M2 or M3 MacMini, the M1 just doesn’t do it for me.

[TheRealAlex]

I genuinely thought the M1 was an 8 Core CPU Its only a 4 Core CPU with 4 Efficiency Cores, so only 4 Cores are Performance.
Also there isn’t any meat on the bones. As tear downs have shown the MacMini can be less than half the size with a redesigned Chasis. I am a big fan of refreshed thinking and refreshed design.

Looking forward to an M3 MacMini at half the size of the current model.

 

[pmiles]

I don't understand why people want a computer the size of a postage stamp. Air flow serves a valuable function in electronics. That MacBook Air may be light as a feather and have no fan, but it is throttled by the lack of air flow.

All electronics generate heat... anything that helps dissipate heat is a very good thing. If they do make it the size of a postage stamp... it's performance will suffer for it compared to having kept it in a nice roomy container.

 

[darkpaw]

I have an M1 Mac mini with 16GB RAM. It's slow for lots of things. I'd wait for the next update. I only got this as I had to sell all my good stuff (2019 Mac Pro 16-core 64GB RAM, and a 2020 Intel MBP) to pay my bills.

Daily observations:
- Startup takes ages.
- My 5K LG screen only wakes up if I press a key on the keyboard when it's at the login screen. I haven't seen the white on black Apple logo since I got this Mac mini. (Same with installing an OS update; I don't see the Apple logo and progress bar, so have no idea how log it's going to take, and then, because the screen doesn't wake up until after I've pressed a key, I don't know when to press a key!) I have tried this screen on a 2017 MBP and it's fine.
- Encoding video in Handbrake is really slow.
- Issues with Bluetooth, and connecting AirPods, and also disconnecting AirPods, and stopping the Mac from connecting to headphones that aren't even turned on! (Bose H9i.)
- The Mail app is a trash fire right now. Everything takes forever to happen.

And yes, this is a NEW user account.

 

[TheRealAlex]

I have an M1 Mac mini with 16GB RAM. It's slow for lots of things. I'd wait for the next update. I only got this as I had to sell all my good stuff (2019 Mac Pro 16-core 64GB RAM, and a 2020 Intel MBP) to pay my bills.

Daily observations:
- Startup takes ages.
- My 5K LG screen only wakes up if I press a key on the keyboard when it's at the login screen. I haven't seen the white on black Apple logo since I got this Mac mini. (Same with installing an OS update; I don't see the Apple logo and progress bar, so have no idea how log it's going to take, and then, because the screen doesn't wake up until after I've pressed a key, I don't know when to press a key!) I have tried this screen on a 2017 MBP and it's fine.
- Encoding video in Handbrake is really slow.
- Issues with Bluetooth, and connecting AirPods, and also disconnecting AirPods, and stopping the Mac from connecting to headphones that aren't even turned on! (Bose H9i.)
- The Mail app is a trash fire right now. Everything takes forever to happen.

And yes, this is a NEW user account.

Respect, this post was a vibe I felt it. All those things happened with my MacMini M1. I was like I’m definitely gonna use it, a week passed an I never turned it on. I tried Handbrake and it’s a trash fire maybe the software hasn’t been optimized for M1. The deal breaker was the M2 at the 5 month mark going into production. I was like nope not buying 2 M1 devices.

 

[EdwardC]

My M1 is OK as well, nothing magical by any means. I have a base 2018 i3 Mini as well and side by side for everyday tasks they seem to be almost identical. I will admit the M1 is cold to the touch always, the i3 is lukewarm after any usage.

 

[The_Interloper]

I only got this as I had to sell all my good stuff (2019 Mac Pro 16-core 64GB RAM, and a 2020 Intel MBP) to pay my bills.

Sorry to hear that. Been in this position in the past, so I know how it feels.

- Encoding video in Handbrake is really slow.

I tried Handbrake and it’s a trash fire maybe the software hasn’t been optimized for M1.

Make sure you download the Apple Silicon Beta version from GitHub. When encoding, pick the VideoToolbox options from H264/H265 to enable the M1 hardware acceleration.

