Help running full node

Hi Bitcoiners!

I am very interested in running a full node and I need quite a bit of help. I’m not a super tech heavy person, but I understand some of the nuances.

So here is the issue I have. I began downloading the timechain, and got to about 15%. At this point the Core client said it would be about 2 weeks before the whole chain would be downloaded. FYI, I plugged in my ethernet chord and this did not help.

My computer specs:

• 2020 Mac Mini
• 8 GB RAM
• 256 GB Storage

I decided to save the chain to my external hard drive that has 1 TB of storage. It had no problem saving it there until the issue around 15% (I read that this can cause the chain to be stored much more slowly, plus the IBD can go slower when processing power is being used up by other computer functions).

I think I might have a solution. I have two monitors hooked up to my Mac mini 2020. I have concluded that it might be best to buy a 2011 Mac mini (because it has a hard drive that I can remove and replace to something larger, ideally 1 TB of storage). I can then hook my monitor up to the 2011 mac mini, download Core and the timechain, and then hook my monitor back to my original 2020 mac, and allow the 2011 mac to just run as a full node; this would be great to have a UI whenever I want to look at the node and it would have the full 8 GB of ram and TB of storage from the 2011 mac.

I’m trying my best to keep my 2020 mac clean from large downloads because it’s my work and personal computer and given my current storage situation I would only be able to download a third of the chain before I am at capacity.

• What do you see as a problem?
• What do you think would be a better solution? (I’ve read that raspberry PIs are good, but I don’t know how to use it and this 2011 Mac is roughly only 50$ so not too bad for what I want to use it as).
• Is it better to just download the timechain to my external hard drive on my current mac and wait the two weeks before it’s fully downloaded?
• Advice?

Thanks in advanced!