£500 to spend on Mac Mini M4 vs iMac M4

[draconiangab]

Hi all,

Short time lurker, first time poster.

Need help to decide whether to buy an M4 Mac Mini or iMac…

My slightly niche situation is this:

I am not a heavy tech user at all. I have a 2014 MacBook Air which collects dust in a drawer and an iPhone 11 which I use for everything. My work computer is an HP laptop and my work phone is an iPhone 13.

My partner also has an old MacBook Air (2016ish) and uses a windows laptop for work. We have a home office with an old 1080p Dell monitor, USB A wired keyboard and mouse. She uses the office to plug her work laptop in 1-2 days per week; I use it about once a month (normally work from office).

She has mentioned a couple of times that she would like a new personal computer, as she currently does everything on work laptop or phone. Alongside storing our photos, music etc., she would like to play Sims 4 (which currently she tries to play on her MBA until it overheats).

My work have gifted me £500 to spend on Apple products.

I realised that this could pay for a whole new Mac Mini, and this could be her Christmas present. However, having fallen down a rabbit hole learning about monitors and keyboards and mice, it seems like I would need to buy new versions of all of these to get it working.

I could therefore put the £500 towards a new iMac, and spend ~£700 from my own pocket. This would possibly cost more than buying a 4K monitor and keyboard and mouse, but the screen would be top quality.

However, if I buy the iMac, she won’t be able to plug her work laptop in anymore (or we will have to leave the old monitor keyboard and mouse on desk next to the new iMac).

All of the above relates to base models.

Basically, do I…?

Get a Mac Mini, free of charge, and use old peripherals

Get a Mac Mini and spend approx £400 on a new 4K monitor, mouse and keyboard.

Spend £700 on an iMac

Thanks!

 

[jb310]

However, having fallen down a rabbit hole learning about monitors and keyboards and mice, it seems like I would need to buy new versions of all of these to get it working.

You could just buy an USB-A to USB-C adapter for the keyboard and mouse (or buy a very cheap Bluetooth keyboard + mouse). I don't know about the monitor, but you might be able to find an adapter for that. Adapters and dongles are cheap; you would only spend a relatively small amount of money... far below £100 for everything you'd need.

(That said, if you're willing to spend the money for it, the iMac is a genuinely great device, and the display, speakers, and the Magic Keyboard + Mouse are all incredibly nice.)

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Particularly for a shared workstation with the work laptop.... Mac mini makes more sense.

 

[ubinko]

If you favour convenience and an all round wholesome and polished experience, get the iMac.

If you favour value and don't mind something that's a bit rough around the edges, get the base mac mini. If you wait for Black Friday, you will probably also get a £50-£100 voucher, which you could spend on a magic keyboard, or something else.