Macmini 2020: buy or wait?

[hanske68]

I have been postponing purchasing a macmini. The 2020 update is very disappointing. It shows a 'new' badge, but there is not much new about it. I would have expected a processor update with improved video performance (to properly drive multiple displays).

I would have purchased a i7/64GB/1TB macmini for development had they done more than just put a 'new' label on it.

Obviously I do now want to wait another 5 years, but I could wait till the end of this year. Would you buy now or wait for a 'proper update'?

Somehow I expect Apple to update the processor later this year. I just cannot believe they won't update the aging processors and come with a real update soon. Maybe that is just idle hope?

What are your expectations?

PS: I would have appreciated macrumors not to add a "buy now" and reset the counter on the mac mini, as it suggests the macmini specs have been updated, which (in my eyes) is nothing more than a false marketing trick by apple.

 

[BootLoxes]

The mini, base pro 13, and imac are either going to get an intel update soon to support the XDR display like the air, or their next refresh will be arm. I personally think the next mini and base pro 13 update will be ARM while the imac will get another intel refresh before the switch.

That said I do not have any real sources to backup my claims. Just knowledge that arm macs could be releasing early next year.

 

[Cookie18]

The Mac Mini you can buy on the Apple store right now is not a 2020 Mac Mini, they don’t even say 2020 when you check their “About” page, the 2018 Mac Mini’s have just received new storage configurations, that’s technically “new” enough for Apple to add the banner but don’t get yourself thinking that this is an update because it isn’t, even according to Apple’s naming convention.

The Mac Mini getting new storage configurations and therefore a “new” banner on the website suggests to me that we won’t see a spec bump this year.

If you are definitely going to get one this year you might as well get one now. The difference between the i5 and i7 8th gen vs 10th gen is not a lot anyway. Those chips will comfortably last a long time.

 

[NewUsername]

Usually when we see this kind of bump, it still takes a long time before a real update. Apple did a similar thing with the Mac Pro in 2017 and the new model only came in 2019. Apple dit it with the 2015 MacBook Air in April 2016 and a new model came only in June 2017.

Of course, Apple may surprise us, but given that the Mac mini is a niche product for Apple and it has had 4 years without an update before (2014-2018), I wouldn't bet on an update coming this year.

 

[addictive]

No one can know why Apple updated the Mac mini without making any changes. My guess is Intel provided them with limited number of Ice Lake CPU And Apple prioritised the laptop range.

The next changes the Mac mini needs is 10th gen processor, DDR4 RAM and improved graphics. They’ll probably reduce the cost of upgrades for SSD and memory in line with their laptops.

But as with the current new releases Apple didn’t include WiFi 6 so the major upgrades will be implemented with Tiger Lake (USB4 over Thunderbolt 4) but this is likely 12 months away at least. However, it is what I am waiting for before buying new Macs.

 

[Cookie18]

No one can know why Apple updated the Mac mini without making any changes. My guess is Intel provided them with limited number of Ice Lake CPU And Apple prioritised the laptop range.

The next changes the Mac mini needs is 10th gen processor, DDR4 RAM and improved graphics. They’ll probably reduce the cost of upgrades for SSD and memory in line with their laptops.

But as with the current new releases Apple didn’t include WiFi 6 so the major upgrades will be implemented with Tiger Lake (USB4 over Thunderbolt 4) but this is likely 12 months away at least. However, it is what I am waiting for before buying new Macs.

I assume you mean faster DDR4 RAM? The Mac Mini already has DDR4 RAM.

 

[hanske68]

No one can know why Apple updated the Mac mini without making any changes. My guess is Intel provided them with limited number of Ice Lake CPU And Apple prioritised the laptop range.

The next changes the Mac mini needs is 10th gen processor, DDR4 RAM and improved graphics. They’ll probably reduce the cost of upgrades for SSD and memory in line with their laptops.

