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How old a Mac mini can I get to...

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Walkingdead

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 16, 2024
36
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record my old minidv tapes (I have all the adapters and cables already) and do some editing on them. I don't want an intel model and would want it to still be ok for at least a few years (nothing special, just internet browsing). I would be connecting it to a tv instead of a monitor (wasn't sure if that mattered). TYIA
 
Walkingdead said:
record my old minidv tapes (I have all the adapters and cables already) and do some editing on them. I don't want an intel model and would want it to still be ok for at least a few years (nothing special, just internet browsing). I would be connecting it to a tv instead of a monitor (wasn't sure if that mattered). TYIA
Click to expand...
As said above any M1 Mac mini should be powerful enough for low-res or even 1080p video editing. I don’t know what software will you use for your purpose, but if it’s not too GPU demanding and relies more on the CPU, the M1 should be fine.

However, if you find any M2 at a similar, or slightly higher price, I would get an M2. I feel like the M2, despite being perceived as a minor improvement over the M1, it included interesting features that will probably give it a longer and better lifespan, such as the bigger cachés, the more powerful GPU, and the much improved Neural Engine. But if you cannot find any affordable M2, the M1 should be fine for at least 2-3 more years.

Again, if you find a mini with 16GB of RAM at a good price and you can afford it, go with the higher memory one, just for the sake of future-proofing it and ensure that future macOS versions and features work flawlessly.

But if your budget is tight and your video editing software is not very demanding, and you don’t have lots of tabs on Safari or just use a few tabs on Chrome, then sure, an M1 mini with 8GB of RAM should be fine right now. But you’re the one who ultimately know the way you use or going to use your Mac.
 
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Populus said:
As said above any M1 Mac mini should be powerful enough for low-res or even 1080p video editing. I don’t know what software will you use for your purpose, but if it’s not too GPU demanding and relies more on the CPU, the M1 should be fine.

However, if you find any M2 at a similar, or slightly higher price, I would get an M2. I feel like the M2, despite being perceived as a minor improvement over the M1, it included interesting features that will probably give it a longer and better lifespan, such as the bigger cachés, the more powerful GPU, and the much improved Neural Engine. But if you cannot find any affordable M2, the M1 should be fine for at least 2-3 more years.

Again, if you find a mini with 16GB of RAM at a good price and you can afford it, go with the higher memory one, just for the sake of future-proofing it and ensure that future macOS versions and features work flawlessly.

But if your budget is tight and your video editing software is not very demanding, and you don’t have lots of tabs on Safari or just use a few tabs on Chrome, then sure, an M1 mini with 8GB of RAM should be fine right now. But you’re the one who ultimately know the way you use or going to use your Mac.
Click to expand...
TY. I would use iMovie.
 
Would the last of intels with more ram work? The Mac mini m1s are still a little too much.
 
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