Which used Mac to buy for Omarchy M, and what Linux still can't do on it

The short answer

Already own an M1 or M2 Mac? Spend $0. Try Omarchy runs the Omarchy desktop as an app, in a virtual machine, on macOS 15 or newer with at least 8GB free. If you like it, the installer puts Omarchy next to macOS and wants at least 50GB free on the internal SSD, with 100GB recommended.

Buying for a desk? Get a used M1 Mac mini. It had a $444.98 median ask on Sept. 15 and drives one monitor over HDMI under Linux today, the same number as any Mac mini or Mac Studio.

Buying a laptop? A MacBook Air works if you won’t plug in a monitor, because Asahi lists no working external display output for it. If you need a monitor, buy a 14- or 16-inch MacBook Pro. Those are the M1 and M2 laptops with an HDMI port.

Don’t buy an M3, M4 or M5 Mac for Omarchy M yet. Omarchy says M1 and M2 come first and gives no date for newer machines. Older Intel Macs are a separate x86 route, covered in our Intel Mac mini guide.

Which M1 or M2 Mac, by job

Every machine below is on Asahi Linux’s device support list, and the omarchy-mac README tells you to check that list before installing. The monitor column comes from Asahi’s current M1 and M2 feature tables, not from Omarchy’s first-release goals. Prices are Sept. 15, 2026 median asks that mix memory, storage and condition.

Job	Machine	External monitor under Linux today	Used price, Sept. 15	Next step
Laptop, no monitor	MacBook Air M1 (2020)	None: no HDMI port, and USB-C display output is “WIP”	not verified	Swappa MacBook Air 2020 listings; the page mixes Intel and M1 models
Laptop, no monitor	MacBook Air M2 (13-inch 2022, 15-inch 2023)	None, for the same reason	not verified	eBay search
Laptop with a monitor	MacBook Pro 14/16 M2 Pro or M2 Max (2023)	One, over HDMI: “linux-asahi”	not verified	eBay search
Laptop with a monitor	MacBook Pro 14/16 M1 Pro or M1 Max (2021)	One, over HDMI: “linux-asahi (13.5 FW only)”	not verified	eBay search
Desk, cheapest	Mac mini M1 (2020)	One, over HDMI	$444.98 (n=171)	Our M1 mini listings
Desk	Mac mini M2 (2023)	One, over HDMI	$597.50 (n=116)	Our M2 mini listings
Desk	Mac mini M2 Pro (2023)	One, over HDMI	$1,042.49 (n=46)	Our M2 Pro mini listings
Desk, more power	Mac Studio M1 Max (2022)	One, over HDMI: “13.5 FW only”	$1,737.00 (n=108)	Our M1 Max Studio listings
Desk, more power	Mac Studio M2 Max (2023)	One, over HDMI	$2,184.50 (n=50)	Our M2 Max Studio listings
Don’t buy for this	Any M3, M4 or M5 Mac	Not an Omarchy M install target yet	—	Try Omarchy still runs as an app on any Apple silicon Mac with macOS 15 or newer

On this page: the short answer, how the picks differ, how much storage, what still doesn’t work, checks before buying, where to buy and when this page changes.

How the picks differ

The desk machines are closer than their prices. On Asahi’s feature tables, the M1, M2 and M2 Pro minis match on the rows that matter for a desk. HDMI out works, suspend and sleep are marked “linux-asahi” and display output over USB-C is “WIP.” Each mini has one HDMI port, so each drives one monitor under Linux for now. At Sept. 15 medians, the M2 mini asks $152.52 more than the M1 and the M2 Pro asks $597.51 more. That money buys a faster chip, not a second working monitor output. One difference does show up in those tables: Asahi enables speakers on M1-family machines through separate patches, explained below. Most M1 mini listings are 8GB, and neither Omarchy project publishes a memory minimum.

The Mac Studios buy memory and speed. Their displays work the same way, with one HDMI monitor. Asahi marks HDMI on M1 Max and M1 Ultra machines “13.5 FW only” and gives the M2 Max no such note. Omarchy lists Apple’s MLX machine-learning framework among its first-release goals, and a Studio’s larger memory is the reason to pay for one here.

For a laptop, the monitor decides. Neither MacBook Air has an HDMI port, and Asahi’s M2 table marks HDMI out “-” on both Airs, which it defines as “Feature not supported by hardware on this platform.” Display output over USB-C, which Asahi lists as “DP Alt Mode,” is “WIP” on every M1 and M2 machine. Asahi uses WIP for work that is “not yet ready for wider testing, use or distribution.” Until that row changes, an Air running Omarchy M is a laptop with one screen. Omarchy lists “External monitors over USB-C” among its goals for the first release. That is a target, not a description of how the Air works today.

