M4 Mac Mini or go for the M4 Mac Mini Pro

[danb1979]

I'm in a quandary

I've got (as my home office 'desktop') an M1 Mac Mini (8GB/256GB) with a 25" BenQ 2k monitor (with an Anker USB C hub - 4TB SSD for my iTunes / 1TB SSD for TimeMachine) etc...

I also have an M1 MBA for work which I connect to the monitor when working for dual screens etc

I'm toying with the idea of reducing clutter and getting the latest iMac as a) it's tidier and b) it looks to be a superb screen and will be a lot more sharp than the BenQ I've got and also, I can get it in green 😂

But at that price; I can spec an M4 Mac Mini or go for the M4 Mac Mini Pro and keep what I've got now (otherwise it'd get sold on)...

I don't need massive storage on the Mac itself as it's only used for standard stuff (Chrome, Apple Music, MS Office, YouTube etc) - I don't game or use it for any hard tasks etc... So 256GB/512GB is more than enough

Anyone else stuck in this dilemma?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

If swapping out the display for your MBA is a requirement, iMac is not a good choice for you.

A benefit to Mac mini is the option of M4 Pro (what you referred to as "M4 Mac mini Pro"). If M4 Pro would benefit you, that too is not an option for iMac.

So the question is - are you okay with basic M4 (based on your task list, you probably are) and are you okay with not being able to tie your work MBA into the home desk? (Yeah, AirPlay to Mac is still an option if needed). If yes to both, then iMac is a good solution. It will net you a considerably better display than the BenQ and a much more attractive physical desktop environment, at a reasonable price.

 

[danb1979]

If swapping out the display for your MBA is a requirement, iMac is not a good choice for you.

A benefit to Mac mini is the option of M4 Pro (what you referred to as "M4 Mac mini Pro"). If M4 Pro would benefit you, that too is not an option for iMac.

So the question is - are you okay with basic M4 (based on your task list, you probably are) and are you okay with not being able to tie your work MBA into the home desk? (Yeah, AirPlay to Mac is still an option if needed). If yes to both, then iMac is a good solution. It will net you a considerably better display than the BenQ and a much more attractive physical desktop environment, at a reasonable price.

Thanks for that

Yes; M4 is more than sufficient really. My M1 Mini and MBA have been faultless (bar the MBA screen failing earlier this year which Apple replaced thankfully)

So connecting the M1 MBA to an M4 iMac would be via Airplay? I thought it'd be via USB-C

For the tasks I need it for (ie MS Office (Word & Excel mainly) and then Adobe PDF; that should be a good combination?

 

[FreakinEurekan]

So connecting the M1 MBA to an M4 iMac would be via Airplay? I thought it'd be via USB-C

Modern iMacs (the last 10 years, really) don't connect as an external display to a different computer. AirPlay or a 3rd party software solution is the only way.

For the tasks I need it for (ie MS Office (Word & Excel mainly) and then Adobe PDF; that should be a good combination?

I don't use MS Office or Adobe. But if those work on your M1, they'd certainly work on M4.

 

[ubinko]

Based on your requirements, the Pro would be a waste of money. Get the base M4 Mini. If you wanna keep things really cheap, get the 256GB version and stick an external SSD drive in the back.

 

[Alameda]

I'm in a quandary

I've got (as my home office 'desktop') an M1 Mac Mini (8GB/256GB) with a 25" BenQ 2k monitor (with an Anker USB C hub - 4TB SSD for my iTunes / 1TB SSD for TimeMachine) etc...

I also have an M1 MBA for work which I connect to the monitor when working for dual screens etc

I'm toying with the idea of reducing clutter and getting the latest iMac as a) it's tidier and b) it looks to be a superb screen and will be a lot more sharp than the BenQ I've got and also, I can get it in green 😂

But at that price; I can spec an M4 Mac Mini or go for the M4 Mac Mini Pro and keep what I've got now (otherwise it'd get sold on)...

I don't need massive storage on the Mac itself as it's only used for standard stuff (Chrome, Apple Music, MS Office, YouTube etc) - I don't game or use it for any hard tasks etc... So 256GB/512GB is more than enough

Anyone else stuck in this dilemma?

To be honest, you probably won’t see any performance difference with the M4 unless your work is processor intensive, like video editing or such.

It sounds like you might be far happier with a 27” Studio Display instead of the 24” iMac.

 

[EdwardC]

Interesting video on M1 vs. M4 which might help a little.