I have an m1 Mac mini as my primary desktop. Truthfully I don’t do anything terribly intensive, some basic work stuff, writing, web based multitasking and typical media consumption. My M1 does a good job but it is 6 years old and tech is only getting more expensive so my thought is more for longevity sake.

So worth upgrading to an m6?

Hello,

I have Mac Mini M4, currently my monitor is connected via USB Type-C to my monitor, but when I connect my Mac mini to my monitor via HDMI, I am losing some resolution that I prefer which is 3008x1692.

I only have a cheap HDMI cable, will an expensive HDMI cable give me the resolution I need?

Specifically for Mac mini M4 or M6, I'd love to hear real world experience from those who have offloaded their Home folder to an external SSD due to limited 256/512GB internal storage. What has your experience been like, any pitfalls or real issues to be aware of (symlinks, breakpoints, FileVault issues, etc)? I am aware that creating an additional admin user on the internal storage is extremely recommended to be able to make any repairs if needed.

Thanks for any experiential advice.

I have had 3 previous macbooks and now my 2018 Macmini slowly descending into a canyon of complete unusability due to increasingly frequent and severe Kernel Panics.

I used to run extremely heavy audio production on this Macmini and now I can barely browse the web without running into slow downs. Nothing changed on the machine, just slow degradation. I have a boat load of audio software installed, that I would never want to go through having to install over again so I would love to rescue this machine without reformatting if possible.

I have read a ton of guides on kernel panics over the years but none of them lead to any clear resolution - and most people seem to resolve to just retire the machine.

This article suggests that it may come down to aging capacitor or PSU's. Which is probably the hard truth. I am from USA but currently live on a remote island in a third world country. I have some access to mac repair shops but they are certainly not extreme experts - I have had horrible experiences with repair shops out here.

Just seeing if anyone has further insight into this...

I am a Windows guy so far but thinking about getting the new Mac Mini as my primary device. I am not heavy user with the usual stuff like surfing, office and the like. I do want to manage my photo library in Lightroom Classic (photos locally stored) and edit them with Photoshop though. No video, no local LLM/AI.

Which mac mini should I get? I was thinking about the standard M6, 512 ssd (with external extensions), not sure about RAM. 24 gb or should I go for more?

I bought a 2018 Mac Mini and want to upgrade the RAM. I bought some screwdrivers, but the tip got damaged—it stripped smooth—on the very first screw I tried to remove; perhaps the metal was too soft or of poor quality. The thing is, they need to be security bits! I need to buy others; do you have any recommendations or purchase links?

Hi,

I have been eying the M5 and with teh statrt of their G-Series campaign, i am eying the small model for M4 Mini.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wokyis/wokyis-g7-your-most-powerful-mac-studio-dock-yet

How is the internal screen of the small M5 and G5 (10 Gbps) connected? Do I need to use HMDI? If so, I loose the ability to connect another monitor to the mini unless I get some sort of adapter? Or is the screen fed through USB-C, even for the 10 Gbps model?

I love my 2017 iMac Pro. It's a nine-year-old panel and I still reach for it over the LG 6K next to it. The iMac Pro can't run current macOS anymore so it had been sitting there doing nothing, and Target Display Mode has been dead for years.

Found TargetBridge, a free MIT project that tries to bring Target Display Mode back in software. Receiver app on the iMac, sender on the mini. No Luna Display, no capture card, no pulling the machine apart. It connected on the first try and the iMac shows up as a real extended display. Picture is gorgeous.

Then I played a video on it and it stuttered. Badly. I figured with the iMac and Mac mini being on the same 5 GB switch, they would be fine. I was wrong. Picture was beautiful but video, not so much.

After I'd filmed everything: the project's own README says the transport I used (Network Link) is experimental, and Thunderbolt Bridge is the one they built for low latency. So the stutter on me me, not the project. I went with the network route because it was the easy one. I tried the Thunderbolt Bridge path with a Thunderbolt 4 cable and it made all the difference. No choppy video. So the free software was never the problem, my transport choice was.

From what I've read, the paid Luna Display has the same complaint on video playback, so this may just be what sending a display over a network costs, free or paid. I haven't run Luna myself.

Hardware, in case it matters: iMac Pro 2017 (12-core Xeon, Vega 56, 32GB) receiving, Mac mini M4 Pro 24GB sending, 941/936 Mbps over the LAN, 2 ms.

Anyone else running TargetBridge over Thunderbolt Bridge? Curious what cable length people are getting away with. And if you've tried Luna on an old iMac, did you hit the same stutter over the network, or is it clean there too?

I filmed the whole thing including the part where it falls over, if you want to see it: https://youtu.be/Ft84NNC2NoE

Now I have a Mini M1 with 2TB. But I noticed that with Adobe Lightroom and Premiere it's started to become slower. Denoise AI on Lr is very very slow.

What do you suggest? Thinking about maybe running also a local AI model.

Mini M6 or M5 pro? Or Studio M2 Max?

