entire point of cheap base model is thats its completely unusable for anything really and you will spend couple hundred bucks more on decent config
perfect explanation here:
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Apple Announces New Mac Mini With M2 and M2 Pro Chips at Lower $599 Starting Price
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entire point of cheap base model is thats its completely unusable for anything really and you will spend couple hundred bucks more on decent config
perfect explanation here:
I tend to use Final Cut Pro occasionally, would I need the 19 core GPU or would the 16 be enough?
I previously had a 2019 Macbook Pro which had the Radeon Pro 560X, wondering how both GPUs would compare to it as that was good for me.
Really excited by the price of that base M2 mini. The base M1 MBA has served my family beautifully for over 18 months, so I’m one of those ppl who know it will work just fine IRL.
I’ve already got a nice external monitor. I might even treat myself (and my family) to a new Magic Keyboard with touch ID.
Is it possible to use a HomePod mini as an external speaker for a Mac mini? Does anyone do this?
I’ve already got a nice external monitor. I might even treat myself (and my family) to a new Magic Keyboard with touch ID.
Is it possible to use a HomePod mini as an external speaker for a Mac mini? Does anyone do this?
So a new M2 Pro MacMini with 32GB RAM, 2 TB of disk and 10Gbit costs £2499 in the UK. But a base M1 Max Studio with 2 TB disk costs £2,599 and it will probably be faster. Doesn't sound like the M2 Pro Mini is well positioned to me.
Ordered the 16G/512 M2 Pro version of Mac mini. HDMI 2.1 finally!
Excellent to hear the CPU is better, I hope the GPU is too for the price. I thought the Studio pricing was just right, but agree it’s now a good deal. I suspect the Studio will see a £500 price bump now. I look forward to the tear down of the new M2 Pro Mac Mini, great to see them bring the chip to the computer, bad to see its pricing.
Consumer routers, especially WiFi 7 ones coming out, have now got 10GB networking on board, and fibre broadband is only going to get faster. But it is an option which is good.
$400 for 1TB ... it's freakin' insane
In 2023, that is a rip off of incredible proportions
Exactly right
It's just to hit a low number on a model that basically nobody should buy
The real "base price" is hundreds more
I've been making do with my late 2012 27" iMac (3.2 GHz Intel Core i5) with 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD for quite some time, never quite compelled to make the jump until today. The Mac Mini was looking very tempting but knowing the M2 might be right around the corner had me waiting. So...
Mac Mini M2 with 24GB RAM (I do a lot of video editing) and 1TB SSD with extended keyboard, trackpad, and Apple Studio Display order placed. It's a lot of money but, after more than ten years using increasingly behind-the-times equipment, it made sense.
Now to see how blown away (or not) I am with the improved performance.
Mac Mini M2 with 24GB RAM (I do a lot of video editing) and 1TB SSD with extended keyboard, trackpad, and Apple Studio Display order placed. It's a lot of money but, after more than ten years using increasingly behind-the-times equipment, it made sense.
Now to see how blown away (or not) I am with the improved performance.
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Can we rename the site to “Unrealistic and Anti Mac Echo Chamber”?
Read the posts on prior pages - the consensus is that for many tasks (anything not GPU bottlenecked), the M2 Pro will likely be faster. And doing so at less than half of the physical volume.
While that might be true for base models in cars, with Mac (and even more with consumer oriented ones) these base models to make the bulk of sales....
I use a base M2 MBA with essentially the same specs as the base MM, and it works flawlessly for me. I am a typical consumer that has a mix of business and personal computer needs. My son just completed his bachelors degree with an older lower spec MBA that he used for 4 years. Not sure why people on this forum believe the base models are useless or no one should buy them.
MBPs should include one. Pro machines should be useful, practical and versatile
And that is the same conclusion I came too long before watching Marques said it. That is why I play Apple's game and just buy the base model, always. If you check the trade in values, you get a tenth back on your upgrade purchase not only from Apple but also retailers. So a $200 memory upgrade will net you $10-20 extra dollars.
So even if 8GB is paltry and wears down the SSD more than it should, by the time the SSD is pretty much toast, it will be time to trade it in.
External drives are a pain to deal with. I use them for backups only. They’re also less reliable with NVMe blades, so I stick with the 2.5” SATA form factor which are slow. The NVMe enclosures from OWC always corrupt my drives. I won’t buy those anymore.
Makes sense to me. M2 is the newer chip and harder to make, hence low supply and high demand, and why the price is higher for the mini compared to the Studio.
It was about time, glad to see a price reduction, maybe my old i7 can take a breath before retirement, just wondering if the M2 power can supply lacking RAM, I'd go for the 8GB one, the upgrade is too expensive at this moment in time, my i7 has 1TB SSD and 16GB ram and does quite well with LightRoom and basic PhotoShop, my guess is computing power will be a huge step forward even with the base model
Yeah, and the refreshed M2 Max Studio will be an even better deal. The M2 Pro mini is not a good deal IMO, but the base model is. I think I’d recommend the base M2 with 24GB memory for most users. It’s a better buy than the old M1 mini with 16GB memory.
I can easily some writing and Office work, document scanning and light photo editing, browse the internet with a few dozen browser tabs open, listen to and convert music files on my baseline M1 Mac Mini. Watch YouTube video or my favourite Instagram influencers or even cable TV. It doesn’t even break a sweat on those adult video sites (I’ve been told).
And it feels fast, too.
That’s at least something, really,
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That's odd then. I've been using a base MacBook Air M1 since the week it came out and I've never had any issues with anything.
Yep. I can get 64 GB of fast DDR-5 laptop memory for $300 from Crucial, fast enough that if PC laptops had quad-channel memory, it would be the same speed as Apple says the M2 Pro's memory is. Charging $400 for a 16 GB upgrade is borderline criminal.
The M2 Pro Mini would be my *PERFECT* computer - but that damn expensive RAM upgrade is ridiculous. I have a first-gen M1 Mac Mini I've been testing for server duties, and finally got everything just the way I'd like, but am port and RAM constrained. The M2 Pro, with four TB4 ports and available 32 GB RAM would resolve every remaining issue. But overpaying that much for RAM feels like being beaten up and having my lunch money stolen.
I know Apple always overcharges for RAM, but usually not by THAT much.
And Apple's trade-in value on my M1 Mini? $270. For one that if I went in to an Apple Store today to buy from their stock, would cost me $899. (16 GB model, the max they offered on the M1.)
Oh, and if you order now, it won't arrive until late February. In spite of the main Mini being available "Starting January 24." (Edit: Ah, apparently upgrading to 10Gbit Ethernet is what causes the delay. :-/ Any other configuration is available within a couple days of January 24; but the moment you add 10GbE, it jumps to late Feb.)
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God I'm really sick of Apple's obscene upgrade prices.
Here in Switzerland, to go from 8GB to 24GB is CHF440, from 256GB to 1TB is CHF440, from 1TB to 2TB is you guessed it, CHF440.
Sky-high prices that have no relation to the actual cost of the upgrade, scumbag pricing.
I'd happily upgrade my i5/32GB Mac mini but they can get f-ed.
Here in Switzerland, to go from 8GB to 24GB is CHF440, from 256GB to 1TB is CHF440, from 1TB to 2TB is you guessed it, CHF440.
Sky-high prices that have no relation to the actual cost of the upgrade, scumbag pricing.
I'd happily upgrade my i5/32GB Mac mini but they can get f-ed.