Can Mac mini with i7 & eGPU video encode & game @ 4K reliably?

[FutaGrlAlicePA]

I’m considering a brand new Mac mini for my needs and wasn’t sure if a i7 would drive a 4K HDR tv as a monitor on its own till I can invest in a Radeon VII eGPU. I want to edit 4K videos & photography & gaming as well.The Mac mini Specks I’m considering are:.

3.2GHz 6‑core 8th‑generation Intel Core i7 (Turbo Boost up to 4.6GHz)
8GB 2666MHz DDR4
Intel UHD Graphics 630
128GB SSD storage
10 Gigabit Ethernet (Nbase-T Ethernet with support for 1Gb, 2.5Gb, 5Gb, and 10Gb Ethernet using RJ‑45 connector)

Thanks in Advance:
Alice


Sent from my iPhone using Mac-Forums

 

[RavingMac]

I have an i5 Mac Mini and it works superbly with the 40in Samsung 4K TV I use as a Monitor. No eGPU needed.

Though, honestly, for the same price I would pick the i5 with 256GB SSD over the i7 model you are looking at.

 

[chscag]

Welcome to our forums Alice:

The Mini you outlined above will be able to drive a 4K High Definition TV (using the proper cables and/or adapter). One bit of advice: Go for a larger SSD; 128GB is not enough for video, photos, and gaming. Space will be used up very quickly. You could of course use an external drive to store videos and photos if you choose but even at that, 128GB is a very small SSD nowadays. Go for 256GB at a minimum and if you have plenty of $$, a 512GB SSD would be best.

 

[FutaGrlAlicePA]

Was looking at getting a OWC ThunderBay 6 RAID 6-Bay External Storage Enclosure for mad storage actually.


Sent from my iPhone using Mac-Forums

 

[FutaGrlAlicePA]

If I had more $$$ I’d go for a 2tb SSD


Sent from my iPhone using Mac-Forums

 

[RavingMac]

Geekbench scores on the i7 are about 10% higher than for the i5 in the Mac Mini. But I can’t help believing that real world performance improvement for 256GB SSD configuration over 128GB will more than make up for that. Thunderbolt/USB 3 drives are fast, but not as fast as system bus Read/Write.
My needs are similar to yours, except I don’t do video. After looking at everything I went with a refurb i5 w/1TB SSD and 16GB RAM.

For external storage I am using a couple of Samsung T5s (1TB SSDs) and an old 4 TB 2 drive WD RAID

 

[FutaGrlAlicePA]

Looks like the system can do what I need nicely.


Sent from my iPhone using Mac-Forums