Great video Gary! Really summarizing things well! I bought the reasonable Studio to replace my aging late 2014 27” iMac with a Mac Studio Display. Very happy with them! Have found the 32G of Ram worked well with my use as I had that much memory on my 2014 iMac. It was the Max amount you could get at the time. Use a lot of memory with the apps I run but it rarely swaps. And 2TB of disk space as well. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻⚡️⚡️⚡️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I bought a second hand 2014 Mac mini with 8g ram and 1 TB hard disk plus keyboard and trackpad. It has been looked after very well by the selerl in those years. I replaced hard drive with a new 240g ssd. Cost me around 300 usd in total. It suits my daily use. I am here watching this video and probably upgrade my mac after 5 years.
External SSD storage has become so reasonable in price, you can get a 1TB SSD that's plenty fast for photos, music, movies and even games for far less money than Apple's (admittedly very fast) internal storage. I have the M1 iMac with 256GB, and I bought a 1TB external SSD and mounted it to the stand with velcro. It stays there always, and gives me a huge drive to store all those things, while the internal drive basically carries the OS and any files I'm immediately working on. Might not work for some people into heavy video work, etc., but most could live quite well with this option. Fill that drive and you can just add another for less than $150. My Macbook Air is also 256GB, and I've never wanted for space because of external storage. Something to consider.
That won't work if you want to store everything in iCloud Drive. You'd need to use the Optimize feature and then the 256GB drive would limit you to having only a small amount of files local at any time, and then very little left for memory swap. Without space for swap things would slow down quite a bit. If it works for you, great, but for many people it would be a big problem.
@@macmost Yeah, that makes sense. I'm just going off of the way the majority of people I know use computers, and most don't really want their huge music/photo/movie collections on iCloud anyway because even at the 50GB option, it wouldn't be sufficient. For working folks using a ton of space for crucial files though, I'd agree. I based my purchasing decisions on a long-term windows laptop that I had to replace the old platter disk on, which got a 256GB SSD and I've never wanted for space because of external storage being cheap.
One year ago I decided to get M1 MacBook Air second tiered one with 8 GPU and 512 ssd. I am glad I did. got the higher storage & 8 GPU instead of the base model.
Hi Gary, I am a fan of your channel but I totally disagree with the way you classify Mac Mini. Yes, I agree the memory upgrade and storage. But the M1 is so powerful that I have no issues with doing work on it. I have 50+ tabs on multiple browsers, running all apps O365, Slack, Teams, Photos editing, Evernote, and more with Zero issues. I have two external monitors (a 34" Dell 3440x1449 and a 27" Dell 2560x1440) @60Hz. What I added extra is CalDigit TB 4 Element hub and Qwiizlab Hub SSD Enclosure. I don't think people should be deterred from getting the basic Mini M1 especially if you already have your monitor/mouse/keyboard.
8GB of Ram is not enough. I now have to open a 3000+ pages pdf file (it‘s a manual of a big machine). The click on the search function freezes the Mac for 20s… And in 2ys? I don‘t want to buy a new machine every 4ys… it‘s a hassle every time…
@@faraway7696 That sounds like a problematic file. Have you tested it on the same Mac with 16GB of memory to compare? Do you have plenty of free storage space (used for "swap")? Could be the same problem no matter what Mac you have. Or, another way to look at it is what if this 3000-page PDF worked fine, but then you get a 6000-page PDF the next time? There is always going to be a limit. Definitely get more memory if you can afford it, but if you can only afford a larger drive or more memory, the larger drive is what the vast majority of users will miss if they don't get it.
@@macmost Agree. Don‘t miss out on enough SSD… But if one asks 8 or 16 I say: Take 16! I will absolutely not say 8 is enough. Swap is already showing there is not enough Ram. With 16 youre set for 5ys or more. with 8 you‘re on the market in 4ys… just check the history. Edit: I’m in no way a computer expert. But have run into problems with only 8. That‘s why I‘m jumping in energetically if someone says „8 is no problem. It‘s enough“. Imo it is not or soon will not be anymore. A Fan of your channel.
@@faraway7696 15+ years of helping people with Macs and it is almost always the storage that forces people to buy a new Mac early, not the memory. If you can afford it, though, certainly get both.
While it may be obvious to many about whether to get a portable vs desktop, I am starting to wonder if the M1/M2 chips may be changing that decision process. I have always been a Desktop Mac user, and have had 3 different iMac 27” models in the past. Expect that in the next year I will need to upgrade my Late-2015 iMac 27” Retina model. While I mostly use it as a desktop, there could be some instances where portability would be handy. Thinking that a portable + external monitor (4K likely sufficient) could be an option now. I think the performance of the portables are up to the iMac performance now so this might make sense. I wonder if you could make a video going over the pros / cons of portable with external monitor vs a desktop. I would find it helpful, and perhaps others would too?
I‘ve been a MBAir user for 10ys. Most of the time it‘s hooked up on a 27“ 4K Display and I use the Notebook‘s display as well at the same time. So I have 2 display on hand. Calendar, Spotify, Mail and Messages on the 13“ display and Notes, Chrome, Safari, PDF on the big one. (all on several Spaces). And on a regular basis I‘m away from home. No problem: MBAir comes with me. Also on in the bag: ipad pro 11“. This all is convenient and works great. Display will probably last me 2-3 Mac generations… where as my Laptop will not last too long… only 8Gb of ram. Stupid me.
Hard to do a video like that because it is so subjective. Lots of people really like the MacBook + display setup, others go with just a desktop, and others (like me) go with a powerful desktop and a lightweight companion MacBook.
I bought the most recent Mac Mini (8 GB RAM) shortly before the Studio came out. I had been using Windows and wanted to get back to the Mac for home use while still using Windows on my company-supplied laptop. Then the Studio came out and I couldn't help myself. I bought the base model and was blown away. I absolutely love it. I loved it so much that I talked my company into buying me an M1 MacBook Air (16 GB RAM). Honestly I was surprised at how close the performance was to the Studio. I'm still happy with the Studio but I wonder what I would have thought with a Mini with 16 GB RAM. I'm glad to have the Studio for current and future use. I think three years from now and beyond I will be glad to have the extra oomph.
Nice video, Gary. For my own setup, I like the Mini M1 with 16gb ram, 1TB storage, a fine Dell 24" monitor hooked in to HDMI port. Then, I use a Matias keyboard and a wired Microsoft Pro Intellimouse configured with the great SteerMouse system preference. For average users, the Mini is just fine and the Studio may be a bit of overkill.
I do a lot of drone videos with an M1 Mac Mini, 16GB Ram, and 512GB Storage with a 1TB T7 drive from Samsung. I am right on the edge between a new M2 Mac Mini and the base model Mac Studio. You seem to like the Studio display but recommend a 3rd party. A lot of reviewers pan it but a lot say it's well made and has an excellent display.
Yes, I really do like the Studio Display. My only complaint is that it is too small for my aging eyes. Wish it was 32-inches. But the quality is excellent. Still, the price is very high.
I am totally in love with my iMac !! Still using the 2017 Retina 5K, 27-inch, 3,5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, 24 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, Radeon Pro 575 4 GB. 1TB Fusion Drive.
Thanks Gary, I love watching your videos and have learned to appreciate your views and knowledge. This one was important to me and it came just at the right time as I want to renew my 27 inch iMac (2015) and 13 inch MacBook Air (2015). So looking forward to your laptop considerations as well.
