Considering switching to M1 Mac Mini from 13" MBP 2018

[tejagamer]

Hi,
I am currently running a 2018 MBP 13" (TB Base with 8/256GB) and it's so sluggish it with an external display (even 1440p along with internal) with just 8GB of RAM. Planning to switch to a Mac mini M1 with 16GB as my laptop always runs docked at my desk all the time.
I got a good deal from a friend working in Apple - essentially the new M1 mini will cost me less than 100$ after trading in my MBP. Placed an order already but it will arrive only in 3-4 weeks.

My typical usage:

1. Light Photo Editing - Dealing with some Canon RAW files and imports (I am a hobby photographer)
2. Basic VS Code usage - for some personal projects
3. Browsing and Media Playback (about 70-80% of the time)
4. Driving two 1440p panels (one UW)
5. Light XCode Usage

I am sure the new M1 Mini work with the above - but i was also thinking if i can just get an eGPU to offset the weak GPU and graphics memory and to use it with my Intel MBP for a couple of years until .

 

[chabig]

Wouldn't an eGPU cost about as much as a new Mini?

 

[tejagamer]

Wouldn't an eGPU cost about as much as a new Mini?

Depending on the graphic card I choose. Yes, Almost.