2020 Apple Mac Mini with Apple M1 Chip (8GB RAM, 512GB SSD Storage)

Works like a champ! It was the update to my 2008 Mac mini. I can use ai now!Cons: lost some apps that won’t run on the new chip. I lost all my adobe stuff. Garage band didn’t come with it. I have to buy a digital interface to record my guitar now. Had to get a converter and run my monitor off the usb-c slot because hdmi didn’t work. Bought the stand below to plug in my external toys.Pros: can run all the new ai stuff and do video work. Has a great price with the 512gb drive. Fast. Warning, you will have to upgrade a lot of things that you are using right now so prepare to do the downloads and installs and buying some new apps. It will do the job though. Five stars just cause I love Apple.

I have a MacBook Pro (mid 2018, I think) that I had been using as my “main” computer (with a separate monitor, Apple wireless keyboard, mouse, touch pad and external disks, etc.). It was (and is) great for my use (I don’t edit videos, etc.) but to use it somewhere else inside or outside the house, I have to unplug it, put it in its case, etc. etc. and then put it back together latter.I needed a desktop computer! I checked the Mac mini specs. It was all I needed (and then some) and even had the new M1 processor chip and 512 GB SSD “disk”! This looked great and since I had all the peripherals, it looked like a whole computer at a very nice price. It is. I love it. It is small, sits out of the way, makes no noise, and just works. I only remember where it is when I have to push its little button to start it. Wish I could remote that! It has more I/O ports (including USB A 3.0!) than the MacBook Pro. Super value for the money, I think. Love that M1 CPU chip. Apple, let's have some more of that!

The reviews were not exaggerated - this is a very nice performing computer., This is the first computer I have ever owned that is fast yet doesn't generate any heat in doing so. As of yet it has never even been warm in the almost 2 weeks I have owned it-always cold-like it's not even turned on.. I have 2 Intel Nucs that are the near equivalent of this Mini and while they are great little machines as well, they have been warm at times. Apple has figured a way to be as fast/faster than intel but not use much power in doing so.The downside of this being new technology is that software has to be written for it . In the meantime it uses emulation so older software will work with it, but is only a temporary situation. Firefox started out that way 2 weeks ago but they have already rewritten the browser now so emulation is no longer needed.Risc based processors are nothing new (they made those Dinosaur movies with them) but processors that are fast without using much power or getting hot certainly are. If this is a sign of things to come I feel sorry for Intel.I liked the way the computer performed so much I ordered a second one with larger memory and gifting this one to my fiancé .

I like that it came on time. It looks and operates brand new. And I save some money getting refurbished.

So, I was looking to replace my HP laptop that is a couple of years old around the time of Black Friday. As I shopped around and compared, I fell on the Mac Mini while looking at desktop options. I love this computer. I'm someone who opens a ton of tabs at a time, and I don't close them until I know that I'm done with them. At the time of writing this review, I have 34 tabs open. The most I've had open at one time is about 100. I say all of this to say that I haven't had a single slow down or skip with so many tabs open. On my laptop, that many tabs would slow my PC down considerably. For what I do on a computer, which is a lot of internet browsing and researching, this computer is fast. I'm super happy with my purchase and the plus is that the Mac mini is small enough to take with me when I go somewhere.

You'll see every tech blogger, small-time journalist and "influencer" with a video channel raving about these new M1 Macs. Me? I'm not seeking any fame or clicks or readership. Here are my pros and cons:ProsDefinitely fast. It's the future of Macs right here right now. Relative cheap compared to my Mac Mini 2018 bought for $1499 (Core i7, 3.2GHz, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD). And yes, it's not as noisy nor hot.ConsOnly two Thunderbolt/USB-C ports instead of previous four. This alone had me hesitating and preparing months in advance to figure how to connect all my peripherals before I committed. And I still wish for a third USB-A port. Also, the M1 hardware runs only the latest software! This means only MacOS Big Sur and only your latest apps and utilities. What will work and what will not work? You don't really know until you try it. I found out the hard way that I had to abandon Vectorworks 2019 and prior, SimpleClock (desktop analog display) does not install, no DJI Assistant (still testing alternatives), and some songs will not convert while syncing, some apps will not open in 2nd display regardless of dock options. Just weird little things that should get ironed out as time goes on.Overall, still good strategy for me because I was able to sell my old Mac Mini 2018 for top dollar at this point in time. In fact, the net expense for me was nearly zero! Just like spring cleaning reconfiguring my apps.