Great video as always. It will help viewers to think about the available options. There is one other thing to consider which I don’t think you covered here, though, and that is external storage. A good-quality 2gb external SSD can be bought for under $200, that is what Apple would charge just to change the internal 256gb SSD to a 512gb SSD. Yes, Apple’s internal storage is faster but for most purposes that extra speed doesn’t have much practical value. The external storage can be used for any large files or applications, or can be set as the path for the Photos, Music, and other significant/potentially large libraries, or can even be the path for an entire user account folder. It could even be used as the boot volume although there are good reasons in the case of an Apple SOC Mac or any Mac with a T2 chip to use the internal device as the boot volume host. With a high-capacity, good-quality, relatively inexpensive external hard drive it can be quite reasonable to leave the internal storage at 255gb and either not spend the difference or use it for additional helpful peripherals or more RAM instead. I know you said you are going to cover the laptops on another video, but it’s worth mentioning here that I see a lot of people buying laptops when they really don’t need the portability and in many cases the laptop sits on a desk and never gets moved. With rare exceptions, if you don’t need the portability - because you have a powerful pocket computer (your iPhone) or a tablet or just don’t need it - don’t lay out the premium for the portability. The base model of the Max Mini is hundreds of dollars less than the base model of the MacBook Air but the mini has more ports and much better thermal control.
Note you can't use external storage for iCloud Drive. And that is what a lot of people want. Also the speed can affect in some ways for even a typical user, like scrolling through their Photos library if it is on the external drive. Or, memory swap when the internal drive is full. If you are really strapped for cash and just can't afford the internal storage, then you do what you have to do. But what I'm saying here is prioritize storage over memory when deciding.
I used the mini mac for years and loved it. My graphic design work has outgrown that one but its still a great little mac for those who aren' working with massive image files.
My "newest" mac is a 2016 model (MacBook Pro). Also have an iMac from 2014. I don't upgrade very often, and a MacBook is of little use, So, it makes sense to wait for new Mac Mini and/or iMac models with M2 or later processors. Thank you for your great comparisons.
i love the 24 inch imac.i bought mine in green with 512 gb storage and it is the best apple desk top i've ever owned(coming from a 27 inch imac and various crappy pc's)it's super fast and the display is awesome-highly recommend this one.
Gary, why no mention of after market SSD drives that you can either buy or make on your own? I bought a kit that was a small dongle and enclosure with a NVME card 2 TB that cost about $200. The speed of the drive and the fact that it can also serve as a back up or you can buy multiple ones for that price makes it an excellent option for someone who can only afford a Mac with a small hard disk drive. On a desktop machine where the hard-drive or USB dongle is always there, always available, always on, it’s not like a laptop where you have to carry something else with you. These options are workable, USB-C is super fast, making it an even better option. The REAL Issue is ram, as although Apple has medicated the exponentially high right cycles that M1 Max perform, the life expectancy has still only double four Apple’s SSD drives from two years to 4 or 5 instead of or compared to the decade or longer use on a PC.
I'm just talking about the machine here. If you want an external drive, that's fine too. Note it will be slower than the internal one, especially with Macs which have such fast internal drives. And those with a lot of iCloud Drive files need that to be on the Internal drive, iCloud Drive doesn't use externals. An external drive can help correct the mistake of getting a small drive somewhat, but not without some pain.
@@macmost - Thanks for the response! What I meant was that the combination of USB-C speed, and the fast read write speeds of the NVMe drives are indeed a viable option for cash strapped Mac owners. You can buy the parts online on Amazon, the enclosures run about $60, and the NVMe drives (cards) run about $200 +/- I use several and they are NOT the usb drives of yesterday. I can barely tell the difference between writing to my Mac’s SSD and the external SSD.
@@Erin-Thor Speed tests show the internal drive of an iMac 24-inch is between 2,000 and 3,000 MB/s. Those NVMe drives are around 500 MB/s. If you are just copying files or opening small documents that's fine. But you don't want to be editing video or scrolling through your Photos library at that speed just to save a few dollars. Plus, as I mentioned, that's not going to help if you are using iCloud Drive.
@@macmost “SPEED: USB 3.2 supports data transmission speeds of up to 10Gbps for steady and efficient data transfer. Backward compatible with USB 3.1 and USB 3.0 at respective speed limits. PLUG & PLAY: No additional drivers required. Bus powered. Does not need an external power supply. Perfect for tech nerds, 4K content designers, and engineers. At up to 1000MB/s, Data copy and transferring will be done in in no time.”
@@Erin-Thor The USB speed isn't the bottleneck, it is drive read/write. Most (all?) NVMe drives you can get like this are 500MB/s, but even at 1000 it is much slower. Search for the benchmarks.
At some point soon I will need to get a new iMac, or something above. The High-End iMac or the Mid-end Mac Studio is probably my budget. But, I will have an old iMac 5k 27" and I am wondering is there anything to do with these machines when they are EOL'ed by Apple? Linux? Can windows be loaded on these things, not that I would find that acceptable. These prices and the fact that I love the machines but they seem to EOL into uselessness so quickly, just hurts.
Nice and useful overview. Thanks. I am thinking about upgrading my 2013 iMac. So, M1, 1T memory for $ 1900 is way to go. Or wait for M2 version because I don’t need it now.
Another great video Gary. Thank you. I am running an M1 Mac mini / 256 / 16 ram. There are so many ways to configure a desktop setup using Mac mini. I opted for an external 1tb drive usb-c drive to hold all my files. The internal 256 only for the OS. Instead of spending additional money for 512 + internal drive, I used that money for a second LG HD monitor. I have no issues with external drive speed and the two monitors are perfect for my home video processing. REQUEST: I would appreciate a comparison video of the Mac mini in the future between the M1 vs. M2. Thanks again.
Keep in mind that your external storage is significantly slower than internal (Apple's drives are fast). And also iCloud Drive files can't be stored on the external, a big problem for many people.
I have the Mac Studio, and I went with the M1 Ultra to largely future proof it for a while. I’m also tempted to get that 40” LG 5K2K (5120x2160) curved monitor. Do I need all this? Hell no, but it’s awfully nice to have.
24" screen on the iMac is too small. My 27" retina screen has spoilt me for all the years I've used one (Late '15 iMac 3.3GHZ, 32GB, 2TB). I'm not waiting at least a year for an 'iMac Pro'. Would love a Studio as it will be pretty much future-proof, but having used one, the Mac Mini with 16GB easily suits my use case. I'm prepared to wait for an M1 Pro or possibly M2. But it just means I'm going to have to bite the bullet and fork out for a Studio Display.
Very useful video Gary, as always. I'm just wondering if future proofing is a consideration when deciding whether to upgrade the Mac Mini memory to 16GB? I completely accept that 8GB is fine for basic use now, but I would expect to keep one for many years and maybe I would regret not going for the upgrade a few years down the line?
That's a consideration with everything: memory, storage, processor. But another way to look at it is saving the $200 now as a start to a new Mac in 5-7 years.
Do not get 8GB… you will have to get a new Mac in 3-4yrs. I have 8GB because people like this guy in the video says „good enough“. Mistake! Not good enough in the near future.
@@faraway7696 Can you expand on that? How do you know you will need to get a new Mac in 3-4 years if 3-4 years hasn't happened yet? What has happened, specially, to make you decide it was a mistake to get 8 GB? If you want to disagree with me, that's fine, but back up your position with some information.
I would recommend 16 GIGs of RAM with 1 terabyte SSD. The issue here is memory pressure. 1 terabyte is a pretty good amount of storage. Apple charges a fortune for SSD storage. Better to go with external SSD for anything beyond a terabyte.
