The Mac mini remains the only true “small” Mac desktop. It easily earns our Editors' Choice nod.ĭesign: A Familiar Face, an Amped-Up Core Apple’s own highly integrated system-on-a-chip (SoC), the M1 brings the Mac mini to new performance highs, and while a few fundamentals have changed, the peppy performance, the reasonable mix of connectivity, and a new lower $699 starting price combine to make it one of the best values in compact computers, period. The real update of this iconic little desktop is this one, and it's a big-band extravaganza. A slight variation on the same sheet music, played with little fanfare earlier this year, pumped up the two base models’ SSD capacity.

The 2018 Mac mini was a PCMag Editors’ Choice pick for its pep, connectivity, build quality, and limited upgradability. The Mac mini doesn’t get upgraded often, but when it does, it makes an impact well out of proportion to its trim dimensions. How to Set Up Two-Factor Authentication.How to Record the Screen on Your Windows PC or Mac.How to Convert YouTube Videos to MP3 Files.How to Save Money on Your Cell Phone Bill.How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad.How to Block Robotexts and Spam Messages.If you’re troubleshooting a ghost-in-the-machine type problem that seems unsolvable no matter how many times you reseat hardware components, reinstall drivers (or even the whole OS), or otherwise deep dive into fixing your PC, you absolutely should test your PSU. Whether it’s fan grinding (the fan in most PSU models is not user-serviceable) or high-pitched whining or buzzing from the PSU, any noise beyond the slight hum of the fan is usually a bad sign. If your computer errors out or crashes intermittently on boot, there’s a good chance your PSU is on its way out. If you can’t pinpoint it to a software problem or a new piece of hardware like a GPU, it’s possible issues with your PSU are causing voltage drops and shutdowns. Your computer randomly shuts down or blue screens.The shielding and grounding in your computer have failed somewhere. Smoke or burning smells can indicate component failure and electrical arcing, even before a complete PSU failure.But if you have unstable power, you’ll have numerous small and difficult-to-diagnose problems cropping up all over the place. The power supply unit is often overlooked in the PC troubleshooting process. These are worth investigating and potentially replacing your PSU to avoid bigger problems like hardware failure or data loss. Is Capacitor Aging Really a Concern in PSU Longevity?īefore we talk about testing your computer’s power supply unit (PSU), let’s talk about common signs your PSU is failing. If You Upgrade Your GPU, Do You Need a New PSU?Īre the PSUs in Prebuilt Computers Low Quality?

What Do '80 Plus' Power Certifications Mean?ĭoes PSU Quality Really Matter That Much? Power Supply Unit Frequently Asked Questions Testing Your PSU with a Basic Jumper Test

How to test mac mini power supply