Wait, has Apple killed the big iMac?
A few years ago, if you wanted to get a decent mid-range Mac desktop experience, you would
buy this 27-inch iMac.
Starting at $1,800 it came with a large, crisp and colorful 5K display, desktop-class core
i5 processor, discrete graphics, and even user-upgradable memory.
Now though, it's gone, and the beautiful iMacs they do sell aren't comparable.
What is is the new Mac Mini, which is now the least expensive way to get the much more
powerful M2 Pro processor. However, this doesn't come with any peripherals, so if you want to set up like the old iMac,
you're going to have to shell out over $3,000.
That's disappointing, but I have a clever solution, and part of that solution is an
awesome monitor from ASUS who's sponsoring this video.
Let's talk about that new powerful Mac Mini. In a previous video, we already determined that the base vanilla M2 model is great for
average people, so long as they're not a gamer.
At $600, it's a great deal. However, if you want any more oomph, you're going to have to pay more than twice that.
Because the M2 Pro powered Mac Mini costs $1,300, despite this, it does represent a less expensive
way to get what is the most dramatic performance jump in the range.
For people with CPU intensive tasks, the M2 Pro makes a big difference.
To export a collection of 100 RAW photos on the $600 M2 Mini, it takes 1 minute and 12
seconds. A base M2 powered MacBook Pro does it in 34 seconds, and a fully upgraded M2 Pro Mac
Mini will do it in only 20 seconds. I can't even heat up my coffee in that time.
It's a similar story in my DaVinci export 2, and it's why I recommend the M2 Pro powered
Mac Pro as the most balanced Mac available.
At $2,000, it does cost more than that old iMac does, and it doesn't provide any of
the benefits of a desktop setup. So you're still going to have to shell out for all of this.
That $1,800 iMac was a bit of a cut price model.
It only came with 8GB of RAM and 250GB of storage.
So you could argue that spec-wise, it's closer to the cheapest Mac Mini.
But back then, $400 would upgrade the CPU, RAM, and SSD to the same level as the M2 Pro.
At $2,200, that's a full $1,000 less than the Mac Mini with a Studio Display Magic Mouse
and keyboard. Compared to the old iMac, the M2 Pro powered Mac Mini looks to be a bad deal then.
But I think I can tweak this setup to bring the price back down to earth, and the first
order of business is the monitor.
The Studio Display is $1,600. Sure, it's nice, but I wouldn't spend that much of my own money on it.
Instead, let's look at the ASUS ProArt PA279 CR-V.
This MSRP is only $500.
Like the Studio Display, it covers the entire P3, sRGB, and Adobe RGB color gamuts.
Which means that on average, the colors are close to as accurate as the human eye can
even discern. In fact, it's even slightly better than the Studio Display.
If you're editing pictures or video, you don't have to worry about the monitor tainting
your edits. You can connect it to your Mac Mini with HDMI, or if you prefer a single cable solution,
you can plug in via USB-C and take advantage of the monitor's built-in USB hub to get
more of those precious ports. And power even the thirstiest of MacBooks with 96W power delivery.
With its slim profile, compact base, and decent cable management, I even think it looks good.
And I'm the absolute pickiest when it comes to monitor design.
The 4K panel is not quite as sharp as the Studio Display, so you might have to put up
with macOS's unfortunate display scaling.
But remember, $500. The price difference alone almost pays for the Mac Mini.
That means you can splurge for a touch ID equipped Magic Keyboard, which costs $150.
If you're among the seemingly few who like the Magic Mouse, it adds $80 to the tally.
This brings the total up to $2030.
This is really coming together nicely, isn't it? But the one thing I haven't brought up about the new Mac Mini is its tired design.
This form factor has been with us since I was in college, in 2010.
I just gave it for one my age. It's not a bad design, but it's lacking personality.
It could even be unapologetically plastic. I'd totally be down for that.
With the M2 Pro processor, there are admittedly benefits to keeping this form factor.
The chip is larger and warmer, so the internals and cooling do fill the Mac Mini's volume
now. And if you want expandability, there are already a bunch of great accessories that you can
stack perfectly underneath. We're not going to include them in our price comparison, but they're pretty cool.
Let me go get them. This OWC hard drive enclosure is exactly the same shape as the Mac Mini, and lets you install
a massive 3.5-inch hard drive for all your media.
Better yet, if you still need front-facing USB-A ports and an SD card reader, there's
also this Satetshi USB-C hub and SSD enclosure, whose M.2 slot supports a SATA SSD.
Empty, they're each about $100. But even with the cost of a drive, these are a much cheaper way to increase storage compared
to Apple's offerings. Put together, I think this stack looks pretty cool.
The Mac Mini is now starting to become more like a full-fat desktop computer.
Okay, so there are still two things missing.
A webcam and speakers.
The integrated speakers in the iMac were pretty good, so if you get a set for your desk, I
recommend spending a minimum of $100.
Not like these. Ugh, look at these Harman Kardon sound sticks.
So nice. On the webcam front, a $40 phone mount for a continuity camera is a really great option,
available to anyone using an iPhone as old as a XR. If you want a dedicated webcam, they'll set you back $52-150.
Okay. So this setup does admit some, we have an iMac at home vibes.
There are certainly more cables to manage and power outlets to use.
But there are also benefits to this modular setup worth considering.
One of the big frustrations for owners of old iMacs is that they find themselves with
an excellent, perfectly functioning display attached permanently to an unusable obsolete
and unupgradable computer. From a waste and longevity perspective, this is bad.
But by modularizing our setup, we can replace and upgrade pieces as our needs change.
Theoretically, this should make things less expensive in the long run.
But we've made things less expensive in the short run, too, with this setup.
The grand total of this entire desk is $2,204, only $5 more than that upgraded iMac I mentioned
earlier. That's not bad. Even still, I do think the M2 Pro Mac Mini is too expensive.
$1,500 is a bit dear for what you're getting and what you're missing.
Worse still, if you upgrade the CPU, GPU, and memory, the price jumps to $2,000.
It ends up being more than a comparably equipped M1 Macs-powered Mac Studio.
That's just ridiculous and confusing. In that respect, I'm sad the iMac is dead.
It offered really good value for the package. To get that value now, though, it's with this sponsored ProArt display, which offers
a reasonable desktop setup for any Mac user, desktop, or laptop.
And that's something to be happy about.