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iOS Base M1 MacMini for Xcode only. 8gb or 16gb?

H

HerculesMulligan

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Dec 1, 2020
9
8
Hey,
I'm having a hard time deciding between 8gb and 16gb for the m1 Mac mini. I work on an iOS project that has around 2000 files. Yeah 16gb should be a no brainer but I have a constraint. I live in Brasil, everything has a 97% tax on it after currency conversion, so the base MacMini starts at 8699,00 and goes to 11699,00.

My biggest issue currently is that my current 15' 2017 i7 16gb MacBook Pro gets unusable when I switch branches on git (due to reindexing) or if I change a file that is referenced in many places, causing a big recompile. Not only it gets unusable but it takes 3+ minutes to do so.

Some considerations are:
  • If I open the Xcode project it sits around 2,25 Gb of ram after running it.
  • I sometimes need to pair program so I would be screen sharing.
  • My 15' MacBook Pro is from my company, so I will be keeping it and I will be offloading anything else on it. Slack, Trello, Jira, Word, Mail and so on. The Mac mini will exclusively run Xcode and git, occasionally VSCode, but never at the same time.
  • I run the app on my device.
  • I plan to sell this MacMini or give it to my wife as soon as new, better one, is released.
And there is one last catch. I found a place where I can buy a Base MacMini M1 8gb for 5899,00, so 2800 less that would go to the new 2021 Mac.

If there is anyone who had experience with the new M1 Macs and 2000 files Xcode projects.... I'm going crazy trying to decide :'(
 
casperes1996 said:
What's your memory pressure like under a branch switch on git on your current machine? - You may not necessarily be memory limited at all; Could just be bandwidth or processing throughput
Click to expand...
The memory pressure is constantly under 30% with a lot of apps and tabs open on my current 15' MacBook. When I switch branches the pressure changes very little, but the cpu's go a 100%
 
I would be careful with buying that 1/3 off device.

You need to factor in using one USBC/TB3 port for a monitor. Internal storage is fast - will you backup/offload projects to external?
 
IowaLynn said:
I would be careful with buying that 1/3 off device.

You need to factor in using one USBC/TB3 port for a monitor. Internal storage is fast - will you backup/offload projects to external?
Click to expand...
Yeah I have an external usb drive, plus my monitor is usb-c and doubles as a usb hub
 
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Personally I wouldn't buy a base model for software development even with just Xcode. Aside from the 8GB of memory (which is I think a bit constraining for software development), I would be concerned about the 256gb system drive. Testing has indicated that external drives are much slower on the M1 Macs than the Intel Macs.

OTOH If you are planning to give it to your wife, maybe you should base the purchase on what her needs are. A base model is fine for most general purpose use (Web Browsing, Microsoft Office etc).

For another Developer perspective

 
Last edited:
Zazoh said:
I haven’t had any problems. Programming isn’t nearly as intensive as creating videos and 3D rendering.
Click to expand...
That is going to depend on what you are doing (how large is the code base, what languages your are using, what platforms are you targeting, what IDEs do you use, do you need to run docker containers or VMs).
 
ADGrant said:
That is going to depend on what you are doing (how large is the code base, what languages your are using, what platforms are you targeting, what IDEs do you use, do you need to run docker containers or VMs).
Click to expand...
He’s running Xcode. It’s basically a text editor. I’ve been running since November 17, with zoom, VMware horizon and Xcode and memory pressure never above 30%. I gave up trying to max it out.
 
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I'm also mainly using Xcode, and am going to be getting an M1 mini. There is next day delivery on an 8GB with a 512GB SSD, but 20 days on a 16GB with 256GB. Both cost £899, so I would rather get the bigger SSD if I will be OK with 8GB RAM. I don't want the extra RAM if it's not needed.

My question is : will 8GB be enough, running a 4K monitor and an Apple Thunderbolt monitor, with 2 Xcode projects open and 2 simulators running ?

I won't be running much else while using Xcode, apart from Safari with a couple of tabs open. I tend to close Xcode if if am using mail or using Handbrake, for example.

