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expiredLaotzu3 posted Mar 03, 2023 11:16 PM
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expiredLaotzu3 posted Mar 03, 2023 11:16 PM

Select Costco Stores: Apple Mac Mini: M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD (Late 2020 Model)

(In-Store Only)

$400

$599

33% off
Costco Wholesale
341 Comments 204,518 Views
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Deal Details
Select Costco Wholesale Stores (link for reference only) [store locator] offer Costco Members: Apple Mac Mini Compact Computer w/ Apple M1 Chip (Late 2020 Model, MGNR3LL/A) on closeout for $399.97 valid for In-Store Purchase Only where stock permits (request item # 1486314).

Thanks to community member Laotzu3 for finding this deal.
  • Note: Inventory availability nay vary by location.

Specs:
  • Apple M1 Octa-Core Processor (4x high-performance + 4x high-efficiency)
  • 8-Core Integrated GPU
  • 8GB RAM (onboard)
  • 256GB Integrated NVMe PCIe Solid State Drive
  • 802.11ax WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0
  • Ports:
    • 2x USB Type-A (USB 3.1 / USB 3.2 Gen 1)
    • 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB Type C (supports DisplayPort / HDMI / VGA & Power Delivery)
    • 1x HDMI 2.0 (output)
    • 1x 3.5 mm Headphone
    • 1x Ethernet

Editor's Notes

Written by RevOne | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Offer valid at participating locations while supplies last.
  • Ratings & Reviews:
    • Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 1,423 customer reviews.
  • Additional Note:
    • Please refer to the Forum Thread for further discussion regarding this deal.

Original Post

Written by Laotzu3
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Select Costco Wholesale Stores (link for reference only) [store locator] offer Costco Members: Apple Mac Mini Compact Computer w/ Apple M1 Chip (Late 2020 Model, MGNR3LL/A) on closeout for $399.97 valid for In-Store Purchase Only where stock permits (request item # 1486314).

Thanks to community member Laotzu3 for finding this deal.
  • Note: Inventory availability nay vary by location.

Specs:
  • Apple M1 Octa-Core Processor (4x high-performance + 4x high-efficiency)
  • 8-Core Integrated GPU
  • 8GB RAM (onboard)
  • 256GB Integrated NVMe PCIe Solid State Drive
  • 802.11ax WiFi 6 / Bluetooth 5.0
  • Ports:
    • 2x USB Type-A (USB 3.1 / USB 3.2 Gen 1)
    • 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB Type C (supports DisplayPort / HDMI / VGA & Power Delivery)
    • 1x HDMI 2.0 (output)
    • 1x 3.5 mm Headphone
    • 1x Ethernet

Editor's Notes

Written by RevOne | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Offer valid at participating locations while supplies last.
  • Ratings & Reviews:
    • Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars based on 1,423 customer reviews.
  • Additional Note:
    • Please refer to the Forum Thread for further discussion regarding this deal.

Original Post

Written by Laotzu3

Community Voting

Deal Score
+124
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Top Comments

Laotzu3
16 Posts
58 Reputation
According to most reports M2 is 20% faster but it's disk access is 50% slower while the price is 33% more.

To get disk access on par with M1 you need to pay $200 to upgrade to 512gb ($799 or $699)
Laotzu3
16 Posts
58 Reputation
Recent mac's are not upgradeable in either ram or sdd unfortunately.
chi
6243 Posts
1380 Reputation
There's a slow SSD controversy on the M2 base models. The M1 base models have 2 SSDs while the M2 base models have only 1 SSD so there can be data bottlenecks.

https://youtu.be/bF_Lbdqfowo

341 Comments

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Mar 07, 2023 10:19 PM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 07, 2023 10:19 PM
6,118 Posts
Quote from OGSDER :
I Hackintoshed several computers before to tinker around with, but I wouldn't use them for work or even personal use. A M1 MacBook Air can get had for <$800 and this M1 Mini for $400. Why deal with all the frustration? Certain WiFi cards wouldn't work, dealing with kexts and etc. I love tinkering with tech, but time isn't free and its worth it to not deal with being frustrated.
Why? Speed reasons, particularly if you game and want a fast GPU. Or because it's free because you already bought the hardware.
Mar 08, 2023 12:43 AM
3,259 Posts
Joined May 2020
HE1Mar 08, 2023 12:43 AM
3,259 Posts
Quote from dclive :
So you sat down, got iStat Menus up, and copied some files around, and that's what you saw?

