Thanks for the answer haha ! I need to keep in mind that i'll have other things to buy of course !
Have a nice day !
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.
I need help choosing configuration for M2 or M2 Pro
- Thread starter JBx_
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Have a nice day !
With most 4k USB-C displays, any downstream "USB 3" ports are USB 2 speed only. At least, that was the case with DisplayPort 1.2 displays. Now, the specs for the LG 27UL850 do say USB 3.0, and it's a newer display with DisplayPort 1.4 (which can theoretically do USB 3 and 4k down a single USB-C cable) so that advice might be out of date.
Anyway, the ports in the display would be great for mouse and keyboard - not so good for storage etc. If your webcam is USB 2 it should work fine in one of those ports, too. However, if you don't need the second TB port on the Mini for anything else, I'd connect the USB 3 the hub there (with a USB-A to C adapter if needed) so it gets a whole USB 3 channel to itself..
It all depends a bit on what USB devices you have. For mouse and keyboard there's no big deal if they're on a hub connected to a hub (unless you're a FPS gaming nut with millisecond responses) but some things - like audio interfaces - can be fussy.
To be honest, here are my peripherals : Logitech G915 for the keyboard ; Logitech G703 for the mouse ; Logitech C920s for the webcam !
The second USB-C port can be also use for external storage is needed?
And i plan to buy maybe a Satechi Hub on that second TB port, or maybe another usb Hub to have access to those port without going in the back of my Mini.
So that's why i would like to put a 4 USB 3.0 Hub on the Monitor (Keyboard, Mouse, Webcam and an Mini USB cable to charge Keyboard and Mouse). And in the case that it doesn't work, i can put that Hub on the USB 3.0 port of the mini.
To keep the TB for Storage or another hub in case i need another ports !
(Don't know if that's clear haha)
Edit : As a USB 3.0 hub : https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B08R8BK2GN/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A23NUPJ7BRXZW8&psc=1
Or USB c : https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B08P3GDLVP/ref=ewc_pr_img_3?smid=A23NUPJ7BRXZW8&psc=1
As an Amazon Associate, MacRumors earns a commission from qualifying purchases made through links in this post.
Similar dilemma, £649 for the starter M2. To make it 16GB and 512GB it's £1049, BUT I have seen the M2 Pro for £1,264.99. So an extra £615.99 for the Pro from the Base but only £215.99 extra for the Pro with the same ram and storage on an M2. Completely rules out the M2 with 16GB and 512GB, so Base or Pro.
It's quite a dilemma ! But base seems not to be sufficent. 8GB of RAM can be used fastly if multiple tabs are opened. Like if a have a Twitch Stream opened, while chatting by webcam with friends of so. With a 4K Monitor of course. I don't want to be limited, but i can understand you choice because the price gap between base 16/512 and pro is quite weird.
I think i'll go with 16/512 and keep money for now........ And in the future why not upgrading to a M3 or so if i have the money !
8 gigs of ram will be fine for what the OP is describing. Nothing wrong with getting more, but it’s like like the 8/256 machine is ususable.
M2 should be fine for your needs. 16GB RAM/512GB SSD sounds smart.
Only reason to get the M2 Pro would be for the extra ports.
Maybe getting a thunderbolt hub/dock would be cheaper than going for the Pro? OWC makes some nice Thunderbolt expansions. If want to save money could get a USB 3 dock instead, but Apple Silicon Macs seem to have less issues currently with Thunderbolt than USB.
Only reason to get the M2 Pro would be for the extra ports.
Maybe getting a thunderbolt hub/dock would be cheaper than going for the Pro? OWC makes some nice Thunderbolt expansions. If want to save money could get a USB 3 dock instead, but Apple Silicon Macs seem to have less issues currently with Thunderbolt than USB.
I will consider the Mac Mini M2 16/512 for my daily use will be better. And i'll keep it for many years.
Now that i'm ok with the model, i need to find a TB3 dock. But the price of those are really expensive ! And there are so many ports that i don't need.
Maybe i'll just buy an USB-C Hub to get like 3-4 3.0 USB or USB-C
But thanks for the tips and the answer
Yea, those Thunderbolt docks are crazy expensive ($300-400)! I was considering one for my M1 MacBook Air so I can output 4k60 over HDMI to my 43" TV/monitor. Found the CalDigit SOHO for $80, which I still thought was kind of pricey for what it is.I will consider the Mac Mini M2 16/512 for my daily use will be better. And i'll keep it for many years.