I'll be grateful to hear your comments to help my choice !
 
Zazoh said:
He’s running Xcode. It’s basically a text editor. I’ve been running since November 17, with zoom, VMware horizon and Xcode and memory pressure never above 30%. I gave up trying to max it out.
Click to expand...
Thats reassuring 🙏


arossco said:
I'm also mainly using Xcode, and am going to be getting an M1 mini. There is next day delivery on an 8GB with a 512GB SSD, but 20 days on a 16GB with 256GB. Both cost £899, so I would rather get the bigger SSD if I will be OK with 8GB RAM. I don't want the extra RAM if it's not needed.

My question is : will 8GB be enough, running a 4K monitor and an Apple Thunderbolt monitor, with 2 Xcode projects open and 2 simulators running ?

I won't be running much else while using Xcode, apart from Safari with a couple of tabs open. I tend to close Xcode if if am using mail or using Handbrake, for example.

I'll be grateful to hear your comments to help my choice !
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to tell that there was an issue with my delivery and its still going to take around 2 weeks to arrive. But I will share my results after I get it.
 
Zazoh said:
He’s running Xcode. It’s basically a text editor. I’ve been running since November 17, with zoom, VMware horizon and Xcode and memory pressure never above 30%. I gave up trying to max it out.
Click to expand...
Hello, after several months do you still recommend the Mac mini with 8GB just for Xcode?
 
Hey ^^

Finally I got my Mac mini yesterday!
I have to say I got a little numb for waiting so much that I wasn't so hyped when it arrived. But the hype is coming back every minute I use this thing.

I built my Xcode project on my MacBook Pro 15' at the same time and the difference was Cristal clear.
Mac mini M1 - 3 mins
MacBook Pro 15' - 11 mins

This project has 3000 files so yeah, still have to wait 3 mins usually, but the most important part is that while building the Mac mini is not only usable, it's fast. I can keep working. This is paramount for me as I lead other developers, so not only I am coding and building the app I'm also on Teams, jira, reviewing pull requests and etc...

When I build on the MacBook Pro 15' I'm forced to use my iPhone to work 🤦🏻‍♂. Hell, not even building, If I change from one git branch to another, Xcode starts Indexing and the whole Mac goes brrrrrr.

I but hey, although I've been testing, it's been only 24 hours. I'll try to keep this thread updated.
 
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asheraryam said:
@HerculesMulligan That sounds great! I am glad that the upgrade went smoothly.

Just to be clear, this is for the 8gb mac mini model or 16gb? I am also considering getting the 8gb model.
Click to expand...
It's the 8gb.

I won't be keeping it for long so I went with 8gb. I just needed to run away from intel to keep my mental health. But I'll probably get the new Mac mini as soon as it's updated.
 
HerculesMulligan said:
Hey ^^

Finally I got my Mac mini yesterday!
I have to say I got a little numb for waiting so much that I wasn't so hyped when it arrived. But the hype is coming back every minute I use this thing.

I built my Xcode project on my MacBook Pro 15' at the same time and the difference was Cristal clear.
Mac mini M1 - 3 mins
MacBook Pro 15' - 11 mins

This project has 3000 files so yeah, still have to wait 3 mins usually, but the most important part is that while building the Mac mini is not only usable, it's fast. I can keep working. This is paramount for me as I lead other developers, so not only I am coding and building the app I'm also on Teams, jira, reviewing pull requests and etc...

When I build on the MacBook Pro 15' I'm forced to use my iPhone to work 🤦🏻‍♂. Hell, not even building, If I change from one git branch to another, Xcode starts Indexing and the whole Mac goes brrrrrr.

I but hey, although I've been testing, it's been only 24 hours. I'll try to keep this thread updated.
Click to expand...
Hello, please forgive my ignorance but beside computing speed at compiling a program what benefits does a M1 gives when uploading an app to the Apple Store? Can an Intel MacBook still be used to compile and upload apps to the Apple Store?
 
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