But as with the current new releases Apple didn’t include WiFi 6 so the major upgrades will be implemented with Tiger Lake (USB4 over Thunderbolt 4) but this is likely 12 months away at least. However, it is what I am waiting for before buying new Macs.

I agree. Maybe I will wait and hold my money in my purse. Not too smart of Apple to make potential buyers wait...
I might consider purchasing now if only the GPU performance was better. And I am not willing to add yet another eGPU to overcome something that should have been better in the first place.

 

[Cookie18]

I agree. Maybe I will wait and hold my money in my purse. Not too smart of Apple to make potential buyers wait...
I might consider purchasing now if only the GPU performance was better. And I am not willing to add yet another eGPU to overcome something that should have been better in the first place.

Is there anything else that you need the graphics for besides driving multiple displays?

If you add the RAM that you mentioned in your OP you won’t have any issues with that. A lot of people are concerned about the graphics on the Mac Mini, and rightly so, but if you have the RAM and you only need the graphics for running high resolution displays it will never be a concern.

 

[hanske68]

Is there anything else that you need the graphics for besides driving multiple displays?

If you add the RAM that you mentioned in your OP you won’t have any issues with that. A lot of people are concerned about the graphics on the Mac Mini, and rightly so, but if you have the RAM and you only need the graphics for running high resolution displays it will never be a concern.

FYI: I currently use a macbook pro (13 inch). It also has an integrated GPU. If I attach an extra display it stresses out. It can drive an extra screen, but my macbook is noticeably having a hard time doing so.
As I would like to add one or two 4K (possibly 5K) monitors, I am not to happy with the current macmini gpu performance. It feels like pushing it to/over its limits. If I pay serious money for a (high end) macmini, I expect it to perform high end, not constraint by an inferior gpu. Also, I would appreciate up-to-date processor and wifi 6, as addictive stated...

 

[Cookie18]

FYI: I currently use a macbook pro (13 inch). It also has an integrated GPU. If I attach an extra display it stresses out. It can drive an extra screen, but my macbook is noticeably having a hard time doing so.
As I would like to add one or two 4K (possibly 5K) monitors, I am not to happy with the current macmini gpu performance. It feels like pushing it to/over its limits. If I pay serious money for a (high end) macmini, I expect it to perform high end, not constraint by an inferior gpu. Also, I would appreciate up-to-date processor and wifi 6, as addictive stated...

That’s completely understandable but it sounds like a Mac Mini just may not be for you then. Get a 16” MacBook Pro or an iMac if the graphical performance is important to you. At the end of the day you get what you pay for, a Mac Mini is essentially a modular Mac and the price starts low to reflect that. That means leaving out more powerful graphics at the point of purchase, the next Mac Mini, whenever it shows up, is unlikely to have dedicated graphics either. People who want dedicated graphics AND want a Mac Mini get an eGPU and that’s only going to become more common. People who want dedicated graphics but don’t want an eGPU get an iMac or a 16” MacBook Pro.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d quite like built in dedicated graphics in my Mac Mini too but that’s just not what the product is.

 

[hanske68]

That’s completely understandable but it sounds like a Mac Mini just may not be for you then. Get a 16” MacBook Pro or an iMac if the graphical performance is important to you. At the end of the day you get what you pay for, a Mac Mini is essentially a modular Mac and the price starts low to reflect that. That means leaving out more powerful graphics at the point of purchase, the next Mac Mini, whenever it shows up, is unlikely to have dedicated graphics either. People who want dedicated graphics AND want a Mac Mini get an eGPU and that’s only going to become more common. People who want dedicated graphics but don’t want an eGPU get an iMac or a 16” MacBook Pro.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d quite like built in dedicated graphics in my Mac Mini too but that’s just not what the product is.