Or are you just quoting benchmarks back to me?
These are my general speeds posted. I watch my transfer speeds during every file extraction.
Mar 08, 2023 12:58 AM
3,259 Posts
Joined May 2020
HE1Mar 08, 2023 12:58 AM
3,259 Posts
Quote from Cujobob :
Percentage wise, sure, but in reality - no. The SSD is only 256 Gb to start with, so any file size being transferred to the drive will be of a limited size. Additionally, how much time is actually saved in a workflow by doubling that speed? It's really a nonfactor. Anyone doing "serious" professional work isn't using a base level Mac Mini.
Considering my file sizes range from 4gb up to 16gb, some 100+. Since I move files daily, it's definitely noticeable. I'm sure the M2 512 is fine, but the 256 single chip keeps throttling during my work flow. My test/results are real world use.
1
Mar 08, 2023 01:06 AM
79 Posts
Joined Apr 2012
phantasm986Mar 08, 2023 01:06 AM
79 Posts
Quote from CompilerBreak :
Soldered, but on the mini I've heard an external nvme works pretty well to expand storage, look into those.
NVMe works well unless you are running Ventura. Long thread on macrumors about degraded performance.
Mar 08, 2023 01:08 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:08 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from OGSDER :
"For Mac computers with the Apple M1 Chip: You can connect a single external display to your Mac. Docks don't increase the number of displays you can connect. On a Mac mini with M1 chip, you can connect a second display to the HDMI port. See the Apple Support article Mac computers with Apple silicon."

https://support.apple.com/guide/m...7ebe08/mac
Yes, and I think everyone's aware DisplayLink works around all this. If you want more screens, it's not hard.
Mar 08, 2023 01:14 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:14 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from ElatedHealth6110 :
Thanks for the reply. I've never heard of an Intel Box. Can you provide a link to one costing $200 that will work as a Plex server? I searched on amazon and the least expensive one I could find was $319.
https://www.amazon.com/Dell-Optip...02&sr=1-20

Here's one that's close; 7th gen for $249. You can find others in similar price range. QuickSync is what you're looking for; I suggest 6th gen or later; 8th gen gives a nice speed bump.
Pro
Mar 08, 2023 01:16 AM
1,368 Posts
Joined Mar 2009
kgorilla
Pro
Mar 08, 2023 01:16 AM
1,368 Posts
Quote from dclive :
Yes, and I think everyone's aware DisplayLink works around all this. If you want more screens, it's not hard.
It's not hard it's just disappointing at this price point like a brand new car where the driver door won't open, you just get in the passenger side, pretty lame.
1

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Mar 08, 2023 01:19 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:19 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from HappyDome8591 :
I'm aware of that benchmark. It is valuable information. But also know that people don't just have 1 instance of XCode open and run compiles all day. People also go on the internet with a few tabs to do research and monitor a few chat apps and occasionally drop in a meeting in the browser. Compile is very occasional (perhaps no more than 5 minutes of the hour on my slow machine, which can be made into 2 minutes with M1). It is difficult to really benchmark real world use cases.
It would be interesting to run that benchmark, then open a bunch of browser tabs and go to town on the web and then see how much that impacts the compile experience.

