Is the 2018 Mac mini a 'Pro' device?

Gear:

[Kratholm]

Gotta revisit the 2018 Mac mini now that the M2 is out 😮‍💨

[johannb]

"Pro" - meaning professional? Our print shop uses all Mac minis and we make a ton of money with them. So, yes - Pro.

[Epicgamer_Mac]

Yeah in order to make it perform like a pro I think it really needs an eGPU...
Obviously even the hex-core i7 CPU for the 2018 Mac mini is NOTHING now, but at the time it wasn't too far behind anything else Apple sold, especially since the unimpressive trash can Mac Pro was still the only other viable modular desktop and the iMac Pro was the only thing that really blew everything else out of the water.
Great video Luke!

[gingerelvis]

I considered the new Mac Mini for pro use very seriously, I was planning on going either i5 or i7, 512gb ssd, upgrading ram myself and getting an eGPU. It's actually not a bad value (for mac) with these specs, but the kicker for me was that Nvidia eGPU's are not natively supported and eGPU's get a little funky in bootcamp so I'm back to looking at an iMac again...

[RetroTechToys]

I'm actually using the base model 2018 Mac Mini for editing 4K video in Premier and audio in Logic Pro X and I have to say, it works beautifully. I'm absolutely upgrading to 32GB of RAM at some point, but I haven't had any issues with 8GB at all. Granted, I don't make videos over 20 minutes in length, but I'm still quite impressed. I'm also running Windows 10 Pro on an external SSD through one of the thunderbolt ports and it's pretty snappy. Good stuff.

[movdqa]

I bought the base model for my wife to replace a 2008 Windows 10 Desktop (Core i7 Nehalem). After three weeks, I asked her how it was going as I hadn't heard anything from her and she said fine. Normally she asks for tech support help on a regular basis, especially with a new machine. This thing is smaller, more powerful, uses less electricity than the old system but, the biggest savings for me, is not having to provide tech support. I'm actually a bit jealous - I'd like one or two of them myself. I have a 2014 MBP and it does everything I need it to do but I have to carry it back and forth to work and office and plug in things. The fan can come on sometimes too. The Mac Mini would give me far more power, better airflow, support for three monitors, and would use up less desk space.

[transitengineer]

Outstanding review looking at the use of the new 2018 mac mini as a Pro computer. For me it is, as long as you also add an external eGPU. Until the new mac pro comes out, when it comes to desktop computers you have two options with Apple the first option is the imac all-in-one (imac or imac pro). While, this is the best value for your money it does lock you in with a set monitor, hard drive, ports, keyboard and mouse. The other option is for the current 2013 mac pro or a mac mini. Which is the camp that, I have selected. This way, if a new monitor is needed, I just get one, need more hard drive space add an external drive, need more graphics add an external eGPU, etc.

[ScorgeRudess]

its a Pro Decive only and only if you buy the i7 version of it and use a eGPU, USB-C SSD Storages like Samsung's are even faster then the PCI-E integrated chips, so you can really use this i7 version to really get things to work in a really PRO way, but you need to invest a little more, like any other PRO purchase...

[DensDigitalDen]

What's being missed is the fact that you can stack the Mac mini and create a pretty inexpensive render farm, if you compare other products. The 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports are also great, with eGPU compatibility. Wish it was a little cheeper though?

[lynlo]

Show of hands: How many of you spent $4000 on a Mac and all you do is surf the internet and watch netfilx? :)

[Polishedmix]

It's a PRO machine for audio production and they've hit a sweet spot there. A lot of people assume PRO means only video, that's why apple didn't officially give it that label. Based on the color scheme, it might have been a last minute decision.

[CarlosV-gluo]

Do you recommend the Mac mini i3 for Logic Pro x and basic office purposes?

[nickgennady]

I got the i5 version and It works really for my pro needs. I'm running Affinity Photo / Designer whithout even having the fan turn on. I'm going to go back to programming with Unity but I just need to get a eGPU first not that I need one.

[chrislarimore]

I have a Macbook pro 2019 with a core i5 but it has ddr3 ram on the flipside i have a Mac Mini 2018 with a Core i3 but ddr4 ram which is better for video rendering ?

[coreediamondz]

So it would be a bad idea to get the i7 version with 128gb? I only would use it for video and photo editing a maybe web browsing. I would buy a 4TB external hard drive to save files under Final Cut Pro and from photo editing. Would that be a good idea?

[rapidraga]

Isn't a used 8core Mac Pro 2013 a better option than a full spec 2018 mini?

[HereBesMe]

This Mac Mini is the most exciting computer apple have put out in ages... for me. Its portable, it can run Pro Tools 2018 and I dont have to work off a 15 inch screen, and all that lovely connectivity. Im gettting one of these bad boys.

[lilrush]

Mac mini is Apple's most versatile Mac. Want a basic, fairly capable desktop for daily use? base model. Server array for corporate applications? buy a bunch of them. Video editing machine? add an eGPU. More RAM? add it yourself. It just works so many ways. I bet with a razor core and Vega 64 this thing flies.

[manasaggarwal]

I am considering buying a mac mini i7 and upgrading the ram to 16gb later. Mainly for mobile development - iOS development on xcode and Android on android studio. Do you think this is a good option or should I go with the macbook pro 2020 13inch i5 10th gen?

[RandomPerson-wvsn]

I really appreciate the direct answer in the first few seconds. Thanks man :)