I understand your arguments. But... if I but a fully specced out macmini, it does not sound to me as a 'simple machine'. My wallet clearly states it is not. I am actually considering a mbp 16 too, but my experience with mbp is that it is way more vulnarable. I love my current mbp, but it has been repaired way too often: keyboard repaired + three(!) times the display has been replaced. Ond now the trackpad is not wat it used to be. Besides these 'inconveniences': a mbp has a battery. It does not live as long as a macmini, which I prefer (I have a 2010 macmini that still runs - well sort of). Therefore I am considering something more solid. The macmini is perfect, but if I pay some 3500 euro's for it, I expect it to be decent enough for my purposes and it should properly drive a couple of high end displays with adding some huge external eGPA.

Anyway, I guess you get my point. As a matter if fact I very much appreciated the 2018 macmini, except for some 'flaws'. I expected Apple to fix these in an update. The 'update' came, but is nothing more than a new shiny price tag on basically the same machine. That makes me think: could it be that apple simply could not do a proper update (lacking processors). Would they fix this as soon as the processors become available (and when would that be). Or is it just marketing and make us wait till we are old and gray, like they did before?

All I can say is that the macmini would benefit from a processor update, wifi 6 and possibly even thunderbold 4. The first 3 may come if they decide to update the processor. That would not even be a major upgrade, just make the machine conform to modern specs. But more than "replace the tag and reset the update counters".

Thanks for your comment!

 

[icymountain]

I am in a similar situation. It would be a good time to buy a mini now, but I am a bit dissatisfied with the recent update, so also going back and forth.

 

[theluggage]

The macmini is perfect, but if I pay some 3500 euro's for it, I expect it to be decent enough for my purposes and it should properly drive a couple of high end displays with adding some huge external eGPA.

Problem is - like all of Apple's current range - the Mac Mini is a niche machine, and if you're not in that niche the choice is to put up with it anyway or switch to Windows.

The 2008 Mac Mini seems to have been designed for MacOS co-hosting or to let Apple claim that they sell a iOS development system for < $1000.

If you want a headless desktop machine with a half-decent GPU (...even for 2D on a couple of high-res displays) and/or space for a reasonable amount of internal storage then you're not in the Mac Mini niche.

eGPU? on a desktop machine? Seriously? I mean, if you want extra GPU horsepower for a laptop when it is docked, then maybe, but having to add a $200 enclosure, extra wall-wart, cables and a laundry list of compatibility caveats to a desktop...?

In the past, Mac Minis with iGPUs may have made sense, but that was before 4k/5k/UHD displays went mainstream and before MacOS needed GPU-driven scaling to get sensible screen estate out of 4k screens (which works very well with adequate GPU and VRAM).

Also, in 2008 Apple switched the Mac Mini from mobile-class processors to (cheaper) desktop chips that only come with the lowest-spec GPUs. The same will be true of the 10th gen chips - no Iris Pro on desktop parts - which is probably why Apple didn't bother to update the CPUs this year.

Basically, if you want a "regular" desktop, Apple doesn't want your business (or assumes that you're so committed to MacOS that you'll compromise).

The best bet is the 5k iMac, which is good value as long as you actually wanted to spend money a fixed 27" 5k screen that doesn't work with anything else and lives and dies with the CPU...

 

[hanske68]

Problem is - like all of Apple's current range - the Mac Mini is a niche machine, and if you're not in that niche the choice is to put up with it anyway or switch to Windows.

The 2008 Mac Mini seems to have been designed for MacOS co-hosting or to let Apple claim that they sell a iOS development system for < $1000.

If you want a headless desktop machine with a half-decent GPU (...even for 2D on a couple of high-res displays) and/or space for a reasonable amount of internal storage then you're not in the Mac Mini niche.

eGPU? on a desktop machine? Seriously? I mean, if you want extra GPU horsepower for a laptop when it is docked, then maybe, but having to add a $200 enclosure, extra wall-wart, cables and a laundry list of compatibility caveats to a desktop...?

In the past, Mac Minis with iGPUs may have made sense, but that was before 4k/5k/UHD displays went mainstream and before MacOS needed GPU-driven scaling to get sensible screen estate out of 4k screens (which works very well with adequate GPU and VRAM).