Hi Gary! Thanks a lot for this useful overview. I am wondering, if we will see an M2 Mac mini soon and if so Apple would still sell the M1, like they do for the Macbooks? Might be an opportunity to get a reasonable discount for the entry level M1 Mac mini, which would be enough for me? Thanks again!
I think the M1 with 16gb RAM and 1TB SSD is about minimum. I think for the "average" user (whatever that is) is a bit more future proofed with that and the video editor need to start at 16GB. There is no excuse for ANY machine to come with less that 1TB/16GB in 2022. The OS alone is gonna use half of that and God forbid you open chrome. I have chrome open with 6 tabs right now and its using 4.6GB of RAM. So while you could single task with the 8GB you aren't going to be doing much multitasking. Typical workflow, Chrome open with 6-8 tabs, Safari open (so I can use another account) music playing, notes app open and maybe 1-2 other apps. Thats already well over the 8GB and we start tapping into the SSD and it all slows down.
I've done extensive video work (some of these videos in fact) using 8GB on an M1 MacBook Pro. ScreenFlow and Final Cut Pro. You can't look at the RAM you are using now and compare. Your 6 tabs in Chrome may be using 4.6GB because you have that available (unused RAM isn't helping anything). It could be that it only really needs 0.2GB if that is all that was available. Common misconception.
@@macmost While I respect your opinion I have to disagree based on experience. In no universe does chrome with 6+ tabs only use 200mb of RAM. Even on a very low spec machine. Even if you could get youtube etc to work with that your experience is going to be miserable. I would challenge you to do the workflow I mentioned above on an 8GB machine and report back. Pay special attention to Your youtube playback while rendering your 4k video in final cut. Yes, you CAN run final cut on an 8GB machine. NO you can NOT do the multitasking I'm talking about with 8GB without some noticeable slowdown. Skipping, cursor drag, beach ball etc.
@@dragonballjiujitsu Sure, I tried it just now. 7 Chrome tabs (all various RUclips things), several Safari tabs, Photos, Mail, others, and Final Cut Pro rendering a 4K video. Chrome relaxed down to 0.5GB and FCP used 1.4GB during this time. Everything seemed to run fine, responsive, etc. Definitely NOT "miserable." Very good in fact. But let's say it *didn't* work well. Then it is just a trade-off between $200 and whether you can run 6 power-hungry Chrome tabs while rendering 4K video from FCP. If you are a pro, then no contest. You'll spend the money. But a home user doesn't need it. A home use can maybe just hold off on the Chrome tabs if they need to render 4K from FCP. Remember, I'm not saying to not get 16GB. I'm just saying to prioritize storage. That's where I hear the regrets, not enough storage. If you can afford both storage and memory, great.
@@macmost I find it very strange that your chrome RAM usage is so different than mine...but I suppose there could be other factors at play. I agree with you about storage.
@@dragonballjiujitsu Remember that macOS and apps will attempt to use all of your RAM all the time. So maybe an app will use 4GB to make itself a bit more efficient, even if it can do with 1GB or less. Then other apps need it and it relaxes back to using less.
Totally disagree on your thoughts on SSD size. 256GB is more than enough for many/most people with normal usage. Photo library’s and media can be stored on much cheaper external drive, especially in the case of a desktop where the drive can just stay plugged in. In addition iCloud storage can be used for these, this is a good idea in any case for backup/loss protection. I have been using a windows laptop for ten years with just 128GB storage and only recently run into storage issues due to application gloat. I bought a ‘family’ iMac a year ago, three users, three apple IDs, three photo library’s (including a teenager!) and we only have 50GB used. I use an external Samsung T7 1TB drive for anything large. Strongly recommend not wasting money on Apples laughable SSD expansion prices.
I have a MacMini base unit. The drive is no issue as I use external drives for various things. The 8gb memory though is a nightmare. I just need to have three pieces of software and about 5 browser tabs open and it is too much. I will be getting either the new 16gb M2 Mini when it comes or the Studio.
Which 3 apps are you running and what sites are in those tabs? I've tested an 8GB M1 extensively and what shouldn't affect it. How much free drive space do you have (for swap).
Once Apple have (eventually) released a new Mac Pro, it might be worth doing another comparison video (although assuming Apple release the new Mac Pro some point this year, it might be worth holding off until 2024 to see if a new iMac comes (even if its just a replacement for the current iMac model)) I do wonder what Apple is planning on doing with the iMac though, especially since they haven’t (at least not yet) done an M2 upgrade, so are they skipping the M2 and holding off until the M3 for it (especially with the recent price increase in the UK from £1249 to £1399 for the base model), or are they considering abandoning the iMac line, and leaving the M1 version on sale (with an increased price in some regions) up until they eventually discontinue it (if the M1 iMac did not sell as well as Apple expected, then it is possible that they could be considering the latter of the two, or they could be doing something else that I haven’t mentioned)
This video is about 2 weeks too late for me :( I bought the Mac studio display at Costco, saved $100, and I ordered the iMAC studio with 2TB SSD from Apple, will be delivered in August. Right now using the Mac Studio Display with my old Mac mini (i5) and there are performance issues with Luminar NEO, Pixelmator, Affinity, at times the cursor doesn't display because I think there are timing issues with the powerful display and the anemic older Mac mini. All in one iMAC with embedded screen poor decision as something will break down the line.
I should have said excellent video. Everything you discussed was the reasoning I applied for about 3 weeks investigating why, for me, the iMAC studio was the best. My old 27" iMAC died after 8 years, so economically divide and conquer separate display from processor was the way to go with extra SSD. I will use Blackmagic Disk Speed Test to figure out the best way of connecting my external HD's as well.
@@rogerlapin9809 I appreciate the tip about TG Pro, features that should be part of MACOS. I also appreciate your declutter requirement. In the early 70's when I was a young adult, I stayed away from the all in one stereos, realizing that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I still have my separate Sony Cassette tape deck and turntable, albeit in my basement museum. The tuner/amplifier died many years ago. My 27" iMAC had disc fusion failure for which I paid to have the HD replaced, only to fail months later. I was running the clutterless iMAC with three external 8 TB HD's until all versions of the OS would crash, that I isolated to a faulty internal circuit board. Given that iMAC tops out at Big Sur, it certainly did not pay to have it fixed. For the price, Apple HW should be more reliable. We overpay for the HW and if this was commercial equipment IMHO it would be akin to buying expensive NEBS compliant HW or MIL spec HW. So that is why I know prefer the cluttered divide and conquer approach. But the OS is so sweet, thank you Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson :)
After seeing that apple very recently announced new Mac Minis, which have the standard M2 chip and also the M2 Pro chip (along with new 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pros, which have M2 Pro and M2 Max), I’m tempted to get an M2 Pro Mac Mini, but i think it might be worth waiting for a new Mac Studio (or i could get a base spec M2 Pro Mac Mini now, and upgrade down the road, but keep the Mac Mini as a secondary machine) I’ve already decided that an iMac is not for me (although i cannot even say for certain whether or not a higher end iMac is coming, there are still rumours floating around about it, but i do not believe anything until apple actually release the product or products) And due to various reasons, i am not going to consider a MacBook (some of those reasons are to do with the price, and yes, although the Mac Studio base price is close to the price of a base model 14 inch MacBook Pro, i would rather spend money on specs than portability or to have less cables on the desk, and yes, this is also one of the reasons why i am not considering an iMac)
Thanks for the info. I was wondering if desktops are still popular or better than laptops if you don’t need the travel or portability.? I don’t love laptops and prefer having the space of a desktop. They’re not obsolete? Lol I feel laptops are sort of restricted.
