Mac Mini 2 or Mac Mini Pro for our type of projects?? Monitor?

[Mac2004]

Hi everyone….. We are considering purchasing a new Mac Mini to replace our 2013 27 inch iMac but we are not sure which Mac Mini model would be right for us. A Mac Mini M2 512 hard drive with 8gb of memory or a Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16gb of memory. We aren’t big power users but we love photography and we still like to edit our photos and possibly do nice graphic design or art work in the near future. We also want to start using PhotoShop in the near future. We will NOT be using our future Mac Mini computer for video editing, gaming, or producing music. Mostly editing photos we take and art work.

Which model would be adequate for us. The M2 or M2 Pro? How much memory should we get as well? We don’t want to get a computer that will be outdated a year from now. We want a good home computer that will last us for 5-7 years.

Also what does everyone think of the 2725 BenQ monitors??? We plan on getting one or is there a better one?

We like the iMac but don’t want to wait til October.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

You are going to get answers in support of both Macs because nobody really knows which one will be best for fluid future needs. If you re fully indifferent between the two: M2 PRO with twice the RAM for the general win. The non Pro may very well be capable enough for your present and future needs, so it would be equally easy to argue FOR that one too. Many around here argue 8GB is just too little RAM for "future proofing" so if a 2013 iMac means that you buy a new computer every 10 years, you are not buying this one strictly for 2023 but possibly for your needs as far out as 2033. As you likely know, there's not upgrading RAM on Silicon. You must buy for whatever may be your future needs. Else, it's throw out the whole computer if those needs exceed the choices made at time of purchase.

As to Ben Q, I've read and seen plenty of good things. Many around here will argue against 4K, mostly because Apple endorses 5K+. If the iMac screen is still functional, you might go to the trouble of physically converting it into a 5K screen. That should cost less than ANY new monitor. Do some searches on youtube and watch to see what it takes. Or maybe find someone able to take a crack at that for you as a service? If you've heavily used that iMac since 2013, 10 years is getting pretty far "out there" for monitor longevity. It may have another year or two in it or it may have 5+ more years. But if this cost is not too dear, repurposing will beat new monitor pricing.

Refurb Apple Studio Display? Keep an eye out for Samsung Viewfinity S9 which, while MSRP'ing close to ASD, will likely have typical Samsung monitor discounts once it is in wide distribution through third party retailers. I wouldn't be surprised to see it offered for as little as $999-$1199 by as soon as Black Friday. Both of those will get you 5K. The LG monitor that Apple endorsed for years before they launched ASD will also be available at relatively good pricing vs. ASD. It was perfectly fine while Apple pushed it (this crowd only turned on it once Apple had a competing 27").

I actually went larger with the 40" Dell 5K2K ultra wide. To my good eyes, it looks just as good as the iMac 27" it replaced (about the same screen height too)... but offers much more working space width. Now that I'm used to it, I could never go back to the approx square screens in all Macs.

The flexible built-in hub is very useful and, with 4 inputs, I went ahead and picked up a Mac Mini-like PC to recreate "old fashioned" bootcamp. Both Mac and PC share this same monitor, which can split screen if I want to use both at the same time. It costs about the same as a new ASD with stand option but possibly worth your consideration too.

 

[ovbacon]

Hi everyone….. We are considering purchasing a new Mac Mini to replace our 2013 27 inch iMac but we are not sure which Mac Mini model would be right for us. A Mac Mini M2 512 hard drive with 8gb of memory or a Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16gb of memory. We aren’t big power users but we love photography and we still like to edit our photos and possibly do nice graphic design or art work in the near future. We also want to start using PhotoShop in the near future. We will NOT be using our future Mac Mini computer for video editing, gaming, or producing music. Mostly editing photos we take and art work.

Which model would be adequate for us. The M2 or M2 Pro? How much memory should we get as well? We don’t want to get a computer that will be outdated a year from now. We want a good home computer that will last us for 5-7 years.

Also what does everyone think of the 2725 BenQ monitors??? We plan on getting one or is there a better one?

We like the iMac but don’t want to wait til October.

I went from a 2015 iMac 27" 5K to a mini M2 16/512 and I use Photoshop, Lightroom and illustrator heavily so there is no need for a M2 Pro. I have a BenQ PD2705U (27" 4K) and it is fantastic for design/photo work.

I would not go with 8GB as the chance is just there that it will be underpowered when using design tools.
Get a good external ssd for additional storage and you'll be able to use that mini for years.

 

[iSuzan]

I would go with a M2 Pro with 16GB.

Probably a M2 with 16GB would be also enough, but check the additional ports - nice to have more ports!

 

[colodane]

Yes, get the Pro with 16 GB RAM.

Also important: Get 1 TB (or more if you want) internal storage. Anything smaller will be slower.

 

[Fishrrman]

M2pro.

16gb of RAM (which is standard).

"Bump up" the internal SSD from 512gb (standard) to 1tb.
Reason why: the 1tb is fully 2x as fast as the 512gb (due to chip arrangement).

 

[richmlow]

Hi everyone….. We are considering purchasing a new Mac Mini to replace our 2013 27 inch iMac but we are not sure which Mac Mini model would be right for us. A Mac Mini M2 512 hard drive with 8gb of memory or a Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16gb of memory. We aren’t big power users but we love photography and we still like to edit our photos and possibly do nice graphic design or art work in the near future. We also want to start using PhotoShop in the near future. We will NOT be using our future Mac Mini computer for video editing, gaming, or producing music. Mostly editing photos we take and art work.

Which model would be adequate for us. The M2 or M2 Pro? How much memory should we get as well? We don’t want to get a computer that will be outdated a year from now. We want a good home computer that will last us for 5-7 years.

Also what does everyone think of the 2725 BenQ monitors??? We plan on getting one or is there a better one?

We like the iMac but don’t want to wait til October.

Hello Mac2004,


For your usage, I would recommend a 2023 Mac mini (Apple Silicon M2 Pro, 10-core CPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD storage). These specifications are almost identical to my system (see below signature) and I expect my Mac mini to last 10+ years!

Good luck in your purchasing decision!


richmlow