8gb vs 16gb

[apostolosdt]

I would go for the largest RAM I could afford and not worry about the storage, for there are external hard disks but there aren't external RAM units. As a rule of thumb, buy twice as much RAM as you think you're going to need.

 

[Mardiel8128]

I would go for the largest RAM I could afford and not worry about the storage, for there are external hard disks but there aren't external RAM units. As a rule of thumb, buy twice as much RAM as you think you're going to need.

but if I connect all day the external hard drive, can it fail sometime?

 

[coffeemilktea]

If you're not doing anything too computationally exciting, 8GB should be fine, especially when paired with Apple Silicon and a solid state drive. Chrome, Excel, and Outlook should all run fine at the same time on that machine.

...well, for now, at least. Who knows what will happen in a few years with MacOS adding more and more features?

 

[apostolosdt]

but if I connect all day the external hard drive, can it fail sometime?

Absolutely, as will the internal SSD, given enough time and usage. Here's another rule of thumb: Back up everything!

 

[Mardiel8128]

Alright 8gb it is for me. Would 256gb ssd a limitation in any way? I guess it’s recommended to install apps on the ssd and all media on another HDD connected via usb. The apps I would be installing currently fit fine on my windows 10 HDD. I’m assuming Apple apps are the same or smaller size l? I currently have full ms office, teams, Evernote, notepad ++, VLC media player, qtorrent, Skype and about 5 other small apps

Can apps be installed in an external ssd ?

 

[apostolosdt]

Can apps be installed in an external ssd ?

Are you talking about Mac? Then, the short answer is not all of them. If you installed the app by simply dropping the icon in Apps folder, then you can re-drop it anywhere. If a script run was involved, you need expert skills to do it. However, from good practice point of view, keep apps in the internal, keep data in the external. As simple as that!

 

[Fishrrman]

Mardiel asks:
"Can apps be installed in an external ssd ?"

Many (but not all) apps can be moved where you want them, but it's not really advisable to do so. They will behave best in the "applications" folder, particular when upgrading is involved.

If you boot and run from an external SSD, then yes -- the apps should go into the applications folder on the boot SSD.

 

[Mardiel8128]

I would go for the largest RAM I could afford and not worry about the storage, for there are external hard disks but there aren't external RAM units. As a rule of thumb, buy twice as much RAM as you think you're going to need.

Hello If I want to last the mac mani as long as it can maybe 5 yerars or more should I go for the 16gb ram or 24 fb ram or 32 gb ram

 

[apostolosdt]

If you want to decide NOW on how much RAM you will need, plan on the applications you will run. Macs endure time exceptionally well; my oldest Mac is an MBP 2008, still running.

 

[mavis]

SSDs wear out, old hard disks would wear out. I don’t see it as a huge issue unless you’re planning to use the Mac years past its VIN/OBS date.

Exactly. I'll take a fast SSD with a ten-year life over a slow, noisy HDD that will randomly crap out after five years (more or less), any day of the week. The only thing I use HDDs for these days is archival storage, and even then I use them in RAID so the data is protected against the inevitable disk failure.

 

[m1maverick]

Hello If I want to last the mac mani as long as it can maybe 5 yerars or more should I go for the 16gb ram or 24 fb ram or 32 gb ram

The cost of buying the 16GB M2 Mini is 33% more than the base model price. Going with the 24GB model represents 66% more than the base model. Only you can decide is spending 33% / 66% more than the base model is worth trying to future proof your purchase (as opposed to just buying the current model in five years, assuming similar pricing).

 

[Mardiel8128]

The cost of buying the 16GB M2 Mini is 33% more than the base model price. Going with the 24GB model represents 66% more than the base model. Only you can decide is spending 33% / 66% more than the base model is worth trying to future proof your purchase (as opposed to just buying the current model in five years, assuming similar pricing).

but wich will handle best in 5-8 years. I want to use this mac mini as long as it can be possible.
I'm even thinking to get the m2 pro base (10 cpu and 16 gpu) mac mini with 1 terabyte ssd

I'm not a selling person so I buy one and I keep it.

 

[m1maverick]

but wich will handle best in 5-8 years. I want to use this mac mini as long as it can be possible.
I'm even thinking to get the m2 pro base (10 cpu and 16 gpu) mac mini with 1 terabyte ssd

I'm not a selling person so I buy one and I keep it.

The model which is current at that time. You have to ask yourself if spending 66% more today on future proofing makes sense when you could instead take that 66% and apply it, in 2028, to the then current model. Of course this assumes similar pricing then as today.

 

[Chancha]

The model which is current at that time. You have to ask yourself if spending 66% more today on future proofing makes sense when you could instead take that 66% and apply it, in 2028, to the then current model. Of course this assumes similar pricing then as today.

24GB almost surely is a waste for the typical mini user, regardless of cost we are looking at a spec-mismatch where the M2 Pro mini exists, and the higher RAM ceiling is supposed to be more useful along with the better SoC particularly in the 200GB/s memory bandwidth.

