Amazon[amazon.com] has Apple Mac Mini Desktop w/ M4 Chip, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $549 - $49.01 when you 'clip' the coupon on product page = $499.99. Shipping is free.
This collaborative space allows users to contribute additional information, tips, and insights to enhance the original deal post. Feel free to share your knowledge and help fellow shoppers make informed decisions.
Amazon[amazon.com] has Apple Mac Mini Desktop w/ M4 Chip, 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD for $549 - $49.01 when you 'clip' the coupon on product page = $499.99. Shipping is free.
Doesn't sound terrible. Thanks for that info. All Apple products have similar support timelines don't they?
I want to say the iPhone X/Xs from a mobile device standpoint just fell out of support and it was launched in 2017. macOS tends to be supported longer, especially on the newer chipset but it's only 5 years old right now and there isn't much in terms of software upgrades other than the apple intelligence stuff that would require newer chips. My wife has a 2020 M1 Macbook Air and it's just as good now as it was the day she got it. Even if the next macOS version comes out and it doesn't run on her computer, she can still use the existing OS version for years afterwards.
Hell, I have a G3 powerbook from 2000 that runs 10.5 (we're already up to 10.15, about to launch 16) and other than browser support not working for some sites, the laptop still runs.
How does it destroy? I love that apple finally decided to give base models a reasonable 16 gb. This is a good deal.The m4 is uses Arm technology similar to Windows Snapdragon.I find most people are happiest staying with what they are most familiar with .
Apple only gave the base models 16GB because that is the minimum requirement for their new AI to work. Otherwise, they'd still start at 8GB.
BB price matched and I'm 80 miles away from MC. Had to pick it up in store though.
I have a M.C. near me but price matched with B.B. with fast delivery.
Was worried about the 256 but it has not been bad at all. Mostly Apps Installed and keep large amount of data on a thunderbolt external 4TB.
So far working well!
Used to be Windows 100% and despised Mac. Found used M1 Pro MBP for $500 locally and thought I'd give it a shot. Wow, not even close once you figure out the OS. Short list of where Mac dominates that I've observed:
Running Plex for years on a pretty high powered gaming desktop and buffering would take several seconds on some of the higher res videos. Not with Mac (base m4 Mac mini). Near instant.
Power management is way better on Mac. On my MBP I can close the lid and it has power days later. Hit or miss on PC. Open it right up and it's immediately ready to use. On a pc laptop good luck.
Sound on MBP is better than any other laptop. Also the sound from the Mac mini speaker is decent.
Near silent operation on both mini and MBP. PC desktop or laptops typically run fans pretty noisy.
From someone that was a fierce defender of PC for all of my adult life, I converted and I'm really annoyed with having to use a PC for work.
Similar story on my part. Windows user since 3.1, dabbled in Mac a bit but wasn't a big fan. Had to give up PC gaming due to a repetitive stress injury and bought a base model M2 Air because I was curious about Apple Silicone.
It's been my daily driver ever since, and I agree with your comments on sound, silent operation, and power management. Build quality is also really impressive, I've owned gaming laptops that retail for 30% more that feel flimsy in comparison.
I keep a maxed out T14 dual booting Win10 and Arch for some niche hobbyist stuff, but the Air gets used probably 95% of the time.
These computers are excellent, but let's address the elephant in the room - WHY CAN'T APPLE DESIGN MAC OS TO DISPLAY WELL ON NON-4K/5K SCREENS. NOBODY HAS A SCREEN LIKE THAT (yes, tech people do, and sure, I do, but the random person does not have a 4k monitor!). PEOPLE BUY THESE COMPUTERS AND THEN RETURN THEM BECAUSE THEY LOOK LIKE TRASH ON A TYPICAL 1080P SCREEN.
No lie, I bought this for my kids, and they endlessly complain that the text looks fuzzy and they think its cheap. They literally default to windows because windows, quite plainly, looks better on any display that is 500 dollars and cheaper. And nobody is going to buy a monitor for 500 bucks unless they use it professionally. I have doctor friends that have gone out and bought this computer and returned it immediately because it looked like trash on the monitors they had, and instead picked up a windows desktop to use at home.