This video is now a year old and a new video needs to be done once the next iMac is announced (Oct/Nov 2023?). Also, one can save a lot of money by just getting 512GB SSD internal from Apple, and use an external SSD for your photos/videos. And 16GB RAM is better because it reduces swapping for most uses.
Swapping actually works very well, so there is still no need for many (most?) people to get more than 8GB of RAM. Depends which apps you are using and what for. Saving money on a smaller internal definitely has major downsides, especially for MacBook users. But for everyone else as well.
Another great informative video thank you 😊 Can you please explain the difference between the old DDR4 RAM and the current ‘unified memory’ made by Apple ? I’m asking because I’ve read that an 8Gb if unified memory is faster than the DDR4 with same 8Gb is that correct ?
I don't know the technical details off the top of my head, sorry. What is it, specifically, that you'd like to know? There's no choice to make so what is it you are trying to figure out?
Your guess is as good as mine. But I doubt it will be this year. Of course the current models use the M1 Extreme and M1 Ultra chips, which are much more powerful than the M2 (base) chip. Assuming Apple comes out with M2 Extreme and M2 Ultra chips, I can't see it being before the first anniversary of the Mac Studio.
@@macmost Thanks Gary I just purchased the Mac Studio (M1 Max) and the Mac Studio Display and so far I am very impressed with both the quality and performance. That's in addition to my 4-27" iMacs. :)
Why do you suppose the 27" 5K iMac was cancelled. If Apple would have lauched a 27" 5K iMac with a M1 processor with black bezels I would have purchased. Now there is no comparable option so I ask again, why do you suppose the 27" 5K iMac was cancelled?
There's only one reason I can think of: sales. We'll never know Apple's internal sales numbers, but my guess is that pros went for the Mac Pro and will now go for the Mac Studio, and home users were scared off by the price of the 27-inch. Plenty of people will say how much they loved the 27-inch iMac, but that doesn't always equate to real sales. The 24-inch was a good compromise with screen size between the 21.5 and 27, and now there is a simple, inexpensive iMac that appeals to a large number of people and the Mac Studio for those that want more.
Externals SSDs are going to be slower, not because of port speed but drive speed. SSDs are typically 500MB/s while internal drives vary by model from 1500 to 5000. Plus, you can't use external drives for iCloud Drive files, memory swap, caches and many other things.
Just a couple weeks before Apple discontinued the 27” iMac I purchased a 2020 27” iMac (3.3Ghz intel core i5) with 512Gb SSD, 8Gb ram, and Retina 5K display. Did I choose wisely?
@@macmost I guess I need a better understanding of the M1 and M2 chips. But I was thinking of a new iMac. I have a 2017 and a 2019 iMac....Thanks for your question. Perhaps you might tell me what is best...just a home user with tons of photos and I try to keep up with your videos and try everything you teach in the videos...this was a great video.
@@desertpatient New iMac with M2 will be late this year or sometime next. No way to know for sure. If you need it now, get the M1 iMac now. If you feel like waiting for a while, then wait for the M2. But there will always be a "next one" so don't let that stop you.
@@macmost Thank you so very much. I don't really have the need but as a point in time I would like to replace the 2017 iMac. Thank you for being so kind in answering my question.
Always...Always ...Always buy the most computer your budget can afford. If you buy "too much" you'll never complain "oh, my Mac is too fast" or "I have too much storage".... it's like saying "my milkshake is too creamy" or "my cheeseburger is too delicious".
Memory is not upgradeable, storage is easily upgraded with a usb-c or thunderbolt drive (or even a network drive lika a NAS). So I would upgrade memory before storage.
Keep in mind that external drives, even SSDs, are much slower than internal storage on a Mac. And you can't use external storage for some things, like iCloud Drive files.
Macs are expensive, and always have been. The price I paid this year for a Mac Studio was pretty close to the price I paid for my PowerMac 8600 and my G3 and G4 towers.
@@macmost Well, if you mean the dollar amount is the same, then that means modern Macs are actually cheaper. This, since the dollar is worth MUCH less now than it was when you bought the 8600, G3 and G4.
Your comment makes no sense. Macs in the late 80s and early 90s were very pricey, especially when you take into account the value of those dollars compared to today's dollar. Then you had slow and finicky performance when compared to today's machines. Today's Macs are screaming deals.
Depends on the type of developer. For instance, web vs mobile app vs game vs database, etc. A lot of web developers work almost completely on the server and the amount of memory on the client computer doesn't matter, for instance.
I've had my MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 with 8GB for almost 2 years. Have Ventura beta on it now. No issues. And I test it extensively. What are you basing your prediction on?
on my MBAir 2020 M1 8GB… open a 3000+ pages PDF file. Klick on the search icon… my mac freezes for 20-30s. (dont‘t know what it‘s doing). Friend of mine uses a intel mac with 32 GB Ram. The same file uses about 16 GB of his RAM. 8 might be ok now for you… but in 3 years… just look at history… Low Ram macs will run usually after 4 years into trouble.
@@faraway7696 See my other comment about your 3000+ page PDF. If it needs 16GB of memory that's no problem on a 8GB MacBook as virtual memory (swap) will get the job done. Note there is always a limit. 16GB will also not be enough for some things. So where do you draw the line? All I'm saying is that if you are on a limited budget, prioritize storage space over memory. Week after week for 15+ years I've heard tales of sorrow from people why through that 128/256/512GB would be "good enough" for storage and then regretted it. If you can afford 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage great, but if you can only afford one, then get the storage.
Great video Gary! Really summarizing things well! I bought the reasonable Studio to replace my aging late 2014 27” iMac with a Mac Studio Display. Very happy with them! Have found the 32G of Ram worked well with my use as I had that much memory on my 2014 iMac. It was the Max amount you could get at the time. Use a lot of memory with the apps I run but it rarely swaps. And 2TB of disk space as well. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻⚡️⚡️⚡️👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I bought a second hand 2014 Mac mini with 8g ram and 1 TB hard disk plus keyboard and trackpad. It has been looked after very well by the selerl in those years. I replaced hard drive with a new 240g ssd. Cost me around 300 usd in total. It suits my daily use. I am here watching this video and probably upgrade my mac after 5 years.
Another great video. So well done. Sent to my son who is an Apple guy and thinking about a new desktop. You now have another subscriber. Thank you.
External SSD storage has become so reasonable in price, you can get a 1TB SSD that's plenty fast for photos, music, movies and even games for far less money than Apple's (admittedly very fast) internal storage. I have the M1 iMac with 256GB, and I bought a 1TB external SSD and mounted it to the stand with velcro. It stays there always, and gives me a huge drive to store all those things, while the internal drive basically carries the OS and any files I'm immediately working on. Might not work for some people into heavy video work, etc., but most could live quite well with this option. Fill that drive and you can just add another for less than $150. My Macbook Air is also 256GB, and I've never wanted for space because of external storage. Something to consider.
That won't work if you want to store everything in iCloud Drive. You'd need to use the Optimize feature and then the 256GB drive would limit you to having only a small amount of files local at any time, and then very little left for memory swap. Without space for swap things would slow down quite a bit. If it works for you, great, but for many people it would be a big problem.
@@macmost Yeah, that makes sense. I'm just going off of the way the majority of people I know use computers, and most don't really want their huge music/photo/movie collections on iCloud anyway because even at the 50GB option, it wouldn't be sufficient. For working folks using a ton of space for crucial files though, I'd agree. I based my purchasing decisions on a long-term windows laptop that I had to replace the old platter disk on, which got a 256GB SSD and I've never wanted for space because of external storage being cheap.
