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Ultimate BUDGET Mac desktop setup!

Luke Miani 416 views

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I just purchased a refurb base M2 mac mini from apples online store here in Canada for $505 taxes in! A great deal here in my country for a Mac product! Heard a lot of good things about this base model! I haven't had a Mac product for many many years and for this price it is worth a try again! Currently using a home built desktop PC, which is huge, and loud, takes up a lot of space! So if this works out it could be good-bye to this PC!
Comment from : @T3CHGY007

Still using M2 No editing, nowork, just a little old lady syncing her iPods and backing up her iPhone Only considering going from 1tb external drive to a 4tb drive Some day
Comment from : @TheGelatinousSnake

5:20, I got the 20 inch model for €35 :))
Comment from : @Poangchair

Which adapter would you need to connect a 30 inch cinema display to a 2011 Mac mini?
Comment from : @davegink9222

Has anyone used a Mac Mini to power a 2015 IMAC ?
Comment from : @INJESUSNAME7

still using the 30" cinemal displayit looks fantastic Mac Mini M$ the apple mouse is pathetic tho
Comment from : @chancesareshewears

Watching this in 2024 Need a sequel to this with the base model Mac mini M4
Comment from : @roddyalcivar

Great vid! I had an old 2015 iMac with wifi that stopped working I am thinking of getting a new iMac Mini (M2 or M4 chip) and was wondering if it's possible to use my old iMac as a display for the new iMac Mini?
Comment from : @martinhawrylkiewicz2025

How is it working though? Because I have a mid-2011 27” iMac, and I wanted to buy a Mac mini m2, but on apple’s site they say you can’t use old iMacs as monitors for the Mac mini?? I’m SO lost
Comment from : @346ego

haha the display is entertaining, but for 200 bucks you can buy an entry level 4k display from big brands
Comment from : @louisxue3292

lol that monitor costs more than a full budget setup What is this guy on?
Comment from : @yeshua5707

1600 dollars is less expensive than the MacBook Pro today damn, and your getting a whole desktop
Comment from : @pythoneerssADOFAI

I would love to do this with but with the m4 Mac mini
Comment from : @readybear64

yeah suck it Tim !!! jajaja
Comment from : @ronyescobar226

at 0:35 that brpchuh pchuh got me
Comment from : @masteraccount4772

This was so cool!!!brVintage meets Modern🔥☄️🔥
Comment from : @UIV7096

problem #3 No camera on monitor brbrGet a thunderbolt display instead Picked one from offerup for 75$ with adapter for thunderbolt 3!!!
Comment from : @BluesLuxury

Would you recommend getting a 16gb RAM for a Mac mini?
Comment from : @8BitJesus

Dude my main computer is a Mac Pro 2009 and a 20” Cinema Display brbrAlthough I literally did just get a good deal on a refurbished MacBook Pro m1…… so this cheese grater is going in the trash Keeping the display tho This thing is bad ass
Comment from : @nathanreddent2427

I recently picked up a mac mini m1 8GB on eBay for 400€ 😂 i use it for private projects mainly with Xcode, vscode, android studio and Adobe CC and it works perfectly fine
Comment from : @beckeller

6:01 Yeah he'd probably be glad to
Comment from : @johfredersen9093

If I was looking for a desktop Mac, the Mac Mini Pro, but with 32GB and a storage enclosure would be my choice
Comment from : @richardcrossley5581

Just buy an iMac for less than this
Comment from : @davidkaplan5517

Hey there So Luke I just converted back to Mac after attempting to migrate to Windows Your videos certainly helped convince me that continuing to push that particular boulder up the mountain was futile Anyway, I bought an M1 Max Studio model on eBay and it’s awesome I needed / wanted more ports and storage so I added the Satechi - Stand & Hub For Mac Mini / Studio With NVMe SSD Enclosure from BesyBuy $99 and I dropped a 4TB NMME drive in it Good to go now I sure you’ve probably covered it, but in case you haven’t, wanted to share it as it’s awesome Thanks for the great videos brbrCheersbrRick
Comment from : @AirGunWeb

confused as hell , do i buy the 2023 mac mini or a 2020 27" iMac fully loaded or a 2021 M1 iMac
Comment from : @Anne6621

I know this video is a year old But I should mention, I bought a 30” from a Goodwill auction for under $200 without the power adaptor I couldn’t find an inexpensive adapter for months When I finally did, the monitor powered up, but there was a gradient of brown going from one side to the other I set the brightness and contrast high, much higher than I normally would and was able to get it somewhat calibrated I bought it to be used as a third monitor on an old Mac Pro 5,1 set up for graphics and special effects with the hopes of running 3 to replace my 27” Cinema Displays to only find that the monitor now flashes intermittently after the first month of use I’m a bit disappointed and have the monitor off most of the time When I do use it, I may be able to get one day of use at a time I mention this because from my research, both issues are somewhat common on these 30” Cinema Displays your viewers may be interested in knowing if they were planning on setting up a Mac Mini like what you’re doing here Luke, thanks for what you do, man!
Comment from : @HOLLYWOODUNAPOLOGETIC