Quote :
Indeed, when running with light memory load, the M1 CPUs are great, and even with moderate memory loads, the disk swapping is fast enough to keep up with most tasks. But there is indeed wear on the SSD, which again would be hard to determine to what extend that would be an issue given a workload.
Do we have reports of a high failure rate of any Apple gear related to SSDs, or is this fearmongering based on a hypothetical situation that may or may not happen, but was last an issue in 2008 or so when SSDs were far less proven? Oh, not a loaded response at all! Smilie

Quote :
When memory is plenty, disk read and write is cached in empty memory, so even if your normal disk speed isn't high (like the M2 256GB models), it well appear snappier than the numbers suggest. Again a disk copy benchmark will not tell you that. It will also minimize SSD wear because not all writes are immediately written.
Random IO is the figure you're quoting now, and that's about the same amongst all the models, so the difference should be about nil.

Quote :
I'm well aware of the M1 benefits. But I've determined the drawback of the 8GB machine is too painful. I would even go the extra mile to the 24GB while I'm willing to keep the storage at 256GB and do most of my work on an external SSD. I'm not copying 50GB files every 10 minutes for fun, so I expect the practical speed of the external SSD to be sufficient when compared to the faster internal storage.
Have yuu sat down and USED an M1 Mac mini for a week, to try it? I suspect (like everyone else who owns one) you might be pleasantly surprised. I used to be in the "cram all the RAM you can into your iMac" club too, and 16 or 32GB of RAM was my first purchase on any new iMac.
Mar 08, 2023 01:20 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:20 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from kgorilla :
It's not hard it's just disappointing at this price point like a brand new car where the driver door won't open, you just get in the passenger side, pretty lame.
Yes, because it's exactly that same situation. Smilie
Mar 08, 2023 01:20 AM
72 Posts
Joined Feb 2023
PurpleHose3498Mar 08, 2023 01:20 AM
72 Posts
Quote from SiennaDeer7003 :
not sure if that's a good deal since I can buy the M2 for 499 with my educational discount. i guess if someone really needs one they can get.
More general comparison 599 for those without the discount.
Mar 08, 2023 01:21 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:21 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from HE1 :
Considering my file sizes range from 4gb up to 16gb, some 100+. Since I move files daily, it's definitely noticeable. I'm sure the M2 512 is fine, but the 256 single chip keeps throttling during my work flow. My test/results are real world use.
Great! Real world data! What throttling, and how does it manifest, and how are you measuring?
Mar 08, 2023 01:25 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:25 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from klingon_master :
How does the graphics on these computers compared to a PC with a Nvidia or AMD video card? This seems like a real good deal for a Mac Mini if you can accept the fact you won't be able to upgrade anything. I have an HP computer with a AMD Ryzen 5 2400G and the benchmark score is about 40% lower than the Apple M1 CPU.
In order to understand the Ux (speed) I'd look at single core performance (as that's what you will interact with for most day to day things); the difference (at least until 12th-13th gen Intel) is startling.

Compare that and the M1 / M2 do very well.
Mar 08, 2023 01:25 AM
6,118 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
dcliveMar 08, 2023 01:25 AM
6,118 Posts
Quote from PurpleHose3498 :
More general comparison 599 for those without the discount.
Anyone can get it. Is there a downside to that?
1
Mar 08, 2023 01:28 AM
217 Posts
Joined Jun 2020
OrangeCemetery2327Mar 08, 2023 01:28 AM
217 Posts
Quote from ElatedHealth6110 :
Will it work as a Plex server? I've never owned an Apple product.
Yes. But if that's all you want it for, a cheap used i5 PC will do it better for $200. Intel QuickSync works great for hardware-based transcodes.

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Mar 08, 2023 02:24 AM
265 Posts
Joined May 2014
EricSieversMar 08, 2023 02:24 AM
265 Posts
Bought one to learn more the current Mac OS, as well as being able to upgrade. Hoping to get Linux running on it with the new support. Figure in a year or two still will be able to sell this for $250 / $300 used.

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