New Mac, buy an Intel or M1?

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New Mac, buy an Intel or M1?

lammert

12:00 pm on Apr 22, 2021 (gmt 0)

I am looking to buy a Mac Mini as development server. The main development work will still be done on a conventional Linux/Intel based machine, but I need a Mac box to ensure cross-OS compatibility throughout the development process. The Mac will be sitting in a corner of the office, running build and test routines when necessary, but most of the time it will be idling. Therefore, performance is not a critical issue, but price and a long life span is.

Apple just recently launched their M1 processors and the newest Mini models are shipped with this AMD based CPU. What is your opinion. Should I settle on one of this new CPU developments, or is a somewhat older Intel based model a good enough investment for the coming years?

travelin cat

12:42 pm on Apr 22, 2021 (gmt 0)

If you are not using it for day-to-day operations, then an older Mac should be more then adequate. I have an M1 Mac Mini and it is blindingly fast, but I use it for everything.

not2easy

1:15 pm on Apr 22, 2021 (gmt 0)

The price difference between an older used model and the latest thing makes looking at refurbs a good choice. I got a refurb desktop iMac about 6 years ago and it started to show signs of video card distress so I just replaced it with a 2019 6 core model, added more RAM and wheee..

A much older Mac Mini is chugging away as a darkroom process tool for over 10 years now alongside a 2008 MacPro. Yes the new models offer more performance but since that is not the goal, older models do quite well. I'd suggest avoiding updates for a dedicated task because the most recent updates could disable older scripts/tools/processes.

lammert

2:19 pm on Apr 22, 2021 (gmt 0)

Thanks for the insights. I was already looking at the refurbished market, but had no idea what to expect from the life expectancy of a Mac.

Any negative experiences with energy consumption of the older models? I previously had an HP server here that in idle mode burned away 200 dollars per year on my electricity bill.

not2easy

3:05 pm on Apr 22, 2021 (gmt 0)

If a device is not connected to services such as email or apps, you can set it to sleep when not in use - or turn it off. Energy usage depends more on what you are using as a display with the Mini. I often end up on battery backup and even a small backup unit offers a few hours for the desktop unit.

lammert

7:46 pm on Apr 22, 2021 (gmt 0)

Turning off is not an option. The device must be available if build updates are triggered by events outside the office. But it is good to hear that a display will probably be the most energy consuming part in the setup.