Mac newbie: Intel Mac Mini or Hackintosh

Linux guy here, newbie to Macs.

Considering buying a Mac Mini for personal use and work (I am a web developer). It would become my main machine (I also have a recent 16" Intel Mac Book Pro, but the laptop is owned by the company I work for, so it doesn't count).

While the M1 version is tempting I don't think I should buy it, for two reasons mainly:

  1. I have three 24" 1920x1200 displays I want to connect it to
  2. I have read of occasional bugs or lack of M1 support from software I may need to use (Docker, VirtualBox, and more) - I'm sure this might get sorted down the road but I need something that works now if I buy

That said, I checked the specs of the Intel Mini and they seem really not appealing and overpriced. Surprised there's no 9 or 10th generation option for example. Has Apple made any statement whether they would upgrade their Intel Mini line?

Anyway, I'm willing to try staying with a Mac, I'm just not 100% sure it should be now, or whether the Mac Mini is the savviest choice.

Friend mentioned he could build an itx Hackintosh for me with Big Sur. While tempting, I really have no clue abput how reliable that option would be and I wouldn't want finding myself having to fix stuff all the time. I really know nothing about Hackintosh and I'm not sure if an Hackintosh would require occasional maintenance when there are software updates.

Opinions?

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