Mac Mini 8gb is it an upgrade or not?

[andy5898]

At present we are running a 7 year old Dell PC Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz with 16GB ram. We are thinking of updating and buying a Mini Mac 8gb. Its been a long time since we last bought a computer I just wanted to make sure the mini mac is an upgrade to what we have not just a side step? I know being 7 years newer helps but just wanted to make sure.

Thanks

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Maybe?

Intel Core i7-4790 Benchmarks - Geekbench

Mac mini (Late 2020) Benchmarks - Geekbench

browser.geekbench.com

 

[BeatCrazy]

At present we are running a 7 year old Dell PC Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz with 16GB ram. We are thinking of updating and buying a Mini Mac 8gb. Its been a long time since we last bought a computer I just wanted to make sure the mini mac is an upgrade to what we have not just a side step? I know being 7 years newer helps but just wanted to make sure.

Thanks

Absolutely an upgrade. Don't worry about the 8Gb of RAM in the mini. macOS vs. Windows uses RAM in different ways.

 

[andy5898]

Thank you so much. We just didn’t want to spend money and discover we ended up with nothing better. It seems so much faster but then I started looking at details and things got blurred!

 

[BeatCrazy]

Thank you so much. We just didn’t want to spend money and discover we ended up with nothing better. It seems so much faster but then I started looking at details and things got blurred!

If the speed and performance of an M1 Mac mini don't blow you away compared to your 7-year old Dell, I'll eat a sock.

 

[parameter]

I'm just a Mac user but bought the M1 Mini 8GB version and returned it within a week and bought the 16GB version. I'm sure the 8GB version would be fine for most light use, but if you intend to do a lot of things like browsing with lots of tabs or any intensive tasks, just go with the 16GB version.

I hate to muddy the waters for you with the conflicting comments above but am worried that for an investment of only a bit more, the machine is night and day. At least for my uses. If you do go with the 8GB and feel that it runs slow or lags or anything like that, just take it back and upgrade to the 16GB one. You'd be surprised at the differences it made. but again that was for me. just my 2 cents.

 

[Diablo360]

I think that the base M1 Mac mini will blow away your year old Dell a long shot. It won’t even be close

 

[Andrea Filippini]

At present we are running a 7 year old Dell PC Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-4790 CPU @ 3.60GHz 3.60 GHz with 16GB ram. We are thinking of updating and buying a Mini Mac 8gb. Its been a long time since we last bought a computer I just wanted to make sure the mini mac is an upgrade to what we have not just a side step? I know being 7 years newer helps but just wanted to make sure.

Thanks

Mac Mini M1 with 8GB of memory is the worst idea. Avoid it like the plague.
There is no way that it can replace your Dell's 16GB of memory.
Memory size is memory size, OS doesn't matter.
Go for the 16GB version.
And last, but not least, before jump on Apple Silicon check apps compatibility.

 

[TechRunner]

As someone who owns an M1 Mini with 8GB of RAM, I think it will be perfect for basic, day-to-day use. Mine has been flawless for me since November of '20. Having said that, I'm not planning on keeping it as my primary machine for more than three or four years. You've had your Dell for 7 years. Assuming you want to keep the Mini for that length of time, I would seriously consider, as others have said, getting a model with 16GB of RAM if you can swing it.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Mac Mini M1 with 8GB of memory is the worst idea. Avoid it like the plague.
There is no way that it can replace your Dell's 16GB of memory.
Memory size is memory size, OS doesn't matter.
Go for the 16GB version.
And last, but not least, before jump on Apple Silicon check apps compatibility.

Which M1 Mac 8GB have you owned?

I owned the 8GB M1 Mac mini for >1 year, and still have/use the 8GB M1 MacBook Air. Both run circles around my 11th-gen Intel Framework laptop with 32GB of RAM. The M1s have less lag, better iGPU, and have more responsive UI than a Windows equivalent with 4x RAM.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

Which M1 Mac 8GB have you owned?

I owned the 8GB M1 Mac mini for >1 year, and still have/use the 8GB M1 MacBook Air. Both run circles around my 11th-gen Intel Framework laptop with 32GB of RAM. The M1s have less lag, better iGPU, and have more responsive UI than a Windows equivalent with 4x RAM.

There is no way you can replace 16GB of memory with 8GB. No way.
Several owners have already posted in this forum the botteneck with the 8GB model.
If the original poster need a new computer, the 16GB M1 is the way.
8GB model is already obsolete and he would send it back in no time at all.

 

[BeatCrazy]

There is no way you can replace 16GB of memory with 8GB. No way.
Several owners have already posted in this forum the botteneck with the 8GB model.
If the original poster need a new computer, the 16GB M1 is the way.
8GB model is already obsolete and he would send it back in no time at all.

Can you just answer the question for us?
Which M1 Mac 8GB have you owned?

Did you own a 8GB version and "send it back in no time"?

 

[brucewayne]

We have several 8gb M1s, in normal day to day use its is plenty - MacOS is much better at memory management. If you are a power user get the 16gb.