One year ago I decided to get M1 MacBook Air second tiered one with 8 GPU and 512 ssd. I am glad I did. got the higher storage & 8 GPU instead of the base model.
Hi Gary, I am a fan of your channel but I totally disagree with the way you classify Mac Mini. Yes, I agree the memory upgrade and storage. But the M1 is so powerful that I have no issues with doing work on it. I have 50+ tabs on multiple browsers, running all apps O365, Slack, Teams, Photos editing, Evernote, and more with Zero issues. I have two external monitors (a 34" Dell 3440x1449 and a 27" Dell 2560x1440) @60Hz. What I added extra is CalDigit TB 4 Element hub and Qwiizlab Hub SSD Enclosure. I don't think people should be deterred from getting the basic Mini M1 especially if you already have your monitor/mouse/keyboard.
I agree that it is a good machine. No argument from me.
8GB of Ram is not enough. I now have to open a 3000+ pages pdf file (it‘s a manual of a big machine). The click on the search function freezes the Mac for 20s…
And in 2ys? I don‘t want to buy a new machine every 4ys… it‘s a hassle every time…
@@faraway7696 That sounds like a problematic file. Have you tested it on the same Mac with 16GB of memory to compare? Do you have plenty of free storage space (used for "swap")? Could be the same problem no matter what Mac you have. Or, another way to look at it is what if this 3000-page PDF worked fine, but then you get a 6000-page PDF the next time? There is always going to be a limit. Definitely get more memory if you can afford it, but if you can only afford a larger drive or more memory, the larger drive is what the vast majority of users will miss if they don't get it.
@@macmost Agree. Don‘t miss out on enough SSD… But if one asks 8 or 16 I say: Take 16! I will absolutely not say 8 is enough. Swap is already showing there is not enough Ram. With 16 youre set for 5ys or more. with 8 you‘re on the market in 4ys… just check the history.
Edit: I’m in no way a computer expert. But have run into problems with only 8. That‘s why I‘m jumping in energetically if someone says „8 is no problem. It‘s enough“. Imo it is not or soon will not be anymore.
A Fan of your channel.
@@faraway7696 15+ years of helping people with Macs and it is almost always the storage that forces people to buy a new Mac early, not the memory. If you can afford it, though, certainly get both.
The lack of ports on a tricked-out Mini is what pushed me to go with the Studio instead (I refuse to purchase another
While it may be obvious to many about whether to get a portable vs desktop, I am starting to wonder if the M1/M2 chips may be changing that decision process. I have always been a Desktop Mac user, and have had 3 different iMac 27” models in the past. Expect that in the next year I will need to upgrade my Late-2015 iMac 27” Retina model. While I mostly use it as a desktop, there could be some instances where portability would be handy. Thinking that a portable + external monitor (4K likely sufficient) could be an option now. I think the performance of the portables are up to the iMac performance now so this might make sense. I wonder if you could make a video going over the pros / cons of portable with external monitor vs a desktop. I would find it helpful, and perhaps others would too?
I‘ve been a MBAir user for 10ys. Most of the time it‘s hooked up on a 27“ 4K Display and I use the Notebook‘s display as well at the same time. So I have 2 display on hand. Calendar, Spotify, Mail and Messages on the 13“ display and Notes, Chrome, Safari, PDF on the big one. (all on several Spaces). And on a regular basis I‘m away from home. No problem: MBAir comes with me. Also on in the bag: ipad pro 11“. This all is convenient and works great. Display will probably last me 2-3 Mac generations… where as my Laptop will not last too long… only 8Gb of ram. Stupid me.
Hard to do a video like that because it is so subjective. Lots of people really like the MacBook + display setup, others go with just a desktop, and others (like me) go with a powerful desktop and a lightweight companion MacBook.
Such a well-organized video! That’s exactly what I needed :)
Thank you Gary
I bought the most recent Mac Mini (8 GB RAM) shortly before the Studio came out. I had been using Windows and wanted to get back to the Mac for home use while still using Windows on my company-supplied laptop. Then the Studio came out and I couldn't help myself. I bought the base model and was blown away. I absolutely love it. I loved it so much that I talked my company into buying me an M1 MacBook Air (16 GB RAM). Honestly I was surprised at how close the performance was to the Studio. I'm still happy with the Studio but I wonder what I would have thought with a Mini with 16 GB RAM. I'm glad to have the Studio for current and future use. I think three years from now and beyond I will be glad to have the extra oomph.
Nice video, Gary. For my own setup, I like the Mini M1 with 16gb ram, 1TB storage, a fine Dell 24" monitor hooked in to HDMI port. Then, I use a Matias keyboard and a wired Microsoft Pro Intellimouse configured with the great SteerMouse system preference. For average users, the Mini is just fine and the Studio may be a bit of overkill.
Excellent video today! Very useful and informative video tutorial today! Thank you, Gary! 👏🏻❤️
I do a lot of drone videos with an M1 Mac Mini, 16GB Ram, and 512GB Storage with a 1TB T7 drive from Samsung. I am right on the edge between a new M2 Mac Mini and the base model Mac Studio. You seem to like the Studio display but recommend a 3rd party. A lot of reviewers pan it but a lot say it's well made and has an excellent display.
Yes, I really do like the Studio Display. My only complaint is that it is too small for my aging eyes. Wish it was 32-inches. But the quality is excellent. Still, the price is very high.
I am totally in love with my iMac !! Still using the 2017 Retina 5K, 27-inch, 3,5 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5, 24 GB 2400 MHz DDR4, Radeon Pro 575 4 GB. 1TB Fusion Drive.
Thanks Gary, I love watching your videos and have learned to appreciate your views and knowledge. This one was important to me and it came just at the right time as I want to renew my 27 inch iMac (2015) and 13 inch MacBook Air (2015). So looking forward to your laptop considerations as well.
Thank you for this very informative video! That chart is a great resource.
Great video as always. It will help viewers to think about the available options. There is one other thing to consider which I don’t think you covered here, though, and that is external storage. A good-quality 2gb external SSD can be bought for under $200, that is what Apple would charge just to change the internal 256gb SSD to a 512gb SSD. Yes, Apple’s internal storage is faster but for most purposes that extra speed doesn’t have much practical value. The external storage can be used for any large files or applications, or can be set as the path for the Photos, Music, and other significant/potentially large libraries, or can even be the path for an entire user account folder. It could even be used as the boot volume although there are good reasons in the case of an Apple SOC Mac or any Mac with a T2 chip to use the internal device as the boot volume host. With a high-capacity, good-quality, relatively inexpensive external hard drive it can be quite reasonable to leave the internal storage at 255gb and either not spend the difference or use it for additional helpful peripherals or more RAM instead.
I know you said you are going to cover the laptops on another video, but it’s worth mentioning here that I see a lot of people buying laptops when they really don’t need the portability and in many cases the laptop sits on a desk and never gets moved. With rare exceptions, if you don’t need the portability - because you have a powerful pocket computer (your iPhone) or a tablet or just don’t need it - don’t lay out the premium for the portability. The base model of the Max Mini is hundreds of dollars less than the base model of the MacBook Air but the mini has more ports and much better thermal control.
Note you can't use external storage for iCloud Drive. And that is what a lot of people want. Also the speed can affect in some ways for even a typical user, like scrolling through their Photos library if it is on the external drive. Or, memory swap when the internal drive is full. If you are really strapped for cash and just can't afford the internal storage, then you do what you have to do. But what I'm saying here is prioritize storage over memory when deciding.
Discovered this channel a little while ago, and the videos consistently concise, well-reasoned, well-presented, and informative.
thank you gary because i just bought an imac and i love it but id like to buy my brother one. thank you!
