Potential mac Mini purchase

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I have a 2017 iMAC with an Intel i-5, 8 GB memory and 1 TB 5400 rpm spinner. The main user of this computer typically has Firefox with 2 or 3 tabs open (Instagram, email, and often something like netflix), Affinity (photo editing program) and perhaps Pages with a small document being edited. The user really likes the iMAC except that it is extremely slow. One example is that it sometimes takes 60 seconds just to check the battery charge level of the keyboard (I’ve timed it).

I’m thinking about getting a new mac mini and using the keyboard, mouse and old iMAC as a monitor, the latter I can apparently do with a dongle and software from Luna Display:

https://astropad.com/product/lunadisplay/?sca_ref=1874541.zoCzKRChDM

Has anyone used Luna Display and if so what are your impressions of it?

A base model mac mini costs $699 for 8 GB RAM, M1 chip, and 256 GB SSD. Anyone have any opinions as to how this hardware will perform under the conditions described above? Doubling the size of the SSD to 512 GB costs $200, as does doubling the RAM to 16GB, both of which strike me as being exorbitant premiums (a year ago I bought a San Disk 480 GB SSD for $50 for an old laptop.)

Thoughts and comments welcome.

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Is the iMac upgrade-able? If so, more memory and an SSD might be a cheaper choice for the use case.

Years ago I upgraded one of the teardrop iMacs with a new HDD and memory. It was quite a task as disassembling the unit was not for the faint of heart but I did get it done.

You might want to search You-Tube for videos on the specific model.

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

2 users thanked author for this post.

BobbyB, DrBonzo

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I think upgrading is either not doable or very difficult, but I need to verify if that’s the case.

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An iMac of 2017 vintage 21 1/2′ or 27′  isnt hard, 27′ iMac RAM upgrade is accomplised by a small door at the rear less than 2 mins.

Everything else is “screen off” alas, not hard and not expensive, but requires a good deal of patience and care! Cheap kits to reattach are availble. Some inexpensive “pentelobe” Screw drivers req occasionally quite inexpensive as well as the “pizza cutter” again cheap and plastic, replaced a Battery in my MacBook Pro and the Screw drivers came free,

A simple upgrade for both 27 + 21 1/2″ is an SSD standard get anywhere fit anything SATA3 (some req a temp sensor cable to reattach to drive, I think the 2017 had done away with that)

RAM on a 21 1/2′ req “Logic Board out” slightly more difficult, while your there you could fit an NVMe, both for 27‘ & 21 1/2′, drive (needs a $20 Sintech adapter and the you can use other makes of disk) research compaibility.

The Previous link req. your serial number for your machine specific details, the link below  is a general 2017 guide if you dont want to trust your serial number to another site.

https://everymac.com/systems/by_year/macs-released-in-2017.html

For both a simple SSD upgrade would radically transform the iMac, certainly a lot cheaper than a newer model or the Apple upgrade Tax on the newer base model M1 .

I believe appart from the addition of an external drive the M1 Mac Mini isnt upgradable, so for extra functionality or to “future proof” youre probably going to have to spend quite a bit more for more RAM CPU and or Graphics Capabilities.

PS screen sizes determine the location of various components, broadly the same, but a quick job could become a saga especially with RAM.

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DrBonzo

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Don’t get the base model.
If you can get by with the 256GB drive (remember, you don’t want to use 100% of a solid state drive, so you really don’t have 256GB available), fine. You can always add external storage. My M1 MacMini has a 1T drive, but I am running Parallels VMs. You probably don’t need that much space for average use. But do consider if 256GB is enough. Look at the usage on your current machine for comparison.

But from my personal experience, you NEED 16GB RAM. Browsers these days eat memory. And apps are also RAM intensive.

Yes, I know, I’m suggesting more expense. But getting it right can mean it’s useful for a longer time. And the machines are no longer hardware upgradable.

On my first iMac (2012) I compromised – an i7 Ivy Bridge, 16GB RAM, but a 1GB 5400 spinner. By choosing an i7 and what seemed a lot of RAM at the time, it has lasted 12 years. It is slow by today’s standards and Catalina will be the final OS, but it is still usable.
A 13″ MacBook Pro the same year came with an i7, 4GB RAM and a 5400 spinner. But I quickly upgraded it to 16GB RAM and a 512GB Samsung SSD. Today, the OS will end with Catalina, but the laptop is as fast and usable as any of my newer machines.