7:40 actually I do because I do kind of have a set up like this I have tons of old Macs sitting around that would use for small like background task or just have in the background For example I have a 2010 MacBook Pro which I used to monitor cameras and my switch I would have a 2010 MacBook Air to run a display that is not apples but I used to display for a dashboard for my mining devices And my 2018 Mac mini and 2020 Intel MacBook Air I just use those for CPU crypto mining along with all my other windows desktop But I have an iMac that is also from 2010 which has the display port and I plug that into my newer 2023 M3 Max MacBook Pro 16 inch to stream YouTube and in general videos or movies off of it I mean it could do it without being plugged in but my MacBook just helps the old iMac run faster and smoother But in general they just look very clean next to each other like very simple yet clean basically my MacBook Pro is black and the iMac is full silver with a black apple logo which is perfect in my opinion it’s like black on silver I love it because the display is beautiful and big so when I’m laying on my bed I could easily watch my favorite movies and videos without being like oh I can’t see anything or man the quality sucks Especially now being spoiled with all the newer high-end Apple flagship stuff which have beautiful displays like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the newer 24 M4 iPad Pro 13 inch Even the Apple Watch Ultra and like I said earlier the MacBook Pro 😅😊
Comment from : @Nathan15038

There are some of us that can't drop $1,200 for a Mac Mini Pro I picked up the Base model M2 Mac Mini $499 on sale it does all I need it to do
Comment from : @GaryED44

man that monitor type is my dream setup, i like the vibes from HER movie kinda like classic futuristic style
Comment from : @JamesWilliam-kx3kz

And an iron only costs $20
Comment from : @UnbelievablyGauche

$1600, way too much
Comment from : @rfish67

This is a fun, great videoThe work that goes into it should be applaudedbrI have a 23" Cinema Display from 2008 which I may use as a second display
Comment from : @StratsRUs

What about a Thunderbolt Display?
Comment from : @genreonlinenet

appreciate you making money… but you need to be SPECIFIC… if you recommend an adapter, put the link its not there!!!
Comment from : @josehvelez1960

What’s the energy consumption of that monitor??
Comment from : @fen0221

Everything on apple is 200 on every upgrade
Comment from : @game2572

I currently use more my 2008 imac with an ssd and tiny 11 than my 8th gen i7, gtx1060 gaming rig :/
Comment from : @IgnacioGonOroz

5:50 I respect your honesty <3
Comment from : @rondavid1272

The apple 27inches Thunderbolt Display could be a good solution too for monitor It’s around $300 on eBay for a good one
Comment from : @ronaldo19832

budget
Comment from : @-Zolee-

The fact that he can use the Cinema Display 20 years later so seamlessly is truly a testament to how innovative it was at the time Imagine in 2004 using a monitor from 1984- it would have been unusable and absurd
Comment from : @wm48512

really interesting video!brI always use this screen (2x30 inches) on my MacPro 41 (12x346 Ghz - 48gb - Radeon Rx580 8gb) under Monterey It still works great!
Comment from : @PixGraphix

I have a cinema display with my G4 mac mini so maybe 🤔
Comment from : @Concreteowl

$12 99 that's quite reasonable 😉
Comment from : @Concreteowl

Hi Luke, sorry to bother you, I've been following your projects for a while now, I really like iMacs and want one, but I can't afford a new one, so I'm looking to buy a used one from ebay, can you please recommend one ? IbrI want an iMac with a large 27 Inch screen, for the office, browsing and regular use, maybe a little photo editingbrbrI already own a MacBook air with M1, but I'm in love with the iMac and the big 27 Inch screen, I've also thought about getting a 2009 iMac and turning it into a monitor with a driver board from eBay, to have on my desk, but it's like I'd like a functional iMac toobrCan you recommend a suitable budget configuration, a 27 Inch iMac that will be good in 2024 but last a few more years, thank you very much for your time Dan
Comment from : @danfilip3418

Does the studio display work without the Mac mini or is that just the iMac?
Comment from : @wobblebobbleball

I want to stay with Apple - I prefer their OS, engineering, etc but these 'desktop' machines destroy the philosophy of the desktop A desktop that you can't easily upgrade and expand is just a laptop without a monitor
Comment from : @malk6277

how is $1299 affordable😭 I can barley afford food
Comment from : @owlmp4

I've purchased 8 monitors over the past few months All either 27" or 32" I wouldn't go past 27" if you're working arms length from the monitor And frankly at that distance I prefer 20" I'm using a 27" monitor at 32" away It works pretty well at this distance
Comment from : @SportsIncorporated

The thing I’d be missing hear is the speakers how would I hear what you have to say?
Comment from : @davidnagy510

I will lose all the apple branded peripheric no doubt I don't like non mechanical keyboards or that minimalist of a mouse, I will also use the display I already own that's not apple branded but indeed, this looks really cheap and really powerful :3
Comment from : @jlunartstudio

Great video :) Sock it to Tim, the guy needs a serious reality check when it comes to Apple's pricing
Comment from : @datatwo7405

