Is that a proprietary SSD?

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-11-08, 21:47:

The RAM is Soldered on

Pass.

Unless Apple goes back to making the ram replaceable in a future Mac Mini/Studio revision, I will not be supporting their Apple Silicon platform. It's bad enough I got ripped off by the M1 Mac Mini not being upgradeable once I found out the model I ordered didn't have enough RAM for video editing, so I resorted to selling it to buy the last Intel Mac Mini model (with replaceable RAM). Once software vendors stop supporting Intel macOS eventually, then Linux will have to be my new backup OS in the event that Windows becomes completely unbearable for me.

To those being worried to wear out internal HDD/SSD (has crypto key):
It's possible for a Mac to boot from external HDD and SSD via USB and Thunderbolt (PCIe).
And there are external enclosures that match the look of the Mac Mini, too.
So you can mirror copy your existing macOS installation to an external drive.

Edit:

KCompRoom2000 wrote on 2024-11-21, 07:33:

Unless Apple goes back to making the ram replaceable in a future Mac Mini/Studio revision, I will not be supporting their Apple Silicon platform. It's bad enough I got ripped off by the M1 Mac Mini not being upgradeable once I found out the model I ordered didn't have enough RAM for video editing, so I resorted to selling it to buy the last Intel Mac Mini model (with replaceable RAM).

I do understand your frustration. 😟

On other hand, ARM seems like a possible migration platform right now. Well, until RISC V catchs up.

The M processors do a lot of things right, I think.

For example, the shared memory concept. It's not new, but the Macs do it differently.
You're using basically using fast graphics card RAM for both CPU and GPU, which both can access simultanously.

The topology inside the Mac is a lot like an efficient network, too.
This reduces bottlenecks.

Anyhow, I don’t mean to sound like an Apple fanboy, because I'm not.
I don’t even like the company very much. I do merely make an exception for Mac and Mac OS.
- And QuickTime 2 on my Windows 3.1x PCs! 😁

Speaking of Windows, I did boycott Windows 10 all the years and do have a copy of Windows 11 (ARM) running via Parallels Desktop 20 right now.
I must say it works like a charm. It's an temporary alternative to those like me, who have lost faith in x86 and Microsoft, but need to run a few Windows applications from time to time.

Because, this virtual Windows 11 is essentially running in a cage and I don’t have to get a new x86 PC anymore that's being a closed platform now anyway (no BIOS/CSM, forced TPM/certificates for booting).

Being in a cage.. I think it's not much different on either side now, except that Macs don’t cause so much headache all the time. Well, at least when they work. 😉

There's no adware or upgrading pressure as there's on modern Windows, I mean.
I'm still a tiny bit traumatized by the pop-ups on Windows 7 from many years ago that tried to trick all of us into upgrading to Windows 10.

And then there's intel which tries to introduce x86S, the castr*ted version of x86-64.
It will break all backwards compatibility, except for i386 user mode code. Or Win32 applications, in short.

So the backwards compatibility of x86S for legacy applications is about good enough to allow Windows x64 to run 32-Bit applications such as IrfanView, Winamp, WinRAR etc. via Windows on Windows (WoW).

And Win64 applications, too, of course, which don’t rely on the old x86-32 registers.

But at this point, Windows on ARM can do almost as good if not better.
It does rely on emulation or dynamic recompilation, but doesn't require a broken x86 silicon.
It can run various binaries, also. Win32 (ARM+x86) and Win64 (ARM+x64).

Edit: Sorry for being a bit off-topic, it just came to mind.
Because, I was stuck on a Raspberry Pi 3/4 as a temporarily solution for years because after Windows 7 went EOL, none of the platforms seemed like a good successor. I was stranded, so to say.

The Raspberry Pi 4 was cheap and also re-usable for other uses (say mt32pi, other projects) at very least!

It was when the M processors came out that I took the opportunity to try out something new.

So far, it's an "okay" solution. But the fact that macOS 15 wants signed applications all the time is annoying. I'll keep staying with 14.50 for a while.

PS: There's a new emulator/virtualizer called UTM.
It can run many old and new operating systems on a Mac and is based on Qemu.
https://mac.getutm.app/

What people are doing is adding an external SSD and then moving their Home folder and Applications folder to the SSD.
And all other folders other than the MacOS.

So on the Base model with 256gb SSD this should FREE up at least half of your SSD space.

Its NOT very Secure having your Home folder on an External SSD but if your not worried about someone taking your external SSD it’s a
Viable budget friendly solution and you will still have all the Working functions of your Mac.

People are using this solution and opting to buy more RAM instead.

Not, it won't. Benchmarks performance aside, most average use people are turned off by the price. They don't want desktops anyway. All in Ones or laptops are the meat of the market share.
Secondly, tech savvy people are turned off by the proprietary Apple nonsense and the utter complete lack of upgradeability or repairability.
Thirdly, those who DON'T care about those things still don't want to live in the walled garden world of Apple.
Why chose the platform that restricts me at every turn to their crappy tablet OS and and app store with zero free options and the inability to install anything from wherever I choose to download it?
Because Geekbench and Cinebench says it's a few points higher? Please. Joe Blow doesn't know that, and couldn't give half a crap if he did.

There is reason Apple's are niche. They always, ALWAYS will be.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-11-21, 13:39:

What people are doing is adding an external SSD and then moving their Home older and Applications folder to the SSD.
And all other folders other than the MacOS.

Makes sense. It's another option.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-11-21, 13:39:

So on the Base model with 256gb SSD this should FREE up at least half of your SSD space.

Thanks for the tip! 😃👍

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-11-21, 13:39:

Its NOT very Secure having your Home folder on an External SSD but if your not worried about someone taking you external SSD it a
Viable budget friendly solution and you will still have all the Working functions of your Mac.

I second this. I had "visitors" just recently who snatched my smartphone and purse.
Long story short, they basically have walked through the front door in the morning as if nothing happened. Very bold!

They apparently came from a refugee centre not far away, also.
That's what the GPS position revealed, sadly. I wished I didn't know. Anyway, black sheep exist.
Not all are like this, really. I've also met nice souls at an adult education centre, for example, where I took an exam for a computer driving license.

That one negative event leaves a lasting impression, though. It makes you think, xenophob and suspicious.
You want to be kind and understandable torwards refugees, but these black sheep make it hard for all of us. 😞

As far as the External SSD goes, you're right.
But on other hand, the Mac Mini ist just as easy to grab from desk.

I'm thus planning to move into a desk drawer mounted directly under the desk, with a key lock on it.
So it can neither be instantly seen or taken away in a hurry.

In days like this, having cameras in the home office makes kind of sense. 😕
They should be offline, though, equipped with an SD card slot and a motion sensor.

Intel486dx33 wrote on 2024-11-21, 13:39:

People are using this solution and opting to buy more RAM instead.

I did choose 32 GB right from start, because it was clear from reviews at the time that 8 GB wouldn't cut it (heavy swap file use).
And 16 GB were just the real minimum then. So 32 GB was the only choice for me, even if it wasn't cheap. Also because of my love for VMs of all sorts.

Jasin Natael wrote on 2024-11-21, 13:59:

Benchmarks performance aside

Intel Core Ultra 5 245KF beats all apple chips in both: single
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/singleThread.html

and multi core performance
https://www.cpubenchmark.net/high_end_cpus.html

I replaced my M1 (8GB/256SSD) with a M4 (16GB/256SSD) it's really a fantastic machine.

$499 at Amazon.

Are you seriously going to post tech deals with advertising like descriptions ?
Let me close this topic and the other one.