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iMac vs Mac mini M1 - Which to buy for my usage ?

F

furfing

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 20, 2012
48
8
Hello All,


I am struggling between buying the iMac 2020 Vs the Mac Mini M1 2020.

I currently have 2 external screen 4k running on a MacBook pro. The mac book pro is getting hot often and my browser tabs lagging from time to times.

I run a lot of browser tabs at the same time + couple of others apps in the background.

My struggle is either i should buy the iMac 2020 (best configuration with 64gb memory + 16gb graphical card), or go for the Mac mini 2020 M1 with 16gb memory.

If i choose the iMac i would run my 2 external screen on it on top of the main screen.

I am afraid the iMac will be lagging with my multiple browser tabs use since it's limited to 16gb of memory. I currently run 32 gb on my mac book pro.

May i know what you think i should go for ? I really need very smooth multi tasking and the ability to run couple of apps at the same time and many browser tabs without delay / lagging.

Thanks a lot
 
It's a complicated comparison to be honest. iMac and Mac mini are completely different devices. Do you need the 4K or 5K screen of the iMac? Do you need the best graphics card in the iMac?

If "running a lot of browser tabs at the same time" is all you're doing you'll be fine with the 16 GB Mac mini.
But what are the other apps?

Please provide more details in order for us to be able to help you out.
 
Hello,

Thanks for your answer.

Well i could use an other display yes, would be more efficient on a 3 screen setup than 2...

However i read couple of review online saying than the iMac M1 with 16gb was blasting even a mac pro, especially in browser test.

I hate lagging browser tabs, i often have 60/70 browser tabs open at the same time.

I am just afraid that the iMac will be too slow with 2 external screen and will be like the MacBook pro (lagging).

My main concern being fast browser, chatting + trading app running in the background.

My mac book pro cant handle 2 4k external screen cpu always goes hot and throttle down whatever i try... Seems like the iMac has amazing thermal management + low wattage resulting in full usage of the CPU. Also read that the iMac fans tends to run a lot under heavy usage.

Thanks for your opinion
 
I'm typing this on a Mac mini M1 with 8 GB RAM. Nothing ever really taxes this machine, regardless of what I'm doing with it. Even if I let BOINC run on 100 % CPU usage, the fan does not even come on audibly.

So if you're not playing any games and are content with 2 external screens (check if the M1 Mac mini can do this first!), you should give the M1 machine a try. It's way less expensive, too.
 
Thanks for your feedback, there is a video on youtube where the guys compare the iMac with mac pro bas config, basically it's performing better at almost everything.

Also i was worried about the low graphical card memory and ram but seems like the iMac can do more with less... Would like confirmation of people who compared an iMac 64gb 16go card with a new iMac 16gb memory.
 
Again, if you're not gaming or doing graphics intensive work you won't need the graphics power of a Radeon Pro graphics card.

You said "Also i was worried about the low graphical card memory and ram but seems like the iMac can do more with less..." - the Mac with a M1 chip can do even more.

So what is it you're doing exactly that warrants 64 GB of RAM and a 16 GB graphics card? If you're using Chrome, consider using Safari instead, that alone helps immensely.
 
Well the issue is what about i need to do one day something that requires some graphical power (some web app requires it i guess)... wouldn't the iMac make more sense ? i know some web app requires gpu but dont know to which extent.
 
furfing said:
Well the issue is what about i need to do one day something that requires some graphical power (some web app requires it i guess)... wouldn't the iMac make more sense ? i know some web app requires gpu but dont know to which extent.
Click to expand...
A general rule of buying tech is "if you have to ask, you probably don't need it". If something needs a GPU in your workflow, the M1 is as good as a NVIDIA GTX 1060 - it's not like a web app would need more for displaying content.

It's a good chance to try the lesser expensive M1 Mac, and if there should be any problem (which I highly doubt with what I know so far), you can return it and go for the more expensive iMac. Personally, I'd advise you to try the M1.
 
furfing said:
My mac book pro cant handle 2 4k external screen cpu always goes hot and throttle down whatever i try... Seems like the iMac has amazing thermal management + low wattage resulting in full usage of the CPU. Also read that the iMac fans tends to run a lot under heavy usage.

Thanks for your opinion
Click to expand...