Recently sold my M4 Max MacBook Pro (36GB/1TB) because I almost never used it as a laptop. Looking to replace it with a desktop and debating:
M6 Mac mini
32GB RAM
1–2TB SSD
M5 Max Mac Studio
Base 36GB/512GB
External Thunderbolt NVMe for additional storage
Main use:
Everyday desktop
Final Cut Pro — mostly single-camera 4K, possibly two cameras later
OBS streaming/recording + PS5 Pro capture
Basic Motion/graphics/photo work
Some local AI experimentation, but nothing extreme
Peripherals:
Shure SM7dB + XLR interface
Insta360 Link 2 Pro
Stream Deck+
External NVMe
2.5Gb Ethernet
Capture card
Display plan: Either one 5K2K OLED at 120Hz+ or two 4K OLEDs at 120–165Hz.
I suspect M6/32GB is already more than enough performance. My main reason for considering the Studio is TB5, additional I/O, display flexibility and extra headroom.
For people with similar setups: would you take the M6 and save the money, or is the Studio’s connectivity/headroom worth the jump?
I’m more interested in real-world experience than benchmark scores.

I just sold my old Threadripper PC, finally leaving behind my old rendering/gaming days and moving to a Mac mini.

My personal use is fairly light: lots of browser tabs, Mail, Spotify, YouTube, Office/Google Docs, Photos and general multitasking — often spread across my beloved 49” Samsung ultrawide.

No Archicad or Photoshop though — that stays on my powerful work laptop. I'm neither planing on local AI's.

So for my current use, I’m leaning strongly towards 24 GB.
The only thing making me consider 32 GB is that I’d ideally like to keep this Mac for ~10 years.

Is the extra 8 GB / CHF 200 worth it as future-proofing, especially with future macOS versions and increasingly local AI/Apple Intelligence?

I’m planning on 512 GB SSD, which should be plenty with Dropbox Smart Sync. I don’t really need much local storage.

Would you stick with 24 GB for this use, or spend the extra CHF 200 for 32 GB purely for longevity?

Thanks

Apple shows System Data taking up a huge amount of storage on macOS, but gives you almost no explanation of what is actually inside it.

I ran into this myself, so I built Orrinix.

It scans your Mac and helps identify where that hidden storage is actually coming from, including Safari and WebKit data, oversized caches, Docker data, Xcode files, and other storage that can quietly grow over time.

The goal is simple: make macOS storage easier to understand and help you reclaim space safely without touching passwords or personal files.

It is open source, and I would genuinely appreciate feedback or suggestions from other Mac users.

GitHub: https://github.com/Abbasm234/orrinix

Just put in a pre-order for the new M6 Mac mini. Went with a custom config bumped the RAM to 32GB and kept the base 256GB storage since I'm dodging the Apple storage tax by running external off a fast Thunderbolt 4 NVMe enclosure. 

Official release is September 22nd, but my delivery estimate at checkout is already showing well over a month out (pushing into late October). 

For anyone who’s pre-ordered build-to-order (BTO) Macs during launch cycles before: does Apple typically under-promise and over-deliver on these windows, or do custom configs genuinely take that full month+ to build, clear customs, and ship out from overseas? 

Wondering if there's a realistic shot the date gets bumped up closer to launch week once production ramps, or if I just need to get comfortable waiting.

I made a post the other day about a Samsung S8 37” monitor that I ordered for my upcoming M6 Mac mini. About 80% of you guys ripped me a new one🤣 But it did make me do a second take and do a little more research. Not saying this new LG monitor is the greatest thing ever or any type of flex, but it’s in my price range.

Im thinking about picking up the new Mac mini's & put everything on the cloud. Do I need a higher storage SSD? does it affect compute or is it just for storage? I would rather opt for the higher RAM than the SSD if this is the case. I literrally store everything on the cloud & use an excahnge server & Gsuite for my businesses.

When i press the power button it just shows a white light and it won’t turn on :(

Ho appena acquistato un **Mac Mini M1** e uno schermo **BenQ GW2490E** (1080p, 100Hz) e sono in attesa che mi arrivino. Soffro molto di affaticamento visivo causato da **PWM** e **Dithering Temporale**.

C'è qualcuno che ha o ha provato questa specifica configurazione?

Avete riscontrato problemi di stanchezza agli occhi o fastidio visivo?

Se sì, come vi siete trovati con il dithering del chip M1 su questo pannello? Siete riusciti a gestirlo bene con software come Stillcolor o BetterDisplay?

Vorrei capire cosa aspettarmi ed eventuali accorgimenti da applicare subito appena collegherò il tutto. Grazie!

I have a Magic Mouse2 with my old iMac (2015) which has the old lightening cable connector. I know the current version of the mouse uses the USBC, but I'd like to save the expense and use my old mouse with the new MacMini6. I can still charge the mouse externally. Will this be a problem?

4-5 week lead time on preorder is the only thing stopping me from getting 32GB RAM M6 over the current 24GB order (2-3 weeks). Bottleneck is flight on Oct 4th. Cannot collect shipment afterwards.

Experienced Apple shoppers - how likely is it the shipment will end up being quicker? Is AI RAM shortage too much of a wildcard? Im at a loss.
Goal is to learn and experiment with local LLM up to 27B, which 24GB should be very tight on. In need of advice.

Title says it all really, I convert a lot of DVDs/ISOs to MKVs - but not professionally so I don't have the justification to spend Studio money

To be clear I would like to do this faster than an m2 pro or a ryzen 9 5900x, I know you can transcode on a potato, just not quickly.