The Mac mini and 27-inch iMac both come with a 1G Ethernet port, but the M1 Mac mini can now be configured to 10 Gigabit for an additional $100. The question is whether they have 1G or 10G Ethernet options. It can handle more data than traditional Ethernet, making it a must-have for large enterprises and niche individuals that use the Mac mini for video editing.Īll of Apple’s desktop Macs have Ethernet connections of some kind. In business environments, 10G is a high-bandwidth heavyweight that enables fast project turnover. This increased speed means reduced latency in video and images – making 10G a necessity for applications where accuracy and efficiency are priorities. It is literally ten times faster than plain old Ethernet. The biggest benefit is speed: 10G stands for 10Gigabit Ethernet. King adds that the cost of updating a company’s infrastructure - such as retrofitting the network to support 10G - is even more substantial.īut there’s a reason that a major tech solutions provider like Apple is making 10G Ethernet a priority.

As Matt King, director of integration services at Mission Electronics, told My Tech Decisions, “a Cisco switch with 48 1Gig ports goes for $169/port, while a Cisco 48 10Gig switch is $425/port.”

There’s a substantial price difference – especially when we’re talking about enabling 10G for an entire company. Let’s take a look at the benefits of the new 10G Ethernet port, as well as other Ethernet connectivity options from Apple and OWC.Īt this point, you’re probably wondering about the benefits of 10G vs. Are you wondering if you need 10G networking in your home? While adding 10G to everything would be great for people who use internal networking on team projects, it could also create connectivity challenges for those who recently bought 1G machines. There’s currently a debate around whether Apple will add 10G Ethernet to all Macs. If you’re a high-end power user, such as a professional video editor, you might benefit from a personal 10G connection – especially if you are working on high bandwidth tasks, such as real-time 4K footage from a server. There’s such a demand for wired networking that Apple recently added a 10G Ethernet option to M1 Mac minis. Remote work is on the rise, which means you may have recently realized that your computer isn’t up to the task of wired networking.

What is the mac mini capable of