Now that i'm ok with the model, i need to find a TB3 dock. But the price of those are really expensive ! And there are so many ports that i don't need.
Maybe i'll just buy an USB-C Hub to get like 3-4 3.0 USB or USB-C
But thanks for the tips and the answer
I also agree you're better served longterm with the M2 16/512. The M2 Pro is definitely overkill for your needs and wasted money. That said, I just returned an M2 Pro 16/512 and it is not loud/noisy in the slightest. With a CPU and GPU benchmark running concurrently, I couldn't hear any fan noise while 2-inches away, whereas I can hear the slight fan noise of a M1 Max Mac Studio from 1-foot away. Temperature-wise the M2 Pro Mini was barely warm. You really have to strain to hear fan movement from the M2 Pro Mini under load, even with your ear right up to the vent. My M1 Mini never made any noise and I doubt I would hear anything from an M2 Pro Mini when placed at a normal distance away on the desk.
Last edited:
Don't the keyboard and mouse share the same wireless dongle (the logitech stuff I had in the past all ran of a single unifying receiver) or is worse the new better?
I've got that webcam and it only needs USB 2, so it would make sense to connect that via the display.
So, anyway, you've got 2-3 not-too-picky peripherals, plus a USB hub, and 4 holes (2 in the display, 2 in the computer) in which to shove 'em, so you're comfortably ahead of the game and any of the permutations you suggest will probably be fine.
You don't need a TB3 dock for the setups you describe. If you want one, fine, but in most cases plugging in multiple USB 3 devices to a TB3/4 dock is functionally equivalent to plugging them into a USB 3 hub - and the peripherals you've listed don't even need USB 3.0.
Use a TB3/4 hub/dock if at least one of the devices hanging off it is going to be a display or fast thunderbolt device.
You've got 4 USB-A ports to connect your low-speed stuff and that leaves a spare Thunderbolt/USB-C port for a fast storage device- and either of the USB 3 hubs you suggest will hang off any of the Mini's USB ports to give you a couple of front-access USB ports.
That's the conclusion. M2 Pro is overkill and i'll just waste my money on it. I'll not even use 50% of the capacity of the computer, it's not a great idea.
Thanks for the feedback on the fans, i think it's really important to have a silent computer, and of course, a cold one. I don't want it to die in the summer of to be like a Chopper cuz of fans noises
Concerning the keyboard and mouse, they have their own dongle because there build for gaming and with "Lightspeed" Technology that is >1ms respond time.
If you tell me that it will be fine with the monitor USB 3.0 ports and another hub for those peripherals, it makes me super happy! Because i'm really concernant about ports and don't want to make the bad choice because, i can't really have infinite ports with my mini haha
In the second quote you make, you describe exacly what i want to do. So i'll erase the TB3 dock of my mind and go with the USB hub that i linked sooner.
I would like to thank you a lot for taking the time to answer to me, you're really helpful, and it's a real pleasure to learn from you.
Regardless of how long you end up holding a Mac one thing always seems to be true, base models hold their value the best.
So buying a M2 8/256 now and replacing it with a new base model every 3 years might end up being cheaper then paying absurd BTO prices and loosing more on resale every 5 years.
There is off course the question wether the "base" M2Pro will be seen as a base model or as a highly BTOed one on resale....
So buying a M2 8/256 now and replacing it with a new base model every 3 years might end up being cheaper then paying absurd BTO prices and loosing more on resale every 5 years.
There is off course the question wether the "base" M2Pro will be seen as a base model or as a highly BTOed one on resale....
To be honest, i'm not into that reselling thing. I don't think like that. If my Mini isn't that good in 3 years, i'll buy another one and try to sell the actual one. And if i manage to keep it in good shape for 5 years and then, sell it or just, give it to a family member that don't need extra power but just a computer. I'll prefer this way.
But i can understand that from a resell standpoint, it can be valuable haha !
The best value for your money is the 16 GB RAM upgrade, since you can't upgrade later. Apple's prices for additional SSD storage are insane, and for the same money you can come up with better external solutions for way more additional disc space. $200 for the additional 256 GB is highway robbery!
Last edited:
Seconding everyone's M2; 16GB RAM; 512GB SSD recommendation. You COULD bump RAM to 24GB and SSD to 1TB if you think you might expand, but otherwise, I'd say you definitely don't need M2 Pro; and so long as you're not getting 8GB of RAM or 256GB SSD, you ought to be quite comfortable on a regular M2 Mac mini for a LONG time.
