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I want an Apple computer but cannot decide between Mac Mini and Macbook Air. I prefer the Mini more, and I own a Logitech Keyboard and mouse and an LG Monitor, so those things are already taken care of.

So, my main concern is the performance difference.

Consider 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD for both Mini and Air.

Is there any performance difference between the two?

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  • Which CPU is in the models you are looking at?
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 18:42
  • As for macOS support, only Apple can say. It‘s probably safe to assume that support for different 2023 models will be available for the same time span.
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 18:44
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    Having said that: the main difference most likely is portability.
    – nohillside ♦
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 18:44
  • Welcome to Ask Different. We strongly prefer one question per question. I’m going to make this about performance so it’s answerable. Please ask each of your other questions after reviewing the tour and showing your research. If you ask on vulnerabilities - link to one such item you care about. If you ask about longevity, try to link to an Apple support article explaining Apple support windows. If you search for them, let us know exactly how you searched and why the first few hits didn’t work to answer your issue.
    – bmike ♦
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 19:43
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    Off topic - but if you are thinking of having the computer for 5-6 years then get more memory than 8G RAM. Even a browser on its own nowadays would take up much of that.
    – mmmmmm
    Commented Oct 9, 2023 at 20:10

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The Mac Mini will have higher performance than a MacBook Air, when all other things are equal, because it has active cooling. The MacBook Air is strictly passive cooling.

You have to keep an eye on a few other small details, like whether it has a single or double SSD chip. This applies to most 256GB Mac models. 512GB models have two 256GB chips and avoid this issues.

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  • Why ? What would be the problem with 2 x 256 GB ?
    – pc_fuel
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 7:28
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    @Asish Some benchmark tests have shown slower times for the single chips, though in the real world, and under normal usage, you are unlikely to notice the difference. However, more storage is always better.
    – benwiggy
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 12:42
  • @Asish The problem is with 1x256GB. It does not apply to the 512GB models, and does not differ between Mac Mini and MacBook Air.
    – Ezekiel
    Commented Oct 10, 2023 at 15:14

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