The Apple Magic Mouse is hot garbage
Comment from : @jameskaihatu6209

Buy a $300 4K TV and use THAT for a monitor! That's what I did! :D
Comment from : @DavisRoadProductions2025

I would love to see you put a higher resolution screen in the Cinema Display shell and arrange all the ports etc properly!
Comment from : @ToothlessJustin

5:15 Lol love it, always with the addition of a little humour That’s why I subbed today 👌🏻
Comment from : @ToothlessJustin

I have been using my 30” since I got it in 2008 and my model has yellowed with age a bit but not too bad I upgraded a few years ago but still keeping it around and continuing to use it The thing is a beast at over 30 lbs
Comment from : @kerningandleading

There’s a hub now also! But I need help finding something to connect my monitor to my mini ☹️
Comment from : @frombangogh

The Apple Thunderbolt 27" display is a much better option Requires just a small thunderbolt adapter (which is more compatible) slimmer more attractive design with built in FaceTime camera, microphone and speakers and runs a more standard 2540x1440 resolution, and even includes a USB A hub in the back It's a much newer design 2011-2016, and you can pick one up for under $200
Comment from : @rodster44

RESPECT! ✊🏾
Comment from : @OgDj2024

Watching from a 2019 Mac Pro and a 23-inch Apple Cinema HD Display still like those old displays a lot Nice to see a 30-inch paired with an M2 Mac Mini (y)
Comment from : @benmuetsch

Do you know about any Cinema Display that ships to Argentina? I'm really looking for one but I can't seem to find any x-x
Comment from : @angelsunez301

Doesn’t the base mac mini come with only 8GB memory? That is insufficient for anything other than just running a browser and email Power use is going to eat your SSD with swapping
Comment from : @CrustyCrip

Pisses me off that Apple now screws its non-USA customers This same spec Mac Mini is the equivalent of $1,76959, here in EuropebrTime was when Apple translated its US prices into the iequivalent price/i in local currency They stopped doing that about 5 years ago, now meaning an additional $500 to pay for anyone outside the US Exporting goods doesn’t cost $500 per item, Tim 🙃💻
Comment from : @221b-Maker-Street

Can we use iMac as a monitor? That would be great and we don’t need to buy the studio display
Comment from : @danielstojanovski9244

The bigger story is that 19 year old cinema display I love the aesthetic of it so much! I just bought one from Facebook marketplace
Comment from : @engadgetnerd

Great video!
Comment from : @DesaiPlasticSurgery

"suck it Tim" wink wink 😆😆😆🤪
Comment from : @afarangi4839

Yea Thats what she said😂
Comment from : @Unendloser

I just bought the M2 Mac Studio It is perfect
Comment from : @RikuLeppanen

Apple hates this one trick!
Comment from : @_Amilio_

I can not for the life of me set up the Apple mouse to this new Mac mini m2 ? There is 2 of us and we can’t even find a video explaining how to, it is a blue tooth mouse and we have been using it for 10 years now ? No luck at all! So we can’t even set up the Mac mini
Comment from : @ExDeadman

I bought a 27" Apple Thunderbolt display from a woman on Facebook for $300 Think it's a 2013 model Works perfectly and I set it up with my M1 Mac mini that I bought a couple of years ago when my 2009 27" iMac finally bit the dust Still have that one boxed away So it's like having a brand new iMac really Hope it lasts for many, many years to come Love it
Comment from : @jamespike8279

I'm just looking for something to edit short action camera videos for myself and a few friends and I know I can just do it on my phone but I think this is going to make it easier and faster I like the idea of having a semi professional looking setup
Comment from : @robcarr8505

Apple cinema display has 90ish ppi with 200nits brightness rly dude?
Comment from : @wwloyd

Solution, buy a laptop and and 2 external monitors FOR THE SAME PRICE
Comment from : @Holton_The_Doge

" Suck- It" Tim!! 😎
Comment from : @samhanna9409

gutted that I have a 2015 iMac that doesn't work as a display screen for Mac Mini 😢
Comment from : @AnjuliMack

Is there a way to use my late 2015 215 iMac as an external monitor?
Comment from : @paolojoaoferrara792

Actually, I got the monitor at Sam’s on sale for $189!
Comment from : @Halo9K

Sweet spot!
Comment from : @louisfriel8902

Interesting setup Cool video But also missing a webcam and mic brbrI’d prefer the M3 iMac Like the almost all users, I’m not producing 5k video so I don’t need the CPU horsepower of the M2 Pro brbrTo each their own
Comment from : @snowkie

The black Magic Mouse being $20 more than the white one is hilarious
Comment from : @gw7624

Totally agree I've just got an M2 mini and its amazing replacing both my 2012 iMac ( 32Gb ram 1 TB running Ventura via opencore patcher) and my 2013 Macbook pro (1TB 32GB) its totally worth the money (27" 4K Dell ex demo display was dead cheap on Amazon at $300!)
Comment from : @davidcolton1957

Love my Apple 30" Cinema Display and refuse to upgrade I have my 2012 Mac Mini velcroed to the back of it So basically I turned my Cinama Display into a iMac 😉
Comment from : @BernardManansala