Now the guy narrows his choice down to M2 base mini with just the 3 RAM amounts as choices (discounting M2 Pro route), with 24GB out of the question 16GB sounds like a sweetspot for longevity. 8GB is actually quite likely to be enough for the projected 5 years of use but you never know if even websites or "consumer-class" apps will demand or expect a higher memory footprint in near future. Even (flagship) cellphones are expected to have 8GB nowadays.

The "33%" of price delta from the M2 base to the 16GB config as overcharged as it is, I myself think it is probably the one upgrade that makes the most sense. Just consider the 8GB base a heavy discount, where the 16GB BTO price being the regular price, if this makes you feel better.

 

[Mardiel8128]

24GB almost surely is a waste for the typical mini user, regardless of cost we are looking at a spec-mismatch where the M2 Pro mini exists, and the higher RAM ceiling is supposed to be more useful along with the better SoC particularly in the 200GB/s memory bandwidth.

Now the guy narrows his choice down to M2 base mini with just the 3 RAM amounts as choices (discounting M2 Pro route), with 24GB out of the question 16GB sounds like a sweetspot for longevity. 8GB is actually quite likely to be enough for the projected 5 years of use but you never know if even websites or "consumer-class" apps will demand or expect a higher memory footprint in near future. Even (flagship) cellphones are expected to have 8GB nowadays.

The "33%" of price delta from the M2 base to the 16GB config as overcharged as it is, I myself think it is probably the one upgrade that makes the most sense. Just consider the 8GB base a heavy discount, where the 16GB BTO price being the regular price, if this makes you feel better.

will it be better go for the mac mini m2 pro with 16gb ram? for 5-8 years of usage?

 

[m1maverick]

will it be better go for the mac mini m2 pro with 16gb ram? for 5-8 years of usage?

The Mac Mini Pro costs more than twice the base model Mac Mini. Unless the OP needs the capabilities of the Pro model now or in the near future my recommendation would be to buy the non-Pro Mini and use the savings to buy the current Mini 5-8 years from now (assuming similar pricing).

 

[Mardiel8128]

The Mac Mini Pro costs more than twice the base model Mac Mini. Unless the OP needs the capabilities of the Pro model now or in the near future my recommendation would be to buy the non-Pro Mini and use the savings to buy the current Mini 5-8 years from now (assuming similar pricing).

Do you think it will last 5-6 years or in that time it will have problems opening word documents or editing videos

 

[m1maverick]

Do you think it will last 5-6 years or in that time it will have problems opening word documents or editing videos

That depends on your requirements. I would say that if your future requirements remain relatively the same as your current ones and if the current Mac Mini meets those requirements there's a good chance it will continue to do so in 5-8 years. If not the money saved having not purchased an upgraded system today can be applied to a new Mac in 5-8 years.

 

[foo2]

will it be better go for the mac mini m2 pro with 16gb ram? for 5-8 years of usage?

I do not suggest buying more now in the hopes it will ‘cover’ a machine and give it a longer lifespan. Some applications you list (Word documents!) work perfectly well on a Mac from a decade ago. I would suggest you buy the base model for $499, assess if it meets your requirements, and keep it until it’s time to dump it, and easily use Migration Assistant for a trivial, fast, simple upgrade to your new Mac over your home’s network. Super easy, super fast, and you’ll get a _real_ upgrade from M2 to whatever is new (M4, M5, etc.) at the time, rather than (for most people with basic needs) the non-upgrade that the M2 -> M2 Pro is.

Remember, unlike on the Intel side, on the AS side there’s NO DIFFERENCE in per-core speeds between M2 and M2 Pro. If you don’t run pro apps (CONSTANTLY) that need the additional CPU cores, or you don’t need the x% faster GPU on the Pro, don’t get the Pro.

And don’t cram money into RAM upgrades you don’t need. Buy what you need now, and in a few years, dump it for something genuinely faster and that’s actually better.

 

[JuicyGoomba]

8GB is fine if you don't plan on doing anything RAM intensive.

Rather than try and mansplain like so many others on here, you'll know you're doing RAM intensive work if your machine has ever slowed to a crawl while video editing etc.

Most people wont even notice that they're out of RAM and the machine is using the SSD for swap.

SSD wear? Even with regular swaps, the machine will be end of life long before excess SSD wear is encountered.

Most of the "advice" on this thread is simple fearmongering based on what someone was told by someone else on this forum who was also fearmongering. FOMO plays a big part in all of this, and these are the types of people Apple prey on and make ridiculous amounts of profit from.

Fact is, you can have a fully functional productivity focused Windows 11 machine on 8GB of RAM. Mac OS is far better with memory management, you'll be fine.

TLDR: If you are anyone other than an audio/video/graphics professional, or someone who NEEDS multiple VMs open at once, 8GB of RAM will last you for years.

And to all those people who have been scared by the fearmongering, Apple's M1/M2 chips in usage run at close to 100c at all times unless idle, IMO it isn't the SSD/RAM you want to be worried about in the long term.

 

[m1maverick]

Fact is, you can have a fully functional productivity focused Windows 11 machine on 8GB of RAM. Mac OS is far better with memory management, you'll be fine.

Can you please elaborate? Feel free to be very technical I am.