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Bluebellflora's avatar
Bluebellflora
Hero+
1 year ago

Re: What should I buy?

@BaybiEls

Yes although the new Mac minis are more powerful. The iMacs still have low specs compared to the Mac mini and Mac laptops.

18 Replies

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    1 year ago
    @BaybiEls

    I think if you want to buy a Mac because of the colour then you should buy it but be aware of its limitations. If you want a desktop machine for performance and longevity, buy the M4 Mac mini.
  • BaybiEls's avatar
    BaybiEls
    New Traveler
    1 year ago

    What would you recommend me buying instead of imac/macs instead? 

  • BaybiEls's avatar
    BaybiEls
    New Traveler
    1 year ago

    I also was looking at this one not a iMac 

    16 inch Purple Laptop, 12th Gen Alder Lake N95 CPU, 12G DDR5 RAM 1TB NVMe SSD, 2K 1920 * 1200 FHD IPS, Win11 Pro, Office19, Color Backlit KB, Fingerprint, HDMI, WiFi, Long Battery Life(1TB SSD)

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    1 year ago
    @BaybiEls

    2020 M1 13" MacBook Air, 8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 8GB RAM
    2024 M4 Max 16" MacBook Pro, 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 64GB RAM

    And a couple of older Intel machines which are irrelevant when comparing to Apple silicon machines.
  • lanalittlewitch's avatar
    lanalittlewitch
    Seasoned Traveler
    1 year ago
    @Bluebellflora Hi! I'm using an M1 8GB too, but I usually play on low/medium settings. I'm thinking about upgrading to a new M4, but I'm not sure which model to choose. Why does an iMac have lower specs than a Mac mini? Would you recommend the M4 or M4 Pro? From the recommended specs, I don't really understand what I would need to run all the DLCs with higher graphics. I don't mean the maximum settings, just a little better than now.
  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    1 year ago

    @lanalittlewitch 

    "Why does an iMac have lower specs than a Mac mini?"

    I have no idea, you'd need to ask Apple why they choose the specs for each specific model.

    All current model Macs will run the game with all DLC, the higher the spec the better the game will run. I would always recommend to buy the highest spec you can afford to future proof yourself and get years of use and gaming out of the Mac 🙂

  • lanalittlewitch's avatar
    lanalittlewitch
    Seasoned Traveler
    1 year ago

    I see on the site that they have the same chip, same number of cores and memory. I tried asking at Apple Store also about the differences but didn’t receive a full answer.

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    1 year ago
    @lanalittlewitch

    Nope. Base model Mac mini is more powerful than the base model iMac, it’s very clear on Apple’s website. Sure you can configure models to what you want but in my opinion, based on tech specs and personal experience of virtually every single model Mac for the past 35 years, the current model iMac is not worth the money and will need to be replaced for a better model sooner than the Mac mini.

    You’ve been given constructive advice. You can do further research yourself online and make a more informed decision based on benchmarks.
  • BaybiEls's avatar
    BaybiEls
    New Traveler
    1 year ago

    I have ordered the IMAC 2024 512GB 10 core in pink & I am hoping I haven’t wasted my money there doesn’t seem to be a straight forward answer & after seeing the previous comments has left me concerned obviously I just want the game to load quicker as at the moment on the laptop I am currently using I am waiting atleast 1 hour and 30mins to start up then when I am loading to neighbour houses it’s another hour wait & this is why I have spent over £1500 to get a good quality computer that’s doesn’t cause this wait

    time. I just want to enjoy game play & play the sims 4 🫣😔

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    1 year ago
    @BaybiEls

    It is very straightforward 🙂 Your pink iMac will run the game but struggle depending on how you play the game (heavily populated lots and worlds, tons of objects on lots, lots of CC and Mods, large saves, the list goes on) but you would have got more for your money with even the base model Mac mini.
  • BaybiEls's avatar
    BaybiEls
    New Traveler
    1 year ago

    All I do is use CC in my homes that I build, it’s all I ever do on the laptop which is all I will do on the iMac does the game struggle on your iMac to then? 

  • Bluebellflora's avatar
    Bluebellflora
    Hero+
    1 year ago
    @BaybiEls

    My iMac is 5 years old and an Intel machine so you can't compare to the ARM equipped Macs. It was spec'd up at the time with the most powerful CPU, GPU and I added more RAM. It's still working great and runs the game on highest settings with no lag. I also play on a 2020 M1 MacBook Air (8-core CPU, 7-core GPU, 8GB RAM) and a 2024 M4 Max MacBook Pro (16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, 64GB RAM). The M1 runs the game well but the M4 Max outperforms both machines by miles.
  • BaybiEls's avatar
    BaybiEls
    New Traveler
    1 year ago

    Thank you so much I appreciate the advice 

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