Hi,
Looking for a MAC desktop solution.
See two options. 1 buying a Mac Mini and getting a nice monitor
Second option buying an iMac.
Mac mini cost: $795 - https://www.apple.com/au_edu_5000447/shop/buy-mac/mac-mini
Display - anticipate $500-700 (any suggestions)
iMac cost: $1709 but specs are not as good. M1 chip vs M2 with Mac Mini.
Keen to hear suggestions/ most cost effective solution.
Please note: Don't need debate on how overpriced Mac is etc. Already understand that!
Depends what you are going to use it for. The iMac is going to give you a much nicer experience screen quality wise as it’s designed to work with MacOS dpi retina scaling perfectly. This means if you care about text sharpness/clarity a lot it’s the clear winner. The downside is you have to be comfortable with the smaller size so perhaps not as good if you are wanting to stream movies on it all day.
The mini is going to give you a nicer experience if you are doing more heavy CPU or GPU tasks. The iMac is really due an update and prolly not an ideal time to buy.
The iMac M1 is compromised by having only a 24-inch display with no clue as to if or when a 27 is coming. The last of the intel iMacs were available with 5K 27-inch displays. If you don't mind 24-inches the iMac's hardware and aesthetics are wonderful.
When my iMac died, I bought a Mac Mini and a 2nd hand 28" Mac display monitor. The monitor was $500 but it looks really nice :)… like this https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/155579480618. If one component dies, I still have the other… the trouble as I see it with the iMac… something goes wrong, you lose the lot.
Or when you have an original 5k iMac that is basically too slow to run anything but a gorgeous useless screen…
Oi, my iMac 27 2017 is smooth as silk you heathen.
And yes, the screen is simply magnificent
I have a 2014…
i had the gen 1 intel iMac, policarbonate one from like 2006. screen broke and it was so old that it wouldn't run anything anyway, still felt bad throwing it away. i regretted it right away, i could have repaired the screen myself and given it to a kid relative to destroy.
I use my 27 inch 5k iMac with my m1 MacBook. I use the screen sharing option on the MacBook and so I control the MacBook using my apple keyboard and mouse. I get the benefit of the amazing screen and the 5k iMac are more going pretty cheap in EBay due to being intel. Plus I get the benefit that I can run windows 11. The screen sharing is no good for games though as there has a slight lag but this is minimised if you use an Ethernet cable between both machines.
Mac mini. You can get a decent 23/24-inch monitor for $200. iMac is overpriced. Once you get used to that iMac screen you'll forget about it and wonder why you wasted $700 on a computer with lower specs.
Yes a good 1440p monitor and you have an amazing set up.
For the mini, don't forget the extra cost of keyboard and mouse/trackpad.
The base model imac was criticized when it come out as it has only one fan, you might want to look into that and consider the next one up.
I know you said desktop but have you considered say an M1 air in clamshell mode with a screen? Get a touch id keyboard and a $40 hub and it just works really well, a lot more flexibility, and a lot easier to sell when the time comes for an upgrade.
For my parents though, it's imac all the way.
Thanks for all the comments!
I think based on feedback mac mini seems a good option. Can anyone suggest a really nice between 30 - 39.9" that's preferably on sale?
I already have the keyboard and mouse from an old imac I am using.
Thanks for the help!
Samsung M70B $464
Don't worry about the lack of height adjustment, I reckon for 27-inches and above it's not essential
That’s a VA monitor and brightness is quite low. Just be aware.
Mac Mini is the better option. But the iMac is nice to look at, it's a work of art compared to a cheap plastic monitor. If having a pretty work area was important to you then the iMac could make more sense. If upgradability and cost effectiveness was more important, then Mac Mini is the way to go. If you ever upgrade later then the iMac at least makes a cool streaming display, it's not like you toss it in the bin eight years from now.