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This is the reason I went Mac Mini + LG 5k display. It's much more expensive but I needed to be able to hook in my work laptop to a 5k display while working an

This is the reason I went Mac Mini + LG 5k display. It's much more expensive but I needed to be able to hook in my work laptop to a 5k display while working and switch easily to my home setup with a single cable when I want to. Ended up being perfect! It's paying off big time with COVID and WFH.

_ph_ 6y ago
I had a Mini before the iMac, but the Mini had the problem of the lacking GPU. Also, at the time I got the iMac (2015), the Mini was really falling behind. The iMac gave me a quad-core i7 and a GPU. I wished the Mini was available with hardware comparable to the 16" MB Pro. (8 cores, GPU) If Apple only offered a desktop class Mac, I would even start thinking about the pro display.
- cactus2093 6y ago
  In some ways the outlook for the Mac is much better today than it was a couple of years ago. But I agree it does suck that you can't get a decent desktop that's not an all-in-one iMac. Users have been asking for it for years, and Apple's response was "Fine, you want upgradeability? Here's the entire kitchen sink with terrible base specs for $6000. Oh that's too expensive for you? Guess you're not a real pro after all so shut up and buy the consumer level products we sell you."
  - rewgs 6y ago
    It's maddening. If they put an i9 and non-ECC RAM in an upgradable desktop, I wouldn't have built my PC. And as the other commenter said, I'd maybe even consider the new display. Too bad for them. They're missing a huge chunk of the market.
- nouveaux 6y ago
  Have you considered an external GPU?
  - _ph_ 6y ago
    Only looked briefly at it. Combining the tiny Mini with a huge external GPU seems a bit off, and unfortunately, for all the size, they don't integrate any storage space. Also, currently the Mini doesn't offer good CPUs. Anyway, I will wait now with my next purchase till there are good Apple Silicon offerings.
    - __mp 6y ago
      For me, the eGPU setup is not worth the benefits. I am also waiting for Apple Silicon to streamline my setup. I have a MacMini + eGPU. Every time I (re)boot the machine I have to remember to remove the remove the eGPU: Otherwise I cannot enter the filevault password. This is super annoying since the machine seems to have crashed every time I want to use it (even without an eGPU). Previously I used the eGPU with an 13” MPB and the experience was annoying in different ways: Simply unplugging the eGPU kills the programs using it. Every time I wanted to “undock” the MBP I had to remember to click to remove the eGPU from the MBP: otherwise half the programs running are killed/not responsive.
      - emptybits 6y ago
        re/ the Mac Mini + eGPU + File Vault = no reboot... Really? Brutal! I was just yesterday looking at a new Mac Mini and a couple of LG 5K monitors (and, thus, the Apple Store eGPU). And I use File Vault. Because Apple. So is this a known reboot problem? I want to run this Mac Mini as an always-on server for home media when logged out. Any Apple support links on this?
        __mp 6y ago
        There you go: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544 > 1. If you have a Mac mini (2018) with FileVault turned on, make sure to connect your primary display directly to Mac mini during startup. After you log in and see the macOS Desktop, you can unplug the display from Mac mini and connect it to your eGPU.
zuhsetaqi 6y ago
It might not be more expensive in the long run because now if your Mac Mini needs an upgrade you can only switch the Mac Mini and keep the display which is cheaper than a new iMac.

_ph_ 6y ago

I had a Mini before the iMac, but the Mini had the problem of the lacking GPU. Also, at the time I got the iMac (2015), the Mini was really falling behind. The iMac gave me a quad-core i7 and a GPU. I wished the Mini was available with hardware comparable to the 16" MB Pro. (8 cores, GPU) If Apple only offered a desktop class Mac, I would even start thinking about the pro display.

cactus2093 6y ago
In some ways the outlook for the Mac is much better today than it was a couple of years ago. But I agree it does suck that you can't get a decent desktop that's not an all-in-one iMac. Users have been asking for it for years, and Apple's response was "Fine, you want upgradeability? Here's the entire kitchen sink with terrible base specs for $6000. Oh that's too expensive for you? Guess you're not a real pro after all so shut up and buy the consumer level products we sell you."
- rewgs 6y ago
  It's maddening. If they put an i9 and non-ECC RAM in an upgradable desktop, I wouldn't have built my PC. And as the other commenter said, I'd maybe even consider the new display. Too bad for them. They're missing a huge chunk of the market.
nouveaux 6y ago
Have you considered an external GPU?
- _ph_ 6y ago
  Only looked briefly at it. Combining the tiny Mini with a huge external GPU seems a bit off, and unfortunately, for all the size, they don't integrate any storage space. Also, currently the Mini doesn't offer good CPUs. Anyway, I will wait now with my next purchase till there are good Apple Silicon offerings.
  - __mp 6y ago
    For me, the eGPU setup is not worth the benefits. I am also waiting for Apple Silicon to streamline my setup. I have a MacMini + eGPU. Every time I (re)boot the machine I have to remember to remove the remove the eGPU: Otherwise I cannot enter the filevault password. This is super annoying since the machine seems to have crashed every time I want to use it (even without an eGPU). Previously I used the eGPU with an 13” MPB and the experience was annoying in different ways: Simply unplugging the eGPU kills the programs using it. Every time I wanted to “undock” the MBP I had to remember to click to remove the eGPU from the MBP: otherwise half the programs running are killed/not responsive.
    - emptybits 6y ago
      re/ the Mac Mini + eGPU + File Vault = no reboot... Really? Brutal! I was just yesterday looking at a new Mac Mini and a couple of LG 5K monitors (and, thus, the Apple Store eGPU). And I use File Vault. Because Apple. So is this a known reboot problem? I want to run this Mac Mini as an always-on server for home media when logged out. Any Apple support links on this?
      - __mp 6y ago
        There you go: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544 https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208544 > 1. If you have a Mac mini (2018) with FileVault turned on, make sure to connect your primary display directly to Mac mini during startup. After you log in and see the macOS Desktop, you can unplug the display from Mac mini and connect it to your eGPU.

zuhsetaqi 6y ago

It might not be more expensive in the long run because now if your Mac Mini needs an upgrade you can only switch the Mac Mini and keep the display which is cheaper than a new iMac.