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.
M2 Mac Mini Storage: 256GB vs 512GB single NAND?
- Thread starter Mity
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Do you need to upgrade to the 12-core CPU to get 4 NAND chips or do you also get that with M2 Pro 10-core CPU?
What bothers me a lot is that I assume that this reduction in SSD performance is going to have an impact when the system is low on RAM and starts swapping to the SSD? I've been torn about 16GB being enough for me, and with this SSD performance now.. I'm concerned.
I have a M2 Pro base model coming tomorrow.. ha...
I have a M2 Pro base model coming tomorrow.. ha...
I would make an assumption that the CPU processor makes no difference to the storage. That would be menacing if it were the case.
This issue just made macrumors front page news, lol.
And they linked someone already done teardown for M2 Pro mini:
www.macstadium.com
It seems there are 2 NAND chips soldered on each side of the same “space” (board is double sided)
And there are left over *6* NAND space unused, if indeed all 8 can be used on both sides.
And they linked someone already done teardown for M2 Pro mini:
First look: Mac mini with M2 Pro
MacStadium's Brian Stucki gives a first look at (and teardown of) the Mac mini with M2 Pro.
www.macstadium.com
It seems there are 2 NAND chips soldered on each side of the same “space” (board is double sided)
And there are left over *6* NAND space unused, if indeed all 8 can be used on both sides.
I planned on ordering a M2 Pro Mini with either 512 or 1TB. If 1TB is the sweet spot, then will order that. Has anyone confirmed it is a lot faster than the 512?
It will, in theory. But then whether or not it makes a real world difference for your given task is hard to say. And at least the M2 Pro base having 3400MB/s is a lot higher of a headroom than the M2’s 1500MB/s
Really interesting if the M2 Pro Mac Mini utilizes 4-channel NAND. According to this base M2 Mini tear down, there's only a pair of NAND pin-outs. The board doesn't seem to have space for four NAND chips unless the M2 Pro Mini has a different board/layout. Hope someone can post an M2 Pro tear down soon, I may need to modify my order.
Last edited:
Here is an image of the M2 Pro Mac mini board, courtesy of Brian Stucki. shared by MacStadium's Brian Stucki
Attachments
M2 Pro definitely has a different board layout. It's the reason why M2 Pro has an 8TB option while the M2 is limited to 2TB.
that’s only one side, there is another NAND soldered on the other side of the same location. Interestingly there are as many as 8 spaces it seems, the 8TB config will populate these all with 1TB NANDs each.
I also went to the store to config this to see the price. With a 10GbE option added it is so close to Mac Studio pricing… And the base Studio is frequently available with refurbs or 3rd party deals.
I’ve ordered the 512 and 32 ram should I cancel?. Use mainly for transmission and plex etc or won’t I notice?. My files are on external btw.
It is a hefty price. I will be using this Mac mini for audio production - the only reason I did not buy the Mac Studio last year was because of the fan noise/whining that comes with it. It is (albeit by only a small amount) louder than the Mac mini. I would rather reduced noise and slightly better single core performance with the M2 than an M1 refurbed Mac Studio.
Well then at least you finally got a machine fitting your needs, despite this SSD drama. Should we thank Apple for having the M2 Pro available in the mini form? lol
I know. Even the Mac Mini M2Pro configured with 1TB SSD and 16GB Ram is only about $300 difference from base Studio. Tough decision, but I just like the size of the mini better. Do like the front ports of the Studio though.
So from what I'm gathering from all these posts,
M2 Mini with 256GB SSD (single NAND) – ~1500MB/s read/write
M2 & M2 Pro Mini with 512GB SSD (single NAND) - ~3000 MB/s read/write
M2 & M2 Pro Mini with 1TB SSD (double NAND) - ~6000 MB/s read/write
Kind of a bummer about the M2 Pro with 512GB SSD. I'm sitting here with it unopened on my desk. Debating whether to return it and wait 3 weeks for a BTO model with 1TB SSD. I'll probably end up keeping it since ~3000 MB/s isn't exactly slow.
M2 Mini with 256GB SSD (single NAND) – ~1500MB/s read/write
M2 & M2 Pro Mini with 512GB SSD (single NAND) - ~3000 MB/s read/write
M2 & M2 Pro Mini with 1TB SSD (double NAND) - ~6000 MB/s read/write
Kind of a bummer about the M2 Pro with 512GB SSD. I'm sitting here with it unopened on my desk. Debating whether to return it and wait 3 weeks for a BTO model with 1TB SSD. I'll probably end up keeping it since ~3000 MB/s isn't exactly slow.
Comparing my 2018 i5 Mini with 256GB SSD which supposedly uses the faster SSD. Here are my observations of the base M2 Mini.
Boot time for the 2018 Mini 18.41 secs.
Boot time for the M2 Mini 10.66 secs
2018 Mini Safari load time 1.35 secs
M2 Mini 0.95 secs
2018 Mini Microsoft Edge 3.68 secs
M2 Mini 0.72 secs.
That is just a quick summary. For a slow poke SSD in the M2 Mini, it looks to be on average 40-50% faster than my 2018 Mini. Memory with 8GB doesn't appear to be a big problem either. With multiple web browsers open and a couple of other apps, memory pressure never went above 60% as the OS began to compress memory.
Boot time for the 2018 Mini 18.41 secs.
Boot time for the M2 Mini 10.66 secs
2018 Mini Safari load time 1.35 secs
M2 Mini 0.95 secs
2018 Mini Microsoft Edge 3.68 secs
M2 Mini 0.72 secs.
That is just a quick summary. For a slow poke SSD in the M2 Mini, it looks to be on average 40-50% faster than my 2018 Mini. Memory with 8GB doesn't appear to be a big problem either. With multiple web browsers open and a couple of other apps, memory pressure never went above 60% as the OS began to compress memory.