Also, in 2008 Apple switched the Mac Mini from mobile-class processors to (cheaper) desktop chips that only come with the lowest-spec GPUs. The same will be true of the 10th gen chips - no Iris Pro on desktop parts - which is probably why Apple didn't bother to update the CPUs this year.

Basically, if you want a "regular" desktop, Apple doesn't want your business (or assumes that you're so committed to MacOS that you'll compromise).

The best bet is the 5k iMac, which is good value as long as you actually wanted to spend money a fixed 27" 5k screen that doesn't work with anything else and lives and dies with the CPU...

I guess you are right.

On thing that strikes me is your remark on selling a development system. If apple claims the mac mini to be well suited for development, then they should also understand that most developer like screen real estate (unless you develop for apple watch maybe, but even then). In my opinion any development machine should be able to properly drive two 4K or two 5K displays, if not better.

Thanks for your contribution!

 

[Fishrrman]

OP wrote:
"Obviously I do now want to wait another 5 years, but I could wait till the end of this year."

I doubt we're going to see a really "new" Mac Mini until late NEXT year, at the earliest.

If you want and need a Mini soon, buy what's out there now.
Or else... look for something else.

 

[iMi]

The question you need to ask yourself, as with any purchase, do you need it now or can you wait. It's really that simple, in my opinion, with a few exceptions. If you know an update is imminent and can wait, wait. If you need it now, buy it. There will always be something new. That's just the nature of technology.

 

[D.T.]

I wanted an '18 Mini to replace my MBP for dev work, personal computing, etc., don't like AIOs, didn't feel like I really needed to fork out MP money.

Knowing the GPU performance, I opted to match it to a pair of 25" QHD displays (Dell U2518D), the PPI is good (2560x1440 @ 25"), generally terrific displays, but they're also not very expensive, so I figured them as a 18-24 month use, till either the eGPU becomes 100% sorted out, or a new machine is released (assuming that happens in that timeframe). The performance is outstanding on the Mini.

Then they'll simply get handed down to replace some existing HD displays being used by the wife and little G (and their displays will get stashed for backup, given away, whatever).

 

[Boyd01]

The macmini is perfect, but if I pay some 3500 euro's for it, I expect it to be decent enough for my purposes

Does the top spec Mini really cost €3500 in your country? That would be $3850 USD. You mentioned the i7/64gb/1tb Mini earlier, you can get that for $2300 USD here (€2090).

Have been thinking about a 3.2ghz 6-core i7 Mini with 64gb RAM and 2tb SSD here, and Apple's price is $2900 USD, which would be about €2636. The only upgrade they offer for that is 10gb ethernet, which raises the cost to $3000. The other day, they had one of those in the refurb store for $2550... I *almost* pulled the trigger on it, but just couldn't justify that kind of expense as long as my 2012 quad Mini Server is still getting the job done.

But I am also put off by the integrated graphics chip on the new Mini, and that will probably end up as a deal-breaker for me when I finally do upgrade. But I need to dig deeper into this and decide just how much of a problem it will be with the software I use. I also have a old Windows 7 desktop that I use for some specialized GIS software and I may want to ditch that and also run Windows on a new Mac. The option of adding an external GPU in the future is a plus, but not very impressed by all the problems I'm reading about with these. Would it even work with Windows? For me, one of the biggest attractions of the Mac is that everything comes from Apple, so I don't have to worry about compatibiity issues... which is also an argument against running Windows on a Mac, of course.

But I agree, the 2020 Mini isn't an upgrade at all, it's just a price change on the base configuration and should still be called a 2018 Mini. In fact, if you go to everymac.com you'll see they don't show such a thing as a "2020 Mini". For me, I think the processor and RAM options are just fine. Wish they didn't go with a soldered SSD, because then I wouldn't feel compelled to max that out (BTW, why can't we get a 4tb SSD in the Mini?). The big disappointment for me is the graphics.

