Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Deals: Apple's M2 Mac Mini Available From $499.99 With Return of Record Low Prices
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Assuming you mean "less" as opposed to "slower". ram usage on M chips vs ram usage on Intel chips is far far different. hundreds (thousands?) of videos on YT and tens of thousands of posts have discussed this at length. Would be worth 5 mintues of research.
You think people don't buy products anymore off the shelf? There is ZERO reason not to have a 16mb RAM Mini available.
No I mean compared to M1 which has faster ram. Just wondering if it really makes a difference or not.
The M1 doesnt have faster ram than his i7 mini, nor does it have faster ram than a M2. Perhaps you mean the drive? Technically yes, the 256 GB M2 drvie is benchmarks slower than the M1s. However, larger drives in the M2 are not.
I would assume that if you are buying the *cheapest* mac made with the *smallest* drive offered, drive speed probably isnt a big deal for how you use it -- you are buying based on price, not performance, correct?
Because if *performance* was an important part of the purchase, getting the *cheapest* wouldnt even be a consideration?
Bang for buck is important, and there is a lot of bang for buck with these minis (at least Apple buck) -- but they arent a audi/video powerhouse.
If you think ordering online, waiting for them to produce it, and waiting for a delivery is off the shelf than I'm thinking I know more than you do
They keep in stock things people want to buy and what they can sell. Business basics 101. Its why you cant walk in and get a Studio ultra with 128/8TB "off the shelf". Or hundreds of other things.
So is "off the shelf" = drive to brick and motar store and pickup on a whim? How long is too long to wait? 1 day? 2? and again, what if there *isnt* a store that sells apple locally? Or 4 hours away? then what?
So is "off the shelf" = drive to brick and motar store and pickup on a whim? How long is too long to wait? 1 day? 2? and again, what if there *isnt* a store that sells apple locally? Or 4 hours away? then what?
What whim? Many people don't find 8gbRAM to be enough, if Apple sold a Mini off the shelf with 16gb RAM they would get more sales. IMO
$600 vs $1300 to get 16gb RAM. Come on.
I love Apple apologists
way to deflect? is that the best you got? first time we have discussed price. Unless you have been living under a rock for the last 30 years, everyone on the planet knows macs aren't "cheap". And nonupgradeable ram/drives for at least 10 years. Hardly new news. And even a 5 year old could see its more than ram.
No one is apologizing for the cost of a mac. Don't buy one if you cant afford it. Or don't buy new. M1 mini with 16/1TB is $950, new.
Lets trot our the old car trope/analogy, like honda accord vs BMW 5. Both perform the same function, so why spend double the $$$ on a 5?
No one is apologizing for the cost of a mac. Don't buy one if you cant afford it. Or don't buy new. M1 mini with 16/1TB is $950, new.
Lets trot our the old car trope/analogy, like honda accord vs BMW 5. Both perform the same function, so why spend double the $$$ on a 5?
Zero issues so far, but I'm not really pushing it that hard. The hardest I pushed it was about 40 firefox tabs, with 12 youtube tabs with videos playing. I have yet to install and run OBS studio which is one of the harder apps on my Macbook Pro. Still, the difference is night and day, with the Macbook Pro I'd never be able to open multiple YouTube tabs with the videos playing.
That's not new, but now apple sells obsolete hardware to people that will make them to buy a new computer pretty soon.
8GB/256GB is obsolete, even if 99% of people here says otherwise.
Because chances to get a hot chick increase drastically with the BMW 5.
I purchased a base M2 Mini directly from Apple and 8/256GB is an overkill for my needs. My stock M2 Mini is twice as fast as my 2018 i5 Mini.
My current desktop has 64 GB / 800GB Intel Optane/ 1 TB samsung SSD /8 TB Hard Drive, my ram stays in the 32/36 GB of use.
with your "overkill" specs, I can't do pretty much nothing.
and I run a 2020 27" iMac with 3.8 i7/128 GB/2TB/8 GB 5500XT + 4TB Thunderbolt RAID 0 + 8 TB RAID 5 SSD backup, with 2 extra 27" 4K screens, and ram stays at 110-130- use... and fans come on often... annoying. But my wife and kids use "base" M1 minis and MBAs, that run like a champ.
Its all about the right tool for the job. =)
If you were using a PC, you could save thousands of dollars but my guess is that you either love or need OSX.
I have never used windows in my entire life. First mac was 1987, mac plus.
You would have thought that. But last 3 macs owned were 27" iMacs. 2010 (32/1 TB), 2015 (64/1TB), and like my 2020 was a refurb. All around $1700. 2 lifespans of 2011-2016, 2016-2022 and 2022-?. No upgrades except ram. All 3 screens, all external working drivers. about $250 year. Never a worry about viruses, spyware, malware, never a crash. So no virus software or worries. Near silent, 5K screens (on second 2) i7 chips with GPUs.
Onwed a small 4 person graphic design studio from early 90s to 2010 -- bought dozens & dozens of different macs (and clones) and screens and drives and printers and networks -- the list is extensive. Would take 1/2 hour to post. From Centris, to Power Computing, to wallstreets, to 7100, to 9600, to PTPs, to Tis, to Dual G4s, to MDDs, to G5s MPs to modern iMacs and many, many others.
Refurbished 27 inch iMac 3.8GHz 8 core Intel Core i7 with Retina 5K display - Apple
Apple Store Search Results
www.apple.com
Last edited:
This time you can't upgrade RAM, so if you want 128 GB RAM, you are will have to spend a little fortune just for the ram.
The cost is the cost. When MPs first came out, RAM had to installed in pairs and was $$$$. One of, if not the *Main* reason in 2007 we went from G5 towers to 24" iMacs. Ram for iMacs was cheap (relatively), and we needed extra. 4 GB (later 8) was huge at the time. And they ran dual screens.
This circular argument is also old as time. Google it. 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years ago its all the same. Honda vs BMW. "no one writes a virus for a mac cause they have no market share" to "to now you have market share, will get a virus" (still hasnt happened) to cost more, or last longer, or whatever.
My kids have M1 MBAs, 8/256 bought nearly the day they came out -- 2 1/2 years ago. $800 pre sale. One leaving for college, other close -- and its still more than enough computer they will need in the foreseeable future. Their previous laptops? 2010 & 2012 13" MBPs. bought used for $300, added 16 GB ram and SSD. Still worked great until they got the MBAs. 10 years.
Thats mac longevity.
Still you have to think how are you going to live with the new reality, macs are like cellphones now days, there's no way to upgrade RAM or SSD.