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M1 versus M2 Mini for my needs

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bladerunner616

macrumors member
Original poster
May 17, 2014
72
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I have a dreadfully slow old Intel Mini-Late 2014-2.6 GHz I5.I could put up with the slowness of it because I only used it to process a couple of photos a week for hobby purposes.

However, now I am in a job search out of necessity and the speed and unreliability is having very negative consequences for me.

Aside from Office and Safari for job searching I use the following suite for photo editing: ACDSee, DXO and Pixelmator Pro.

Will I notice much real difference for the next few years if I get the M1 and save a few bucks?

Thanks!
 
EdwardC said:
I have a M1 16GB and a M2 Pro and for day to day stuff, I can't tell much of a difference. The both drive the same 4K display so I can switch back and forth the try and benchmark.
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I agree.
I've owned i7, i5, i3 intel minis, but when I got the first M1 mini, it was really a big difference. With the M2 and M2pro, the difference is not very noticable, simply because they're all very fast processors. A basic M1 mini will do you well, and is fantastic value for money second hand.
 
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OP for your stated uses, you'll probably notice towards NO differences in performance between M1 and M2.

However, M1 is already a few years old now. So another consideration is how long until it shows that mysterious "long in tooth" effect spurring M1 owners to "upgrade." We all know it is coming... it is basically based upon an iPhone core, which works exactly that way.

If we assume the typical 7-year-use window before Apple drops support (plus about 2 for security updates only), M1 is already more than halfway to that 7 year mark. M1 launched in 2020, making 2027- just 3 years from now- year #7 for that platform.

So if I'm indifferent about M1 vs. M2, I pay what is probably a relatively small amount of extra money for the M2 version.

M2 launched in 2022, so it probably has active updates until 2029 or so, or about 2+ additional years.

Since OP is still clinging to a 2014 Mac, they are likely seeking another long-term Mac. M1 is probably going to disappoint them after only 3-4 years. M2 has a better chance of getting them towards 5-7 years before facing another replacement purchase.

Thus, IMO: M2 wins this contest for OP... unless OP wants to replace this next purchase much sooner than the decade since the last purchase.

And I suggest perhaps hopping in the Education store to get at least 16GB and at least 1TB SSD for a little more than $1K... and/or try to catch this same config (or better) in the refurb store. Why? Because again, OP seems to hang on for up to a decade... and I'm confident that 8GB RAM is not a decade long "good enough" option. I'd even argue 8GB is not enough for 2024 uses like some that OP shares... though the "trick" of handling overage demands by using SWAP can get people by when they actually need more RAM than what they actually have.

One more suggestion for OP: if you can hold out for an M3 Mac Mini launch (conceptually this year), the M2 option will likely drop in price comparable to M1 options now, so then you could consider the full 7 + 2 years with an M3 Mini vs. what should be added cost savings with M2 Mini now one formal generation behind in the Mac Mini model. That could feed your cost-saving goal of having your cake and eating it too.
 
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HobeSoundDarryl said:
OP for your stated uses, you'll probably notice towards NO differences in performance between M1 and M2.

However, M1 is already a few years old now. So another consideration is how long until it shows that mysterious "long in tooth" effect spurring M1 owners to "upgrade." We all know it is coming... it is basically based upon an iPhone core, which works exactly that way.

If we assume the typical 7-year-use window before Apple drops support (plus about 2 for security updates only), M1 is already more than halfway to that 7 year mark. M1 launched in 2020, making 2027- just 3 years from now- year #7 for that platform.

So if I'm indifferent about M1 vs. M2, I pay what is probably a relatively small amount of extra money for the M2 version.

M2 launched in 2022, so it probably has active updates until 2029 or so, or about 2+ additional years.

Since OP is still clinging to a 2014 Mac, they are likely seeking another long-term Mac. M1 is probably going to disappoint them after only 3-4 years. M2 has a better chance of getting them towards 5-7 years before facing another replacement purchase.

Thus, IMO: M2 wins this contest for OP... unless OP wants to replace this next purchase much sooner than the decade since the last purchase.

And I suggest perhaps hopping in the Education store to get at least 16GB and at least 1TB SSD for a little more than $1K... and/or try to catch this same config (or better) in the refurb store. Why? Because again, OP seems to hang on for up to a decade... and I'm confident that 8GB RAM is not a decade long "good enough" option. I'd even argue 8GB is not enough for 2024 uses like some that OP shares... though the "trick" of handling overage demands by using SWAP can get people by when they actually need more RAM than what they actually have.

One more suggestion for OP: if you can hold out for an M3 Mac Mini launch (conceptually this year), the M2 option will likely drop in price comparable to M1 options, so then you could consider the full 7 + 2 years with an M3 Mini vs. what should be added cost savings with M2 Mini now one formal generation behind in the Mac Mini model. That could feed your cost-saving goal of having your cake and eating it too.
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I probably won’t hold onto this next computer as long. That is something I will think about though. Thanks.
 
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The M1 is plenty for your needs. As mentioned, if the price difference is small, the M2 will get OS updates longer, but really won't offer a tangible difference in your work load. I got my wife an 8/256 MBAir for use in her PreK classroom. I've watched her abuse it batch editing photos for her photography business when she wants to work on the go. The machine will swap like crazy, but at the end of the day, the impact to the amount of time it takes to complete the task does not change that much. Her biggest problem is not having enough local storage on that machine, but then again her photography work is not what it was purchased to handle.