I used the mini mac for years and loved it. My graphic design work has outgrown that one but its still a great little mac for those who aren' working with massive image files.
My "newest" mac is a 2016 model (MacBook Pro). Also have an iMac from 2014. I don't upgrade very often, and a MacBook is of little use, So, it makes sense to wait for new Mac Mini and/or iMac models with M2 or later processors. Thank you for your great comparisons.
i love the 24 inch imac.i bought mine in green with 512 gb storage and it is the best apple desk top i've ever owned(coming from a 27 inch imac and various crappy pc's)it's super fast and the display is awesome-highly recommend this one.
Mac Mini base model doesn’t use M1 with 7 GPU cores, at least on Italian Apple Store. It has 8.
Thank you! I was hoping to see this exact content. I am trying to replace my 2014 27” iMac. You’ve made my decision much easier. 👍🏼
Gary, why no mention of after market SSD drives that you can either buy or make on your own? I bought a kit that was a small dongle and enclosure with a NVME card 2 TB that cost about $200. The speed of the drive and the fact that it can also serve as a back up or you can buy multiple ones for that price makes it an excellent option for someone who can only afford a Mac with a small hard disk drive. On a desktop machine where the hard-drive or USB dongle is always there, always available, always on, it’s not like a laptop where you have to carry something else with you. These options are workable, USB-C is super fast, making it an even better option. The REAL Issue is ram, as although Apple has medicated the exponentially high right cycles that M1 Max perform, the life expectancy has still only double four Apple’s SSD drives from two years to 4 or 5 instead of or compared to the decade or longer use on a PC.
I'm just talking about the machine here. If you want an external drive, that's fine too. Note it will be slower than the internal one, especially with Macs which have such fast internal drives. And those with a lot of iCloud Drive files need that to be on the Internal drive, iCloud Drive doesn't use externals. An external drive can help correct the mistake of getting a small drive somewhat, but not without some pain.
@@macmost - Thanks for the response! What I meant was that the combination of USB-C speed, and the fast read write speeds of the NVMe drives are indeed a viable option for cash strapped Mac owners. You can buy the parts online on Amazon, the enclosures run about $60, and the NVMe drives (cards) run about $200 +/- I use several and they are NOT the usb drives of yesterday. I can barely tell the difference between writing to my Mac’s SSD and the external SSD.
@@Erin-Thor Speed tests show the internal drive of an iMac 24-inch is between 2,000 and 3,000 MB/s. Those NVMe drives are around 500 MB/s. If you are just copying files or opening small documents that's fine. But you don't want to be editing video or scrolling through your Photos library at that speed just to save a few dollars. Plus, as I mentioned, that's not going to help if you are using iCloud Drive.
@@macmost “SPEED: USB 3.2 supports data transmission speeds of up to 10Gbps for steady and efficient data transfer. Backward compatible with USB 3.1 and USB 3.0 at respective speed limits.
PLUG & PLAY: No additional drivers required. Bus powered. Does not need an external power supply. Perfect for tech nerds, 4K content designers, and engineers. At up to 1000MB/s, Data copy and transferring will be done in in no time.”
@@Erin-Thor The USB speed isn't the bottleneck, it is drive read/write. Most (all?) NVMe drives you can get like this are 500MB/s, but even at 1000 it is much slower. Search for the benchmarks.
Thanks, I've got an M1 Mini and loving it
At some point soon I will need to get a new iMac, or something above.
The High-End iMac or the Mid-end Mac Studio is probably my budget.
But, I will have an old iMac 5k 27" and I am wondering is there anything to do with these machines when they are EOL'ed by Apple?
Linux? Can windows be loaded on these things, not that I would find that acceptable.
These prices and the fact that I love the machines but they seem to EOL into uselessness so quickly, just hurts.
To run other OSs in virtual machines(Windows, Linux, but also older MacOS)? I think your machine is to good to wipe off MacOS.
Resell it? Recycle if it is too old to get much.
Nice and useful overview. Thanks. I am thinking about upgrading my 2013 iMac. So, M1, 1T memory for $ 1900 is way to go. Or wait for M2 version because I don’t need it now.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!
Another great video Gary. Thank you. I am running an M1 Mac mini / 256 / 16 ram. There are so many ways to configure a desktop setup using Mac mini. I opted for an external 1tb drive usb-c drive to hold all my files. The internal 256 only for the OS. Instead of spending additional money for 512 + internal drive, I used that money for a second LG HD monitor. I have no issues with external drive speed and the two monitors are perfect for my home video processing. REQUEST: I would appreciate a comparison video of the Mac mini in the future between the M1 vs. M2. Thanks again.
Keep in mind that your external storage is significantly slower than internal (Apple's drives are fast). And also iCloud Drive files can't be stored on the external, a big problem for many people.
I have the Mac Studio, and I went with the M1 Ultra to largely future proof it for a while. I’m also tempted to get that 40” LG 5K2K (5120x2160) curved monitor. Do I need all this? Hell no, but it’s awfully nice to have.
24" screen on the iMac is too small. My 27" retina screen has spoilt me for all the years I've used one (Late '15 iMac 3.3GHZ, 32GB, 2TB). I'm not waiting at least a year for an 'iMac Pro'. Would love a Studio as it will be pretty much future-proof, but having used one, the Mac Mini with 16GB easily suits my use case. I'm prepared to wait for an M1 Pro or possibly M2. But it just means I'm going to have to bite the bullet and fork out for a Studio Display.
Very useful video Gary, as always. I'm just wondering if future proofing is a consideration when deciding whether to upgrade the Mac Mini memory to 16GB? I completely accept that 8GB is fine for basic use now, but I would expect to keep one for many years and maybe I would regret not going for the upgrade a few years down the line?
That's a consideration with everything: memory, storage, processor. But another way to look at it is saving the $200 now as a start to a new Mac in 5-7 years.
@@macmost Thanks Gary - yes, wise words!
Do not get 8GB… you will have to get a new Mac in 3-4yrs. I have 8GB because people like this guy in the video says „good enough“. Mistake! Not good enough in the near future.
@@faraway7696 Can you expand on that? How do you know you will need to get a new Mac in 3-4 years if 3-4 years hasn't happened yet? What has happened, specially, to make you decide it was a mistake to get 8 GB? If you want to disagree with me, that's fine, but back up your position with some information.
@@macmost Did answer further up. cheers.
I would recommend 16 GIGs of RAM with 1 terabyte SSD. The issue here is memory pressure. 1 terabyte is a pretty good amount of storage. Apple charges a fortune for SSD storage. Better to go with external SSD for anything beyond a terabyte.
Hi Gary! Thanks a lot for this useful overview. I am wondering, if we will see an M2 Mac mini soon and if so Apple would still sell the M1, like they do for the Macbooks? Might be an opportunity to get a reasonable discount for the entry level M1 Mac mini, which would be enough for me? Thanks again!
If you are looking for a discount, keep an eye on Apple's certified refurbished page. You may be able to get one right now.
I would have included the 2020 i7 iMac. 27” 5K screen, 1080p webcam, user upgradable memory…
Resale prices dive though. If you can get a great price, go for it, but you won't get much to resell it compared to anything with Apple silicon.
I think the M1 with 16gb RAM and 1TB SSD is about minimum. I think for the "average" user (whatever that is) is a bit more future proofed with that and the video editor need to start at 16GB. There is no excuse for ANY machine to come with less that 1TB/16GB in 2022. The OS alone is gonna use half of that and God forbid you open chrome. I have chrome open with 6 tabs right now and its using 4.6GB of RAM. So while you could single task with the 8GB you aren't going to be doing much multitasking.
