Mac mini specs

[Eardog]

Hi Brian! 
 

If you're someone who outsources most image editing, but need to cull, mockup wall art, have chrome and safari and culling software open at the same time, and use PS to edit or tweak occasionally and have that open too. 

...And you're considering a new Mac Mini Pro purchase, and your current Mac (several years old) has 16gb of memory (and it's super slow and about to die) and 1T of storage that is basically consumed, would you go for 4T of storage since the new Mac will automatically need to have the 1T transferred to it upon purchase and don't want to have to replace the Mac Mini anytime soon. 

I keep edited jpegs on my main computer, but use external drives for RAW storage and working drives.

Also, should I be concerned about having issues with wireless Mac magic keyboards and Mac wireless trackpads being a pain.. problems connecting or having to charge them all the time? 

Here's the configuration I'm considering.

[Brian]

Hmm...

How about this configuration?

I cut the HD in half, to 2TB, but upgraded the CPU and more importantly, the GPU. Then purchase one of these drives: SanDisk Professional 7.68TB G-DRIVE PRO STUDIO SSD or one of these traditional External HDs: SanDisk Professional 20TB G-DRIVE PRO External HDD (Thunderbolt 3 / USB 3.2 Gen1, Space Gray). With a Thunderbolt 3 or 4 EHD, it's extremely fast because the throughput is 40Gbps, so it acts like a internal drive. So let's say, hypothetically...you go with my configuration, that's $2599 for the Mac Mini plus $1000 for the HD. Plus AppleCare and all that stuff. You are getting a lot more computer, and nearly double the Hard Drive Capacity. For $999, you are getting a 7.68GB EHD that's not only a TB3 drive but is also a SSD Drive. Talk about fast!!

That said, your configuration is a decent one. I'm thinking a 4TB for $999 is a bit pricey for just 4TB of storage though. Also, you will need a HD that's dedicated for Time Machine Backups, and I recommend at least double the capacity of the internal HD. So a 4TB Internal Drive would have a 8TB External Time Machine Drive. But I understand where you are coming from and your thinking is correct; when it comes to the current line of Apple's M1 & M2 Products, there is no upgrading after the fact. So I'd def. get the 32GB RAM and bump up the CPU/GPU. The HD, like I said, Apple over-charges A LOT for their extras. I used to get people to purchase Crucial RAM instead of buying the Apple Branded, and they'd end up with more RAM for a lot less money. Instead of forking out $1000 for 32GB of Apple RAM, I'd get them to 64GB for a few hundred.   Yep, about $800+ in savings.

8 hours ago, Eardog said:

Also, should I be concerned about having issues with wireless Mac magic keyboards and Mac wireless trackpads being a pain.. problems connecting or having to charge them all the time? 

You might have a flaky Bluetooth Transmitter in your Mac or something is wrong with the Keyboard and Trackpad. I've never had any trouble with BT connectivity, but I did have to replace my BT Mac Keyboard once (it just died but the mouse was fine.) I honestly think you have multiple problems, one being the internal battery for your Keyboard (Lithium Ion Batteries do wear out) and to put it bluntly, the Mac Trackpads just suck. I hate them. Hate-Hate-Hate them. I'd opt to get a new Magic Keyboard and a Magic Mouse. Normally, I'd recommend using existing keyboards/mouse to save a bit of money, but in your case, I'd recommend a new Magic Keyboard and Magic Mouse to go with your new Mac Mini. (This pained me to type those words out. Ugh.)

8 hours ago, Eardog said:

I keep edited jpegs on my main computer, but use external drives for RAW storage and working drives.

That's really not a good practice. As long as you keep your Master .psd files, Trash those JPEGS!

 

[Eardog]

This is all super helpful. Thank you! So, even though I don't do the vast majority of my editing, it sounds like the faster machine with more memory is going to serve me better over the long term. The reminder about how big the backup drive needs to be is SUPER HELPFUL as well. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply!!