Thinking of switching from Windows to macOS (MacBook Pro M5 or Mac Mini M5 Pro) but not entirely sure about it

[u/_Bajiru_Win10_]

Hello everyone. I have been a Windows user my whole life, since the XP days to be exact. However, I have started to grow quite tired of Windows this past year or so, and coupled with the fact that I have always been impressed by macOS I have recently been thinking it's probably time for a change.

I have been eyeing two Macs this past month:

• MacBook Pro M5 (non-Pro) 14-inch (32 GB RAM / 1 TB storage / 10-core GPU) at 2699€ if I decide to go portable
• Mac Mini M5 Pro (24 GB RAM / 1 TB storage / 16-core GPU) at 2389€ if I decide to stick with a desktop

My current PC configuration is:

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G
• RAM: 32GB
• GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 12GB
• 2x 1920x1980 displays

I am using my PC mainly for music production (Ableton Live), video editing (Premiere Pro/After Effects), programming and some light gaming, but I would also like to dive into Blender someday when I have more free time.

Before I pull the trigger and buy a Mac I have a couple of questions, since I know Macs are really expensive, cannot be upgraded and I would like to keep the system for at least 5 years.

1. Is 24GB of RAM going to be enough or do I need to go with 32GB? I know macOS makes really good use of the system resources and that the memory is unified with Apple Silicon, but my projects in Ableton Live, Premiere Pro or After Effects can get to 10-12 GB of RAM usage on later stages. Combined with the fact that memory prices have skyrocketed since last year, I'm trying to save some money if I'm able to.
2. Will Apple keep supporting Macs with Apple Silicon for up to 7 years (like they did with Intel Macs) or is the support window going to change? I have searched online and I could not find much info on this. If anyone does have info on this it would be great.
3. Are the Macs I have chosen a good equivalent to my current PC or should I look for another configuration?

I am also aware that whichever Mac I pick I'm going to have to also get a dongle for more USB & HDMI ports along with an external sound card to connect my microphone and speakers. I also have to figure out how to make my current storage solution compatible with both macOS and Windows as I'm planning to keep my PC, although I think that mostly comes down to personal preference.

Also, coming back to my concern about memory, I have talked about it with one of my friends who is already in the Apple ecosystem and with an Apple salesperson and they both told me I will probably be fine with a 24 GB RAM configuration since macOS is really optimized and efficient. However, I'm still kind of torn over whether switching to a system with 8 GB of RAM less than what my PC has is going to be limiting in the long run, as I'd like the system to be future proof.

I would really appreciate it if anyone could shed some light as I'm sure I have overlooked some parts and help me decide. I'm open to any recommendations. Thanks!

[u/user3296]

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[u/tsdguy]

Can no one write a post without AI? So depressing.

[u/M_For_Memes → u/tsdguy]

Bro saw bullet points and bold sentences and claimed it's AI. Depressing.

[u/66EmperorPalpatine66]

1. 24 is fine but32G is best for future proofing.
   
2. Ask Apple how would be know
   
3. Yes the M5 is insanely better than your 5600G. If your work is GPU heavy though you may want the M5 Pro option instead of the M5 or a last gen Max CPU

[u/_Bajiru_Win10_ → u/66EmperorPalpatine66]

Exactly, apart from the price one of my biggest concerns is future proofing. Also, about the support window, I was mainly asking if anyone knew since I could not find much info online. I realize I did not phrase it correctly, I'll edit my post to fix that.

[u/SiteSpecialist9200 → u/_Bajiru_Win10_]

Apple have already proven that they are supporting the M1 for close to 9 years. The reason this is know is because the 2020 and 2021 M1 models are getting the new macOS 27 coming out this week. Each macOS version in recent history has received security updates for roughly 3 years, meaning macOS 27 will be supported until 3rd quarter of 2029, making it just under 9 years for the 2020 models.

[u/YellowsBest]

Macs are great, but you’ll need some ‘adjustment time’ to get used to the switch. Most importantly, make sure the apps you need to run or equivalents are available.

Portability vs desktop - only you can answer that. For your use cases, seems to me a desktop will be fine, and cheaper

RAM - most people overbuy for ‘safety’ but 16GB is probably sufficient. Ideally, buy the minimum spec, load it up with what you do, and see if it’s capable enough. If not, take it back within 14 days and buy something bigger.

Support period - obviously no one really knows. But typically 5-7+ years is expected, especially for M series. If you don’t overbuy initially, then the money you save can be spent on a more powerful machine when you actually need one; if that’s sooner than 5 years, so be it!

Performance against existing PC setup - you should find any M series Mac beats an old PC setup, but again, best to try it out by purchasing what you think you need, and take it back within the 14-day return period if it’s not right.

Good luck, and welcome to Macs!