 

[richinaus]

There aren’t any M’s out yet that can replace the pro machines and also half the software I use isnt native anyway to the new chips so stuffed either way !

Its all set up for low end consumers at present, who just browse, do the odd email and watch netflix.

 

[gusping]

I don't understand why people want a computer the size of a postage stamp. Air flow serves a valuable function in electronics. That MacBook Air may be light as a feather and have no fan, but it is throttled by the lack of air flow.

All electronics generate heat... anything that helps dissipate heat is a very good thing. If they do make it the size of a postage stamp... it's performance will suffer for it compared to having kept it in a nice roomy container.

100% agree. Making the mini smaller (especially if a higher power M1 variant is used) is utterly stupid and should be avoided.

 

[gusping]

My M1 is OK as well, nothing magical by any means. I have a base 2018 i3 Mini as well and side by side for everyday tasks they seem to be almost identical. I will admit the M1 is cold to the touch always, the i3 is lukewarm after any usage.

My i7 is constantly warm and the fan spins for light tasks. It’s a mess. Bring on the M1X.

 

[saynotosync]

It is an 8-core CPU, though - if you're a fan of the refreshed thinking, well, I'm not sure what to tell you: this is definitely part of it. The size is for improved cooling, also - my has been warm only a handful of times.
It's definitely not a Mac Pro, but it's also pretty good if taken for what it is, not for what it isn't.
Hoping they finally fix the HDMI sleep issue (I myself haven't had it, but their HDMI implementation on M1 leaves a lot to be desired) and other first-generation bugs.
This is currently my main (and only) computer and I can't say I want it to do more than it does (512/16, faster than my previous 256/16 2017 MBP 13" with an i5, that's certain, and cheaper, too).

 

[Honza1]

I have an M1 Mac mini with 16GB RAM. It's slow for lots of things. I'd wait for the next update. I only got this as I had to sell all my good stuff (2019 Mac Pro 16-core 64GB RAM, and a 2020 Intel MBP) to pay my bills.

Daily observations:
- Startup takes ages.
- My 5K LG screen only wakes up if I press a key on the keyboard when it's at the login screen. I haven't seen the white on black Apple logo since I got this Mac mini. (Same with installing an OS update; I don't see the Apple logo and progress bar, so have no idea how log it's going to take, and then, because the screen doesn't wake up until after I've pressed a key, I don't know when to press a key!) I have tried this screen on a 2017 MBP and it's fine.
- Encoding video in Handbrake is really slow.
- Issues with Bluetooth, and connecting AirPods, and also disconnecting AirPods, and stopping the Mac from connecting to headphones that aren't even turned on! (Bose H9i.)
- The Mail app is a trash fire right now. Everything takes forever to happen.

Comparing M1 with Mac Pro is completely unfair. M1 was intended for low end devices and as such it shines.
Comparing my M1 mini 8GB with my 2018 i5 (20GB) - both bought new this February, both with the same Big Sur version is lot more fair. It is comparing the end of Intel line (i5) and start of new line (M1).
M1 wins by far. Except for running Windows 10 in virtualization, M1 can do what i5 does and faster. And cooler.
-- startup is faster
-- Both have HDMI which is annoying and has problems with monitors/TV. Both have ~ same issues waking display/TV. Both require carefully picked Thunderbolt->HDMI cable or convertor box to wake devices reliably. HDMI is useless...
-- Encoding in Handbrake on M1 is either crazy fast with average quality (encoding in VideotoolBox) or faster than my i5 with excellent quality (encoding in software).
-- Both have BT problems. BT issues are (best guess) probably related to the aluminum body + USB3 interference + generally poor design. It would be nice to have external antenna for BT...
-- Mail.app works for me on M1 fine, but it is not strained by any means. One Gmail account is no problem. Cannot say much on this if using multiple accounts with other providers. Mail.app has been challenge to use with Exchange and some providers for years now, it has nothing to do with M1 chip and all to do with programming.
Mail.app starting on my 2017 MBP Catalina machine is annoyingly slow - and this is i7 with 16GB RAM.