My 16/256 M1 mini is going to be all I need from a computer for the foreseeable future. At least until Apple starts using the NPU as the means to deprecate machines as AI/ML features ramp up. But then again, I didn't spend enough 'future proofing' the machine to feel the need to force it to last 7-10 years. If I need a new machine in 3-5 years to gain access to a 'must have' feature, I can buy another machine at or near the entry level.

With the M1, Apple completely reset what an entry level Mac is all about. Short of moving into full time media production and working with massive projects, there is little need to chase specs these days. Even the entry level machines can handle some surprisingly complex projects. Bumping the ram and storage up to 16/512 is a reasonable thing to do to have a little headroom, but it almost doubles the price of the machine.
 
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meson said:
The M1 is plenty for your needs. As mentioned, if the price difference is small, the M2 will get OS updates longer, but really won't offer a tangible difference in your work load. I got my wife an 8/256 MBAir for use in her PreK classroom. I've watched her abuse it batch editing photos for her photography business when she wants to work on the go. The machine will swap like crazy, but at the end of the day, the impact to the amount of time it takes to complete the task does not change that much. Her biggest problem is not having enough local storage on that machine, but then again her photography work is not what it was purchased to handle.

My 16/256 M1 mini is going to be all I need from a computer for the foreseeable future. At least until Apple starts using the NPU as the means to deprecate machines as AI/ML features ramp up. But then again, I didn't spend enough 'future proofing' the machine to feel the need to force it to last 7-10 years. If I need a new machine in 3-5 years to gain access to a 'must have' feature, I can buy another machine at or near the entry level.

With the M1, Apple completely reset what an entry level Mac is all about. Short of moving into full time media production and working with massive projects, there is little need to chase specs these days. Even the entry level machines can handle some surprisingly complex projects. Bumping the ram and storage up to 16/512 is a reasonable thing to do to have a little headroom, but it almost doubles the price of the machine.
Click to expand...

Agreed. But only if you can find a discounted M1 with 16/512 as you say, for that extra headroom.

I have similar experience with my Mac mini M1 8/256.
I throw pretty much everything at it including Photoshop, Illustrator, DaVinci Resolve it still handles it.
 
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Thanks for all the constructive replies.

i took a look and I got the computer in early February 2017. So I have had it seven years.

Since 1996 I have had at least five Mac’s, maybe six. Thus my average is not 10 years per computer but more like five or six. This one was a bit uncharacteristically long.

The next one should be on the shorter side.

As I need at least 1TB, I look for a refurbished M1 or M2, and I am thinking 8GB should be enough.
 
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Dont get any M1 or M2 Mac Mini with 8GB. Forget to top up the internal SSD storage. You will overpay buy huge margins.

You don´t need 1TB internal storage, that is much better served by using external NVME drives.

If you are harmstrung by a budget, spend the money towards 16GB RAM memory.

A used M1 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is a great machine for years to come
 
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giffut said:
Dont get any M1 or M2 Mac Mini with 8GB. Forget to top up the internal SSD storage. You will overpay buy huge margins.

You don´t need 1TB internal storage, that is much better served by using external NVME drives.

If you are harmstrung by a budget, spend the money towards 16GB RAM memory.

A used M1 Mac Mini with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is a great machine for years to come
Click to expand...
I already have over 512GB of files on my current computer. People have mentioned swapping but that it doesn’t really affect the work flow for me.

I process a handful of photos a week, use Safari and Office.

I am not a power user.

Does that change your suggestion? Thanks.
 
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bladerunner616 said:
I already have over 512GB of files on my current computer. People have mentioned swapping but that it doesn’t really affect the work flow for me.

I process a handful of photos a week, use Safari and Office.

I am not a power user.

Does that change your suggestion? Thanks.
Click to expand...
There is no need for you to buy more than 8GB of ram. It will serve you just fine.

For storage, that is up to you. It boils down to how you want to manage those files. You can pay extra for the internal storage, or you can keep the operating system and applications on the internal storage, and use external drives to store your files.

Rather than paying Apple for more storage, I have a 1TB external ssd attached to the base of my monitor arm with velcro. As long as the external storage is not a spinning HDD, you will be hard pressed to notice a difference when using it for your uses. If you ware willing to shell out for a thunderbolt enclosure, your external storage could be as fast or faster than the mini's internal storage.

My recommendation is the base model and add an external drive for most of your files.
 
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For what you say you use it for, a M1 would probably suit your needs (heck, I still use a 2017 Intel 1.8 as my travel work computer and it does all I need of it), but if you're looking at most recent advances with longetivity (product / tech support / OS support) also being an issue (for example, Apple has just discontinued M1 MacBook Airs), I'd look to the M2.

I have a M2 Mini as my home device, and it works well. And while more RAM is always good, I have 8 and I do Office, internet, occasional photo and movie editing and manipulation and it gets it done with no struggles or beachball. Having tried both 8 and 16 prior to purchase, I couldn't honestly justify the added expense for the increase, or the eventual trade-in value that more RAM would offer.

I can't imagine that a M3 Mini is that far from release, and I note some recent price drops on the M2. That said, I would also encourage you to visit Apple's online store and check out their Refurb section. These are often returns ('wrong specs, buyer's remorse, etc' - Open Box) and occasionally faulty - but all are individually inspected (arguably better than factory) and, well, refurbished. They come with all bits as per 'new', are elegible for AppleCare and are routinely 15 - 20% below retail + free shipping.
 
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I opted for a M 2/8GB/1TB refurbished for $700. I didn’t do the M 2 for the speed increase from M1. Rather, I did it for longer support.

I am astounded at the speed increase.

Thanks for all the constructive feedback.
 
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