

The lack of Thunderbolt ports, similarly, isn’t a huge deal, because there are a ton of ways to get around such a limitation. The first isn’t that big of an issue, since the Mac mini looked great before and still looks great.
#Best monitor to pair with mac mini m1 upgrade
The biggest disappointment here, aside from the fact that the M1 Mac mini didn’t receive any sort of aesthetic update, is that Apple removed two Thunderbolt ports and the ability to upgrade your memory. That means you’re stuck with the memory and storage configurations you choose at check out, and you can’t go back in later to add extra RAM or a bigger SSD. Unlike the previous model, the M1 Mac mini doesn’t have any user serviceable parts or components.

If you place it on a slick surface, be aware that it could slide off with the slightest nudge. As before, it causes the Mac mini to stand up a bit from whatever surface you place it on, and it has very little gripping power. The bottom of the M1 Mac mini also remains unchanged from the last version of the hardware, with most of it taken up by a circular plastic cover that’s designed to allow easier access to the internals. The configuration of the ports is even the same, drawing attention to the fact that just two ports occupy space that could easily support twice that number. The biggest change here from the last iteration of the hardware is that the last Mac mini featured four Thunderbolt 3 ports instead of just two. Situated just below this array of inputs is a cutout that reveals the internal heatsink. There you’ll find a power button and socket for the power cable, an Ethernet port, two USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 ports, an HDMI port, two USB type A ports, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The ports are all found around the back, where the aluminum case is cut away to accommodate a black plastic panel. The top is smooth and unmarked aside from the logo, and the front and sides of the case are completely featureless aside from a small LED on the front that lets you know when the system is powered on. It’s still a block of milled aluminum with the same rounded corners, satin finish, and shiny Apple logo emblazoned on the top. The big changes here are all under the hood, as Apple opted to leave the overall design of the Mac mini (M1, 2020) unchanged from the previous model. Jeremy Laukkonen / Lifewire Design: Same sleek aluminum chassis

The lack of support for Bootcamp meant I wasn’t able to completely leave my old hardware behind, but there’s no getting around it: this is some impressive hardware at any price, let alone a price tag that’s cheaper than the previous iteration of the hardware. I was able to spend about a week with an M1 Mac mini as my main work machine, plugging in my keyboard and monitors, with my primary rig left to gather dust for the duration.ĭuring my time with the M1 Mac mini, I paid close attention to performance, of course, with a special eye to how well it handles non-native apps and apps that were designed for iOS. While I was a bit skeptical of Apple’s decision to leave Intel behind, the promised performance of their custom silicon left me eager to dig in and see how that raw power really translates into real-world situations.
#Best monitor to pair with mac mini m1 windows
It can’t run Windows apps via Bootcamp like an Intel Mac, and there will be some growing pains as developers switch gears and start catering to the new hardware, but that hardware offers tremendous raw performance, excellent potential in the long term, and more than acceptable real-world performance in the short term. It’s also the most affordable way to dip your toe into the brave new world of Apple Silicon, even though it’s powered by the exact same chip found in the much more expensive MacBook Pro. The Mac mini (M1, 2020) is the first Mac desktop to receive Apple’s new ARM-based M1 chip. Lifewire purchased the Mac mini to evaluate its features and capabilities.