It literally is not that hard to create a version of subpixel rendering that works well on every screen, and detects the resolution of screen you have. Apple literally just transitioned computer architectures. They have the money and time and engineers to make this shit look good even on the shittiest of screens. As it is now, nobody is buying these because you can't even hook it up to a display and make it look good, unless you install third party software, which is besides the point.
2
1
5
Like
Helpful
Funny
Not helpful
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
It's generally just going to be a smoother, more hitch-free experience for virtually everyone than your average windows PC at/around this price. The base M4 has plenty of CPU/GPU headroom to spare, even for some heavier users.It's also significantly more power efficient than your average desktop PC - running more like 2-4W vs ~50-100W+ during real-world idle usage, ranging from 25-50x more efficient.
Even when I was in middle school, 30 years ago, I loved pc for video games (classic doom!). Mac was known for its productivity and user interface. Today, iPad have that same difference for education. For educational needs I prefer Apple. But for video games I go to PC to tinker and mess around. Apple is doubling on education (ie apps for such). They include gaming but in a modest sense, as to be relevant but not their primary aim. PC was cool when it had no ecosystem. Thats changing a bit. So mac have always been known for software over hardware. To do this, they have to streamline their hardwares. That could be why it's more efficient. Other platforms allow so much hardware variation that the coding for such a pool becomes equivalently messy.
Right. Why people say it feels like more is because macOS does a great job managing memory usage to where you don't feel any lag/delay in memory swap, and most of that changed when they moved to the M chips.
16gb on the old intel chipset? Garbage.
16gb on the apple silicon? Perfectly fine for 90% of uses.
Anyone who says otherwise has very specific uses that require memory and guess what? You're free to upgrade to what you need.
Right. Why people say it feels like more is because macOS does a great job managing memory usage to where you don't feel any lag/delay in memory swap, and most of that changed when they moved to the M chips.16gb on the old intel chipset? Garbage.16gb on the apple silicon? Perfectly fine for 90% of uses.Anyone who says otherwise has very specific uses that require memory and guess what? You're free to upgrade to what you need.
it's 2025 i've had 32 gigs since 2016 and i only do budget builds 🤣
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
86 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Hell, I have a G3 powerbook from 2000 that runs 10.5 (we're already up to 10.15, about to launch 16) and other than browser support not working for some sites, the laptop still runs.
Was worried about the 256 but it has not been bad at all. Mostly Apps Installed and keep large amount of data on a thunderbolt external 4TB.
So far working well!
Running Plex for years on a pretty high powered gaming desktop and buffering would take several seconds on some of the higher res videos. Not with Mac (base m4 Mac mini). Near instant.
Power management is way better on Mac. On my MBP I can close the lid and it has power days later. Hit or miss on PC. Open it right up and it's immediately ready to use. On a pc laptop good luck.
Sound on MBP is better than any other laptop. Also the sound from the Mac mini speaker is decent.
Near silent operation on both mini and MBP. PC desktop or laptops typically run fans pretty noisy.
From someone that was a fierce defender of PC for all of my adult life, I converted and I'm really annoyed with having to use a PC for work.
It's been my daily driver ever since, and I agree with your comments on sound, silent operation, and power management. Build quality is also really impressive, I've owned gaming laptops that retail for 30% more that feel flimsy in comparison.
I keep a maxed out T14 dual booting Win10 and Arch for some niche hobbyist stuff, but the Air gets used probably 95% of the time.
No lie, I bought this for my kids, and they endlessly complain that the text looks fuzzy and they think its cheap. They literally default to windows because windows, quite plainly, looks better on any display that is 500 dollars and cheaper. And nobody is going to buy a monitor for 500 bucks unless they use it professionally. I have doctor friends that have gone out and bought this computer and returned it immediately because it looked like trash on the monitors they had, and instead picked up a windows desktop to use at home.
It literally is not that hard to create a version of subpixel rendering that works well on every screen, and detects the resolution of screen you have. Apple literally just transitioned computer architectures. They have the money and time and engineers to make this shit look good even on the shittiest of screens. As it is now, nobody is buying these because you can't even hook it up to a display and make it look good, unless you install third party software, which is besides the point.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
16gb on the old intel chipset? Garbage.
16gb on the apple silicon? Perfectly fine for 90% of uses.
Anyone who says otherwise has very specific uses that require memory and guess what? You're free to upgrade to what you need.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!