There is plenty of problems to complain about fairly. No need to dream up unfair comparison. I hope next gen M* system will be at least somehow closer match for Mac Pro.

 

[AVonGauss]

Deleted.

 

[GSWForever8]

I genuinely thought the M1 was an 8 Core CPU Its only a 4 Core CPU with 4 Efficiency Cores, so only 4 Cores are Performance.
Also there isn’t any meat on the bones. As tear downs have shown the MacMini can be less than half the size with a redesigned Chasis. I am a big fan of refreshed thinking and refreshed design.

Looking forward to an M3 MacMini at half the size of the current model.

First things first, where are you taking your Mac mini??? Also, pretty sure the efficiency cores take less power. Without good thermals, it’s gonna throttle. If you want something that is 8 core in your standards then go get a Mac Pro. Mac Mini is already good enough.

 

[Deanster]

I have an M1 Mac mini with 16GB RAM. It's slow for lots of things. I'd wait for the next update. I only got this as I had to sell all my good stuff (2019 Mac Pro 16-core 64GB RAM, and a 2020 Intel MBP) to pay my bills.

Daily observations:
- Startup takes ages.
- My 5K LG screen only wakes up if I press a key on the keyboard when it's at the login screen. I haven't seen the white on black Apple logo since I got this Mac mini. (Same with installing an OS update; I don't see the Apple logo and progress bar, so have no idea how log it's going to take, and then, because the screen doesn't wake up until after I've pressed a key, I don't know when to press a key!) I have tried this screen on a 2017 MBP and it's fine.
- Encoding video in Handbrake is really slow.
- Issues with Bluetooth, and connecting AirPods, and also disconnecting AirPods, and stopping the Mac from connecting to headphones that aren't even turned on! (Bose H9i.)
- The Mail app is a trash fire right now. Everything takes forever to happen.

And yes, this is a NEW user account.

I'm baffled by most of what you've written. I don't have an M1 Mini, but my experience with my M1 MacBook Air has been substantially different.

It starts up as quickly as my Intel MB/MBP/MBA's have.

It runs my 5K LG monitor just fine, I don't notice a difference relative to my 2018 16" i9 MacBook Pro, which is frankly kind of amazing.

It encodes in Handbrake (Apple Silicon Beta) at roughly the same speed as the 2018 16" i9 MBP, it's a few seconds slower in most cases, but again, that's nearly miraculous given the cost difference. If you didn't download the Handbrake Apple Silicon beta, no surprise that encodes lagged.

I paid $2600 for the MBP a year ago, and a $1K MacBook Air can keep up on transcodes!?! It's insane that it's even in the same ballpark.

I can absolutely see how it would feel slow next to a Mac Pro with ~6x the specs and at LEAST 8x the price tag, but asking a $699 Mac Mini to compete with a Xeon-based desktop is more than unfair.

That's not what a Mini is meant to do, it's not how it's spec'd, and anyone who thinks that a Mac Mini is going to transcode like a 16-core Mac Pro is off their rocker.

I have no idea what's up with your Mail app, but on my M1 MBA, it's like lightning. It's so much faster than on my 2018 16" MBP, it's not even funny. That one thing is enough that I spent a few days running the M1 MBA on my 5K LG monitor to see if it was able to take more of my workflow. The short answer is yes for all the things it can run, but i still need Parallels on my main rig.

M1 isn't a panacea, and it'll be very interesting to see what the forward pathway is for both performance cores and discrete GPU - these are areas where the boundaries of SoC design and inherent limitations of the ultra-compact package of M1 seem likely really show themselves over time.

We'll surely need to see a more pro-oriented set of options, because M1 is of course nowhere near ready to take over from a Mac Pro yet.

You're certainly entitled to your experience and opinions, but I think your expectations of how well an M1 Mac Mini can be expected to fill in for a desktop whose base model is 8X the Mini's price may be a little... skewed.

 

[darkpaw]

Comparing M1 with Mac Pro is completely unfair. M1 was intended for low end devices and as such it shines.

