If Windows 10 play a critical role, I would purchase extension support from Microsoft, however, in my case, all my critical data and services are all running in multiple Linux servers running separately aside. I use Windows 10 simply as client , say use VSCode to SSH to the server, use DB Management system to connect DB server, use Chrome to browse web, use Email client to receive emails, all data preserved in cloud or server. etc.
I have suffered so many times of OS fail and waste days to recover and reinstall everything if I put everything everything in Windows (or mac). Now that I use Windows (or mac) as a client, I can ditch it and rebuild a system in one hour to shift to another machine. This gives me confidence in any kind of OS failure. I don't have many concerns about the ending of Microsoft support, Usually, these updates include only corner use cases (I was a Microsoft Global Tech Support Engineer years before :)). For emergency and very critical patches that impact severely on everyone, Microsoft will still release free patches, this was happening for Windows XP and Windows 7.
When I am writing this comment, I have been using this Windows 10 machine for months, and it works perfectly, and I am expecting to use it for many more years. If I don't use MS fancy new features (usually those features are useless).
"buy various peripherals", I mean buy dougles and adapter cables for data storage and external monitor, those ports are usually provided by default from any desktop motherboard, plug and use, however, Mac mini provide only USB-C type output, I will need to by all sort of cable and docker to use external devices.
In terms of investment, Windows/Linux systems also last very very long, I have a i7-6700k CPU, which is still in serve and performs pretty well, and have a Xeon CPU produced in 2016, which is running my AI server running pretty well, and this Windows 10 desktop, it is using a i7-6800k CPU, and it still performs very good except gaming, (It can still run Cyber Punk 2077 and running above 60 frames/s but can't use the max power of RTC 3090/4090)
The advantage of Apple devices are its beautiful design, extreme portability and long lasting battery, it is the best of the best. I am still using the M1 Mac air everyday and very happy with it.
