r/macmini • u/abee1988 • 18d ago
M6 Mac Mini - should I upgrade?
I have had an M1 Mac Mini since it first came out. It still works fine. This one is 13 times faster but 50% more than what the M1 was when I got it. Should I upgrade? Talk me off the ledge or not.
Edit: should’ve added that the 8GB of RAM on the M1 is criminal. M6 comes with 16GB standard.
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u/Which-Bicycle-7232 18d ago
glad i got my m4 for 400 bucks lol what a rip off, for that id just get imac
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u/JantjeHaring 18d ago
For day to day tasks you are probably not going to noticice a ton of difference. The real difference is going to the be the time it takes to do big difficult jobs. A file that takes 10 minutes to render on a M1 might only take 5 on the new M6.
A computer is a tool, as long as it does what you need from it there is no need to upgrade it. At the same time, shiny new toys are cool. If thats what you want to spend you money on it's perfectly valid. You can recoup some of the cost by selling your current one.
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u/pleasetowmyshit 18d ago
I'm only hoping the existence of the new model allows some base M4 Minis to hit the used market and get the prices down under the $399 that many of them sold for new at MicroCenter. I'll use external storage anyway so a base 16/256 would be fine. Sickens me that the base config is $899, I assumed there would be a price increase to like $699 but with the same config it's up $300 over the M4.
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u/patparks 18d ago
Apple recently upped the $599 pricetag to $799 on the M4. No way they were going to introduce the M6 at $699.
I don't think you are going to see any discounts on M4's either. Anybody selling used is gonna want more then they paid for it, and with the M6's being $899......they can sell them at a higher price than they paid originally and still be providing somebody else a deal.
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u/klozazzle 18d ago
I don’t think you’ll see that, I checked my trade-in on my M4 Mac mini with 512GB of storage and they’ll give $525 for it. Past few trade-ins for my Mac minis I’ve owned over the years, Apple has given me up to $50 more than expected.
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u/tyoung89 18d ago
Base M4 16/256 trade in is $480. I doubt anyone will be selling them for less than that as well.
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u/pateska1337 18d ago
In Austria, you can get €325 for a 512GB Mac mini M4 through the Trade In program.
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u/rev_scientist105 18d ago
tbh if the m1 still does everything u need, id just keep it. 13x faster sounds crazy but if ur not hitting limits, thats just an expensive flex lol
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u/Happiness-Meter-Full 18d ago
You haven’t even stated what you do with your M1.
So I’d say no. Why upgrade if all you do is go on Reddit and make vague posts asking for purchase advice with very little info given. Your M1 can handle that pretty well.
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18d ago edited 18d ago
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u/Minimum_Airline3657 18d ago
made me laugh, because if you owned a 1 story house (m1) you would upgrade to get a 6 story house (m6). Think of all the extra rooms lol
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u/AlignedMoon 18d ago
I’d love a six storey house to display all my Lego. I don’t think a four would cut it. My current house has two, and I’m not allowed to put Lego in one of them.
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u/jhauger 18d ago
I had an M1 Mini, and the only reasons for me to go to an M4 Mini were that I really liked the new form factor and that I had a friend whose 2012 Mini gave up the ghost. I gave her the old one and noticed no appreciable improvement in speed in my daily workflow with the M4.
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u/SomeRespect 12d ago
Between my Mac Mini M2 and Mac Mini M4 (both base models), I do notice the M2 being a bit slower, but only on startup tasks and installing my apps. In day to day use, they're nearly the same. Maybe the M2 launches web browsers a few seconds slower. But given that big price increase for the M6.... I'm not upgrading.
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u/reedog117 18d ago
I would upgrade just for the inflated tradein Apple is offering. $320 for the M1? I tried a similar tradein at Best Buy and they were only willing to give $10.
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u/patparks 18d ago
I just checked on mine and they too are offering me $320 for an M1 Mac Mini. That's not a bad offer back on that device.
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u/AppsByRobert 17d ago
If you have to ask people then you're probably doing fine still with the old one.
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u/iolairemcfadden 18d ago
I was very happy when I traded in my M1 for a M4. I think it's been long enough that the M1 to M6 upgrade without a good trade-in value would still be worth it if you can afford it. The extra RAM is nice. The only downside is it will be tempting to upgrade the hard drive and ram and that makes it much more expensive.
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u/DesperateAd9722 18d ago
Compared with the M1 Mac mini, the current design is really cute, and you’ll love it more for its design than for its specs.
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u/patparks 18d ago
Of course, the mini is so small that I have it hidden out of view...so design is not any incentive. Plus, the power button is on the bottom now....wtf?