Typical workflow, Chrome open with 6-8 tabs, Safari open (so I can use another account) music playing, notes app open and maybe 1-2 other apps. Thats already well over the 8GB and we start tapping into the SSD and it all slows down.
I've done extensive video work (some of these videos in fact) using 8GB on an M1 MacBook Pro. ScreenFlow and Final Cut Pro. You can't look at the RAM you are using now and compare. Your 6 tabs in Chrome may be using 4.6GB because you have that available (unused RAM isn't helping anything). It could be that it only really needs 0.2GB if that is all that was available. Common misconception.
@@macmost While I respect your opinion I have to disagree based on experience. In no universe does chrome with 6+ tabs only use 200mb of RAM. Even on a very low spec machine. Even if you could get youtube etc to work with that your experience is going to be miserable.
I would challenge you to do the workflow I mentioned above on an 8GB machine and report back. Pay special attention to Your youtube playback while rendering your 4k video in final cut.
Yes, you CAN run final cut on an 8GB machine. NO you can NOT do the multitasking I'm talking about with 8GB without some noticeable slowdown. Skipping, cursor drag, beach ball etc.
@@dragonballjiujitsu Sure, I tried it just now. 7 Chrome tabs (all various RUclips things), several Safari tabs, Photos, Mail, others, and Final Cut Pro rendering a 4K video. Chrome relaxed down to 0.5GB and FCP used 1.4GB during this time. Everything seemed to run fine, responsive, etc. Definitely NOT "miserable." Very good in fact.
But let's say it *didn't* work well. Then it is just a trade-off between $200 and whether you can run 6 power-hungry Chrome tabs while rendering 4K video from FCP. If you are a pro, then no contest. You'll spend the money. But a home user doesn't need it. A home use can maybe just hold off on the Chrome tabs if they need to render 4K from FCP.
Remember, I'm not saying to not get 16GB. I'm just saying to prioritize storage. That's where I hear the regrets, not enough storage. If you can afford both storage and memory, great.
@@macmost I find it very strange that your chrome RAM usage is so different than mine...but I suppose there could be other factors at play. I agree with you about storage.
@@dragonballjiujitsu Remember that macOS and apps will attempt to use all of your RAM all the time. So maybe an app will use 4GB to make itself a bit more efficient, even if it can do with 1GB or less. Then other apps need it and it relaxes back to using less.
Totally disagree on your thoughts on SSD size. 256GB is more than enough for many/most people with normal usage. Photo library’s and media can be stored on much cheaper external drive, especially in the case of a desktop where the drive can just stay plugged in. In addition iCloud storage can be used for these, this is a good idea in any case for backup/loss protection. I have been using a windows laptop for ten years with just 128GB storage and only recently run into storage issues due to application gloat. I bought a ‘family’ iMac a year ago, three users, three apple IDs, three photo library’s (including a teenager!) and we only have 50GB used.
I use an external Samsung T7 1TB drive for anything large. Strongly recommend not wasting money on Apples laughable SSD expansion prices.
I have a MacMini base unit. The drive is no issue as I use external drives for various things. The 8gb memory though is a nightmare. I just need to have three pieces of software and about 5 browser tabs open and it is too much. I will be getting either the new 16gb M2 Mini when it comes or the Studio.
Which 3 apps are you running and what sites are in those tabs? I've tested an 8GB M1 extensively and what shouldn't affect it. How much free drive space do you have (for swap).
I owned one of these and never saw this. I was doing involved audio production at the time too.
Once Apple have (eventually) released a new Mac Pro, it might be worth doing another comparison video (although assuming Apple release the new Mac Pro some point this year, it might be worth holding off until 2024 to see if a new iMac comes (even if its just a replacement for the current iMac model))
I do wonder what Apple is planning on doing with the iMac though, especially since they haven’t (at least not yet) done an M2 upgrade, so are they skipping the M2 and holding off until the M3 for it (especially with the recent price increase in the UK from £1249 to £1399 for the base model), or are they considering abandoning the iMac line, and leaving the M1 version on sale (with an increased price in some regions) up until they eventually discontinue it
(if the M1 iMac did not sell as well as Apple expected, then it is possible that they could be considering the latter of the two, or they could be doing something else that I haven’t mentioned)
This video is about 2 weeks too late for me :( I bought the Mac studio display at Costco, saved $100, and I ordered the iMAC studio with 2TB SSD from Apple, will be delivered in August. Right now using the Mac Studio Display with my old Mac mini (i5) and there are performance issues with Luminar NEO, Pixelmator, Affinity, at times the cursor doesn't display because I think there are timing issues with the powerful display and the anemic older Mac mini. All in one iMAC with embedded screen poor decision as something will break down the line.
I should have said excellent video. Everything you discussed was the reasoning I applied for about 3 weeks investigating why, for me, the iMAC studio was the best. My old 27" iMAC died after 8 years, so economically divide and conquer separate display from processor was the way to go with extra SSD. I will use Blackmagic Disk Speed Test to figure out the best way of connecting my external HD's as well.
@@pedropuckerstein4670 what is an iMac studio?
@@rogerlapin9809 I appreciate the tip about TG Pro, features that should be part of MACOS. I also appreciate your declutter requirement. In the early 70's when I was a young adult, I stayed away from the all in one stereos, realizing that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link. I still have my separate Sony Cassette tape deck and turntable, albeit in my basement museum. The tuner/amplifier died many years ago. My 27" iMAC had disc fusion failure for which I paid to have the HD replaced, only to fail months later. I was running the clutterless iMAC with three external 8 TB HD's until all versions of the OS would crash, that I isolated to a faulty internal circuit board. Given that iMAC tops out at Big Sur, it certainly did not pay to have it fixed. For the price, Apple HW should be more reliable. We overpay for the HW and if this was commercial equipment IMHO it would be akin to buying expensive NEBS compliant HW or MIL spec HW. So that is why I know prefer the cluttered divide and conquer approach. But the OS is so sweet, thank you Dennis Ritchie and Ken Thompson :)
@@jaysgood10 Seriously ?
@@pedropuckerstein4670 what is an iMac studio model?
After seeing that apple very recently announced new Mac Minis, which have the standard M2 chip and also the M2 Pro chip (along with new 14 and 16 inch MacBook Pros, which have M2 Pro and M2 Max), I’m tempted to get an M2 Pro Mac Mini, but i think it might be worth waiting for a new Mac Studio (or i could get a base spec M2 Pro Mac Mini now, and upgrade down the road, but keep the Mac Mini as a secondary machine)
I’ve already decided that an iMac is not for me (although i cannot even say for certain whether or not a higher end iMac is coming, there are still rumours floating around about it, but i do not believe anything until apple actually release the product or products)
And due to various reasons, i am not going to consider a MacBook
(some of those reasons are to do with the price, and yes, although the Mac Studio base price is close to the price of a base model 14 inch MacBook Pro, i would rather spend money on specs than portability or to have less cables on the desk, and yes, this is also one of the reasons why i am not considering an iMac)
Thanks
Thank you Gary, 👍⭐👍⭐👍⭐👍⭐👍⭐👍⭐👍
Gary, what is the best program to convert VOB files to MP4 on Mac?
Sorry, I don't know. Never had to deal with them. Maybe VLC or Handbrake?
Good info! Wondering if the iMac will be upgraded to M2 by year end. Thanks.
Agree-hope an M2 iMac is in the works.
It is possible. But I would tend to guess it will be next year.