Maybe somebody else can explain this, because I just don't understand. Why doesn't Apple make the Mini like an iMac without a screen? Is there a problem with putting a dedicated GPU in the same size case as a Mini? They can do it with a laptop. Even if they needed to make the Mini larger, that wouldn't bother me at all.

 

[hanske68]

Does the top spec Mini really cost €3500 in your country? That would be $3850 USD. You mentioned the i7/64gb/1tb Mini earlier, you can get that for $2300 USD here (€2090).

Have been thinking about a 3.2ghz 6-core i7 Mini with 64gb RAM and 2tb SSD here, and Apple's price is $2900 USD, which would be about €2636. The only upgrade they offer for that is 10gb ethernet, which raises the cost to $3000. The other day, they had one of those in the refurb store for $2550... I *almost* pulled the trigger on it, but just couldn't justify that kind of expense as long as my 2012 quad Mini Server is still getting the job done.

But I am also put off by the integrated graphics chip on the new Mini, and that will probably end up as a deal-breaker for me when I finally do upgrade. But I need to dig deeper into this and decide just how much of a problem it will be with the software I use. I also have a old Windows 7 desktop that I use for some specialized GIS software and I may want to ditch that and also run Windows on a new Mac. The option of adding an external GPU in the future is a plus, but not very impressed by all the problems I'm reading about with these. For me, one of the biggest attractions of the Mac is that everything comes from Apple, so I don't have to worry about compatibiity issues, which is also an argument against running Windows on a Mac, of course.

But I agree, the 2020 Mini isn't an upgrade at all, it's just a price change on the base configuration and should still be called a 2018 Mini. In fact, if you go to everymac.com you'll see they don't show such a thing as a "2020 Mini". For me, I think the processor and RAM options are just fine. Wish they didn't go with a soldered SSD, because then I wouldn't feel compelled to max that out (BTW, why can't we get a 4tb SSD in the Mini?). The big disappointment for me is the graphics.

Maybe somebody else can explain this, because I just don't understand. Why doesn't Apple make the Mini like an iMac without a screen? Is there a problem with putting a dedicated GPU in the same size case as a Mini? They can do it with a laptop. Even if they needed to make the Mini larger, that wouldn't bother me at all.

Hi Boyd01,

As a matter of fact the maxed out mini costs 3664 EUR right here in the Netherlands (just checked). That is with 2TB though, while I intend to purchase a 1TB (500 less). Then again, I need to add a trackpad because mine is broken. All together, what I am meaning to say is: it is serious money. And so I'd expect 'decent' components at least. I think the macmini is quite okay, apart from the flawed gpu. I guess they intend it to be that way on purpose, which is kind of sad.
If Apple would publish some intended release path, I would feel much more confident at purchasing. However, I guess they will never do that, just because they are Apple.

I am now also looking at the MBP 16 inch. I like it, but it has a battery. And I am trying to ban batteries from my equipment, because they only last for so long. I also dislike the soldering. I rather have an 'upgradable' machine, even if that would be more expensive (it would last longer too).

Right now I am still using my 2015 MBP, which is kind of okay still, apart from the 16GB memory that is becoming a problem as of late (I do a lot of xcode programming).

As a matter of fact I have also been considering a separate development machine and running macos in a virual machine. It sounds a bit ridiculous though to go this way just because...

 

[binaryduke]

I am in exactly the same boat (juggling a 2015 MBP and 2009 CMP 4,1 that I don't want to spend more $$ on now). Very frustrating. I want a MacOS machine that I can use with 3x 4k displays comfortably. Adding an EGPU to a Mac Mini kills the point of the size for me and is significant enough spend that it's heading towards MP 7,1 territory which is anyhow beyond what I regard as sensible.

Am waiting for WWDC to see if iMac gets a form factor/display size upgrade. If that gets nearer 4k (I don't care about retina) perhaps that has some merit once the arbitrage calculations across models (processor, screen, etc) are worked out.