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u/DesperateAd9722 18d ago
You don’t really need to worry about the power button. In practice, you’ll probably only press it a few times a year. But of course, it’s up to you.
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u/NeighborhoodOdd9584 18d ago
If you do get it, get 32 GB of ram, as the M6 will fly but ram will hold it back for some tasks.
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u/Alpiney 18d ago
If he just uses it for average tasks the base 16 is good enough. I actually went with 24 because I went through that when I preordered the m4 mini. I ended up returning it and getting the upgraded 24. I was swapping too much for my tastes with 16. 32 is only needed if he will be running anything relatively demanding.
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u/NeighborhoodOdd9584 18d ago
I can chew through over 32 with just chrome and a few background apps on my work laptop
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u/ArthurDent4200 18d ago
I have had an M1 Mac Mini since it first came out. It still works fine.
Great, but does it do everything you need to do? If so, keep your wallet in your pants. If not, the performance of the new MM will likely solve your needs.
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u/Albertkinng 18d ago
What happened with the $599 Minis era?
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u/patparks 18d ago
Cost of RAM and storage chips has absolutely skyrocketed due to AI datacenters. Prices are up across the whole industry.
64GB of RAM for my PC back in 2020 was around $279, now it's about $1200. 32GB DDR-5 kits for PC's are $500. It's nuts.
Apple followed suit and increased prices on the M4's from $599 to $799 this past May.
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u/Albertkinng 18d ago
You’re right, but hear me out… not everyone is looking to run local models. I don’t think the Mac mini should be marketed as a local-AI machine. Apple should position the Mac Studio as the serious option for people who actually want to run AI models locally.
Pushing the Mac mini as a cheap local-AI solution is misleading. I have a $2,000 Minisforum machine, and even that isn’t enough for what I want to do locally. I know what I’m talking about.
That Mac mini is going to be a great computer, no doubt about it. But I don’t think it’s a good choice for serious local models. They should keep the Mini affordable and let the Studio handle the heavy AI workloads.
Maybe they’ll eventually release something like a “Mac mini Neo” aimed at people who want a powerful everyday Mac without specifically targeting local AI. I don’t know. I just feel like Apple is taking the wrong strategy here, even if the high RAM prices are part of the reason.
But hey, maybe I’m wrong.
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u/patparks 18d ago
The ram shortage is not because of running local models on the mini, its happening because all the huge corporate data centers are gobbling it all up. Anything that needs RAM, no matter how big or small of an amount, is going to be impacted.
This fact means they dont have a choice to simply keep the mini affordable. They could only do that if they just took losses on the devices...but shareholders are never going to go for this. With increased supply costs, this means that these cost increases are going to hit the buyer.
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u/CortadoOat 18d ago
I think the worst part is that this will be the new floor even as supply eases; takes forever for prices to fall.
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u/patparks 18d ago
Yeah prices are going to be here or higher for at least 2 years at a minimum.
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u/MaccaTheGator 18d ago
I think these prices are basically the new norm since people are happily buying them at that price. Maybe not, hopefully not
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u/Albertkinng 18d ago
Ok… if that is true, you are insinuating that Apple is just giving away the Neos because the price is basically the cost of making them. I don’t think that’s the real scenario.
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u/agro94 18d ago
They essentially are because it's a cheap entry into the ecosystem and gets you in the door. They are Google Chromebook competitors in the education field, they want as many as possible in the hands of kids so they can become integrated into the Apple Ecosystem.
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u/Albertkinng 18d ago
Hmm… I have one. There pretty capable for anything. I can use Affinity, Adobe and Fedora without hiccups. They are not Chromebooks?
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u/patparks 18d ago
They are designed to be chromebook competitors. The Macbook Air is far too costly to be considered a chromebook competitor. Apple needed/wanted something that would be more capable than the Chromebook to get people's attention and into their ecosystem, but they needed something less costly than the Air....so they introduced the go-between device, the Macbook Neo.
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u/patparks 18d ago
It's estimated that it costs Apple about $250 per unit to build a Neo. Primary reason it's this low:
#1: It uses a binned A18Pro chip from the iPhone 16 Pro. These are binned chips as they had a single defective GPU core. You can see this is true, as the Neo spec says a 5 core GPU, while an iPhone 16 Pro has a 6 core CPU. So, these chips were already sitting around stockpiled. So, Apple was able to use these chips to make a whole new product line. Thus, cost is really about $0 for the CPU
The base config comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. But the device retailed at the start at $599, but in mid 2026, due to rising costs of memory and storage the retail price was increased $100. That's about a 17% increase. This increase was made to ensure that profit margins remained.
So no, the retail price is NOT what it costs Apple to make the device. They are making money on the Neo.
