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If Apple ever gets around to putting an M1 Max in a Mac Mini, that'd probably push me over the edge toward buying one.

by yellowapple 5y ago

soheil 5y ago
Can't you buy a MBP 16" and connect it to whatever display you were going to connect your Mac Mini to?
- jb1991 5y ago
  But there’s a huge difference in the price if you don’t need all the other stuff that comes with the MacBook Pro.
  - cmckn 5y ago
    Agreed, and the mini has different I/O that you might prefer (USB-A, 10 gig eth). Also, it’s smaller (surprise, “mini”). Plus, clamshell mode on a MacBook just isn’t the same as a desktop for “always-on” use cases.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
Andys 5y ago
Yeah, especially if it could run Linux. This would be a powerful little server. I decked out my workstation with a 16 core Ryzen & 96GB RAM and it didn't cost anywhere near the price of this new 64GB M1 Max combo. (But it may very well be less powerful, which is astonishing. It would be great to at least have the choice.)
- fastball 5y ago
  Ubuntu already has an ARM build. Is there a reason you wouldn't be able to run linux?
  - cbarrick 5y ago
    Last I heard, there were graphics driver issues left to iron out. Linux 5.13 was the first with M1 support. Dunno if that's enough for M1 Pro/Max.
    - JustFinishedBSG 5y ago
      > Last I heard, there were graphics driver issues left to iron out. Who cares in a server ?
      - dcchambers 5y ago
        I assume because so far the only devices released with M1 processors have been consumer devices with attached screens, the focus has been on bringing over the full graphical, desktop Linux experience to it, not just headless server linux.
        kirill5pol 5y ago
        I think you’re forgetting the Mac mini
        dcchambers 5y ago
        You're right, I forgot they updated the mini with the M1 last year too.
Zenst 5y ago
Many will as that kinda processing power and more so memory interface speed - it will seriously blur a lot of lines. More so, it has really got the processing leaps and jumps back into life again and not really seen much of that for well over a decade now.
Zenbit_UX 5y ago
Always wondered who the Mac minis were marketed towards. Sure they're cool but wouldn't you want something portable should you want to go to a coworking location or extend a vacation with a remote work portion of the trip? Surely in the world of covid remote work is common among developers... Would that mean you'd need a second device like an Air to bring on trips?
- yellowapple 5y ago
  For me, it'd be something I'd stick next to my router and access remotely (over a VPN, if I'm outside of my LAN).
- atonse 5y ago
  In a world of COVID remote work I got tired of my i9 always running loud and hot, and replaced it with a Mac mini which runs at room temperature, is the same or more snappy, since I was almost always running it in clamshell mode hooked up to the two displays anyway. And unplugging and plugging it back in to the TB hub always caused weird states that required reboots maybe 30% of the time. So now I've got a Mac mini hooked up permanently to those monitors and it just works. Now I am very tempted to trade in both my Mac mini and i9 for a 16" M1 pro so I can once again return to one machine that isn't always out of sync. But I'm going to wait to see how well it runs in clamshell mode hooked up to 2 4k displays.

If Apple ever gets around to putting an M1 Max in a Mac Mini, that'd probably push me over the edge toward buying one.

soheil 5y ago

Can't you buy a MBP 16" and connect it to whatever display you were going to connect your Mac Mini to?

jb1991 5y ago
But there’s a huge difference in the price if you don’t need all the other stuff that comes with the MacBook Pro.
- cmckn 5y ago
  Agreed, and the mini has different I/O that you might prefer (USB-A, 10 gig eth). Also, it’s smaller (surprise, “mini”). Plus, clamshell mode on a MacBook just isn’t the same as a desktop for “always-on” use cases.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

Andys 5y ago

Yeah, especially if it could run Linux. This would be a powerful little server. I decked out my workstation with a 16 core Ryzen & 96GB RAM and it didn't cost anywhere near the price of this new 64GB M1 Max combo. (But it may very well be less powerful, which is astonishing. It would be great to at least have the choice.)

fastball 5y ago
Ubuntu already has an ARM build. Is there a reason you wouldn't be able to run linux?
- cbarrick 5y ago
  Last I heard, there were graphics driver issues left to iron out. Linux 5.13 was the first with M1 support. Dunno if that's enough for M1 Pro/Max.
  - JustFinishedBSG 5y ago
    > Last I heard, there were graphics driver issues left to iron out. Who cares in a server ?
    - dcchambers 5y ago
      I assume because so far the only devices released with M1 processors have been consumer devices with attached screens, the focus has been on bringing over the full graphical, desktop Linux experience to it, not just headless server linux.
      - kirill5pol 5y ago
        I think you’re forgetting the Mac mini
        dcchambers 5y ago
        You're right, I forgot they updated the mini with the M1 last year too.

Zenst 5y ago

Many will as that kinda processing power and more so memory interface speed - it will seriously blur a lot of lines. More so, it has really got the processing leaps and jumps back into life again and not really seen much of that for well over a decade now.

Zenbit_UX 5y ago

Always wondered who the Mac minis were marketed towards. Sure they're cool but wouldn't you want something portable should you want to go to a coworking location or extend a vacation with a remote work portion of the trip? Surely in the world of covid remote work is common among developers... Would that mean you'd need a second device like an Air to bring on trips?

yellowapple 5y ago
For me, it'd be something I'd stick next to my router and access remotely (over a VPN, if I'm outside of my LAN).
atonse 5y ago
In a world of COVID remote work I got tired of my i9 always running loud and hot, and replaced it with a Mac mini which runs at room temperature, is the same or more snappy, since I was almost always running it in clamshell mode hooked up to the two displays anyway. And unplugging and plugging it back in to the TB hub always caused weird states that required reboots maybe 30% of the time. So now I've got a Mac mini hooked up permanently to those monitors and it just works. Now I am very tempted to trade in both my Mac mini and i9 for a 16" M1 pro so I can once again return to one machine that isn't always out of sync. But I'm going to wait to see how well it runs in clamshell mode hooked up to 2 4k displays.