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forum thread Posted by jdri • Sep 5, 2023
forum thread Posted by jdri • Sep 5, 2023

Apple Mac mini (Early 2023) M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD $499 + Free Shipping at PC Richard & Son

$499

$599

16% off
PC Richard & Son
29 Comments 21,173 Views
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Not as amazing as the Apple education discount as there is no $100 Apple gift card, but for those who are not edu qualified, not bad.

https://www.pcrichard.com/apple-m...3LL-A.html
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About the Poster
Not as amazing as the Apple education discount as there is no $100 Apple gift card, but for those who are not edu qualified, not bad.

https://www.pcrichard.com/apple-m...3LL-A.html

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29 Comments

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Sep 6, 2023
1,038 Posts
Joined Nov 2012
Sep 6, 2023
whiskershire_sauce
Sep 6, 2023
1,038 Posts
Quote from chuck4rooke :
My question is not what I'm doing with it today, but 5-10 years from now. I have a late 2012 mac mini that I was able to bring back to life by adding some RAM several years ago. But I can't with this model. It makes me want to just buy a used 2018 so I can at least upgrade it when I want.
the m chips, it's all soldered together there's no upgrade path at all. u can technically use external ssd, but eh..

nowadays, the way apps are design, theyre gonna chew into cpu and ram more, eventually cpu bottleneck rest of performance..

i have faith in/hope the m chips to last ~5 years, by then just sell it or trade it in for a newer machine
1
Sep 7, 2023
3,044 Posts
Joined Dec 2006
Sep 7, 2023
sshlyk
Sep 7, 2023
3,044 Posts
It is a desktop computer. 8gb for a desktop computer is nothing
1
Pro
Sep 8, 2023
6,368 Posts
Joined Sep 2014
Sep 8, 2023
MostBased
Pro
Sep 8, 2023
6,368 Posts
Quote from chuck4rooke :
How future proof will this thing be with only 8 GB RAM with no option to upgrade?
Not very. The low RAM is compensated for by the SSD using virtual memory, which reduces the lifespan of the SSD.

This means we're buying another one in 3-5 years after the soldered SSD dies.
Last edited by SlickSmiles September 7, 2023 at 07:55 PM.
2
Sep 8, 2023
5,738 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
Sep 8, 2023
dclive
Sep 8, 2023
5,738 Posts
Quote from SlickSmiles :
Not very. The low RAM is compensated for by the SSD using virtual memory, which reduces the lifespan of the SSD.

This means we're buying another one in 3-5 years after the soldered SSD dies.
Or, spend a lot less, and you can easily afford to upgrade this machine long before 5 years comes by, or even 10 years when there's a what, maybe 1% chance the SSD dies due to this mythical "wear" issue youtubers hypothesize about.
Last edited by dclive September 8, 2023 at 07:08 AM.
Sep 8, 2023
68 Posts
Joined Jan 2018
Sep 8, 2023
barthezzko
Sep 8, 2023
68 Posts
Quote from nicedog :
then you should get this, it'll change your life
I have 16gb air m1, and I love it. It's sleek and pretty fast. For a mobile machine you just can't beat it. For desktop - I picked an intel nuc with 12700 and maxed out ram to 64gb for $100 and thrown in Samsung 2tb 980pro for $80. That is one of a machine I'd have to tell you. And I need CPU and RAM - IntelliJ Idea and WebDev/Java are resource hungry - I can definitely tell the difference. TLDR: for laptop - Apple silicon with serious RAM amount, for desktop - it's reasonable to buy one of last intels and put whichever ram and ssd you want. Also Apple Silicon GPU is really impressive for mobile, but probably not as performant as recent dedicated GPUs from nvidia or arc.
Sep 8, 2023
1,214 Posts
Joined Dec 2013
Sep 8, 2023
techbuff
Sep 8, 2023
1,214 Posts
Quote from dclive :
But note that in the USA, Apple doesn't enforce Edu Store purchases. Yes, you have to state you are in Edu program (there are a few stipulations), but if you can ethically click that, you can get a M2 Mini for $499 and get a $100 gift card.

Better for many, you can also configure it with 16GB, and get the same $100 gift card.

That, particularly the ability to configure it AND get both discounts, is compelling.
I don't see an option to upgrade the 8gb to 16gb on the site. There is no configuration update option… next option is to select mac mini w 16gb for 1199$
1
Sep 8, 2023
15,447 Posts
Joined Feb 2005
Sep 8, 2023
thund3rcat
Sep 8, 2023
15,447 Posts
Quote from techbuff :
I don't see an option to upgrade the 8gb to 16gb on the site. There is no configuration update option… next option is to select mac mini w 16gb for 1199$
You're not looking at the right place :
https://www.apple.com/us-edu/shop...-gpu-256gb

+$180 for 16GB

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Sep 8, 2023
198 Posts
Joined Nov 2016
Sep 8, 2023
olafaloofian
Sep 8, 2023
198 Posts
Glad to see some common sense surrounding the 8GB memory in this post. You 100% want to upgrade it to 16GB if you're going to use this for more than just surfing the web on a few browser tabs 👌
2
Sep 9, 2023
5,300 Posts
Joined Mar 2005
Sep 9, 2023
TowHead
Sep 9, 2023
5,300 Posts
Quote from chuck4rooke :
My question is not what I'm doing with it today, but 5-10 years from now. I have a late 2012 mac mini that I was able to bring back to life by adding some RAM several years ago. But I can't with this model. It makes me want to just buy a used 2018 so I can at least upgrade it when I want.
I upgraded to a 2018 because my 2012 was starting to always crawl on websites. Slow all around. I found a bto 2018 i7 64gb 1tb on Mercari and paid 400 after tax. And it flies, added windows 10 to it and it will bootcamp into either os. Can't do that with the m series. I tried the Costco m1 studio deal and don't really notice anything better about it than the 2018, but I do notice the $2k savings lolz!! Bought be an ekornes stressless chair with the difference !!!
1
Sep 9, 2023
45 Posts
Joined Nov 2017
Sep 9, 2023
jdoe845
Sep 9, 2023
45 Posts
M3 Mac minis are hopefully around the corner. If you can hold out the m2s should go lower. I myself am hoping to find a M1 for <$299
2
Sep 10, 2023
5,738 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
Sep 10, 2023
dclive
Sep 10, 2023
5,738 Posts
Quote from jdoe845 :
M3 Mac minis are hopefully around the corner. If you can hold out the m2s should go lower. I myself am hoping to find a M1 for <$299
Current speculation is no M3 until 2024. How long to wait for an unknown amount of performance jump, given you can get a $399 Mac Mini right now, and you can easily add RAM to it for a very good price, right now?
Oct 7, 2023
23 Posts
Joined Aug 2020
Oct 7, 2023
PilotDillon
Oct 7, 2023
23 Posts
Quote from dclive :
Current speculation is no M3 until 2024. How long to wait for an unknown amount of performance jump, given you can get a $399 Mac Mini right now, and you can easily add RAM to it for a very good price, right now?
How do I get it for $399? I'm seeing $499 on the EDU site with no mention of gift card.
Oct 7, 2023
5,738 Posts
Joined Mar 2008
Oct 7, 2023
dclive
Oct 7, 2023
5,738 Posts
Quote from SkillfulShape167 :
How do I get it for $399? I'm seeing $499 on the EDU site with no mention of gift card.
G.C incentive is over.
Nov 23, 2023
14,457 Posts
Joined Jul 2006
Nov 23, 2023
ben_r_
Nov 23, 2023
14,457 Posts
Still this price at B&H too.

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