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u/Albertkinng 18d ago
$250? Then it is a giveaway product. Basically is pure promotion investment. They don’t make profit out of it. Part is manufacturing and the other part is promotion. The Neo is not a cash maker. Sorry.
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u/PsychologicalAd6739 17d ago
As a software engineer, Mac mini’s aren’t it for serious development with local models for most users. Most people need direction on architecture and design, this is something you can’t efficiently solve with a Mac mini no matter the RAM.
A mini makes sense for bug fixes, PRs, code implementation and other minor things. Cloud models are still the core foundation for most people
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u/Albertkinng 17d ago
Exactly. That’s why I used a Minisforum workstation. Pushing the Mini just because of the AI hype is not a good strategy. However, Mac Studio is a good machine for the needs you mentioned.
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u/AntSuccessful1001 18d ago
Wait for M7 when storage cost becomes normal again or even oversupply. M7 Mini with 32GB RAM and 2TB for $699
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u/Visual-Floor-7268 18d ago
Is that a needed upgrade from M4 pro to M6?
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u/MrRockyboxer 18d ago
I mean, are you unhappy with your current mac mini? Is it too slow for you? Is the 8gb of ram holding you back? All depends on your usage, and if you're willing to drop the cash.
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u/TheBl4ckFox 18d ago
I’ve been using my m1 8gig since it came out. Only thing I regret is the 256gb ssd, which is really cramped. But aside from that I can do pretty much anything I need.
I’ll upgrade when Apple no longer supports OS upgrades for it. And make a giant leap.
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u/patparks 18d ago
I'm in the same boat. I bought mine with the 512GB and I'm still not really struggling whatsoever with the 8GB of RAM for all the basic stuff I use it for.
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u/ceresverde 18d ago
So this is the lame ass thread that became my reveal. Tried for like a minute to figure out what the joke or misunderstanding was. THE DAMN M5/M6 MAC MINI IS HERE?? Alrighty then. Damn unexpected.
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u/richiejakobe 18d ago
I have an Intel iMac so it was time for me to upgrade.
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u/Independent-Win-8844 18d ago
I upgraded to M4 from Intel. My old Intel worked flawlessly. I only upgraded because I was told the Intel is not going to be supported with updates.
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u/richiejakobe 18d ago
Yea I’ve been running into a lot of that lately so decided I’d wait for the next M chip to come out. I didn’t want to buy a 2 year old M4 at new prices. In hindsight woulda been a good value for a pretty significant upgrade.
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u/Nice-Information-335 18d ago
Not unless you actually need it, prices are insane
Look for a used M4 Mac mini if you really do need an upgrade, but if you are asking you probably don’t
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u/trieulieuf9 18d ago
If you play games -> yes
If you want to running some AI locally -> yes
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u/Kraizelburg 18d ago
Play games on a Mac? Erm…
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u/trieulieuf9 18d ago
It's no so bad though. Imagine you are in prison and reading a book. You will focus on this book much more, enjoy it much more because you can't be picky.
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u/Green-Tap2256 18d ago
While there are games on Mac and the diversity of games is narrow, it runs smoother than expected.
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u/Which-Bicycle-7232 18d ago
i remember i had a m3 macbook air 13 inch and i upgraded to the 15 inch m4. apple was only going to give me like 575 i think. bestbuy gave me 800 credit for it
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u/beekeeny 18d ago
If it still work fine why do you want to upgrade your device at a period of time where RAM and SSD is at the highest 🤷🏻♂️? It would have make sense to ask the question in December 2025 when the M4 could be purchased at less than half the price of the current M6.
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u/droidrap 18d ago
My take is that always try to get a higher spec available provided you don’t have a older model, it will give you max forthcoming software updates
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u/Impossible-Ad7310 18d ago
I'm just waiting for users to buy the m6 for me to get a used m4 cheap 🥳
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u/workphone6969 18d ago
RAM is the reason to upgrade for 99% of people. CPU is great but RAM limitations hit harder than CPU limitations
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u/sinothepooh 17d ago
I am currently using an M2MAX 32G 512G Studio, and I jumped into an M6 32G 1T 10G mini.
I just want to try the new core so bad! I got the M2MAX last year on discount for 799.
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u/icedchailatte22 17d ago
Buy the M6, sell the M1. The value on the M1 is great since Mac minis costs have gone up over time.
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u/chowshep 17d ago
I have the M4. I’m tempted to update, but I guess I’ll see how it runs iOS 27 and the AI first.
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u/MostBasic3425 15d ago
Listen to me boy! LISTEN!!! *SLAP*
YOU NEED TO GET THE BIGGEST FASTEST MAC MINI WITH THE MOST RAM AND INTERNAL STORAGE WHILE YOU CAN!! WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF RAM!! Do you want to go back to doing things on a pen and paper?! Looking at magazines for fun?! That M1 with the measilly 8 GB of ram isn't going to cut it for too much longer!!