The two MacBook Pro rows differ by a note. Asahi marks HDMI out on M1 Pro, M1 Max and M1 Ultra machines “linux-asahi (13.5 FW only).” The table does not explain that firmware condition, and we could not confirm from Omarchy’s documentation how its installer meets it. The omarchy-mx-mac README does show test output from a 14-inch 2021 MacBook Pro with an M1 Pro. The M2 Pro and M2 Max MacBook Pro carry no such note. If the laptop must drive a monitor, the documentation makes the 2023 model the safer buy. We have no verified MacBook prices, so compare the two on the listings themselves.

Is a 256GB Mac enough to keep macOS?

Both the omarchy-mac and omarchy-mx-mac READMEs ask for at least 50GB free on the internal SSD and recommend 100GB. An external drive doesn’t count toward that requirement. Drawn to one scale, the requirement looks like this:

On a 256GB Mac, giving Omarchy M the recommended 100GB leaves 156GB of nominal capacity for macOS, its system files and everything you keep there. At the 50GB minimum, 206GB is left. On a 512GB Mac, the recommended split leaves 412GB. If Linux will be your daily system and macOS only a fallback, 256GB can work at the recommended size. If both will be working systems, buy 512GB. Our Sept. 15 medians mix storage sizes, so they don’t show the price gap between the two. Compare a 256GB and a 512GB listing from the same seller in the same condition.

What still doesn't work

Every source below was read Sept. 16, 2026, between 9:45 and 11 a.m. UTC.

• External monitors over USB-C or Thunderbolt. Asahi’s M1 and M2 tables mark “DP Alt Mode” as “WIP.” Omarchy’s first-release goals include “External monitors over USB-C.” For now, use HDMI on machines that have it.
• ProMotion and HDR. Asahi’s device list says of the MacBook Pro: “VRR (ProMotion) and HDR not yet supported.”
• Touch ID. Asahi marks it “TBA” on every M1 and M2 machine with a sensor, which it defines as “Active work on this feature is not being undertaken at this time.” Omarchy lists Touch ID as a first-release goal. Until it ships, expect to type a password.
• Thunderbolt. Asahi’s M1 and M2 tables mark it “WIP,” so don’t buy a Thunderbolt dock for the Linux side yet.
• Speakers on M1-family machines. Asahi enables them with separate patches because of an lsp-plugins bug that “causes full-scale artifacts which could potentially damage the speakers.” We could not confirm from Omarchy’s documentation whether its image includes those patches.
• Hardware support by model. The omarchy-mx-mac README says “external displays, speakers, cameras, suspend, and power management can vary by model.” A Mac mini or Mac Studio has no built-in camera to begin with.
• Some software. The omarchy-mac README says a few packages “have no ARM build at all.” Its example is obs-studio, which compiles for about three hours and then fails an architecture check.
• Removal. The omarchy-mac README says “There is no automatic uninstaller.” To remove Omarchy, you delete its partitions from macOS by following Asahi’s partitioning cheatsheet. The README warns that the wrong target “can take macOS with it.”

One conflict between the sources matters for buyers. The omarchy-mx-mac README says the project “has been tested on M1, M2, and M3 systems.” Omarchy’s announcement says “M1 and M2 are where we plant the flag first,” and Asahi’s device list names no M3 machine. For buying decisions, go by the announcement and Asahi’s list, not a test report.

Checks before buying

• Check the chip, not the look. M3 and M4 MacBook Airs look like the M2 model, and the 2025 Mac Studio looks like the earlier ones. Read the chip on the listing and again in About This Mac before you pay.
• Activation Lock and MDM enrollment. Either can leave you with a Mac you can’t set up. Our checklist covers Activation Lock and MDM enrollment.
• Storage size. Check it against the diagram above before you compare prices.
• Battery cycle count on a laptop. Our checklist shows how to read it and what counts as high.

Where to buy

Other stores. Apple Certified Refurbished carries a one-year Apple warranty, but check whether it lists any M1 or M2 model at all. Swappa and eBay show the chip, memory and storage on each listing. Our channel guide compares what each seller’s terms protect.

Amazon. Both open Amazon search results, not exact products: search Amazon for renewed M1 and M2 MacBook Airs or for renewed M1 and M2 Mac minis. Search results can include M3 and later machines, so confirm the chip on the listing and check the price there. The medians above are our observations of the wider used market, not Amazon offers.

When this page changes

Three events would change this page: Omarchy’s first polished release for M1 and M2; a change in Asahi’s “DP Alt Mode” status, which would change the MacBook Air verdict; and an announced M3 or later install target, which would change the don’t-buy row. For how much macOS support each chip still gets from Apple, and what it asks used, see our macOS support guide.