Mac Mini 2020 model with M1 processor.
Bought this myself by price beating at Officeworks.
Has been cheaper in the past here (https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/597220) but not much difference =)
A review https://www.techradar.com/au/reviews/apple-mac-mini-m1-2020
UPDATE 8/3/21 - looks like the deal has been extended for another 7 days
Have you tried disabling font smoothing?
Open Terminal and enter
defaults -currentHost write -g AppleFontSmoothing -int 0
Log out and back in. If you want to set it back to default, replace the 0 with 2, or 1 for somewhere in between.
But yes, external monitor support with these is a pain. Mine thinks the Dell Ultrasharp I have connected is a TV and sets the colour output to YPbPr instead of RGB. Issue seems pretty widespread so hopefully it's fixed one day.
Running one of these on the OzB-beloved Xiaomi 34" and it looks great. I'm using a cheap (well $24) DP-to-USB-C cable from Amazon, which said it was rated for 4K60 since I also have a 4K60 monitor. Running at 144Hz and text is not soft.
When I tried Mac OS years ago I had this exact problem. The text was just too fuzzy, it's the way the text is rendered in the OS. And you're right, it looks stunning on retina but the opposite on anything less. It's one of the reasons I went back to Windows.
Not sure how this compares to the old Mac minis but I’ve still got a pimped up 2012 model running fine for general productivity stuff and thin client work login.
Amazing silent portable machine.
The ecosystem though
Has anyone else noticed theirs either no stock or limited stock at their local Officeworks stores and JB seems its only available as a backorder with estimated date range being fulfilled towards the end of April in the Brisbane Area?
Would the 1300 OFFICE be the best way to Price Beat Guarantee if they do not reduce their price? Or if you wanted to purchase that day and if in stock just go into a physical Apple Store and price match?
Also, the Bluetooth Issues that have been mentioned before have any M1 users here noticed that the latest updates to fix this issue worked?
It is weird that it is not only just third-party Bluetooth peripheral devices having issues, but also some of Apple’s Magic 2 Device range of Keyboards, Mice and Trackpads from what I have been reading.
Is there an ISM 2.4GHz Band issue? Did they move around the antennas some way different and causing a new Antenna Gate Issue from being more shielded from the aluminum of the Mac Mini M1 than before which their blaming on a software bug or the dreaded “Glitch”?
It would be good if they can iron out these Bluetooth issues because it seems like a nice basic “get things done” mac.
These have been running off the shelves since they were released. I waited 6 weeks over Dec/Jan to get mine. FWIW, I've had no issues with either an Apple mouse, or a Logitech mouse. I used a wired keyboard though.
Cheers for info, It's strange some people do or don't have problems with a Logitech Bluetooth Mouse, I've seen a few posts from Logitech MX Master 3 users mouse lagging in Big Sur on the M1's. I've also read from quite a few posts on the apple discussions and other forums and those unlucky users still have to use a Logitech Unifying Receiver.. Weird :-(
Placing the Mini directly under your large monitor trends to interfere with the Bluetooth signal in my experience - I've observed this several times with these small systems that allow that placement.
LG got ripped apart over it with their UltraFine but it's a common issue with many (most?) monitors.
Anyone know if this would run Lightroom at a decent speed. It's slow as hell on PC?
It will
It will, though 16gb RAM could be worthy of consideration for large libraries.
Classic or CC? Nothing runs Classic at a decent speed, it's a bloated mess. Sure, it's usable and snappier than my 7yo Macbook, but works through Rosetta and has memory leaks. I'd recommend to at least get the 16GB model to reduce (but not eliminate) the amount of swap occurring. Could get better once it's recoded natively, but it is Adobe, so I wouldn't hold my breath.
Been looking at this as my first mac (have been a C-64 and then PC user for the last 35 years).
Pros:
Great CPU, excellent reviews on performance and great features for the price. Comparable specs on PC are not in this price range and certainly nothing branded.
Cons:
The aforementioned 'issues' mainly on Bluetooth and USB 3.1 Gen 2. Neither are new specs so Apple needs to resolve this and make it rock solid.
As for upgradeability there are lot's of add on hubs available from 3rd parties which connect through a single cable to the mac mini. You get additional HDMI, SSD storage, USB ports and card readers with this.
Here is one such example:
https://www.amazon.com.au/Enclosure-AGPTEK-Docking-Station-R…
Look on YouTube for videos on how to set these up but pretty easy. Much more economical way to upgrade Mac Mini.
Although there is a concern on RAM, 8 GB on ARM based processor goes alot further than 8 GB on Intel/AMD architecture. I've seen the YouTube 'creator' crowd test this out and it is perfectly suitable for video editing and gaming as well. If you're still undecided I'm sure there will be deals again when the M1X based Macs are announced this year.
Although there is a concern on RAM, 8 GB on ARM based processor goes alot further than 8 GB on Intel/AMD architecture.
That's overselling it. If you have a borderline workflow there's a chance it'll be better on ARM if the apps you're using can take advantage of the M1's architecture. Otherwise you're basically in the same boat as on Intel.
Wow, thats a great offer
15% off via eBay plus - comes down to $934.15 delivered.
Use code: PLUSTC15
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Apple-Mac-mini-M1-CHIP-8-CORE-CP…
Use 5% ebay gift cards from cashrewards and then shopback 1% cashback on ebay to get it down to $878.05!
32" 4K is not close to retina. The retina iMac models are 5K at 27" and 4K at 21.5". If you're at all fussy there isn't a decent display at a reasonable price that's retina like. (For my two cents, the closest tradeoff was a 24" 4K like the Dell P2415Q or LG 24UD58, neither of which are readily available anymore.)