What I’m getting at here is, a base model may feel “old” after fewer years so it feels like it needs to be replaced sooner. Looking ahead and anticipating changes may cost more initially, but $400 extra now may be cheaper in the long run than buying two machines in the same time frame.

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DrBonzo, Sky

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I have yet to “pull the trigger” on a purchase. One reason is that when I go to the Apple website it says the 24″ iMAC with M1 chip is a 2021 model, and that the newest mac mini is a 2020 model. Does Apple start the support clock in 2021 or 2020? If they do, then these models are only going to get about 5 years before Apple won’t support them. In other words I will have essentially lost about 3 years of support since it seems that in the past macs were supported for about 8 years from the listed model date. For the amount of money I’ll spend for either computer, only getting 5 years of support seems almost criminal.

Anyone know when the clock starts for the above 2 computers?

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https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624

Owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, or Apple TV products may obtain service and parts from Apple service providers, including Apple Retail Stores and Independent Repair Providers, for a minimum of 5 years from when Apple last distributed the product for sale.

Service and parts may be obtained for longer, as required by law or for up to 7 years, subject to parts availability

Products are considered vintage when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 5 and less than 7 years ago.

Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago…

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DrBonzo

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Thanks Alex. What about software support? For example, my macBook Air was released in mid 2017 and will no longer be eligible for macOS versions past Monterey. My iMAC which was also released in mid 2017 is eligible for Ventura, but nothing after that.

For operating system eligibility Apple seems to start the clock from the release date, although there is apparently other factors that are involved since both my 2017 machines aren’t eligible for the same OS support.

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You could always try OCLP all Models that need it are listed, Security updates Patches are avail. newer Macs tend not to need any “post install patching” my 2014 MacBook Pro didnt with Monterey 12.6.2. Older Macs that do need “post install patching” its done with the minimum of fuss and within mins.

As for the future well who knows? Its fairly likely that there will be another version, but its likely to be the last to support intel Mac’s, and there’s a good probability that the Developers at OCLP will be able to patch it for older Macs.

How old? Isnt certain as its looking like anything with “Metal” circa 2012 and later has no problem updating with OCLP 0.53 . Although Mac Pro’s 5,1 “cheese grater” has bit the dust, and 6,1 “Trash Can” is looking a bit rocky over an instruction set for Intel.

Apple has a tendancy to delete Drivers etc from stuff it doesent think it needs or needs to support, or support any more. Deliberate? or efficacy? well not going to open that debate again lol

After that, I am thinking, it’ll be the brave new (old) World of Apple Silicon as quoted by @Alex5723 (above) It’s unlikely, if not unfeasible for an intel to run any OS designed for Arm (Apple Silicon).

As for OCLP on Apple Silicon to enable support for older ARM chips on older Models, well who knows? So for now its all debatable whether any one can find a way round Apples arbitarily imposed “life Span” on its devices in the future.

 

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DrBonzo

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Sounds like OCLP is like 0Patch for Windows. Unfortunately neither of my Macs or any that I’m considering buying are supported by it. Kind of hard to tell when any of them might become supported.

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DrBonzo wrote:

Thanks Alex. What about software support?

Apple support current (Ventura) and 2 back versions (Big Sur, Monterey).
Older versions get out-of-support (Catalina) critical updates.

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DrBonzo

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Yes, but not every Mac is eligible to run, for example, Ventura. My iMAC does, but my macBook Air doesn’t. Whether a given computer is eligible depends on the release date of the computer; it might not depend exclusively on that date but it does depend on it to a large extent. It seems that typically a MAC will be eligible for operating system support for about 7 or 8 years. So my question is if I buy a “new” iMAC that is from 2021, have I already used up 1 or 2 years of that 7 or 8 years of support? If so, then the lifetime of that 2021 iMAC is shorter than if I had bought it in 2021, and since the price is still the price for a new iMAC, I’m getting cheated out of 1 or 2 years of use.

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DrBonzo wrote:

If so, then the lifetime of that 2021 iMAC is shorter than if I had bought it in 2021, and since the price is still the price for a new iMAC, I’m getting cheated out of 1 or 2 years of use.

You are right.

macOS support up to 5 years old Macs

* Except for 2020-2022 Apple silicon all other are the dead Intel Macs.

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