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Here’s another way to write this, so it’s a bit more clear to some:

I have an i5-12400 running MacOS. It’s a basic last-generation entry to mid-level desktop CPU, and I want to know how much faster for everyday apps the M2 Pro (the high end, fully expanded one) would be. Well, let’s use GeekBench as a reference; it’s as good as any. Single-core changes from 1636 to 1952 (MacOSRumors posting). That’s a 1952/1636 change, or a jump of 19%. So for most everyday things, the new M2 Pro will feel about 20% faster. I’m not sure I’d notice this, but for some things I might.

For video rendering / encoding, which typically does take all cores, and assuming both use a similar process without any underlying QuickSync/ProResEncoder efficiency gains, we can compare multi core Geekbench scores. The i5-12400 is 8062, and the M2 Pro (highest end) is 15013 (again, MacOS Rumors; preliminary results), for a gain of 15013/8062 86%. Thus, I’d expect (if I’m using similar processes and technologies, and both OS’s libraries are similarly efficient, which is never the case) for the M2 Pro to be about 86% faster in things that could use all cores concurrently, which is mostly video encode tasks, video related tasks, and similar non-UI work.

Yes, this is a massive stretch; there are a thousand exceptions; the M2 ProRes encoder helps with encoding, the M2 (and i5) have hardware on them to help with many different things, but as a basic number comparison, this is a very basic baseline. It might be wise to average this with Cinebench and Passmark too, but I digress.

But it’s also accurate to say that for most things used everyday, it’s perhaps 20% faster, and many wouldn’t notice such a difference.

** Apologies to all; much, much later edit (yes, bad form) —> It should be noted that even the cheapest Mac mini setup at $499 is exactly the same speed in everyday tasks. THE SAME SPEED. The CPU cores have exactly the same performance characteristics. GPU is faster in the M2 Pro, sure, but the CPU cores speed (assuming you’re happy with 4 and under - remember, everyday tasks…) is exactly the same. That’s something I feel many folks don’t fully understand.
 
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Here you go, Max Tech on YouTube just analyzed the SSD read/write speed of the 14" MacBook M2 Pro 512GB model compared to the 14" MacBook M1 Pro 512GB model. The video below has an interesting tear down of the machine and SSD layout also. Seems to be a similar reason as the Mac Mini M2 Pro 512GB SSD drive issue, except on the 14" MacBook Pro M2 Pro 512GB machine Apple only used 1 512GB SSD nand chip to get 3000 MB/s slower SSD speed, while on the Mac Mini M2 Pro 512GB model Apple used 2 256GB SSD nand chips to get the slower 3000 MB/s speed than the larger SSD configurations (1TB+) which get 6000 MB/s SSD read/write speed on both the Mac Mini M2 Pro and the 14" MacBook Pro M2 Pro models. Not great for a new M2 Pro model compared to the previous model 14" M1 MacBook Pro 512GB model.

View attachment 2148116View attachment 2148115

Here is Max Tech's latest video showing the above:

…watched the full video, in my opinion he makes a pretty good argument, plus real world usage scenarios seem realistic. Would my older parents care, not not an all. Would a base m2 be completely usable in 5-7 years is a valid question? Is macOS going to get more bloated, or leaner now that the Apple silicon transition is 99% done? I’m in the money pool that cannot afford to buy a new computer every 5 years, imo, I’d have to spec it out at $1200. Time will tell, and more reviews will come in, and hopefully hone my decision. 🤞
 
…watched the full video, in my opinion he makes a pretty good argument, plus real world usage scenarios seem realistic. Would my older parents care, not not an all. Would a base m2 be completely usable in 5-7 years is a valid question? Is macOS going to get more bloated, or leaner now that the Apple silicon transition is 99% done? I’m in the money pool that cannot afford to buy a new computer every 5 years, imo, I’d have to spec it out at $1200. Time will tell, and more reviews will come in, and hopefully hone my decision. 🤞
That fundamentally doesn’t make sense to me.

If you can’t afford a new Mac every 5 years but you want to spend $1200 now, you should instead spend $500 now, put $700 into savings, and when there is a material difference or improvement in the MacOS hardware offered, THEN you should upgrade (and sell your current Mac, only 2-3 years old, for 80% of what you paid). You’ll get a computer that meets your needs now, AND you’ll get a nice upgrade in 3 years when Apple inevitably brings out something vastly faster and better, for cheaper. AND your overall lifespans of usable MacOS machines is far longer.
 
