The first choice is perhaps the most difficult. Here’s what you need to know about how to configure your next iMac. You get the same high-quality 4.5K Retina display across every 24-inch iMac, too.įor everything else, though, you need to make some choices. That’s great news for simplicity, and its superb performance means even entry-level users get a sweet deal. No matter which version of the 24-inch iMac you buy, you get the same eight-core CPU integrated into the blazing-fast Apple M1 processor. The new iMac might be an attractive machine, but when you consider the alternative of Mac mini and dedicated screen, it doesn’t look that attractive at all. Separates allow you to replace each component when it needs replacing. And, of course, if something goes wrong with the iMac, you lose both screen and computer. Most people don’t hang on to computers for that long. Either the Dell or LG monitors mentioned above will likely last you a good five or more years. Your screen will far outlast the computing power too. It can sit purring away quietly in a corner, unlike the iMac. What’s more, your old M1 can be pressed into secondary duties, such as acting as a Time Machine backup. You can replace the computer bit and stick with your screen. If Apple releases an M2 or M3 Mac mini in the next couple of years that completely blows the performance of the M1 out of the water, then it’s a relatively cheap upgrade. The real benefit of separate Mac mini and screen, however, is that all your eggs aren’t in one basket. But then how much time do you spend gazing at the back of a monitor, especially if it’s flush against a wall? With a cheap attachment, you could even mount the Mac Mini to the back of the screen and effectively create an all-in-one, albeit an ungainly looking one. The footprint of pairing a Mac mini with a separate screen - even a bigger screen - really isn’t all that different from that of the new iMac.Īs Apple’s own marketing shots (above) show, it’s perfectly possible to have a neat desktop with the Mac mini. There’s no doubting the thinness and neatness of the new iMac, but when you’re talking about a desktop computer it’s really the overall footprint that matters.

The Mac mini with separate screen is still a neat package Apple

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