I’m going to purchase a new mac mini, as my current one is (model year 2012) and it won’t update to anything past Catalina 10.15.7.
So thoughts on getting 16 GB Ram vs 8 GB or getting a 512 Solid state HD instead of 256.
I’m leaning towards the 16GB Ram as from what I’ve read ram cannot be upgraded aftermarket.
Thanks!!
Bob
16 GB of RAM is definitely a smart move. I feel like, for storage, 256 GB is sufficient. 512 GB is a lot of storage.
It depends on what works best for you!
Enjoy your new computer!
Go with the 16Gb of RAM and 512Gb SSD. The additional RAM will give you better performance. Bearing in mind that Xcode itself consumes at least 30GB of disk space you really should go for the larger SSD.
That said, it’s all a question of affordability.
You are so right. It’s all a question of affordability lol.
So did you get the M1 Mac Mini?
It’s ordered and I’m waiting for it to arrive. 16GB and 256HD.
Congratulations on getting a 900 dollar computer!
Hi Chris, what is your thought on a 2014 mac mini with 16G, 256SSD for sole purpose of Xcode? Thanks
That would be good! It has better specs than the first MacBook I had, but I would double check Xcode’s latest version, if it’s still compatible
And if the latest macOS can run on it!
You don’t NEED it to be, but it can be easier, to follow various tutorials
But you must have the latest version if you’re going to submit an app to the App Store
I use the Late-2014 Mac Mini, with 16GB RAM, 2.8GHz i5, 1.12Tb Fusion Drive, running the latest Xcode 13.4.1.
If given the choice, I would NOT be using it for Xcode. Some days it will work okay, but others (like today) it’s just soooo slow (the preview can “time out” just trying to do a simple ZStack/HStack/VStack preview). And, if it comes to an update, you need to book a couple of days off because you won’t get any work done at all.
The fact that it works with current Xcode is great and I commend Apple for still supporting it some 8 years later but, for user experience and actually getting any work done, I cannot recommend it at all.
It is my understanding that the Late-2014 Mac mini will NOT get the update to macOS Ventura.
This means that, although it may well be able to install Xcode 14 when it comes out, it’s likely to be abandoned before many updates into Xcode 14’s release cycle (about six months at most, I believe). I base this on looking at the history of Xcode 13 which ran on macOS Big Sur until 13.3, after which it would only run on macOS Monterey.
I can see no advantage whatsoever in using the Late-2014 Mac mini to run Xcode today, unless - and it’s a big “unless” - you really have NO other option (like me), and then it’s a case of being on borrowed time until you won’t be “current” any more.
Thank you for the input. Thinking at least 2018 if not newer mini. Can get new mini for around 600 bucks which is a lot less than a full mac
Many thanks for your response. Might look at 2018 models or more recent… $$, we’ll see. Thanks again
You can always look at refurbished ones too
After half a day of not being able to do anything, I gave my Late-2014 Mac mini the clean sweep (wiped everything and reinstalled macOS).
All I’m installing this time is Xcode and Sync (my cloud drive of choice), so that there’s nothing else bogging down the old mini.
It is more responsive today, but it’s still pretty slow.
If you ultimately end up going with this old model, then do not install anything except Xcode (which takes ages in itself). Don’t use the mac mini for anything else.
I still wouldn’t recommend it, though.
One thing I do know i that there is a hack where you can download the newest macOS software on an unsupported device. Like my dads 2015 macbook pro.