Mac Mini is 8 CPU cores even at base. I think you're thinking of the iMac option? Maybe you should fix? Could confuse some people. Best...
Thanks for the info. I was wondering if desktops are still popular or better than laptops if you don’t need the travel or portability.? I don’t love laptops and prefer having the space of a desktop. They’re not obsolete? Lol I feel laptops are sort of restricted.
Apple sells plenty of iMacs, Mac mini and Mac Studios. You get power, a much bigger screen, etc.
This video is now a year old and a new video needs to be done once the next iMac is announced (Oct/Nov 2023?). Also, one can save a lot of money by just getting 512GB SSD internal from Apple, and use an external SSD for your photos/videos. And 16GB RAM is better because it reduces swapping for most uses.
Swapping actually works very well, so there is still no need for many (most?) people to get more than 8GB of RAM. Depends which apps you are using and what for. Saving money on a smaller internal definitely has major downsides, especially for MacBook users. But for everyone else as well.
That is a good video.
Great review as always !! Thoughts on the Apple refurbished options????
Apple's certified refurbished are great. Have bought many in the past.
Another great informative video thank you 😊
Can you please explain the difference between the old DDR4 RAM and the current ‘unified memory’ made by Apple ? I’m asking because I’ve read that an 8Gb if unified memory is faster than the DDR4 with same 8Gb is that correct ?
I don't know the technical details off the top of my head, sorry. What is it, specifically, that you'd like to know? There's no choice to make so what is it you are trying to figure out?
On the iMac models, which I love, what is the screen resolution? 4K or 5K?
4.5K (4480-by-2520). See www.apple.com/imac-24/specs/
When will the Mac Studio likely be getting the M2 processor?
Your guess is as good as mine. But I doubt it will be this year. Of course the current models use the M1 Extreme and M1 Ultra chips, which are much more powerful than the M2 (base) chip. Assuming Apple comes out with M2 Extreme and M2 Ultra chips, I can't see it being before the first anniversary of the Mac Studio.
@@macmost Thanks Gary I just purchased the Mac Studio (M1 Max) and the Mac Studio Display and so far I am very impressed with both the quality and performance. That's in addition to my 4-27" iMacs. :)
Why do you suppose the 27" 5K iMac was cancelled. If Apple would have lauched a 27" 5K iMac with a M1 processor with black bezels I would have purchased. Now there is no comparable option so I ask again, why do you suppose the 27" 5K iMac was cancelled?
There's only one reason I can think of: sales. We'll never know Apple's internal sales numbers, but my guess is that pros went for the Mac Pro and will now go for the Mac Studio, and home users were scared off by the price of the 27-inch. Plenty of people will say how much they loved the 27-inch iMac, but that doesn't always equate to real sales. The 24-inch was a good compromise with screen size between the 21.5 and 27, and now there is a simple, inexpensive iMac that appeals to a large number of people and the Mac Studio for those that want more.
How usable is adding a USB SSD in the 2 to 4 GB range to the base models. And what speed are the USB ports?
Externals SSDs are going to be slower, not because of port speed but drive speed. SSDs are typically 500MB/s while internal drives vary by model from 1500 to 5000. Plus, you can't use external drives for iCloud Drive files, memory swap, caches and many other things.
Does the Mac Mini support dual screens? I’m a huge fan of two monitors.
Yes. M1 processor will do 2 displays.
Just a couple weeks before Apple discontinued the 27” iMac I purchased a 2020 27” iMac (3.3Ghz intel core i5) with 512Gb SSD, 8Gb ram, and Retina 5K display. Did I choose wisely?
You get a great screen at a reasonable price. But the M-class processors are amazing and you'll miss out on those until your next Mac.
Thanks bunches and might you suggest some non-apple screen? And should we wait until the fall when the M2 is supposed to come out?
See macmost.com/recommendations Which M2 are you asking about?
@@macmost I guess I need a better understanding of the M1 and M2 chips. But I was thinking of a new iMac. I have a 2017 and a 2019 iMac....Thanks for your question. Perhaps you might tell me what is best...just a home user with tons of photos and I try to keep up with your videos and try everything you teach in the videos...this was a great video.
@@desertpatient New iMac with M2 will be late this year or sometime next. No way to know for sure. If you need it now, get the M1 iMac now. If you feel like waiting for a while, then wait for the M2. But there will always be a "next one" so don't let that stop you.
@@macmost Thank you so very much. I don't really have the need but as a point in time I would like to replace the 2017 iMac. Thank you for being so kind in answering my question.
Always...Always ...Always buy the most computer your budget can afford. If you buy "too much" you'll never complain "oh, my Mac is too fast" or "I have too much storage".... it's like saying "my milkshake is too creamy" or "my cheeseburger is too delicious".
Mac mini M2 and that's it.
Memory is not upgradeable, storage is easily upgraded with a usb-c or thunderbolt drive (or even a network drive lika a NAS). So I would upgrade memory before storage.
Keep in mind that external drives, even SSDs, are much slower than internal storage on a Mac. And you can't use external storage for some things, like iCloud Drive files.
Apple's prices always seem staggering to me, and I've been using Macs since the late 80s.
Macs are expensive, and always have been. The price I paid this year for a Mac Studio was pretty close to the price I paid for my PowerMac 8600 and my G3 and G4 towers.
@@macmost Well, if you mean the dollar amount is the same, then that means modern Macs are actually cheaper. This, since the dollar is worth MUCH less now than it was when you bought the 8600, G3 and G4.
Your comment makes no sense. Macs in the late 80s and early 90s were very pricey, especially when you take into account the value of those dollars compared to today's dollar. Then you had slow and finicky performance when compared to today's machines. Today's Macs are screaming deals.
@@Liam_Maddog I think you and Adrian are saying the same thing.
@@macmost Yep. We are! 🙂
Mac mini M1 with 16 GB RAM is necessary for developers
Depends on the type of developer. For instance, web vs mobile app vs game vs database, etc. A lot of web developers work almost completely on the server and the amount of memory on the client computer doesn't matter, for instance.
@@macmost I’m being a mobile developer using 16 GB RAM & M1 Mac mini
The Apple M2 processor might be better than the M1 but Apple will throttle it’s performance to sell remaining M1 stock.
Thats a pretty bold accusation. Apple doesn't really have "stock" though. Their supply lines don't work that way.
@@macmost yes but they certainly plan ahead.
@@macmost yes but they certainly plan ahead.
Sir. Do not recommend 8GB! In 2y that will start bringing up trouble.
I've had my MacBook Pro 13-inch M1 with 8GB for almost 2 years. Have Ventura beta on it now. No issues. And I test it extensively. What are you basing your prediction on?
on my MBAir 2020 M1 8GB… open a 3000+ pages PDF file. Klick on the search icon… my mac freezes for 20-30s. (dont‘t know what it‘s doing). Friend of mine uses a intel mac with 32 GB Ram. The same file uses about 16 GB of his RAM. 8 might be ok now for you… but in 3 years… just look at history… Low Ram macs will run usually after 4 years into trouble.
@@faraway7696 See my other comment about your 3000+ page PDF. If it needs 16GB of memory that's no problem on a 8GB MacBook as virtual memory (swap) will get the job done. Note there is always a limit. 16GB will also not be enough for some things. So where do you draw the line? All I'm saying is that if you are on a limited budget, prioritize storage space over memory. Week after week for 15+ years I've heard tales of sorrow from people why through that 128/256/512GB would be "good enough" for storage and then regretted it. If you can afford 16GB of memory and 1TB of storage great, but if you can only afford one, then get the storage.
@@macmost 👍🏻