Which would be best future proof choice: M2 with 24gb ram and 2tb SSD, or M2Pro with 16gb ram and 2tb SSD?
At the indicated price point of yours, I’d go with the m2 pro because of the better/higher monitor refresh rate. Imo, the future will see 120hz monitors come down a bunch in price, and many 4k televisions are 120 capable..
 
Are we expecting to wait until June for the M2 Studio models to arrive?
It probably depends on when they announce the new Mac Pro. If the Mac Pro is using the Ultra, then they will probably announce it and the Studio together. that might be at WWDC or they may get it out of the way just before the conference.

If the Mac Pro has something new (like a 3nm version of the Ultra or some other chip) then they will probably announce the Studio upgrade separately before WWDC and announce the Mac Pro at WWDC. I don't expect the Mac Pro to ship until the second half of the year, though. They could use hype over 3nm to juice up the Mac Pro announcement. I know that 3nm is only just starting to be ready for production, but the Mac Pro will ship in limited quantities so they might do a limited run of 3nm chips just for that machine.
 
There are two 256GB Chips on the base 512GB M2 Pro mini. (Video @ 04:46)

You're right. This fellow I quote below explains it better than me:
On the M2 Mac mini get at least 512 GB. On the M2 Pro Mac mini, if you get 512 GB you get 2 256 GB NAND chips with speeds about 3000 MBps sequential. If you get 1 TB you get 4 256 GB NAND chips which should get you close to the 6000 MBps sequential write. To get all 8 NAND slots filled, you need to go to 2 TB on the M2 Pro MM. It isn't clear if that gives a substantial speed increase though.

If you are on a budget, get the 256 GB M2 Mac mini and then buy a good Thunderbolt/USB4 external SSD drive that will get about 2700 MBps. Use the internal 256 GB SSD to boot and launch applications and the external for anything that needs a speed boost.
 
That fundamentally doesn’t make sense to me.

If you can’t afford a new Mac every 5 years but you want to spend $1200 now, you should instead spend $500 now, put $700 into savings, and when there is a material difference or improvement in the MacOS hardware offered, THEN you should upgrade (and sell your current Mac, only 2-3 years old, for 80% of what you paid). You’ll get a computer that meets your needs now, AND you’ll get a nice upgrade in 3 years when Apple inevitably brings out something vastly faster and better, for cheaper. AND your overall lifespans of usable MacOS machines is far longer.
This a is a viable alternative to my suggestion, and is agreeable to some extent.

I also don’t WANT to spend $1200 now.

Many people don’t want the hassle of trying to sell used equipment, by getting ripped off or accosted. Right now, I live in suburbia, but years ago I was stationed many different places in the world (Navy), and before that I lived in a rural area, that had zero mac people. It all depends.

Selling used is viable for many people, I have to weigh my budget and personal safety today, as well as tomorrow.

I build all my own wintel computers, but you can’t really do that anymore with mac. My current (hacked) Mac is 9 years and 10 months old, it was a BTO and cost $2000+. It runs Ventura very well. I do wonder how well a base model back then would have held up, had I not done a BTO? 🤔

Im leaning towards a base/base model since I an no longer flush with cash, as I was when I was active duty.

I leaned more towards your methodology when I was in my 20’s and had a very decent paycheck..

I’m looking forward to more real world reviews before I plop any money.
 
Check my sig. I promise you you can absolutely build a Mac still, and it will be faster than most of the Macs in existence. Happy to help if you wish; it’s become dead simple. A trip to Microcenter, $350 worth of i7-12700k and Z690 motherboard, plus a RAM stick or two and an NVME SSD, and you’re in business. Bring your own AMD graphics card.

Upsides:
Speed: That chip is about as fast as the M2 Pro (12C).
Graphics: Apple can’t compete with AMD graphics for games and such. Not even close.
Cheap: $350 plus the extras you don’t yet have and it’s done

Downsides:
Fan noise.
Risk of an issue. A Mac will be Apple-supported and will mostly just work.
Intel only. Eventually more will be ARM rather than Intel. Hasn’t happened yet, but eventually it will.
 
Anyone waiting to review the Samsung's 5K ViewFinity S9 monitor S90PC before buying a Studio Display?

Yup... if only because it'll be easier to use with my work laptop + (future) m2 pro mini because it has more inputs.
 
Check my sig. I promise you you can absolutely build a Mac still, and it will be faster than most of the Macs in existence. Happy to help if you wish; it’s become dead simple. A trip to Microcenter, $350 worth of i7-12700k and Z690 motherboard, plus a RAM stick or two and an NVME SSD, and you’re in business. Bring your own AMD graphics card.

