2020 Apple Mac Mini with Apple M1 Chip, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD Review

2020 Apple Mac Mini with M1 Chip, 8GB RAM & 256GB SSD

2020 Apple Mac Mini M1 chip



2020 model silver Apple Mac Mini with the latest 8-core Apple M1 chip comes with 8GB memory and 256GB SSD storage. You can purchase it with 16GB memory and/or 512GB SSD. And you can get the 256GB version upgraded to 512GB, 1TB or 2TB and the 512GB to 1TB or 2TB. It is a very popular product thanks to the brand new M1 chip and the relatively low cost.

The M1 chip is designed by Apple as a great, powerful alternative to Intel chips that were being used on Mac computers and offers a really good step in processor, GPU and machine learning performance. The octa-core ARM Apple M1 processor (8 cores, 8 threads) at 3.2GHz is up to 3 times quicker and more powerful than the previous processors used on Mac Mini and you can perform your tasks very quickly. The typical TDP- Thermal Design Power is 15.1 watts for this processor with an average CPU PassMark benchmark score of 15049.

8GB Unified PDDR4X-4266 MHz SDRAM memory may not look like a lot on a computer but Apple uses a brand new SOC layout- it is built right into the CPU and you will need less memory than the regular Intel based machines. And when more memory is needed it will switch to the quick Solid State Drive for swap memory. It is reported to be better than having 16GB on a normal Windows machine. And you have the 16-core Neural Engine for great machine learning. And the supported screen resolution is up to 6144 x 3160 pixels on this Mac Mini.

For graphics the 8-core integrated GPU offers 6 times better graphics for the games and apps that are graphics intensive. It is more powerful and energy efficient than the competing Tiger Lake Xe GPU and has fast access to the memory. The Apple M1 GPU uses roughly 10 watts of power and 11.5 watts including the memory. This Mac Mini supports two screens at the same time, one of them with the 6K resolution at 60Hz through the Thunderbolt and the other one up to 4K UHD at 60Hz through the HDMI 2.0. You can also have a third or fourth through USB with a USB-3 adapter.

There is no built-in DVD Optical Drive on this Mac Mini and you can use the low cost external DVD players easily via Bluetooth or one of the USB ports. There is no DVD on a Mac computer since 2012 as pretty much everything is downloaded off the internet these days. There is no mouse, keyboard or any accessories in the box and you’ll only get the Mac Mini and the power cord. Connectivity options include2020 Apple Mac Mini M1 chip Connectivity the 802.11ax WiFi 6 wireless, Bluetooth 5.0, Gigabit Ethernet with RJ-45 connector, 2 x USB Type-A 3.1 ports, an HDMI 2.0 output, 2 x Thunderbolt / USB 4 outputs and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

2020 model Apple Mac Mini weighs 2.6 pounds and measures 1.4 x 7.7 x 7.7 inches- it is the same size as the 2018 model Mac Mini but 0.3 pounds lighter. You can’t use a USB printer with the M1 chip yet but you’ll be fine with a Bluetooth printer. If you’re intending to upgrade this Mini, you can’t do it unless you pay extra for more memory and storage at the beginning and you can’t use the external graphics cards. It is a very powerful machine with a slim design that will let you play the demanding games, and run the advanced multimedia editing programs. You also have the latest macOS Big Sur, which is the most advanced operating system in the world. The average user rating is 4.7 out of 5 stars by 1129 customers at the moment on Amazon.

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