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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2021-09-22, 17:15

A friend has recently started making short little promo videos for a band some friends are in. He bought an iPhone since several of us use them. Now his girlfriend wants to get him a used Mac so he can work in a Mac environment.

She doesn't have a big budget but thinks she could swing a refurbished Mac Mini.

What do you suppose are the lowest specs a non-computer user could get by with to make 1.5 minute iMovie files?

I'm thinking $600 may be their upper limit?


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709
¡Damned!
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
 
2021-09-22, 19:01

A 2018 Mini would do the trick, even an i3 as long as he's not expecting to real-time a 4K masterpiece. Stick to 1080p/24 and it'll be fine. Opt for a small internal system SSD to save cash and spend the extra on an external footage/scratch drive.

For example, this is pretty good starting point. Modern ports and everything so you're not dongling your cash away. User-upgradeable RAM. New, not refurbished. It's bare bones, and if I had to stay under $600 I'd opt for a footage drive over the RAM upgrade for now... but he'll definitely want that later.

So it goes.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-09-26, 10:21

Everything 709 says, I'd say too. That should do the trick for the kind of projects they're wanting to do. And that you can open it up and add (affordable, reasonably-priced) third-party RAM down the road is very nice.

Get the barebones, stock machine for $469, add external storage (and RAM) as funds free up. Should be a nice little system.

I see where OWC is selling 32GB RAM (two 16GB chips) for $159, so that's always something to check into when the time comes. Apple probably charges $600 for that.



EDIT: I was being a bit joke-y/snarky, but I just checked and that's exactly what they charge to take the Intel-based Mac mini to 32GB RAM.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2021-09-26, 10:37

Are the modern Mac Minis even able to have their RAM upgraded?


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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2021-09-26, 10:38

And the answer is YES!


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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2021-09-26, 10:42

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewprops View Post
Are the modern Mac Minis even able to have their RAM upgraded?


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Quote:
Originally Posted by drewprops View Post
And the answer is YES!


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Are you talking about the M1-based Mac minis, or that remaining space grey Intel-based model? Both are currently available at Apple's online store. Those seem to be "get what you need on the day you order" (like every other M1 Mac).

I don't think it's easy, or designed to be user-doable on the M1 Mac mini. Someone - chucker, ken, etc. - can confirm this.

And the lone space grey Intel-based Mac mini starts at $1,099 (I didn't know that).
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2021-09-26, 18:21

M1 is not upgradeable but the Intel one is.
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2021-09-26, 19:29

Dang it. If I'd had time to look it up I'd have figured it out. Had to work some today.


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