The M1 has been out for 18 months now and M2s are around the corner - probably not the best time to invest if you are the type that is keeping a computer for 7 years.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

Can you just answer the question for us?
Which M1 Mac 8GB have you owned?

Did you own a 8GB version and "send it back in no time"?

I have tried the M1 8GB/256GB version.
I have send it back after less than two weeks.

 

[Fishrrman]

DO NOT buy any Mac with an m-series CPU in it UNLESS it has 16gb (or more) RAM.
8gb won't be enough.

By reading this post, consider yourself as having been "duly warned"...

 

[BeatCrazy]

I have tried the M1 8GB/256GB version.
I have send it back after less than two weeks.

But you told this guy with 20 concurrent apps that 8GB will be fine. Maybe everyone has different needs, and 8GB can do fine by many?

 

[kpluck]

Without knowing what you are doing on your computer and what software you are using it is difficult to give you a useful answer to your original question or to know if 8GB of RAM is adequate.

-kp

 

[parameter]

I also stand by my review above and absolutely would recommend the 16GB version. As said, I owned the 8GB model for 3 weeks and it was ok at first, until I tried doing much of anything. Do yourself a favor and help future proof things for a few years by getting the 16GB model.

If you get the 8GB model and think it's too slow after a while, then there's nothing you can do except buy a new computer. Really, grab the 16GB model and you'll be so much happier. Short & long term.

 

[Sheepish-Lord]

Be careful, Mac Mini still has Bluetooth issues presumably do to the chassis so do your research.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

But you told this guy with 20 concurrent apps that 8GB will be fine. Maybe everyone has different needs, and 8GB can do fine by many?

According to his data, he doesn't need more memory.
Anyway the original poster has a Dell with 16GB of memory.
There is no way you can advise to purchase a new computer with less memory size than the former machine.
Especially on a machine like Mac Mini M1 with soldered memory.

 

[BeatCrazy]

There is no way you can advise to purchase a new computer with less memory size than the former machine.

Sure I can. Windows and macOS manage memory in different ways. He's going between two completely disparate operating systems, and you don't know how much his current workload uses in Windows, or how that will translate into his workflow in macOS.

Funny all these years later people still arguing more memory equals bigger peen. Don't forget to tell him he needs an M3. Regular M340i will not do!

 

[pmiles]

I guess the real question is whether MacOS is an upgrade or not. If you have an entirely Windows workflow, the switch can be painful and costly.

And 7 years old isn't old... my current rig is 12 years old and does perfectly fine. People are conditioned to think that they have to have the latest and greatest to function in life. Unless you have a real need to replace your old hardware, odds are pretty good you can keep what you have.

Don't fall for all the M1 hoopla... in the end it's still just a device. It will be replaced and embarrassed by the next big thing just like every other computer out there. The only real truth is this thing has a shorter shelf life than any other Mac that preceded it. If you're into replacing computers like phones, no problem, if you consider your purchases to be more long term... the Mac is going to be a pricey reality check.

 

[Andrea Filippini]

Sure I can. Windows and macOS manage memory in different ways. He's going between two completely disparate operating systems, and you don't know how much his current workload uses in Windows, or how that will translate into his workflow in macOS.

Funny all these years later people still arguing more memory equals bigger peen.

Memory size is memory size. No way you can replace it.
I have verified the M1 8GB/256GB model and it's almost unusable if I use together MS Teams, Adobe Photoshop, MS office suite, Spotify, WhatsApp Desktop and just 5+ tabs opened on Chrome.
There are also lag issues with some apps and bugs with third party devices.
OS update surely will fix many issues, but you can't add memory on a soldered memory.
There are plenty of users on this forum that advise against the 8GB model. Just use the search engine.

 

[mcnallym]

One of the reasons that many people seemed to say M1 with 8gb was fine was simply that with the SSD speed then swapping not such an issue.

However it will show up in the SSD writing that done.

Especially if planning to keep for a while then get the 16Gb version.

However the real question is are you happy to make the transition from Windows to Mac OS.

Windows where on the M1 is the ARM version.

With what using the computer for have you identified equivalent apps for Mac OS.

 

[parameter]

I just wanted to add that when I tried the 8GB model for a couple weeks, which was when it first came out - so no new system updates since then were in use, which could speed things up a bit I suppose. But again, overall even just with a single browser open such as Safari, if you open a bunch of tabs - the machine will slow to a crawl.

I dealt with that type of simple and significant slowdown for a couple weeks. I knew it was a whole new system going into it and that it was somewhat of a "test" unit so that wasn't a huge shock, though the 16GB version I replaced it with is superb and can handle exponentially more tasks and makes using it a joy and not a slow walk which is what you'll get with the 8GB.

Go with your gut. And if you do get the 8GB model, definitely run it through everything you use and throw it all at it daily for a couple weeks. If it doesn't perform well, return it and get the 16GB model. At least for myself, that single swap was the best move I could've made and love it. I'm just sharing my experience here, as well as exactly the same experiences that a few friends went through, all of whom ended up doing the same thing I did and swapped it for the 16GB and never looked back.