Upsides:
Speed: That chip is about as fast as the M2 Pro (12C).
Graphics: Apple can’t compete with AMD graphics for games and such. Not even close.
Cheap: $350 plus the extras you don’t yet have and it’s done

Downsides:
Fan noise.
Risk of an issue. A Mac will be Apple-supported and will mostly just work.
Intel only. Eventually more will be ARM rather than Intel. Hasn’t happened yet, but eventually it will.
None of my family can walk a hackintosh to have it serviced, unlike a Dell or Mac. It’s fine as a tertiary computer for geeks/nerds. Our household requires a serviceable wintel machine (Dell) and optionally a Mac. As fun as they are my SO isn’t computer/tech interested, she needs to be able to call tech support when I’m not around. I can’t do tech-support when I’m 5000 miles away on a ship/trip.

Going forward hackintoshes, of which I built one about 8 years ago, is going to be tough since the AS transition. With ‘hacks’ you always worry about the next update that may break some random thing, I’m too old with a household to do that anymore. I’ve got 3 other machines right now that I tinker with, Hand built with various distros but none are primary machines.

When younger, and single, my dining room table had 4 active computers on it; fun days

Your use-case isn’t close to mine…

As far as desktops go, if Apple can keep the price THIS low, we may have the old guard do a paradigm shift in which we do buy a cheap new computer every 3 to 5 years. Time will tell, the middle class is getting poorer each year, people moving to iPads, and more WFH is happening.


I also drive a stick shift, in todays automatic world, it’s not always about convenience. 😂

[ edit: my hackintosh was centered around an ATI 5700 (Juniper) 😊 ]
 
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Would be curious if the Bluetooth issues folks complained about with the previous gen are fixed given its using BT 5.3 now.
I wonder too. I saw a YouTube video that said the bluetooth issue is still present o_O
I'll received mine on 1st February (mini m2 pro 12/19 32Go 1Tb), hope I will have no issues.
With my current Mac mini m1, there are very few bluetooth problems. I've got keyboard disconnect 1 time a month
 
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I want to know... how much better is the M2 Mac Mini (16/512 configuration) to the M1 Mac Mini (16/512 configuration)? Not the M2 Pro... just the M2.
 
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Got my M2 Pro Mac mini today. All I wanted was to test 8K@60hz and 4K@120hz via HDMI 2.1. Played some native 8K Youtube videos on my 8K screen. Whoa, smooth as butter. Don't need to wait forever for PS5 or XSX to add support for 8K streaming anymore.
That’s sweet. What’s your 8K screen? Is it an actual computer monitor or is it an 8K TV?
 
Here is the most recent update on the SSD Speed Issue (I also updated my first post on this thread to reflect this, but am including it here for people who don't go back to the beginning of the thread to read):

Here are the updated SSD speeds for Mac Mini M2, Mac Mini M2 Pro, and 14" MacBook Pro M2 Pro and M2 Max:

Mac Mini M2 (non Pro) at 256GB SSD is about 1,500 MB/s. (1 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 (non Pro) at 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (2 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 (non Pro) at 1TB is about 3,000 MB/s. (Not sure about nand chips/sizes)
Mac Mini M2 Pro at 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (2 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 Pro at 1TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (4 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 Pro at 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (This needs to be confirmed.)
14" MacBook M2 Pro with 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (1 X 512GB SSD nand chip)
14" MacBook M2 Pro with 1TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (2 X 512GB SSD nand chip)
14" MacBook M2 Max with 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (1 X 512GB SSD nand chip)
14" MacBook M2 Max with 1TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (2 X 512GB SSD nand chip)

Note: The 16" MacBook Pro models with 512GB should also be limited to 3,000 MB/s. The Mac Mini M2 (Non Pro) model appears to have a PCI controller limitation that limits the 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB SSD models to 3,000 MB/s.
 
I wonder too. I saw a YouTube video that said the bluetooth issue is still present o_O
I'll received mine on 1st February (mini m2 pro 12/19 32Go 1Tb), hope I will have no issues.
With my current Mac mini m1, there are very few bluetooth problems. I've got keyboard disconnect 1 time a month
FYI, Costco has the current Studio (granted, only 512GB) for $1699. You’re firmly in Studio territory with that setup…

Possibly more important to some, the Apple 27” 5k Display is $1299 too. :)
 
For an extra $700 you can get the MBP 14” and have everything you need to get up and running, and be portable to boot.
 
Wouldn't the cost of an external (very fast) drive plus cable, reduce the price difference of going for a larger internal SSD?
It would reduce the price difference, sure, but wouldn't eliminate it. Then it's a question for you: do you want to devote a port and have an external device for faster disk i/o, or do you just want to say "screw it" and get it from Apple, and get REALLY fast disk i/o?

