Oh well.
Pricewise I'd prefer ddr4 now.
Did you mean that there's no computers available with ddr5 slots?
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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
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Pricewise I'd prefer ddr4 now.
Did you mean that there's no computers available with ddr5 slots?
Personally I think this guy is out to lunch, at least for a significant subset of customers:I think this guy's prediction is probably spot on:
Why the upcoming M2 chip shouldn't stop you from buying a Mac now
The M2 chip is coming soon to Apple's laptop lineup. Should you wait for it or invest in an M1 Pro MacBook Pro right now?www.macworld.com
Compared to the M1, we’ll probably see the M2 increase in CPU performance to be about 15 percent with a bigger jump in GPU performance. The M1 Pro, with its eight or 10 CPU cores (two efficiency cores, the rest are performance cores), boasts multi-core CPU performance that’s about 70 percent better than the M1, so even with a nice increase, the M2 will still be significantly slower overall than the M1 Pro.
1. M1 does not have ProRes acceleration. M2 will likely have ProRes acceleration because while A14 doesn't have it, A15 does. M1 is based off A14. M2 will be based off A15 and/or A16. This is a big deal for a large chunk of people wanting to dabble in Final Cut. Hell, even the iPhone can output ProRes now.
2. The M1 Mac mini and the M1 MacBook Air are the old designs. M2 will likely have entirely new case designs. Gotta have the new shiny!
As things move that going to look less and less attractive. By the time Apple stops selling Intel Macs (2026 for refurbs) the industry as a whole will likely have gone ARM - there are so many advantages that ,unless Intel does really real well, the x86 will be in decline as a desktop option by then (it is already DOA in the mobile market).
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Of course the next gen of low/mid-level SoC is going to be less performant than the previous gen high-end SoC...
No, I mean there is no prebuilt computer (desktop or notebook) that is offered with the choice between DDR5 (fast and expensive) and DDR4 (not quite so fast but cheaper) — be it soldered or in slots. At least not that I know of.
So it's kind of unfair to complain about the new Apple gear being expensive for featuring DDR5 when you would have preferred DDR4. That's simply a choice you don't get — nowhere. So if you want the new and shiny, expect to pay some sort of early adopter markup.
alright people, let's hear the analysis
2012 i5 Mini with 16GB RAM and a 500GB Crucial SSD
Use it for web/youtube/email/whatever
I want apple silicon, ideally a new mini, but have waited to this point.
since the new mac mini is almost certainly coming, what would you do
2012 i5 Mini with 16GB RAM and a 500GB Crucial SSD
Use it for web/youtube/email/whatever
I want apple silicon, ideally a new mini, but have waited to this point.
since the new mac mini is almost certainly coming, what would you do
For those use cases, a 2011 Mac Mini would be fine, short of the macOS security support.
Since you are running with a 9 year old computer I assume you will keep a new one a long time. If so then go with a 16GB M1 machine as there are no options to upgrade later. A M1 Pro or Max would be overkill so don't wait for one.
Good point. I would definitely Max out the RAM for whatever I get for longevity
My biggest beef with the M1 Mac mini (besides the old design) is the relative lack of ports. You can get a hub, but a lot of people report occasional flakiness with peripherals attached to those hubs, that doesn’t happen with directly connected devices. Plus, those hubs cost around $100.
In that context I’d rather pay say $200 more for a base M1 Pro model vs. a similarly configured M1 model, to get more ports, and to get a new case design, even though I don’t need the extra performance. However, while a $200 premium would be fine, that might be overly optimistic for pricing and it could be higher. A $300 premium would be harder to swallow but I would consider it. I wouldn’t pay a $400 premium.
In that context I’d rather pay say $200 more for a base M1 Pro model vs. a similarly configured M1 model, to get more ports, and to get a new case design, even though I don’t need the extra performance. However, while a $200 premium would be fine, that might be overly optimistic for pricing and it could be higher. A $300 premium would be harder to swallow but I would consider it. I wouldn’t pay a $400 premium.
Never mind that Apple AFAWK doesn't use either DDR4 or DDR5 RAM in its M1s. It just uses Unified Memory DRAM:
As explained in With M1 Macs, memory just isn’t what it used to be you really can't compare the way memory was (and likely will continue to be) used on Intel systems.
"The M1 processor’s memory is a single pool that’s accessible by any portion of the processor. If the system needs more memory for graphics, it can allocate that. If it needs more memory for the Neural Engine, likewise. Even better, because all the aspects of the processor can access all of the system memory, there’s no performance hit when the graphics cores need to access something that was previously being accessed by a processor core. On other systems, the data has to be copied from one portion of memory to another—but on the M1, it’s just instantly accessible."
That part is key and why Intel machines needed eGPUs and more RAM - the CPU had to play chicken/hen-fox with video and system memory and the extra ram was the "boat" so to speak. The M1 eliminates all that.
I would wait for a M2-powered Mac mini...
Some will argue against, but since you cannot upgrade later, getting all you can at purchase makes sense...!
Since the 2012 Mac mini you are using now still works, waiting for the second gen of Mn-series Apple silicon would be wise...
But we do know that Apple is using LPDDR4 in the M1-powered Macs & LPDDR5 in the M1 Pro/Max powered Macs; there is no such thing as a special "Unified Memory DRAM"...
You are confused.
M1 uses DDR4, in a unified RAM configuration.
M1 Pro/Max uses DDR5, in a unified RAM configuration.
If you can still use it, than I recommend to wait until the M2 comes out next year.
There will always be a new mini coming. Could wait until 2024 for the M3 or 2026 for the M4. If you can afford one now and it meets your needs, buy one. https://www.google.com/search?q=fomo+opportunity+cost
Because we buy computers for their design (and THIS design with his cooling coupled with an M1 is a dream), right.
Absolutely. Not to flex, but I can buy whatever/whenever. I am just a light user and enjoy the sport of trying to buy at the right time. I have got it wrong in the past, such as buying an iMac G5 9 months before intel launched, buying a Core Solo Mini, etc.
I think Mini-wise, as long as Catalina is still supported, I'll wait for whatever the next Mini is. whatever replaces the current intel Mini. The M1 Mini is nice, but it feels weird to buy a new computer with the same RAM limit as the 9-year-old one it replaces and the same display limit (1 over TB and 1 over HDMI)
I personally wouldn't buy a first gen Apple product. And M1 is just that.
I also didn't bought the Intel Core Solo models of Macs.
Of course your money is yours, so do with it, whatever you pleases. 🎈
I also didn't bought the Intel Core Solo models of Macs.
Of course your money is yours, so do with it, whatever you pleases. 🎈
very true and very good advice! I'm on deck for whatever is next. I also might give the next iMac a look. the Barbie iMacs are not for me
I got a refurbished M1 mini 16gb/512gb. I've tried 3 new m1 minis, 2 refurbished and they all have the flicker problem on my dell s2817q. I'm going to invest in a new monitor, nothing fancy just a 4k one, and donate this to my mom who's a windows user. It'll be a nice upgrade to her 23" 1080p