for those that have compared mini to an imac that is almost same total price

[win10user10]

these sites compare mini to imac

 

it doesnt seem that these sites are adding in the cost of the display keyboard mouse for mini when comparing

 

https://www.macworld.com/article/2018990/macs/mac-buying-guide.html?page=2#toc-4

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2018-mac-mini-vs-imac-with-retina-5k-display.2150913/page-2

https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/best-desktop-mac-3464816/

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/apple-imac-vs-mac-mini/

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8624393

 

so it seems these sites have bad inaccurate info (do you know of any better sites on the web to recommend?)

 

since you've compared the two, what's the helpful answer to which is better? and why is it better?

 

total price of mini or almost same total price imac?

 

[DrMacintosh]

Mac mini is a relative bargain if you need a small form factor PC and already have a display you want to use and use Apple Pro software. Though to get a comparable experience to an iMac, you'll need to spend about the same if not more. Not to mention the Mac mini lacks a dGPU, so if you need graphics performance at all, steer clear of a Mac mini. 

[SupaKomputa]

Do you have a particular reason to use a mac?

Most mac software have similar or even the same for windows pc.

 

[conowizard]

its hard to compare because they have different use cases. the imac in an all in one but the mini is a standalone sff computer.

[Sauron]

The new mini is known to overheat significantly and offer lower performance than much cheaper and smaller Intel NUCs (which are also surprisingly compatible with macOS if you really want that). The only thing it has going for it are the multiple thunderbolt ports - but if you're going to add an external graphics card to something that's just going to sit on your desk anyway, I'd recommend just going for a regular desktop.

 

The iMac suffers from similar problems; you're trading more desk space for poor cooling performance, a low price to performance ratio, outdated hardware, poor upgradeability and having to throw the monitor away when you decide you want a new computer. The monitor they come with is good, but if desk space isn't a problem you can generally get just as good a monitor with a better desktop tower for less money. Compared to the mini, it will probably perform better if you get one with the same specs.

 

What's your budget and what do you need your computer for? I might be able to give you some more specific recommendations.

[jpenguin]

I bought a Mac mini for my mom a few months before Copulab's MintBoxMini 2 came out.  If you already have a good monitor, the macmini is a decent deal

[win10user10]

hey if anyone has helpful inputs or helpful parts, that would be good