What Are the Cost Savings of Choosing a Mac Mini Over a MacBook?

Question

Since my resources are limited, I need to figure out how much money will actually be saved on purchasing the Mac Mini instead of the Macbook. Could you help me with this?

Answer 1

The savings made are considerable, especially in moving away from a Macbook to a Mac Mini. For instance, the M2 Mac Mini starts at 599 USD which is 400 USD less than the M1 MacBook Air. Students can also get an additional discount of 100 USD for the M2 Mac Mini. Further, the starting cost of the M2 Pro Mac Mini is 700 USD less than the 14-inch MacBook Pro but the performance is largely the same, therefore offering great value. These savings can be even more if there is already a monitor, keyboard and mouse available.

Comments

The entry level Mac mini with M2 chip is a great deal for those who already have a display, keyboard, and mouse. For those, who say that it is not as powerful as the Mac mini with M2 pro chip, a PC is a better option, I think for $1300 a much powerful PC can be built.

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Got the mini with education pricing, it's an absolute steal at that price.

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Don’t forget to add the cost of external keyboard, monitor and mouse etc. chances are - the monitor will no where be close to what a MacBook screen offers!! If you add the cost , MacBook will not be that far off - comparing equivalent options

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Education price for MacBook 16", 16 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD is $2499. Mini with same specs is $1649. Difference of $850. Speakers in Mini are not good. So that adds about $100. Yes, if you already have a KBD, mouse, and monitor (which I do) then still a savings. I did order a MacBook pro with the specs quoted earlier. I do need the portability sometimes.

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the mac mini is cheaper in a vacuum but you need tons of accessories

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It cheaper except that you have to buy keyboard, mouse and monitor. Which is probably the same as the MacBook Pro. Also isn’t the MacBook Pro on sale at Amazon for $1500

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I received the last tuesday a mac studio and I returned for a mac mino, saving $850, for the same or better performance. This for a replacement of 2011 mac mini. I already have monitor, mouse and keyboard.

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Ya but one comes with a built in screen and mouse while the other needs purchasing!

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Still have to pay for montior keyboard and mouse

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One of your best. Mac mini's are cheaper to buy even if you don't have monitor. First buy my be higher but you get to upgrade more cheaply there after.

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I bought M1 MBA at less than $750 late last year (Bestbuy, excellent condition). Then, compared to $600 M2 Mac mini... Then, with screen/keyboard/battery... both are good options and it depends on your need, and in my case, still M1 MBA. (I also purchased MBP with M1 Pro less than $1500, and I don't regret about it, too. It is still more than what I need.)