I wonder if I am having some kind of mid-life crisis of sorts. I promised myself that I'd stick with DIY PCs, but yet, I can't really shake off the prospects of acquiring a Mac of some kind.
I have flip-flopped on this many times already, so I'll spare the details. I guess one reason why I tend to go back and forth is my idiotic decision to sell off my mid-2011 Mac Mini about five years ago. It's already been left behind by Apple as of High Sierra, but as many popular apps still support High Sierra in 2020, that old Mini would still be rather useful if it wasn't for it's 5400rpm drive slowing it down. By the time those popular apps stop supporting High Sierra, the Mini would probably be ready for replacement anyway. If it wasn't for David encouraging me to get the Mini, I'd have gone for an iMac.
I also think I'm just beginning to get flat out bored with typical Windows PC setups, especially DIY towers like Pearl. I'm also starting to appreciate all-in-one or minimalist setups more, whether it be PC or Mac. I find AIOs more attractive because of the lack of wires going everywhere and not needing additional power outlets for monitors or speakers. Bonus points if a wireless or Bluetooth keyboard are included. The overall clean appearance of my old Mac Mini setup was another reason why I initially went for it.
One more reason, I guess, is the fear of my PC acquiring some kind of crippling malware or ransomware. I do use a good AV software (in this case, Avast), but I'll tell you, ransomware scares me, even if I decide to keep my most important stuff on external drives. I already know Macs can get malware too. To Apple's credit, their walled-garden approach helps limit the chances of malware infiltrating their App Stores. It doesn't eliminate the possibility of App Store malware altogether though.
Even though Macs or PC AIOs are far less serviceable than my DIY tower, I wonder if I even need a DIY setup. My computer needs aren't what they were even two years ago when I built Pearl. I don't make videos as often as I used to and I have shifted more towards digitizing old VHS tapes or analog video sources. My gaming needs have shifted towards consoles. Most of the time spent on my PCs as of now is just watching YouTube videos or reading news articles. I'd think my DIY tower would be better off in the hands of someone else who needs a new PC.
What set off this latest round of flip-flopping? Affordable used Mac Mini's on eBay or OneWorldComputing (aka OWC). I have my eyes on a 2014 model, which LowEndMac would probably call a "road Apple" due to the soldered-on RAM. Both sites offer used models that have 8GB RAM and faster SSDs. They do only have dual-core Intel CPUs, but given my rather modest needs nowadays, I could get away with a dual-core for 3 to 5 years.
I feel like I'm a bad person for constantly flip-flopping like this. Seems like I'm complaining a lot about my inability to stick to promises. If I keep wanting to get a Mac, does that mean I should just get one and be done with it? On one hand, it would be nice to have access to both popular OS'es without having to deal with virtual machines or resorting to making Pearl a Hackintosh. On the other hand, Apple does have some REALLY shady business practices. But so do many other companies I end up doing business with such as Amazon or Nintendo. I also still like reading posts off LowEndMac showing the more advanced Apple owners doing their best to keep their Mac hardware as current as possible despite Apple considering their hardware to be obsolete.
I am going to file my IRS tax return tomorrow, and I should get my refund within the next week or two following that. Estimates indicate that I should have enough for that refurbished Mac Mini with some left over.