I'm looking at buying a new Mac mini but Im confused about which one to get. I hear that the M1 is the best one to get for video editing but why is the
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Confused......which one
- Thread starter bigbadneil
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Don't pay attention to the Intel pricing. Apple keeps their pricing pretty stable regardless.
Depending on your workflow, the M1 may be your best match.
Depending on your workflow, the M1 may be your best match.
I just noticed that the max RAM in the M1 is 16GB whereas the other one is up to 64GB...........I'm in no hurry to buy so just wondering if there will be a option for more RAM in the M1 at a later date?
Neil
Several rumors have suggested the alleged 14 and 16" MBP releasing later this year will have more RAM. If you use a lot of intensive CPU work on sustained daily basis, you will probably want to wait for the later M series offerings that have more than 16GB of RAM etc.
I am lucky to have both at the moment. I have a 2018 i5 3.0GHz with 16GB and the bottom line M1 with 8GB. I don't do video editing, they are just normal day to day computers, browsing, photoshop etc. The M1 just seems snappier to me and that is my preferred machine with a single 28" monitor, even though I have a triple monitor setup with the i5. I have a temperature monitor running on both and the i5 is always getting hot when you do video stuff and Zoom etc. The M1 is as cool as a cucumber.
If in no hurry I'd wait for news next month but I would only touch Apple Silicon now. Intel slower and hotter (unless you need Windows emulation).
Apple is still in the middle of the transition from Intel to AS. Because of this, their product lineup is a bit confusing if you don’t understand the tiers.
Essentially, there is a low-end mini and a high-end mini. The low-end mini has been updated to Apple silicon, but the higher-end mini has not yet.
This is confusing because the low-end mini is actually more powerful than the high-end mini, but that’s just because Apple silicon is so good. There’s strong rumors that the high-end mini will get replaced this year with its own M1-style chip (it’ll likely have more cores, better graphics, and retain the 64gb ram capacity and 4 thunderbolt ports the higher-end model has).
Long story short, for video, either get the M1 now or wait for the higher-end mini to get updated. The Intel mini’s are terrible for video editing.
Essentially, there is a low-end mini and a high-end mini. The low-end mini has been updated to Apple silicon, but the higher-end mini has not yet.
This is confusing because the low-end mini is actually more powerful than the high-end mini, but that’s just because Apple silicon is so good. There’s strong rumors that the high-end mini will get replaced this year with its own M1-style chip (it’ll likely have more cores, better graphics, and retain the 64gb ram capacity and 4 thunderbolt ports the higher-end model has).
Long story short, for video, either get the M1 now or wait for the higher-end mini to get updated. The Intel mini’s are terrible for video editing.
+1....I'd wait for the next Mini (hopefully it's announced as soon as WWDC) - but that may be a stretch.
Hopefully...
M1X/M2, up to 64GB RAM, HDMI 2.1, 120Hz HDR with eARC, Dolby Vision and Atmos support
(I think the Atmos and is a given - per Apple Music spacial audio - and lossless as well).
Oh...and make it black dammit. (ala Mac Mini Pro) Not grey. Black!
Hopefully...
M1X/M2, up to 64GB RAM, HDMI 2.1, 120Hz HDR with eARC, Dolby Vision and Atmos support
(I think the Atmos and is a given - per Apple Music spacial audio - and lossless as well).
Oh...and make it black dammit. (ala Mac Mini Pro) Not grey. Black!
if you look at the 1099$ mac mini...at that price you should wait for the next mac mini that is comming this year i think
Or at least wait until WWDC June 7th
That will have M1X (up to 64 gb Ram, 16 or 32 gpu cores) , 4 Tb/Usb4 ports, HDMI 2.1 and 2 USB -A ports
It's mainly because the memory on the Intel Mini is upgradable, whereas the M1 memory is not. You have to pre-buy the memory you need, which then sometimes work out to be more than the Intel version where you can add in non-Apple memory and not have to pay that Apple tax it demands when you buy new!
Which one is better is a relative question, because it really depends on what you want to edit. If you are a Davinci Resolve Studio user, then the Intel Mini is better because it supports multiple GPUs including external GPUs for rendering whereas the M1 does not support external GPUs. But if you're editing with iMovie or Final Cut, then the M1 would be a better solution. What's important is memory, because 4K editing needs 16Gb RAM to work comfortably with. 8GB is ok for 1080p, but if you are doing any serious editing, then you're going to be looking at more memory. On my PC, editing 4K with 32Gb RAM and a fast blade NVMe is amazing compared to just with 8Gb with Davinci Resolve. I also have 24Gb on my Mac Pro and it helps with video editing performance, though I wouldn't mind having even more RAM.