Mac mini is most likely a misunderstanding when it is used as a server
by Poster
Nov 9, 2024
60
Many people follow the trend and buy Mac mini without knowing what, planning to use it as a server, especially UP owners such as Zhong Wenze who send videos to add fuel to the fire. This is purely a misunderstanding.
Generally, UP owners mention things they can do with it, such as qBittorrent, Plex, SMB sharing, Time Machine, and cheaper Linux Servers can do it, and whether it is x86 or arm, to put it bluntly, a TV box that costs tens of dollars can do it. Do you have to say macOS to be Time Machine? Find out about Netatalk.
Docker for Linux Server is native, and the Docker client for Mac essentially uses a virtual machine for Linux, which has worse performance. Of course, it doesn't matter if you say that Apple Silicon has strong performance and is not afraid of virtualization losses. Or you take an old Mac mini to flash Asahi Linux (supporting M1/M2) and also have native Docker, but I think it's full.
Mac is exclusive to some usage scenarios that are strongly bound to Apple's ecosystem, such as content caching and Xcode for CI/CD. But I have used my M1 Mac mini for so many years, and the content cache only takes up about 166M to accelerate iCloud. It probably doesn't work for most people at all. Even backups of iOS devices (iMazing/iTunes) and signatures (AltServer and the like), these so-called Apple ecological things, have Windows versions. No, it is not necessary for Mac Server.
Let me talk about a Server scenario that most people can't think of, and I am using it myself, that is AirMessage, which allows Windows/Android machines to use iMessage through a Mac forwarding, which is suitable for dual-wielding parties. This thing is also mandatory for macOS, but theoretically, I can also virtualize a black Apple macOS VM on Linux Server to solve it.
Of course, if I have to say it, there is another advantage, that is, the low power consumption of Apple Silicon, which makes some things that originally need to be run with CPU/GPU, such as AI graphing, LLM, video transcoding, etc., not particularly anxious about efficiency. If so, it is very suitable to run with a Mac mini, which is quiet and energy-saving. Now you can buy the old Mac mini for the price of 2K +. If you just run Ollama, SD or press video, it is no worse than spending thousands more to buy an Nvidia GPU.
Therefore, I still advise everyone to spend rationally. Of course, if you buy it happily, it is also worth it.
Replies
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Anonymous2828 Nov 9, 2024mac? I can't use it. 3500 ？ Let's talk first after buying it. (It should be the psychological condition of most people)
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Anonymous13088 Nov 9, 2024The x86 mini at home has been used as a server for many years, and it is quite stable to deploy Debian and run docker with vmware. 🤣
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Anonymous2075 Nov 9, 2024I did have the idea of buying a mac mini and flashing asahi linux as a server. When I looked at Xianyu, I found that the M1 was still sold for more than 1,600, so forget it...
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Anonymous8045 Nov 9, 2024OP don't persuade me, I'm just waiting for the salted fish to pick it up https://i.imgur.com/Ue1kikn. png
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Poster Nov 10, 2024@ Anonymous13078 NUC8 is still usable now? There should be nothing wrong with running Server, but when the 8th generation desktop host is small, the performance may be slightly behind, and my 8th generation notebook is relatively stuck now @ Anonymous2075 Although the name of M1 and M4 seems to span three generations, they are both 4 PCores, and there is nothing that M4 can run but M1 can't. There is no better ARM machine at the same price, but the x86 machine can be found with comparable performance, but the power consumption will be higher, and the fan will go up. So the value preservation of M1 is not completely unreasonable, right? @ Anonymous8045 Look at the posts on this site, I believe I can pick it up no matter how much I persuade it hahahaha
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Anonymous13089 Nov 10, 2024After reading it, there are very few people who really have demand. Many people want to have it even if others have it. After watching the evaluation video, they will get into their minds. They will buy it first and then see what I need, and write questions to the answers. The key is to realize these so-called most needs and buy this one. The price/performance ratio is extremely low or even negative. In the end, there is a high probability that it will be idle fish.
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Poster Nov 10, 2024@ Anonymous12244 That's right, this impact is not very big. For those who can play, you can specify your own core run: https://ss64.com/mac/taskpolicy.html For those who can't play, one is that the performance of small cores is not weak, and their actual demand has already been overkilled. The other is that they will encounter similar problems when using Intel large and small cores. If you just criticize and read a few reviews and feel that you are invincible after buying it and using it, then you can only treat it as a rich man
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Anonymous13090 Nov 10, 2024I used it as a computer. Originally, I wanted to upgrade the old desktop host, but it was stuck. If I planned to upgrade it, it would cost 1-2w. This time I just tried macmini. The frequency of use was very low, so it was just right for me. What's more, Redmi 4k screen + Jingzao k2 keyboard is perfectly adapted to mac 😄
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Anonymous13091 Nov 10, 2024@ Anonymous12931 For Surge, what is the Apple TV experience like? It's also free.
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Anonymous13078 Nov 10, 2024@ Poster # 45 is usable. I7-8559U has changed heat dissipation and 32G of memory. I have a bunch of services, and there is no problem in daily development
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Anonymous358 Nov 10, 2024You just don't understand the group that Zhong Wenze's video is aimed at. They are all ordinary computer novices + young people with a little money. What you mentioned about Linux, docker, virtualization, etc., but anyone who has heard of one or two will understand what kind of nas their needs require. But for ordinary novices who don't even know how to use LAN sharing and don't want to toss, buy a Mac mini and use it as a home computer to watch videos and edit pictures on the Internet, and get started with macOS. By the way, it can also be used as a LAN storage server (with a high probability before). Never played/never heard of it), it costs more than 3,000 yuan. Considering performance and experience, the price/performance ratio is quite high. You always criticize Zhong Wenze for being unprofessional and Apple blowing, but I think he talks about some very basic functions in the face of Xiaobai. His introduction is very good and easy to understand. These talents are the mainstream on the Internet, and some people take the professional and technical track, but he just takes the civilian track. After all, in the final analysis, if you follow the trend and buy too much, you will eventually find that you don't know how to use it/are not used to it and then flow into the secondary market, benefiting from garbage pickers (doge
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Anonymous9836 Nov 10, 2024mac's docker is very easy to use, basically as fast as linux's docker. Unless you are using docker desktop. The service is not noisy, it should be better than the n100 machine
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Anonymous11280 Nov 10, 2024Can't it be directly used as a desktop host? Upgrade the company's desktop computer
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Anonymous12931 Nov 10, 2024@ Anonymous13091 Apple TV has few Surge features, and there is no real-time rule cloud synchronization, let alone the advanced features of Surge Mac
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Poster Nov 10, 2024@ Anonymous11280 # 53 My title refers to being a server. Does it have anything to do with being a desktop normally?
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Anonymous9938 Nov 11, 2024For people who don't have any mac, except Xcode can't think of a reason why they have to use it
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Anonymous12993 Nov 16, 2024I bought it just for use, but it's a bit wasteful to use it as a server
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Anonymous5832 Nov 18, 2024@ Anonymous2861 That's so right (:
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Anonymous6622 Mar 3, 2025FOR ME, 1. Now the mac mini m4 16g 256g is only 2999. 2. Put Mac mini at home to save power and be quiet 3. In addition to being a server, sometimes if you don't want to take out your laptop and connect it to the monitor, you can directly use mac mini
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Anonymous4568 May 14, 2025@ Anonymous6622 I have a question. Generally speaking, is 16g macmini enough as a server? And you have to run docker