I didn't. I said I sold my Mac Pro. My observations are from using the Mac mini every day.

Mail.app works for me on M1 fine, but it is not strained by any means. One Gmail account is no problem. Cannot say much on this if using multiple accounts with other providers. Mail.app has been challenge to use with Exchange and some providers for years now, it has nothing to do with M1 chip and all to do with programming.

But I didn't have these problems with either my Mac Pro or my 2020 MBP, or the 2015 MBP I had before that, or the 2015 iMac. These problems are real and exist right now. When I move an email from my inbox to a specific folder (same account), the little info popup shows at the bottom of the sidebar, and says "Moving Messages: 1 of 1" (or whatever) and takes forever.

There is plenty of problems to complain about fairly. No need to dream up unfair comparison.

I didn't dream anything up.

 

[darkpaw]

It starts up as quickly as my Intel MB/MBP/MBA's have.

My M1 Mac mini might be starting up quickly, but the monitor won't wake up until I've pressed a key on the login screen, but I can't see that's it got to the login screen to press a key...

It encodes in Handbrake (Apple Silicon Beta) at roughly the same speed as the 2018 16" i9 MBP, it's a few seconds slower in most cases, but again, that's nearly miraculous given the cost difference. If you didn't download the Handbrake Apple Silicon beta, no surprise that encodes lagged.

Yes, this is why. I now have the native version.

I can absolutely see how it would feel slow next to a Mac Pro with ~6x the specs and at LEAST 8x the price tag, but asking a $699 Mac Mini to compete with a Xeon-based desktop is more than unfair.

That's not what a Mini is meant to do, it's not how it's spec'd, and anyone who thinks that a Mac Mini is going to transcode like a 16-core Mac Pro is off their rocker.

That is not a comparison I made. But I would suggest people are seeing that I wrote "2019 Mac Pro" and think I'm comparing it to that. I also wrote "2020 MBP", but no one is saying I'm unfairly comparing it to that one. Weird.

I have no idea what's up with your Mail app, but on my M1 MBA, it's like lightning. It's so much faster than on my 2018 16" MBP, it's not even funny.

Great. Happy for you. But in my experience - which is what I posted above - it's not. Which of us is right? We've both got experiences. I wasn't claiming the Mail app is fubar'd for everyone; I was saying MINE is.

You're certainly entitled to your experience and opinions, but I think your expectations of how well an M1 Mac Mini can be expected to fill in for a desktop whose base model is 8X the Mini's price may be a little... skewed.

I didn't make that comparison.

 

[saynotosync]

My M1 Mac mini might be starting up quickly, but the monitor won't wake up until I've pressed a key on the login screen, but I can't see that's it got to the login screen to press a key...


Yes, this is why. I now have the native version.


That is not a comparison I made. But I would suggest people are seeing that I wrote "2019 Mac Pro" and think I'm comparing it to that. I also wrote "2020 MBP", but no one is saying I'm unfairly comparing it to that one. Weird.


Great. Happy for you. But in my experience - which is what I posted above - it's not. Which of us is right? We've both got experiences. I wasn't claiming the Mail app is fubar'd for everyone; I was saying MINE is.


I didn't make that comparison.

I just wanted to restate that the HDMI thing is most likely a software bug (which doesn't make it any less of a problem, but it's easier to fix than slow or faulty hardware via an OS update). I know you might not have the time for this, and really, it's not your job to do so, but it might be helpful still to reach out to Apple support.
In case of my HDMI issues (not the same as yours, my screen is waking up fine), they took a case number. Then, a support agent (who was in contact with the engineers) called me a few times to collect all the relevant information (my setup, sysdiag and stuff like that). They told me that the engineers were able to source my specific model of the monitor and reproduced my issue, so I'm assuming it's on their to-do list now, and so will be your issue, hopefully (although I'd say the HDMI wake issue is better known than the one I was having so maybe they're already working on it).
Again, this is really unpleasant and I haven't experienced anything like it even when I tried to get a Hackintosh installation way back in the day, but at least there's a mechanism to reach out to Apple. I've had terrible luck with Sony support, for example - Apple at least seems to somewhat care.

