500 smackers for shenzhen franken PC. Urgh. Don’t do it.
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Trying to Justify Getting a Mac Mini M4
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Buy it! And whilst your there grab Pixelmator and a Cheap Photomator sub and give your wallet-bleeding, photo-hostage taking Adobe subscription the heave-ho.
I am demoting my Mac mini to replace my AppleTV because I detest the level of ads everywhere now. As to your question on support:
Video Playback
From https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs/
Video Playback
- Supported formats include HEVC, H.264, AV1, and ProRes
- HDR with Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, and HLG
- Supported formats include AAC, MP3, Apple Lossless, FLAC, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Atmos
From https://www.apple.com/mac-mini/specs/
Intel mini pcs couldn’t even handle file storage. I had them replaced with couple of raspberry Pi’s. Grabbed a Mac mini for sale at Costco last month. I can run my file server, vpn, and other dev utilities. Tread carefully with spec chasing.
Generally, when people are asking for justification for a purchase, it's something they don't really need.
If it's something you really want or need, no justification is needed.
Otherwise, skip buying it and spend your money elsewhere.
If it's something you really want or need, no justification is needed.
Otherwise, skip buying it and spend your money elsewhere.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Again, while preferring Apple myself, more than 90% of the world’s computers are Windows PCs. I have to assume if it is as bad as you and other Apple people cast it, the planet would be in a daily technological disaster. Instead, the planet keeps turning and countless PC users seem to do just fine.
I prefer Mac myself but there’s no denying the reality that the bulk of the world runs on PC. If Mac was Apples to (rotten) Oranges better, the secret superiority could not be kept and that ratio would be very different. And no, it’s not because of relative cost if the cheap options were ‘unreliable’, ’daily trouble’, ‘regularly failing’, etc. buyers can be fooled once or twice on cheap prices but eventually figure it out.
Actually no the world doesn't keep turning. It sort of jitters and lurches. We lost thousands of hours a week to crappy engineering and operational problems on Windows.
It's stockholm syndrome, that's all.
Edit: oh and price. People use windows and PCs because the up front cost is cheaper for the average user. The total productivity impact is a net loss.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
And yet only you seem to detect this glaring & towards absolute net loss… as the world just keeps right on buying and using PCs instead of Mac. Global Stockholm syndrome seems like something countless businesses would detect and address vs. just keep on doing the same computer purchasing but expecting a different result.
Net loss is absolutely noticeable by even a business moron sooner or later and yet Mac is still a relative fraction of all computers sold.
I get that you love Mac. I do too. But the reality is the reality. If it was clearly superior in a “net gains” way, it would be gaining share of the whole if not dominating share by now. Instead, our favorite is very much niche. And objective minds keep it there because the other platform is not nearly as you describe it, even with your own bad experiences taken into account.
OP had Mac but went to PC 6 years ago. If PC was as bad as you imply, he would have been back to Mac 5.5 years ago. Instead, he’s apparently done just fine with PC since then.
I would miss the ability to do everything I need with the single remote (which also controls the volume on AirPods or my soundbar depending on which one I'm using, and turns the TV off when I tell ATV to sleep).
AppleTV is ideal for lazy time when one hand is holding food and the other is switching between content. Use cases vary of course. For years before I got Apple TV, I had a wireless keyboard and trackpad on the coffee table. And a TV remote, and soundbar remote.
I don't dispute the market position. But the PC market is propped up entirely by a combination of corporate buyers and the fact that they have the cheapest market entry position on low ball laptops. That and the markets where a basic Apple device is 6 months salary which is a significant portion of the planet. There is very little outside that space other than the small enthusiast market and of course the games market (which does somewhat suck on the mac).
Put it in perspective: a significant chunk of people these days don't actually own anything more than a smartphone.
Really the PC platform only exists because of rock bottom prices, not because it's good for the end user in any way.
I encourage people to sit down and do a rational decision analysis against the platforms over a few days and see where you come out. Run a formal framework around it like Kepner-Tregoe - see https://courses.cs.vt.edu/cs2104/Fall07/Decisions.pdf
I absolutely understand the power of annoying advertising. And I did acknowledge that use cases vary. But if you have a spouse who shares the same TV then you could keep both systems running. When I got my first Apple TV in 2012, I kept my Mac mini running (I had no other display for it) and continued to use it for certain tasks (like watching DVDs).
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Believe what you wish. I can't believe that better than 90% of the world is fooled into buying the wrong product solely on price... and can't seem to figure out the flaw in buying "junk" over their lifetimes. Buy once on price? YES. Twice? Maybe. But eventually, most people figure out junk from good or great.
A significant chunk of the population does own their computer. They are all not corporate gifts or corporate provided.
Mac mini can be had for only $100-$300 more than the rock-bottom-est PC, so anyone who wants a Mac has an option to go Mac (fairy cheaply). And refurbed/used would let anyone in for even less than that.
Again, I applaud your passionate stance for you. I too favor Mac over PC. But the difference in us is that you believe most computer buyers in the world are wrong about their decisions and I believe that their decisions work just as well for them as Mac works for you & I. Again, see OP in this thread. He was a Mac user until 6 years ago when he embraced PC. Someone who knows Mac would easily recognize the mistake if it was truly "junk" and "flawed" and "failing" them. SIX years later he's only fishing for OTHER people to offer rationalizations for why he might return to Mac, questioning it himself (even though he knows the Mac experience). I doubt he's even considering a full migration but just adding a Mac to the PC he's been using, but he's not as clear about that.
