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Should you buy the $699 M1 Mac mini in 2022? | Jobs Vox

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The Mac mini made the switch from Intel to Apple’s M1 silicon in 2020, but does the performance and $699 price hold up two years later?


Apple released Mac Mini With its M1 chip in 2020, but is it still worth paying the $699 price tag two years from now? At the time of its release, the Mac mini was a groundbreaking computer that packed tons of performance into the small form factor of a compact desktop. But aside from its superior performance over previous Intel models, the Mac mini’s calling card was its price. The base configuration, equipped with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, was a viable option for some users when it debuted. Right now, the value and future-proof proposition is not so clear.

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The M1 Mac mini is still an inexpensive entry into Apple’s ecosystem — and it’s even cheaper for students and teachers in the company’s education store — though its base-model specs are underwhelming in 2022. Since the M1 processor is system-on-a. -chip (SoC), the Mac mini’s RAM is shared between both processing and graphics. On a traditional computer, the RAM would be used for the processor, while the graphics card would have its own VRAM. Memory is shared between all of these components on the M1 chip, which makes up for the lack of the meager 8GB of RAM on the Mac mini.

Related: M2 Max Vs. M1 Max Benchmarks: How Fast Is Apple’s New Chip?


The M1 Mac mini doesn’t offer enough value

An image of a Mac mini in front of a monitor

Users can get up to 256GB of storage on their PC, provided they use cloud storage options for most of their files and media. A safer bet is 512 GB of memory, and future advocates should look for a Mac with 1 TB of memory. Apple Silicon Macs do not have upgradeable storage, so the amount purchased at checkout is the amount of memory the user’s computer will have forever.

The M1’s processor is still going strong two years later, so does the RAM and memory upgrade make the Mac mini a viable option? The answer has been complicated by Apple’s release of Mac Studio and the expected M2 or M2 Pro Mac mini in early 2023. After configuring the M1 Mac mini with 16GB of storage and 512GB of storage, the US sticker price rises to $1,099. The Mac mini isn’t a good value when it’s pushing the $1,000 price point, especially when considering other options that are available now and may come out in the future.

The M2 chip has already arrived in the iPad Pro, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, so there’s no question If The updated processor appears on the Mac mini – that’s it when. The difference between the M1 and M2 chips is marginal but noticeable, and users could expect to see enhanced software support on the latter. The M1 chip was Apple’s first foray into a desktop-class processor and was powered by the latest chips.

Unless users need a compact Mac desktop right away—and aren’t happy with the all-in-one M1 iMac or enthusiast-grade Mac Studio—they should hold off on buying the M1 Mac mini. When choosing a configuration that will be useful in 2022 and beyond, the Mac mini is too expensive for an entry-level computer with a two-year-old processor. renewed Mac Mini It’s expected to debut in 2023, and that’s what most consumers will have to wait for.

MORE: Apple’s 20-inch foldable MacBook is still years away

Source: Apple

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