I'd say the same goes for the Mail.app - should definitely be reported.

I'm fairly certain that neither you or I signed up to be beta-testers when buying expensive hardware, but sometimes this happens when adopting first-generation products, and it's not going to get better as years go by and hardware+software gets even more complex and error-prone due to this complexity. It's just how things are, even if I don't like it (I'm sure you don't either).

 

[Honza1]

I didn't. I said I sold my Mac Pro. My observations are from using the Mac mini every day.


But I didn't have these problems with either my Mac Pro or my 2020 MBP, or the 2015 MBP I had before that, or the 2015 iMac. These problems are real and exist right now. When I move an email from my inbox to a specific folder (same account), the little info popup shows at the bottom of the sidebar, and says "Moving Messages: 1 of 1" (or whatever) and takes forever.

Expectations, expectations, expectations... Your post clearly indicates, your expectations are based on experience with much more expensive Mac systems. When I am amazed, how my Raspberry Pi is running, it is based on some expectations. My view is, that my M1 mini - for the cost and small amount of memory - does amazingly well. But I do not expect it to be speed daemon in all cases. And it does have unhealthy number of annoying issues, but these are not related to M1 but to mini design in general.

Mail.app "Moving messages:..." is dreadful problem which is well known. It is - at least typically - related to Apple Mail use with exchange or office365 accounts and has been happening for me for years now. My best guess is that there are some secrets which MS is keeping from Apple for competitive advantage. It got so far that our IT declated Mail.app not compatible with our office365 service. It really has nothing to do with Big Sur or M1, it is present in Catalina on my 2017 MBP - and if you search the web, you can find reports in prior version of macOS. Seems like there is problem with Mail.app doing stuff in parallel threads and something hanging. On line are step-by-step instructions how to resync the systems, which fixes this for few days. How annoying...

There is easy (though ugly) solution: use Outlook for exchange and office365 accounts. I find Outlook even worse from UI view than Mail.app, so I am suffering with Mail.app.

 

[Deanster]

My M1 Mac mini might be starting up quickly, but the monitor won't wake up until I've pressed a key on the login screen, but I can't see that's it got to the login screen to press a key...


Yes, this is why. I now have the native version.


That is not a comparison I made. But I would suggest people are seeing that I wrote "2019 Mac Pro" and think I'm comparing it to that. I also wrote "2020 MBP", but no one is saying I'm unfairly comparing it to that one. Weird.


Great. Happy for you. But in my experience - which is what I posted above - it's not. Which of us is right? We've both got experiences. I wasn't claiming the Mail app is fubar'd for everyone; I was saying MINE is.


I didn't make that comparison.

I feel like you're being deliberately obtuse about a couple of these, I'm sorry to say.

What could you possibly have been comparing the M1 Mini to, other than your most recent computers that you previously used for these same tasks? I focused on the Mac Pro, since it has a clear base spec, and you mentioned 64 gb of RAM. The MBP has many more configurations possible, and you didn't share which version you have - there's a WIDE gap between the base 13" i5 without discrete GPU and the i9-based 16" with discrete graphics.

My (perhaps unfair) assumption is that you're someone with a workflow that justifies having a current-model Mac Pro as their primary computer, and that the current-model MBP was your step-down machine for off-site use, but given the spec-drop from the Mac Pro, it must be relatively slow for your render/transcode work already.

The M1 Mini should be competitive with your 2020 MBP, within a few seconds either way on most operations, but it's simply not in the Mac Pro's league.

I acknowledge your experience with Mail.app, my point wasn't to invalidate your issue, but to say that it's working screaming fast for me with a mix of iCloud, Exchange and Gmail servers, which suggests that there's an active problem with your software or configuration, rather than a fundamental issue with the app design and/or hardware.

 

[doboy]

Why is OP's post usually about regrets and future improvements? Just be happy with what's available now and enjoy. When the time comes, upgrade.

 

[EntropyQ3]

Why is OP's post usually about regrets and future improvements? Just be happy with what's available now and enjoy. When the time comes, upgrade.