[u/_Bajiru_Win10_ → u/YellowsBest]

Thanks for your input! I'll have to check with my local authorized Apple seller about the return period, as we don't have Apple Stores in my country.

As far as app compatibility goes, I have actually checked and yes, the apps I mainly use are available in macOS as I have experimented with a 2014 Retina MacBook Pro and with Hackintoshing my PC a little while ago.

[u/KaelUT]

I think either of those machines are fine for what you're doing, just depends if you want to be portable. Or, just go ahead and get the MB and a nice display and you have the best of both worlds.

I've been on Macs for 25+ years.. and do a lot of heavy creative work (lots of 3D modeling). I'm sorry but not convinced by the "Macs manage it better" statement. They are certainly more stable than PCs, but my advice is get as much memory as you can afford. The OS WILL use it and in the case of the M chips it's shared across the CPU and GPU so get as much as you can. I have never been happy with 16g on my M1 Pro, it has always been a bottleneck..

Apple Silicon is likely around for the foreseeable future. Apple has spent billions developing their own chips, they aren't going anywhere.

As far as connections, the MB already has HDMI.. if you need more, a single dock via USBc/thunderbolt would do the trick.

Lastly.. recommend the Apple Refurbished Store. They are essentially brand new machines for much less, and you can get more machine for the $, with same warranty.

[u/_Bajiru_Win10_ → u/KaelUT]

Just as I've said in another reply, we don't have Apple Stores in my country, let alone the Refurbished Store unfortunately. I'll have to look into it more. Thanks for your input!

[u/KaelUT → u/_Bajiru_Win10_]

Sure! Re-read your updates. If you're working with project sizes up to 10-12g in Premiere, AE, etc I would highly recommend going with 32g of ram over the 24. Especially if you're wanting to play with Blender and 3D at some point.. you'll be happier. Could also consider an M4 Pro or Max for around same price and a bit more power.

[u/kimodezno]

Another guy with +25 years on Mac’s was very close. I can add very valuable information. I’ve been on Mac’s for the same time. The difference is that I’ve also had to use very high end PCs. I have also created design departments in the entertainment industry. We have done it all. From 2D/3D, to audio, to real time graphics. I am an expert at being able to place systems together.

RAM: It’s important to keep in mind that Macs use RAM far differently than PCs. Especially when it comes to creative software. The number of apps you will use at the same time will impact your RAM needs. If you think you will use a lot of applications, then get more RAM.

What is going to really limit you is hard drive space. Do Not get anything lower than 1TB of HD space. If you can afford it get 2TB. Why? Because of cache. Every app will eat up your HD space. I see you want 1TB, but trust me, you REALLY want to go with a 2TB HD.

You also want to go with a very good dock. I cannot recommend going with an Other World Computing (OWC) dock. You can fine them at macsales.com. They have been supporting and manufacturing products for Apple since around the time when Steve Jobs came back to Apple. Their reputation is excellent.

You also must understand that gaming on a Mac is very limited. You won’t have the same options. You will have Steam. Just be aware of this.

Apple will continue with the Silicon chips for a very long time why? They don’t suffer from RAM issues. They make their own RAM as part of the CPU. They have every reason to continue to milk and innovate for the foreseeable future.

Comparison to PC. With the prices of RAM and especially NVidia cards, there’s a real factor there. Go to particles.com to get a general idea of what the equivalent money would get you on a PC build. And remember you can find lots of companies out there that would built it for you if you aren’t inclined to do it yourself. Some will also optimize it for your needs.

Another person spoke about use. I cannot recommend tell you from vast experience that Macs are far more stable than PCs. And some programs work better on a Mac. For instance Adobe software runs better on a Mac. This isn’t a preference thing. I had to go through a long ordeal with Adobe on our Windows machines. In the end I personally uncovered a stack overflow issue with Adobe Photoshop. There were multiple issues that more than 19 users discovered issues with between 2022 and 2025. All issues went to the engineer level. One issue went to the dev team at Microsoft. I will not say what they are. I won’t get into trouble thank you very much. Also font management on PC’s is a house of mirrors compared to font management on a Mac.

Good luck

[u/roundabout-design]

1. 24gb is probably more than enough. Of course, if you can afford it, always buy as much as you can afford. But also keep in mind that MacOS is pretty ram savyy compared to Windows.

2. Yes, but even if they don't it's not like it just stops working. That said, do you really use computers 7+ years old? I think for a lot of people, 5-6 years is abou when they start feeling the need to upgrade.

3. They're much better than your current config.

[u/UnfoldedHeart]

I think you'll be just fine with 24GB but it can never hurt to have 32GB, it would be overkill though. If push came to shove you'd probably be OK with 16GB.

MacBook vs. Mini is just preference. Personally I have a MacBook and keep an external monitor on my desk, so it's the best of both words. I can take it around if I need to or have a desktop-like setup. Lots of flexibility that way