As of now , I spend my time split between a Windows microcomputer and aMacBook Pro . Both process their determination to my want , and as much as I ’d like to mix everything into one gadget , I have n’t found a individual political machine that could genuinely match .
Then , theM4 Mac minicame out . As I ’ve view a purchase , it has me rethinking my total setup .
The surprising routine ? Rather than supercede my MacBook Pro as you might carry , I ’m seeing more and more reason to ditch my PC entirely and give Windows behind for good .
It just works
exchange from Windows to macOS would make my life story a whole lot easier . Right now , I ’ve get to ferment across different operating systems , think back unlike keyboard shortcuts , portion files between my gadget in different ways , and more . It ’s a real dogfight when it happen on a daily fundament .
And then there are the constant little annoyances that get with Windows . I ’ve used Microsoft ’s operating scheme ever since I first became interested in computers more than 20 age ago , and I ’ve had gripes with it for just about as long . Every Windows exploiter can tell you about a dissimilar bug that they on a regular basis suffer through , from apps crashing and freeze down to uncanny visual quirk and odd system behavior . It ’s just part of the Windows experience .
As someone who uses both Windows and macOS , I can differentiate you from experience that those vexation are far rare on Apple ’s operating arrangement . Not only is macOS a different way of knead but it ’s a much more pleasant one , too . It ’s one example where Apple ’s famous “ it just crop ” adage is more than just marketing rot — compared to Windows ’ grate bugginess , it ’s a primal selling percentage point .
Not only would eliminate Windows from my life put the sword to those problem but it would make my life soft in other ways . Instead of sharing files using a intermixture of Dropbox and AirDrop ( count on which twist I ’m using at the time ) , I could flip out everything over to AirDrop . Thebest Windows appsI use on a daily basis employment dead on macOS , and there ’s a thriving ecosystem of thebest Mac appsthat are n’t uncommitted on Windows figurer . There ’s a draw to advance from do the switching .
The Mac gaming machine
There ’s another big reason for me to stop my friendship with Windows . Over the last few years , the principal thing that has stopped me from for good giving up on Windows has been stake . I play a fate of game , and the PC world ’s combination of potent distinct GPUs and unequaled game compatibility is something the Mac simply has not been able to match for years .
With the M4 Mac range of a function , though , that ’s all changing . In ourM4 Pro Mac mini review , we found its gaming performance to be just about on par with theNvidia RTX 4060graphics card . My current Windows PC contains an RTX 3070 , which in all likelihood offer slightly better public presentation than the M4 Pro . So why would I want to drop down graphically ?
Well , it ’s not quite as simple as that . The game I spiel the most mighty now — the like ofStardew ValleyandFootball Manager — are not exactly diagrammatically intense . Those game I represent thataremore diagrammatically intense — Baldur ’s Gate 3,Cyberpunk 2077 — are nowreadily available on the Mac . With the M4 Pro , they run as swimmingly as I require them to .
My concern would be for future statute title — will the M4 Pro be able-bodied to keep up as games get progressively more demanding ? Although the progress is anticipate , there are no hope . The good news is that , bed myself , this will be a modest concern . My Steam reserve is a mile long and I ’m not the character of gamer who wants to play everything at 4 K resolution , 240 anatomy per second , ray of light - tracing - enabled , melt - my - side - off character . The fact that my most - played plot over the last month is a pixel art farm simulator should attest to that fact .
Paying the price
Migrating from Windows to macOS is not a total barb dunk shot in favour of Team Apple . For one thing , I love planning andbuilding my own microcomputer , and being able-bodied to pack so much power into asmall - sort - factor casewas a major hooking for me . The Mac mini can beat my PC hands down when it fare to the titchy footprint , but Apple is famously restrictive when it descend to Mac customizations . There would be no more custom PC building for me if I went all - in on macOS .
As well as that , there ’s theannoying baron button placementon the Mac miniskirt . It might not seem like much , but I ’m one of those rare dinosaurs that still fully turns off their computer at the ending of each day instead of just air it to sleep . Using the awkward power push button would be a daily occurrence , and I ’d probably have to build some sorting of custom switch to give up myself from going harebrained .
in the end , though , those are hardly dealbreakers for me , specially since I only build a newfangled PC once every few years and could justput the Mac mini to sleepinstead of flip-flop it off . The attracter of operating within a merged ecosystem , alongside Apple ’s newfound gambling enthusiasm , mean the benefit preponderate the drawback .
The only remain hinderance is the one that has plagued Apple fans for days : the price . You really do pay for Apple quality , and in my case , getting a unexampled Mac mini is potential to set me back somewhere in the neighborhood of $ 3,000 . I need 4 TB of storehouse and the M4 Pro cow dung , while I ’m unsure if the Mac mini ’s 24 GB of computer storage will be enough to match my PC ’s 32 G , even think its superior unified architecture . Those upgrades are enough to make your eyes urine .
But if shelling out on a souped - up Mac mini lets me unify my desk setup , purge Windows annoyances from my life-time , and still enjoy the games I have it away the most , it could be a price worth pay . Now all I ’ve got to do is start saving .