Meanwhile, the base 24-inch iMac only comes with 2 Thunderbolt 3/USB 4 ports and a headphone jack, but the pricier $1,499 model adds an Ethernet port and two more Thunderbolt / USB 3 ports. The Mac Mini, despite its palm-size body, has a decent selection of ports, including two Thunderbolt 3 / USB 4 ports, two USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 ports, an HDMI 2.0 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a gigabit Ethernet port. If you are considering a desktop over a laptop, chances are you care about your PC’s port selection. From there, things begin to diverge a bit, starting with the ports selection. Each computer can run one 6K resolution display at 60Hz and one 4K display at 60Hz simultaneously. Because they use the same processor, they also share the same screen support. This allows for a fast, wireless connection to your local network and any needed peripherals without an issue.

The Mac Mini has a multitude of ports for your needs.īoth the iMac and Mac Mini have support for Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 6. In both cases, the M1 processor is so efficient that the fans almost always stay silent. Meanwhile, the iMac’s fans must push the air away from the processor in an ultra-thin profile. The Mac Mini has a single fan in a spacious chassis that gives the processor plenty of breathing room. The Mac Mini and iMac also work slightly differently when it comes to cooling, but they are both more than sufficient for the ultra-efficient processor.

In real-world applications, this missing core hardly makes a difference-the 8-core GPU averages about 3 more frames per second in World of Warcraft on medium settings, for instance-but it could affect your workflow if you use your computer for a lot of graphics-heavy applications. The base 24-inch iMac has one fewer graphics processing core than the Mac Mini linked above (7 cores versus 8 cores). That said, there are some differences in performance. If you need a desktop PC for heavy productivity and light 3D applications, such as Adobe Creative Cloud software, you shouldn’t have a problem with either of the Mac desktops. Both run on Apple’s M1 processor, which handily outperforms most laptops running on midrange Intel or AMD processors. Both the 24-inch iMac and the Mac Mini run on Apple's M1 processor, an ultra-efficient chip adapted from their MacBook lineup.Īt their core, both the M1 Mac Mini and the M1 iMac have the same computing power.

Used mini mac