Planning to buy a desktop but confused between iMac and Mac Mini? This article will remove the confusion by highlighting the key differences between these popular Mac computers. Here, we will break down everything you must know before making a final investment.
These two computers are equipped with enough power to perform several tasks quickly and efficiently. Both are hitting the market to provide users with fantastic deals. Let’s head over to Mac Mini or iMac 2015 – which is an important choice for you.
Design
For over a decade, the Mac Mini has not changed much. It has a compact design with 7.7 inches in width and 1.4 inches in length. It is easy to carry as you can simply put it in your bag or hide it away easily. The compact and sleek design increases its portability.
iMac 2015 comes in two different sizes – 21.5 and 27 inches. An all-in-one design with a brushed aluminum ‘chin’ is highly recognizable. The 27″ iMac comes in only silver color, while the 24″ iMac is available in pink, purple, green, blue, silver, orange, and yellow shades.
Processor
The 27-inch iMac has a 3.2GHz Intel Core i5 processor with up to 3.6GHz Turbo Boost. Its 3.3GHz quad‑core Intel Core i5 can Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz. The 21.5″ iMac is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core and 2.8GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor.
Intel Mac Mini with 6 core processor has comparatively less processing power. However, Mac Mini with Apple M1 provides great performance from an 8-core M1 chip. If you need a desktop computer with peak performance, the 27″ iMac is impressive.
Storage
iMac 21.5″, 27″, and Mac Mini all ship with 8GB of RAM. Intel-powered Mac Mini with 8GB 2666MHz DDR4 can be upgraded to 64GB. But you can also go with 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB. A simple explanation and suggestion would be to check SSD space often to know how much storage is left and optimize it for better performance.
A video below goes into detailed explanations on how to free up space, so feel free to use it as a reference:
If you are looking for a Mac with huge RAM space, the iMac 27″ is worth considering. Its RAM can be upgraded up to 128GB. An Intel Mac Mini with 8GB RAM is not the same as 8GB RAM in a 21.5″ iMac. However, the iMac 27-inches can have its RAM changed in the coming time.
Display
In a confusion about which one to prefer – Mac Mini or iMac 2015, you must also consider their display. iMac comes with a 27-inch Retina 5K display and 5120 x 2880 resolution. It also ships with a 21.5-inch LED-backlit display and 1920 x 1080 resolution.
5K display in 27″ iMacs is even expected to see a 30-inches display in the next generation. Mac Mini supports two displays with a 6K resolution screen. However, the Intel versions support three 4K screens at once or one 4K display and one 5K display.
Connectivity
Mac Mini has two USB Type-A ports and two Thunderbolt 4 or USB-C 4 ports. It also features a 3.5mm headphone jack, Gigabit Ethernet, and an HDMI 2.0 port. Intel-based Mac Mini offers two USB Type-A and four Thunderbolt 3/USB-C ports.
It also offers a 3.5mm jack, Gigabit Ethernet, and HDMI 2.0 ports. iMac offers more connectivity options. It includes a 3.5mm headphone jack, four USB 3 ports, a Kensington lock slot, an SDXC card slot, Gigabit Ethernet, and two Thunderbolt 2 ports.
Graphics
While discussing the differences between iMac 2015 models and Mac Mini, we can’t ignore the graphics factor. The 21.5-inches iMacs and 27-inches iMac offer discrete graphics with 1.6GHz-2.8GHz and 3.2GHz-3.3GHz, respectively.
The 27″ iMac ships with an AMD Radeon R9 M380 graphics processor and 2GB of GDDR5 memory. 21.5-inches iMac gets Intel HD Graphics 6000 and Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200. The Mac Mini gets Intel Ultra HD Graphics 630.
iMac 2015 or Mac Mini – Which Costs More?
The initial models of Mac Mini with M1 chip come at a price starting from $699, £699/AU$1,099. In these models, you’ll get 256GB of storage, 8GB of RAM, and an 8-core GPU. Intel-based Mac Mini starts from $1,099.
The 27″ iMac, last updated in August 2020, comes at a price starting from $1,799. These iMac features Radeon Pro 5300/Radeon Pro 5500 XT, 8GB RAM, 256-512GB SSD, 10th-gen Intel Core i5 and i7, and Retina 5K display.
Conclusion
Concluding everything mentioned above, it can be said that both the iMac and Mac Mini are leading computers in the market. Both are highly expensive compared to Windows computers. But they are also good in terms of specs, features, functions, and performance.
iMac 2015 comes in two models, and the 27-inch iMac is considered really an important choice for providing a lot more flexibility. If you tend to work on highly-intensive tasks, a 27″ iMac is highly recommended. However, don’t forget your budget while making a choice.
