I get inordinate pleasure from my miniPCs.
Mac mini M1
The M1 Mac mini is my main computer or “production machine.”
Mac mini 9,1 (M1, 2020): 8 GB memory, 512 GB SSD, $899
I still have it on Monterey. I’m just not willing to keep changing OS’s when everything works right.
I didn’t think the mini could be improved on and I was wrong! With an M1 chip and an SSD it runs like a dream, much faster to boot and to respond. It is completely silent, I don’t think the fan ever runs, and it doesn’t even get warm. Wow!
Dock
A computer is like a Barbie doll: the cost of the computer is irrelevant, it’s the accessories. It took me a year to finish setting up this mini for “production use” in part because of buying so many items: two new printers, multiple adapters and cables, and as stated below, a dock and an external SSD. (Minimum was an acceptable printer, a hub or dock, and some adapters.)
I had to buy a new hub and I knew I wanted it to be powered. The powered hub I’d had didn’t work all that well so I figured there was no hope for an unpowered hub. I settled on the OWC 14-port Thunderbolt 3 dock, deeply discounted at $180 (which I think is now its regular price)(Edit: now it’s $149 on 9/2/2025).
It seemed like a second: the protective wrap was on wrong and there were scratches, but apparently it wasn’t damaged enough for OWC to consider it a reject: customer service did not follow through and eventually I figured it was discounted so maybe this is why and who cares. I really like OWC, however, don’t get me wrong.
The dock gets really hot and needs a lot of babying. It has some software that I didn’t need and didn’t install, because I didn’t want a dock to be resident on the menu bar; I want a dock to mind its own business.
I used to refer to it as “the expensive dock that I don’t like,” but now I call it “the expensive dock that I don’t like but doesn’t hack me off so much anymore.” I’m ok with the setup now and it has made it easier to have a second display then it otherwise would have been.
Back-ups
I got SuperDuper! for the mini and then found it was going to have to have its own external SSD because the complete (either clone or clone-like) backup had to be done in APFS and on an SSD. This also means that the back-up drive can’t share files with the older Mac mini or, without more software, the Linux pcs. Great.
I got it an OWC Envoy USB 3.2 external SSD, deeply discounted for $75, just for clone-like backup. Using it with SuperDuper! is a fantastic experience, so fast.
To use that drive with the Linux pcs I’d have to get “APFS for Linux” ($39.95) from Paragon Software. Not only pay for it but as I understand it compile it myself. I’m putting that off until after LFS.
That doesn’t help with the older Mac mini, either. So until this is worked out, I’m also backing up the production machine data on HFS+ external hard drives.
Found that the Linux pcs can’t exchange files with the HFS+ external hard drives. Because it irritated me so much, I forget in which way it can’t exchange (whether coming or going). (Usually I use flash drives to transfer files to or from the Linux pcs.)
So I don’t have any perfect backup computer method. In case of something happening to the M1 mini, I would scramble a little and then buy a new Mac mini. But at least I could get online to do it.
Mac mini Intel
I still have uses for my older Mac mini.
Mac mini 5,1 (Mid 2011): 8 GB RAM, 500 GB SATA Disk
It’s running Sierra and isn’t useful for anything involving browsers.
I use it for iTunes and Photos, neither of which work acceptedly in their new versions in Monterey.
Minisforum GK41 miniPC
My third Minisforum and third Linux pc, purchased for Linux From Scratch.
Minisforum GK41: 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD, $140
I nuked Windows 10 and put Ubuntu 24.04 on it.
I’m really impressed by the SSD here too.
Minisforum Kodlix GN41
My first Minisforum pc, now on Ubuntu 20.04.
Minisforum Kodlix GN41: I think 4 GB RAM but don’t quote me, 64 GB eMMC, shipped with Ubuntu 18.10, $215 in April 2019
This is supposed to be my backup computer but I think it is getting rapidly less useful. I discovered that weirdly it seems to have two different versions of GRUB, which might be why it takes so long to boot. (I used to have unique work things on this machine.)
Still, as long as I’m doing the LFS project on the GK41, I need to keep it functional to be a backup way to use current browser versions.
I’ve had an insane amount of Linux issues on this pc: lost audio twice, lost ethernet three times, one failure to boot. What’s good about that is I got comfortable fixing that kind of thing. And documenting the fixes.
I also have a second GN41, an identical model, entirely containing outdated work things.
Looking forward
Of course one day I’ll need or want a new Mac mini.
And, I found out that for probably $800-$1000 I could get either a Mac mini or a Minisforum miniPC that could handle a local LLM. That was exciting to think about. Not sure when I can afford that kind of investment of money and time however.