As a 24-year Mac user, I too added a PC to my mix when I went silicon because I had to have something that could reliably run some Windows-only apps too... and Windows emulation is not full Windows. I've experienced no failures, no sense of "junk", etc. In fact, I've been reminded that Power is generally faster than Power Per Watt and been handing some apps that can also run on Mac to the PC because it is FASTER. No crashes. No blue screen. No failures. Etc. What it adds besides power/speed is accessibility to countless apps that don't even exist for Mac. Now I have access to nearly all software instead of only a relatively small subset of software (as good as that subset certainly is).
That doesn't make an absolute argument for PC > Mac but PC certainly has its place. And in reality, that place is better than 90% of the market.
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You mentioned Adobe software and with that, stay where you are with your PC and if* you want to venture over to the Mac Mini, you may want the "pro" model with at least 48 gigs of RAM to get a good Adobe software experience. I gather your PC is well equipped for Adobe software. You may want to go to Youtube and check out "ArtIsRight" videos that compare Mini models (and others) with respect to running various software (Adobe products included) for a better feel for what you might need.
I could go on and on, both objectively and subjectively, comparing Macs to "PCs” — how Apple respectfully trades blows in Adobe app performance, how the efficiency of Mac hardware is almost insane (though it’s still possible to have a decently efficient “PC”), how my biggest gripes of Windows 11 are the unacceptable requirement to have a Microsoft account and Internet connectivity (unless you can succeed at the hacks, which is far from guaranteed), the increasing disgust of many aspects/companies/products of the “PC” market by diehard enthusiasts — within the social media exaggeration there is legit criticism, how I occasionally try breaking out of the Apple ecosystem only to be reminded how clunky lack of integration is, and (yet) the fact that I have an SFF PC and powerhouse, beast of a PC (i.e., Ryzen 7900X and dual RTX 4080 in a Fractal Torrent case) on the desk next to my Mac setup.
… However, I don’t think that is what you should lean on. Instead...
One other look objectively:
TLDR: IMO, stick with your “PC.”
*
The Mac mini was photographed atop the Torrent.
… However, I don’t think that is what you should lean on. Instead...
Want is a reason, but your captivation seems more like a blip of nostalgia or a window shopping moment.
And, it appears, you’re aware:
One other look objectively:
Unless you’re willing to do some extremely deep ‘housekeeping’ and ditch most of those storage drives, the Mac is not for you. Quite frankly, Apple hasn’t favored multi-drive configs for a very long time; I’m referring to back in the Power Mac(intosh) days. I do have four (external) drives connected to my Mac mini, although, it’s my way of organizing/separating important and non-critical or temporary files (i.e., I don’t have a backup of the external drive(s) data) while also admittedly making a compromise(?) of not piling on the expense — in this case, not bumping to a 4 or 8 TB internal SSD.
TLDR: IMO, stick with your “PC.”
*
The Mac mini was photographed atop the Torrent.
I’m in the same boat. Moreover, my work is switching to MacOS and I have a bit of an impetus to learn my way around it. But, I cannot justify it. Going from a PC I lose access to a ton of applications, games, etc. none of which exist or work on a Mac. So, I keep going to “I’m going to pull the trigger on it” back to “forget it, it’s a waste of money”. Objectively, it is a waste of money. PC offers so much more with a wide use case, my work be damned.
Just nuked using Windows myself as well
I'm fortunate, though, that my Windows needs were pretty minimal and covered well enough by my Mini M4 and Whisky/Game Porting Toolkit
I'm pretty much in your situation. I use Office, the Affinity suite, Musescore, and occasionally video and audio editing programs. I currently have a 1440p monitor that wouldn't be optimal with the Mac Mini (you'd need at least a 4k, ideally a 5k). Are you looking for a reason to buy the Mini? Well, there isn't one. Unless you need to use specific programs for Mac Os, or you have a personal strong preference for Mac Os, you would be buying a machine that won't radically change your life, especially if you compare it to a high-end PC (with a powerful desktop processor and a serious video card), that is well designed and built. You would lose the ability to use as many internal drives as you want; easily upgrading after you buy; accessing a quantity of software that, like it or not, is much wider on Windows. Finally, if you configure a Mac with more RAM and storage than the basic models offer, you would pay a price that is truly astronomical, especially in Europe (I know, in the USA the prices are more affordable considering the average income). If that doesn't put you off and you've decided you've had enough of Windows after six years of using it, then buy the Mini, and don't think twice. If not, I wouldn't make the switch. And I'm telling you this having used PowerMac G5s, and Intel iMacs but I'm currently on a well-built Win workstation. Will I buy a Mini, as I'm thinking of doing? At the moment, honestly, no. In the future maybe, but only out of personal taste, and certainly not for a reason that I would consider rational.
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Factually false, the M4 beats out every processor on the market (single core). Also you do NOT need "at least 4k" monitor for macOS, my kids are using a 1080p monitor and its fine. That said the 5k or an ultrawide is the best.
This hasn't been the case for me, but everyones milage may vary. These days I use an older HP Enterprise server for my home file share but before that it was a beelink with upgraded storage and it was fantastic. Low power usage, ran very cool, had rj45 for direct connection. However, I never ran anything beyond that as I use my Fortigate 40f for my VPN, run all dev stuff locally on my Mac, and plex server on a seperate vlan on different hardware.
I agree with that. However, if you do decide to get a new machine, the M4 minis are fantastic, and a fantastic value, especially if you already have a monitor. I just got one for my Mom and even though it's the base $600 model, it's so good that it honestly could probably replace my $2000 M2 Max Studio.