive listed, which would suggest that it is the 'highest' model available.

I don't know for sure what the reason is for this but perhaps in retaining one Intel version for the time being, they decided to keep the highest and therefore most expensive Intel one (out of the several previously available), which ends up being more expensive than the newer M1 versions.

As everyone here has already emphasized, however, the M1 version is the way to go and is going to be higher performance and more compatible with future Apple software and operating system upgrades. The only reason I would expect someone to go with the Intel version would be some expectation that it might be more usable for Boot Camp or Windows emulation purposes, but even with that I think those capabilities will come to the M1 eventually if not already.

And by all means get the 16 GB RAM, even though the M1 seems to be much less needy for greater amounts of RAM. It is certainly what I would personally choose.

 

[mk313]

I situations will arise where i need 2 screens for work and 1 for zoom which is why im trying to figure out a desktop machine in the first place.

I'm with pld, I think your best bet is to add an external monitor (or two if you need three screens). Aside from the monetary savings, I find that managing two Macs complicates life a bit. Having everything on one machine makes life easier (for me). From making sure that you have multiple licenses for your software to making sure that all of your documents are in sync, and that all of your software is updated on both machines, and even the different way that trackpads vs mice & different keyboard layouts. It adds a level of complexity that doesn't exist when everything is on one machine.

I use a MacBook, but docked and with an external monitor. For those times I need mobility, I can just grab it & go, but for those times when I don't, everything is alwready exactly where I want it, etc, and I have external monitors, etc plugged in & ready to go.

But I also agree with pld, when (s)he stated 'it's your money, do whatever you want'.

 

[MacCheetah3]

You seem confident about the software compatibility, etc. Therefore, I'll skip over that.

The M1 is impressive and shouldn't have a problem with your workload. I will say 16GB of RAM is a necessity though considering how many documents and the amount of multitasking you intend to do plus the RAM is also used by the GPU.

With that said, if your MBP is the 16" model, I will stand by some of the others commenters and suggest you stick with utilizing your current Mac. Besides saving money -- which can be put towards external monitors/displays -- the dedicated graphics system of the larger MBP is more capable than the M1 GPU in a multi-monitor setup. Recent 16" MBPs can drive up to two 6K@60Hz or up to four 4K@60Hz as well as the integrated display, of course. So, plenty for your desires.

 

[Aggedor]

M1 is the upgrade! It is far more powerful than the Intel chips in every way.

I came here to say this

 

[Boyd01]

AFAIK, the M1 Mini only supports two monitors (one via USB and another on HDMI). And it is evidently rather picky about what kind of monitors - there are a lot of threads about monitor issues in the Mini forum. So, if you really need three screens then I don't see how the M1 will meet your needs.

 

[SS4Luck]

So just to update this here, I had the 13" MBP but was inside of the return window so that has gone back to apple and im still sitting here figuring out an entire setup, but its looking like a docked 16" MBP is going to be the winner. I wasn't planning on spending $3K plus, but yolo. I guess the money is basically the same as the 13" and a mini setup but sticker shock is real once **** starts to add up hahahah

 

[pldelisle]

So just to update this here, I had the 13" MBP but was inside of the return window so that has gone back to apple and im still sitting here figuring out an entire setup, but its looking like a docked 16" MBP is going to be the winner. I wasn't planning on spending $3K plus, but yolo. I guess the money is basically the same as the 13" and a mini setup but sticker shock is real once **** starts to add up hahahah

What ? I understood absolutely nothing...

 

[SS4Luck]

What ? I understood absolutely nothing...

I had recently purchased a 13" MBP, that I returned.
I am purchasing a 16" MBP that I am going to used as both a desktop machine connected to 2 external monitors as well as a laptop instead of using my 13" MBP and buying a Mac mini to run as a desktop machine.
Sticker shock sets in quickly when you price out a 16" MBP, 2 monitors, bluetooth accessories and a few other things to setup to make a MBP "desktop"

 

[IowaLynn]

A MacBook Pro in 14 and 16" are slated for later this year.
I'd look at forum threads regarding MBP16 and if that looks right for you. As in:

(2019) 16" is HOT & NOISY with an external monitor! :(

I received a base 16" today and am disappointed because it get's as hot as my 2017 with an external 4K monitor. Is anybody else experiencing the same issue? I always work with external monitors and running on high resolution and this heating performance is upsetting. It's not cooler than the...

forums.macrumors.com

The m1 mini is basically a developer prototype knockoff. Next time, looking forward. The 2020 Intel i5 (6 cores, less heat than i7) is a solid system that can handle what you throw at it, more monitors and ports and heavy lifting. Good resell and can run windows natively (which was one reason in Oct I chose it instead of waiting for M1 version 1.0 along with the state of Big Sur these last 3 months).