Your Mac book pro throttle perhaps because of it's terrible thermal design, not because it's not powerfull enough.

A 2020 iMac can handle all of your tasks easily. Its thermal dispassion is much better than MacBook Pro.
A Mac Mini M1 also can handle all of your tasks easily on 2 x 4k monitors. ARM chips are cool enough.

Nothing to worry about.
 
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Allright, just ordered it. Also ordering the XDR display to go with it. Hopefully at some point external gpu will be compatible with the Mac Mini.
 
OP wrote:
"I hate lagging browser tabs, i often have 60/70 browser tabs open at the same time."

I predict that having this many tabs open is going to slow down just about ANY Mac you get.

You need to rethink HOW you use the computer.
Keep only those applications and tabs open that you really need at the moment.

Doing this will speed up almost ANY Mac, as well.
 
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Thanks a lot guys ! I’ll let you know once I get the Mac mini getting tmw the display. I will probably get the Mac Pro of this is still too slow on the mini... definitely the issue with my Mac book pro is the thermal management... cpu gets hot after I get too many browser tabs open.

I was watching a benchmark of the mini and it seems to totally kill the Mac bro in browser performance due to the integration of safari and the m1 vs Mac Pro basis config...

So if the Mac mini happens to be too slow I’ll probably have to throw some bucks to get the mid range Mac Pro... but let’s see... anyway the Mac mini is actually pretty cheap easy to resell second hand !
 
furfing said:
Thanks a lot guys ! I’ll let you know once I get the Mac mini getting tmw the display. I will probably get the Mac Pro of this is still too slow on the mini... definitely the issue with my Mac book pro is the thermal management... cpu gets hot after I get too many browser tabs open.

I was watching a benchmark of the mini and it seems to totally kill the Mac bro in browser performance due to the integration of safari and the m1 vs Mac Pro basis config...

So if the Mac mini happens to be too slow I’ll probably have to throw some bucks to get the mid range Mac Pro... but let’s see... anyway the Mac mini is actually pretty cheap easy to resell second hand !
Click to expand...
Mac pro for browsing. All right. If that doesn’t help buy NASA super computer or AWS (the whole farm) with 2 XDR displays attached*.

*before check your internet connection
 
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maerz001 said:
Mac pro for browsing. All right. If that doesn’t help buy NASA super computer or AWS (the whole farm) with 2 XDR displays attached*.

*before check your internet connection
Click to expand...
Well, can always be useful for video edition and it looks nice also ;)
 
Just received my mini 16 go M1 + the XDR Display.

Amazing combo. It's day and night with my MacBook Pro... Everything is blazing fast, no more constant fan noise...

The screen is really awesome too, just downside I like to use two screens but it seems I wouldn't be able to add and other one with the Mac mini (would need to wait EGPU compatibility with M1) or get an other Mac mini when a refresh happened.... Anyway due to the resolution it's perfect...

Btw for those with such setup I would recommend the speakers MM1 for B&W perfect fit on top of this...

Ho btw, on a side note do not go with the pro stand for the XDR display, instead I got the vesa adapter with Herman miller Ollin, really awesome not to have anything in between the screen and the back of it.

Thanks a lot for your advices.
 
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furfing said:
Just received my mini 16 go M1 + the XDR Display.

Amazing combo. It's day and night with my MacBook Pro... Everything is blazing fast, no more constant fan noise...

The screen is really awesome too, just downside I like to use two screens but it seems I wouldn't be able to add and other one with the Mac mini (would need to wait EGPU compatibility with M1) or get an other Mac mini when a refresh happened.... Anyway due to the resolution it's perfect...

Btw for those with such setup I would recommend the speakers MM1 for B&W perfect fit on top of this...

Ho btw, on a side note do not go with the pro stand for the XDR display, instead I got the vesa adapter with Herman miller Ollin, really awesome not to have anything in between the screen and the back of it.

Thanks a lot for your advices.
Click to expand...

You don't need to wait for eGPU. Just need the proper adapter/hub, depending on what kind of input ports your 4K monitors have.

Six Displays Running on M1 Mac Mini, Macbook Air + Activity Monitor + Subscriber Q&A #WorkFromHome - YouTube

How to Run 2 Displays From an M1 Mac Mini – The Sweet Setup
 
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