I'm likewise thinking a PC is the way to go and perhaps a MacBook Air for 'mundane productivity' tasks which is 100% backwards. This absolutely sucks.

 

[hanske68]

I am in exactly the same boat (juggling a 2015 MBP and 2009 CMP 4,1 that I don't want to spend more $$ on now). Very frustrating. I want a MacOS machine that I can use with 3x 4k displays comfortably. Adding an EGPU to a Mac Mini kills the point of the size for me and is significant enough spend that it's heading towards MP 7,1 territory which is anyhow beyond what I regard as sensible.

Am waiting for WWDC to see if iMac gets a form factor/display size upgrade. If that gets nearer 4k (I don't care about retina) perhaps that has some merit once the arbitrage calculations across models (processor, screen, etc) are worked out.

I'm likewise thinking a PC is the way to go and perhaps a MacBook Air for 'mundane productivity' tasks which is 100% backwards. This absolutely sucks.

100% agree.

 

[Boyd01]

Wow, Apple's prices sure are higher in the EU.

I have also been looking at iMacs, the last time I bought one of those was 2009 and I used it for video editing. It was a very nice machine, but only slightly faster than my 2008 15" MBP. For my kind of work, I really prefer to have just one big screen. So, I like the idea of a Mini with just one 32" 1440P WQHD screen, which should give me text at comparable size to the ancient 23" Apple Cinema Display (1920x1200) that I use on my 2012 quad mini, without taxing the GPU with scaling. Not sure how well this would work on a 27" iMac - native resolution would certainly be much too small.

I also have a 21" 1080p Sony production monitor that I use as an external video device in Final Cut Pro (for accurate colors). Currently using a BlackMagic UltraStudio to drive that screen via Thunderbolt on my 2012 quad Mini. I assume that the 2018 Mini could drive it directly from the HDMI port, but guess I could continue using the Blackmagic box if it doesn't

When I did a quick comparison, it looked like a high-spec 27" iMac would be about the same price as a Mini when you include a screen, keyboard and mouse (about $3600 USD). If it wasn't for the GPU, the Mini would be a clear choice for me.

Still using my 2013 11" i7/8gb/512gb MacBook Air for general use and it's really fine for stuff like Office 365, FileMaker Pro, Photoshop, etc. But I'm retired and don't travel anymore (especially now!), so there's really no need for a laptop. It just sits here plugged in to the power adapter all the time. That little machine has been solid as a rock, still gets a respectable amount of run time unplugged.

I can continue doing everything just like I do now for awhile, with my 2012 quad Mini for video/audio and web development, 2012 Windows 7 PC for making maps and 2013 MacBook Air for everything else. But I like the idea of getting one new Mac to replace all three old machines in the future.

 

[- rob -]

I am not willing to add yet another eGPU to overcome something that should have been better in the first place.

I see this opinion a lot among people considering the mini.

I bought the 2018 w max cpu and did an after market ram upgrade. I already had the Blackmagic eGPU to go with the 2018 MBA.

I now use the eGPU exclusively with the 2018 mini. It is an incredible setup for a component system. I get to pick my monitor and it offers some flexibility to dock my MBA and enjoy the eGPU boost for high def.

If you can get over the belief Apple should provide dedicated graphics in a budget workstation, Blackmagic is great. They are pretty cheap on eBay now and I encourage anyone to give them a shot. It is underrated.

 

[anthogag]

I am waiting for Mac mini Pro. Powerful and smaller like Apple TV; maybe 1/4 current size

 

[russell_314]

I love my Mac mini and I'm typing this from it now. You have to ask yourself do I need a new computer or is the one I have now working okay? If I get a new one how much better will it perform? When will the new model come out and will my current system work till then? Only you can answer most of those questions. We can all speculate as to when Apple will release the new mini. My best guess would be sometime in 2022 so if you can wait two years then maybe get the new model then. Also don't expect the new mini to be better or what you want. It'll be better in the sense that it will have newer and faster components but it might not have features like dedicated graphics or some forum factor you want.