Most people opt for MacBooks when it comes to choosing an Apple Computer, but if you don’t need the portability, we’d go for the Mac Mini everytime and at the moment Amazon have some fantastic offers on the M2 models.
The Mac Mini M2 is powerful and doesn’t take up most desks. Yes, PC owners complain that it doesn’t come with a monitor, keyboard or mouse, but at least you can choose whether you opt for the Apple branded peripherals or go for third-party accessories like the ones from Logitech.
Basic Specs...
The basic M2 Mac Mini comes with an 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 8GB of RAM and 256gb SSD, not blow away specs but the M2 chip is no slouch!
You can of course upgrade to a higher spec, but if you don’t need the space then 256gb and an external hard drive or some cloud storage should do for most.
You could also consider the M2 Pro, still a very good price when it comes to Amazon!
Before you blow your budget...
Don’t forget, as mentioned above keyboard, mouse, etc is all extra and you need to consider these when choosing a Mac Mini.
Hubs are another very good accessory and highly recommend the Satechi Mac Mini Hub, they even do a Mac Mini Hub with an SSD enclosure.. Along with that external drive and we’d opt for SSD every time for that additional storage for apps such as Final Cut Pro. The SanDisk Extreme SSD is excellent but we absolutely love the Samsung T7’s and have lots of them in the GGB office.
When it comes to the Keyboard and Mouse, we feel that you cannot beat the Apple produced versions, the Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID will work with this Mac Mini M2. The Apple Magic Mouse has an awkward charging feature, but ergonomically it’s the best.
If you want to go elsewhere for your Keyboard and Mouse combo, the Cherry Keyboard is excellent and the Logitech M705 mouse.
Next is a monitor, this all depends what you’ll use the Mac Mini M2 for and how much ‘real estate’ you require. In the office I always use the LG UltraFine 32″ Monitor as it attaches directly to my desk and I can adjust it quickly and easily. I then use the App called Magnet to organise my screen.
If you go for a curved screen the Dell S3422DW 34 inch screen is excellent but you could go bigger with a Samsung 49″ curved LED screen, which is overkill and will blow your budget.
One of the best home or office computers...
Whilst we always remain biased against Apple products, we do feel that they are built to last, powerful and will hold their value should you feel you want to sell it later on down the line. I’ve got Mac’s from 2015 still working perfectly, if a little slower.
For the price, these compact computers are brilliant, and there are always some sort of deals with Apple. The con’s on these computers is that they cannot be upgraded, you can’t even add additional RAM as it is soldered to the motherboard, so make sure you choose the RAM and specs to your specific requirements.
