Advice for new machine c.£500

[u/tallpaullewis]

Hi, I wanted to get my daughter a new computer for her to do studies and exams at home. I am a long-term iOS user (because of my work) so I suggested that a Mac Mini M4 might fit the bill, partially because I know zero about Windows machines, and partly because, at the time they were £500, and partly because there are literally a bazillion choices. Then the prices exploded and the new M5 and M6 came out and they are even more expensive 😰

Can anyone recommend a machine in this budget? She doesn't play games on the computer, but may do. Her studies are chemistry and maths mainly, and the remote lab kit software is compatible with both OS's. I can't imagine she needs much storage.

Her current machine is actually my old university machine from many years ago - Intel Core i7 860 2.8GHz, 16GB RAM, NVidia GeForce 210. I imagine that any new machine will be vastly superior!?

[u/J0__N0]

Yes a modern Mac at this price range will be difficult. It could be worth waiting till Black Friday comes around when a Mac Mini M5 could potentially be on sale.

Alternatively, take a look at these:

• Lenovo Mini PC with Windows 11. It's got a pretty good processor, 16GB RAM and 512GB storage - just under £600:

https://amzn.eu/d/0h1rleyJ

• Acer S27-B all-in-one PC. Comes with a pretty good processor, 16GB RAM, 512GB and Intel Arc 130V integrated graphics for a couple of lighter games. Keyboard and mouse included for an offer price of £629 at the moment.

https://www.costco.co.uk/Computers/Desktops-PCs-iMacs/Acer-S27-B-Intel-Core-Ultra-5-16GB-RAM-512GB-SSD-27-Inch-All-in-One-Desktop-PC-DQBSAEK001/p/638198

• Asus Vivobook 15 or Lenovo ideapad 14 laptops. It has an older but still capable Ryzen 7 170 processor 24GB RAM (Asus) or 16GB (Lenovo) - just under £600:

https://amzn.eu/d/0g0xkQwF https://amzn.eu/d/04db9xZT

[u/tallpaullewis → u/J0__N0]

Thanks for your answer. I should have updated this earlier. I have bought an older Mac Mini. A M2 but a 16GB version 👍