What Mac should I get?

It will suit your needs perfectly

 

I have the Mac mini 2012 model. I do a lot of image editing and Netflix streaming and the Mac mini seems to handle everything quite well. I'm not a gamer so I cannot attest to that aspect of performance.

 

I've never used any of the newer models or an iMac so I really can't give advice on them. However, I would be confident that a newer model Mac mini would perform at least as well as the previous model. If you do opt for the new Mac mini, be sure that it meets your needs.. I don't believe the RAM is replaceable by the user.

 

I have taken a desktop and it's working well. I like to photoshop work onto it.

 

You're new to the Mac platform, maybe or maybe not to Apple's doings?

In early June - less than 6 weeks away - Apple hosts its Developer Conference, WWDC. At WWDC, we get some insight into what "comes next" - I need to buy 10-12 new Macs for my small company, and I have friends who work for Intel. Skylake is coming out sooner than many think (I can't get into this) and WWDC is only a few weeks away - from a long-time Mac buyer (and PC buyer too), I recommend waiting to see what Apple announces at WWDC or you'll be repeating two words to yourself:

Buyers. Remorse.

I'm waiting. It's my money. I also own a Mini - they're sweet.

 

I have an 15-inch Mac Book Pro (16GB), which is fabulous. I think it would works well for you as well.

 

Sufficient

But not brilliant...

I would try one out and if it's not up to scratch return it. You have 14 days to return to apple no questions asked.

 

The current $499 Mac Mini (1.4GHz) is a very underpowered system in my opinion. If I remember correctly, even the model it replaced was faster.

 

Also wanting to buy a mini here but waiting until june. In theory won't they do a refresh of the minis with 5th gen processors like they did with the 13 in retina? Guess we will have to wait and see what happens.

 

I have a 2012 mini. Great little machine. But .... I also own a Mac Pro (the current one) and that's the one I use for Photoshop. It's much faster and remains quiet when pushed hard, the mini tends to get noisy on photo imports. yes it's a LOT more expensive, but it suits my needs better.

My advice would be to be honest with yourself about what your workloads are going to be - just how much Photoshop, etc do you really do? And if in doubt get the computer you think you need and if it's not fast enough, then you can take it back for a refund and get something quicker.

 

The latest Minis are nice machines but not nearly as useful for power users as the previous versions. However, if you are considering a new Mini please make sure to be fully aware -

1) whatever RAM you get is all you will ever be able to use in that Mini as the RAM is soldered in. If you are using Photoshop, get at least 8 gigs and 16 would be better if you have large projects or multiple items open.
2) Previous models included a quad core, the present models are dual. If you get a new Mini, don't even bother looking at the base model - it is anemic with respect to Photoshop and many games.
3) Consider what drive to get in a new Mini. At minimum, consider a Fusion drive or the smaller SSD offering. The mechanical drive is good for storage but kind of sluggish if you plan to use OSX and apps on it as well.
4) Both USB3 and Thunderbolt external drives are worth considering down the road which is a nice feature of the Mini to engage and if needed, use as a boot drive.

 

Definitely a good idea to wait until the conference if you do not need something ASAP.

As far as the difference between the mini and the iMac, you probably won't notice too much performance difference in a mid level mini and a base level iMac. With that said, the iMac will outperform the mini on more extensive tasks if you ever have plans for doing some of those (video editing, large photoshop files, etc.).

The real questions for me are budget and what do you already have. If you already have a great monitor and a keyboard and mouse, then the mini makes the most sense. If you are looking to buy the entire system, an iMac (assuming you can afford a little extra) would probably make more sense.

You have a few weeks until the conference so you can take some time and decided which model you want to go for and then see what kind of specs you can get with the new models or what kind of deals you can get on the previous years models.

 

I have a stock mid range 2014 Mac Mini. It does everything I need it to do without any problem including streaming hi def videos without missing a beat. I don't play games so I can't comment on how well it does in that area. I occasionally convert videos with Handbrake no problems as well.