Most external disk solutions I've seen with 40gbps Thunderbolt are about as fast as Apple's 3000mbps solution, not the 6000mbps solution.
 
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For an extra $700 you can get the MBP 14” and have everything you need to get up and running, and be portable to boot.
Or you can use that same money and get another M2 with 16GB. :)

Or you can pay rent (or half of rent, perhaps).

Or...

It's all about priorities. To me a main interest of the new M2 setup was faster speeds and $499 price.
 
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It would reduce the price difference, sure, but wouldn't eliminate it. Then it's a question for you: do you want to devote a port and have an external device for faster disk i/o, or do you just want to say "screw it" and get it from Apple, and get REALLY fast disk i/o?

Most external disk solutions I've seen with 40gbps Thunderbolt are about as fast as Apple's 3000mbps solution, not the 6000mbps solution.
Well said.
 
Here is the most recent update on the SSD Speed Issue (I also updated my first post on this thread to reflect this, but am including it here for people who don't go back to the beginning of the thread to read):

Here are the updated SSD speeds for Mac Mini M2, Mac Mini M2 Pro, and 14" MacBook Pro M2 Pro and M2 Max:

Mac Mini M2 (non Pro) at 256GB SSD is about 1,500 MB/s. (1 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 (non Pro) at 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (2 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 (non Pro) at 1TB is about 3,000 MB/s. (Not sure about nand chips/sizes)
Mac Mini M2 Pro at 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (2 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 Pro at 1TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (4 x 256GB SSD nand chip)
Mac Mini M2 Pro at 2TB, 4TB, or 8TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (This needs to be confirmed.)
14" MacBook M2 Pro with 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (1 X 512GB SSD nand chip)
14" MacBook M2 Pro with 1TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (2 X 512GB SSD nand chip)
14" MacBook M2 Max with 512GB SSD is about 3,000 MB/s. (1 X 512GB SSD nand chip)
14" MacBook M2 Max with 1TB SSD is about 6,000 MB/s. (2 X 512GB SSD nand chip)

Note: The 16" MacBook Pro models with 512GB should also be limited to 3,000 MB/s. The Mac Mini M2 (Non Pro) model appears to have a PCI controller limitation that limits the 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB SSD models to 3,000 MB/s.
Any word on the Mini M2 2TB speed? Same as 1TB?
 
Check my sig. I promise you you can absolutely build a Mac still, and it will be faster than most of the Macs in existence. Happy to help if you wish; it’s become dead simple. A trip to Microcenter, $350 worth of i7-12700k and Z690 motherboard, plus a RAM stick or two and an NVME SSD, and you’re in business. Bring your own AMD graphics card.

Upsides:
Speed: That chip is about as fast as the M2 Pro (12C).
Graphics: Apple can’t compete with AMD graphics for games and such. Not even close.
Cheap: $350 plus the extras you don’t yet have and it’s done

Downsides:
Fan noise.
Risk of an issue. A Mac will be Apple-supported and will mostly just work.
Intel only. Eventually more will be ARM rather than Intel. Hasn’t happened yet, but eventually it will.
At that point, i would say just go Ubuntu.. It's really not bad at all these days. An install takes up about 4GB on the hard drive. It's pretty smooth and stable at this point. I like it way better than Windows 10 at least. The feature cruft on new proprietary OSes is getting ridiculous. I can't remember the last time Apple released a feature on Mac OS I actually cared about! And it's so nice not to be locked down so much. Every app I run pretty much is now sandboxed and isolated from the OS. Dockers, AppImages, Flatpaks are the norm. I have an extension with ChatGPT right on my desktop. As Apple gets sued and forced by government laws to unlock their stores and operating systems and such, it's clear linux will be the future.
 
Any word on the Mini M2 2TB speed? Same as 1TB?
The 2TB Mac Mini M2 (Non Pro) model is believed to have the same 3,000 MB/s SSD read/write speed, as both the 512GB and 1TB Mac Mini M2 (Non Pro) models, which have both been verified by other users, posting in this thread with their SSD speed results. No one so far has posted a 2TB Mac Mini M2 (Non Pro) model test results yet, but since the 1TB is limited, the 2TB Mac Mini M2 (Non Pro) model is likely also limited. Someone said it was a PCI channel bandwidth limitation with the M2 chip, and that only a M2 Pro chip can drive the 6,000 MB/s or faster SSD speed. We will wait until someone has purchased one, since the 2TB Mac Mini M2 is a custom build-to-order unit.
 
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