Money. Some peoples funds are limited.
Time. Getting rid of the old system, setting up software and dealing with licenses, hooking up hardware and ensuring that things work properly is neither productive, nor after the first few times, fun. It’s just (often frustrating) work.

Personally, I quite like the M1 Macs, it’s more stuff like atrocious pricing on RAM and NAND, ports, inability to use the excellent screen of the new iMacs for anything other than it’s internal computer... - Apple profiteering policies impacting useability basically, that I feel is unfortunate and the wrong way to go.

For once I feel that Apples secrecy is overall detrimental, nobody knows their product plans and can plan future purchases, but you can’t play it safe and buy an x86 Mac either, since they have given no guarantees for how long that hardware will be supported. People who don’t fit the target demographic of the new M1 Macs are very much in the dark and will remain so until the full line-up is revealed.

 

[darkpaw]

I just wanted to restate that the HDMI thing is most likely a software bug

Mine is the LG 5K that connects via Thunderbolt 3, so it's not an HDMI issue. I've reported it to AppleCare. They've initially said that since it works there's no real issue, and that I should send both the LG and Mac mini for service to investigate, and repair if necessary. That'll leave me without a computer for up to six weeks. If I have to, I'll do that.

I've also reported the extreme slowness of the Mail.app, but I'm not sure they care. They tend to mark every bug as a duplicate, but then never fix the original.

 

[gusping]

I just wanted to restate that the HDMI thing is most likely a software bug (which doesn't make it any less of a problem, but it's easier to fix than slow or faulty hardware via an OS update). I know you might not have the time for this, and really, it's not your job to do so, but it might be helpful still to reach out to Apple support.
In case of my HDMI issues (not the same as yours, my screen is waking up fine), they took a case number. Then, a support agent (who was in contact with the engineers) called me a few times to collect all the relevant information (my setup, sysdiag and stuff like that). They told me that the engineers were able to source my specific model of the monitor and reproduced my issue, so I'm assuming it's on their to-do list now, and so will be your issue, hopefully (although I'd say the HDMI wake issue is better known than the one I was having so maybe they're already working on it).
Again, this is really unpleasant and I haven't experienced anything like it even when I tried to get a Hackintosh installation way back in the day, but at least there's a mechanism to reach out to Apple. I've had terrible luck with Sony support, for example - Apple at least seems to somewhat care.

I'd say the same goes for the Mail.app - should definitely be reported.

I'm fairly certain that neither you or I signed up to be beta-testers when buying expensive hardware, but sometimes this happens when adopting first-generation products, and it's not going to get better as years go by and hardware+software gets even more complex and error-prone due to this complexity. It's just how things are, even if I don't like it (I'm sure you don't either).

Display connections have been broken and buggy since the 2018 mini launched. I’ve never had mine fixed either, I just live with them. i think Apple doesn’t know how make desktops computers. More broadly Mac OS has been a buggy mess over the past 3 years but let’s not go there....

 

[Fishrrman]

The m1 Mini is somewhat "lacking" for me, too.

It needs at least 2 more thunderbolt/USBc ports -- same as on the 2018 Mini.
And the m1 CPU is "too early" -- waiting for subsequent generations.

 

[dufftop]

I enjoy my new M1 mini. Coming from an upgraded 2009 iMac at home, running El Capitan, I think that might be pretty understandable. (iMac still works, btw, (albeit sloooowly even with a SSD). Also have a Mac Classic that I think can still get on the internet with OS 7. Haven't tried yet, but I digress...

It's hard to hear about other peoples problems/difficulties (darkpaw) with a new Mac, when I have had a positive experience with the M1 so far, so maybe my comments don't carry much weight (I am a MR newb after all - long time lurker - new poster).

The M1 mini certainly has room for improvement, but it's not a "wait for the next update" kind of thing for most people, IMHO. People who don't have problems generally don't post, and when they do, people who do have problems don't like it much or say "good for you".

I bought a G4 Windtunnel Mac back in the day. I regretted that. The M1 mini, not so much.