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This might be your best opportunity yet to get a modern Mac desktop below sticker price while still having enough storage for everyday use. Amazon is selling the Mac mini M1 with a 512GB SSD at a record low of $750. That’s well under the official $899, and enough of a savings that you’ll have plenty of money for peripherals. Just note that it might arrive after Christmas if you’re buying it as a gift.
This Mac mini is still a capable desktop. It’s speedy for daily use and media editing tasks, and it should remain quiet even under more demanding workloads. It’s also the most practical desktop Mac if you either want to use your own monitor or have USB-A devices you aren’t ready to give up. Apple first pitched the Mac mini as an ideal gateway computer for newcomers to the platform, and that’s arguably true even today — you can bring your own peripherals and get started with little trouble.
There’s no denying that the Mac mini M1’s two-year-old design has its limitations. It won’t be as fast as newer computers, including Apple’s own Mac Studio, and the 8GB of RAM in this configuration isn’t ideal for heavy-duty use. You may also want to consider the iMac M1 if you like the simplicity of an all-in-one. At this price, though, it’s easier to justify over more recent Mac desktops if you either have your own peripherals or want some flexibility in your setup.
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