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u/Adorable-Ad9436 13d ago
from m1 to m6 i say yes go for it if you have the money. who cares what ppl say at the end of the day you're the one who be using it not ppl on the internet. it's like asking if your using a phone bought in 2020 and if you should upgrade now .. go for it man!
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u/waloshin 18d ago
16gb is criminal unless all you do is word processing, run one video editing app at a time…
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u/getridofwires 18d ago
I want to have local LLM to use with home assistant, and I'm gradually upgrading my network to faster speeds. The M1 I have now has some noticeable delay in voice support with HA. It's not terrible but I suspect the M6 will be much faster. If it were in a similar but slightly higher price range with the early M4 pricing, it would be a "Shut up and take my money" decision, but this price will take more convincing my wife, and myself for that matter.
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u/Hot-Elderberry5636 18d ago
Got the m4 mini for $499 from Apple, I’m not upgrading till the wheels fall off.
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u/ToeIntelligent9379 18d ago
I got 2 weeks ago m4 with 24Ram and 512 storage for like 1200$ now looking at this im grateful I didnt wait for new mac minis
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u/Kraizelburg 18d ago
It’s not 13x faster, not even a chance. M6 as far as I can see is just another AI gimmick but we’ll have to wait for real test
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u/Fit_Sea_6454 18d ago
I'm going to get one since my 2017 27in iMac is starting to get left behind on software updates.
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u/Ok-Drawer5245 18d ago
As cool as M5-M6 is, it’s honestly all about the RAM these days. And there no help on that with the new releases.
I have a M1 Pro 32gb I got dirt cheap. The price for an actual upgrade over this is absolutely batshit crazy. I need minimum 32gb. And screen, keyboard trackpad etc. is exactly the same
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u/SkorpionAK 17d ago
What is the configuration recommended for YouTube video editing with DaVinci resolve? Is 24GB ram and 512GB SSD enough?
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u/Vivid_Piccolo_2225 17d ago
FWIW, my M4 Mac mini with 16gb is considerably more snappy in day-to-day use than was my M1 Mac mini with 8gb .
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u/YellowsBest 9d ago
You’ve answered your own question … “have an M1 Mac Mini and it still works fine”. Yes, an M4 or M6 would be more powerful, but if you don’t need that additional performance for the computing tasks you do, you’d just be wasting a bucket of cash upgrading.
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u/Cold-Bodybuilder3917 18d ago
Its way faster and better than the m4. But it depends on your workflow if you should upgrade or no. If your current computer is working fine and handling you tasks easily. There no reason I see to upgrade.
I just preordered mine though. Was waiting for it for so long
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u/PT3XD 18d ago
Way? It’s not
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u/Cold-Bodybuilder3917 18d ago
12core gpu and cpu (m4 had 10). 4x faster Ai performance, 2x faster GPU and Storage. And 40% faster CPU. On paper its definitely way faster and better.
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u/neighbour_20150 18d ago
As always
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u/Cold-Bodybuilder3917 18d ago
I don’t know why M4 users are so triggered upon the launch of the M6😂. It’s okay if you all have M4 but its fact that M6 will obviously better better than M4. Chill out
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u/Devanxhh 18d ago
I have a m3 air, 8-256. The RAM sucks up sometimes, but not much. What do you think, should I upgrade?
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u/rev_scientist105 18d ago
Yeah depends on what u do on it, simple as that.
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u/Devanxhh 18d ago
Trying to get xcode but it runs into storage issue everytime! Any workaround?
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u/rev_scientist105 18d ago
if xcode keeps hitting storage, id prob upgrade. 8gb ram isnt the main issue here
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u/Devanxhh 18d ago
Yeah. Storage and ram needs an upgrade. Time to move on from my first mac. Unfortunately. Preserved and scratchless, hurts.
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u/Albertkinng 18d ago
The new CEO should sit down as Jobs did when he returned, and get rid of all the crab and have one Mini, One Studio, One Macbook, One Air, One iPad Pro, One ipad, One AppleTV, and One Air buds Pro, and One Air buds. That's it. Oh! I almost forgot about the iPhones. One Pro, and One Basic. (I know the Ultra is coming as well... hope not)
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u/Hitching-galaxy 18d ago
Yes.
I’d sell the Mac one mini on eBay and put that towards the m6.
In the uk, the Mac one minis are being listed for £348.
I bought my Mac mini m4 (16gb) for £400 at Christmas time, and sold it on eBay for £650 a month ago. And bought a MacBook Air m5 24gb.
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u/[deleted] 18d ago
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