M2 Pro is the ONLY way to get past 60 hertz refresh rate on monitors, officially.
On the HDMI port that is. With type-C or TB, even M1 Macs can do 144Hz, just not with resolution of 5k+.
The way I read the ‘tech specs’ 60 hertz is the limit for all ports on m2’s minis. No doubt artificially limited by Apple.
Attachments
Apple's spec sheet is worded ambiguously, in that it prioritizes the resolution as prerequisite then seemingly put 60Hz as cap for all resolutions below as you understood it. But that's not true, the M1 Macs have been around for 2 years and we have been getting up to 8-bit 4k144Hz from the DP alt-mode.
Thunderbolt3/4 is supposed to support DisplayPort1.4a with HBR3, and Apple's implementation of this is not capped as long as you only have less than 2 displays active. The real limit happens when you add the 3rd display since the SoC does not have the actual circuitry of a 3rd display frame buffer "cut" on its chip.
If all you need to connect is mouse, keyboard, webcam and backup drive you don’t need a dock, and if you just need some extra USB 2/3 ports, a bog-standard USB hub is just as good in most cases. TB docks become relevant when you want to share a TB port between at least one TB device or display and USB.
I‘d go for the M2 Pro if you wanted to connect multiple 4K or higher displays - the base M2 can do 2 but the extra GPU grunt plus the extra ports to connect them to would help.
Hi everyone,
I would like to thanks everyone that took the time to answer me on this thread !
It was really helpful and make me clear my mind about my future investment on this Mac Mini M2.
I'm now ready to buy this beast.
I'll go for the M2 with 16GB and 512SSD.
I'll also buy the monitor I mentionned earlier on my post, the LG 27UL850.
I'll be waiting till the end of the month to buy everything.
i'll update this thread about the order and my feelings.
Have a nice day boys and girls !
Cheers !
I would like to thanks everyone that took the time to answer me on this thread !
It was really helpful and make me clear my mind about my future investment on this Mac Mini M2.
I'm now ready to buy this beast.
I'll go for the M2 with 16GB and 512SSD.
I'll also buy the monitor I mentionned earlier on my post, the LG 27UL850.
I'll be waiting till the end of the month to buy everything.
i'll update this thread about the order and my feelings.
Have a nice day boys and girls !
Cheers !
So, to continue from OP, i'm having a similar dilemma, while I already settled on the base M2 Pro Mac Mini config with 32GB Unified Memory and the Gigabit ethernet option, I'm in conflict between either going with 2TB or 4TB solid state storage, what is your advice?
I do plan to game on it, more so then on my current M1 MBP, I got a huge list of Mac-compatible games I bought in various sales on steam, all of them are recent ports, use Metal and about a handful of them are even ARM-native on macOS/Apple Silicon, now all the games together would need at least 600GB of storage to install, and most of these titles do not like to be installed to external volumes...)
So any advice is appreciated, I also run full suites of pro software for work, so I do have a lot of storage needs for the internal drive.
My 1TB M1 Macbook is already almost filled to the brim, and I currently have just one title from steam installed, No. 1 of the Tomb Raiders (I own the trilogy, so TR, R of TB, S of TB)
I do plan to game on it, more so then on my current M1 MBP, I got a huge list of Mac-compatible games I bought in various sales on steam, all of them are recent ports, use Metal and about a handful of them are even ARM-native on macOS/Apple Silicon, now all the games together would need at least 600GB of storage to install, and most of these titles do not like to be installed to external volumes...)
So any advice is appreciated, I also run full suites of pro software for work, so I do have a lot of storage needs for the internal drive.
My 1TB M1 Macbook is already almost filled to the brim, and I currently have just one title from steam installed, No. 1 of the Tomb Raiders (I own the trilogy, so TR, R of TB, S of TB)
Did you brought the mini Pro just for games?
And which 3D games are compiled to be native on silicon Macs, except Tomb Raider?
I'm in the same boat as you. I decided I'm getting the standard M2 mini with 16GB, and 512GB and using the spare $300 to get a better monitor.
Have you used the LG 27UL850 with any M-series mac? For me, the bottle neck has always been the monitor, so doing a lot of research to find a lag-free option for that M2 machine.
Have you used the LG 27UL850 with any M-series mac? For me, the bottle neck has always been the monitor, so doing a lot of research to find a lag-free option for that M2 machine.