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M2 Pro Mac mini - Any regrets?

I

icemantx

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 16, 2009
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Back in March 2023 I purchased the M2 Pro Mac Mini with the 10-16 core/16GB/2TB configuration to replace my late 2014 27" Retina iMac. I also added the Apple Studio display which I got on sale at Costco. Recently I keep seeing videos from YouTubers saying "only get the entry level Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip if you are going to buy a mini that has the M2 Pro chip. If you upgrade anything get the Mac Studio with the M2 Max in the $1999 config as it is simply a better value and a better machine."

I think they are missing the point of the Mac mini. You are paying for the very small form factor and there is a value in that (to me at least). I would not be able to put a Mac Studio between my desk and the wall in a wall mount without pulling my desk out far from the wall. For me, I wanted as close to an iMac like experience as I could get and the mini + ASD provided me that. Is the M2 Max Mac Studio more powerful and arguably a better value than the M2 Pro Mac mini? Sure you can say that.

However, for me the small size has value too and the M2 Pro is already faster for everything I do and more than I will need for some time to come.

So for me, no regrets at all.
 
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icemantx said:
Back in March 2023 I purchased the M2 Pro Mac Min with the 10-16 core/16GB/2TB configuration to replace my late 2014 27" Retina iMac. I also added the Apple Studio display which I got on sale at Costco. Recently I keep seeing videos from YouTubers saying "only get the entry level Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip if you are going to buy a mini that has the M2 Pro chip. If you upgrade anything get the Mac Studio with the M2 Max in the $1999 config as it is simply a better value and a better machine."

I think they are missing the point of the Mac mini. You are paying for the very small form factor and there is a value in that (to me at least). I would not be able to put a Mac Studio between my desk and the wall in a wall mount without pulling my desk out far from the wall. For me, I wanted as close to an iMac like experience as I could get and the mini + ASD provided me that. Is the M2 Max Mac Studio more powerful and arguably a better value than the M2 Pro Mac mini? Sure you can say that.

However, for me the small size has value too and the M2 Pro is already faster for everything I do and more than I will need for some time to come.

So for me, no regrets at all.
Click to expand...

Your Mac mini will last you for many years! Enjoy!

There is always something "better" coming around the corner....life is too short to be worrying about trivialities.


richmlow
 
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Coming from an 2020 Intel Imac, I'm trying to figure out of I should get a Mini M2 or Mini M2 PRO.
From watching Youtube I've come to conclusion that if I want a Pro I might as well get the Studio.
So, either the regular Mini M2 with 16/512 or Studio.
 
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No regrets for me either. I replaced an M1 Max Studio with a M2 Mini Pro and I consider that a good tradeoff. The only thing I miss is 64G of RAM, but it really hasn't been much of a problem. I just can't run as many VM's at a time.
 
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Can get M2 Pro mini for sub $2000 with upgrades and you get the smaller footprint, which matters to me as my mini needs to slot in next to a bunch of external attachments I use.

Granted I COULD make it work with the Studio by rearranging the layout of my desk but why reinvent the wheel when I can buy something that just works?

The Studio is a fantastic machine and that baseline spec at $2000 is one hell of a computer but I don't think its existence rules out someone wanting a Mini configured with some of the more high end options.
 
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When the M2 minis came out, I swapped my M1 mini 16/512 for a base model M2 16/256. Selling the M1, I got almost what I paid for the new M2 (around $850usd). The very small internal drive is no problem as I have 2x2TB external NVVMe in enclosures. I lighten the load on the internal with symlinks to folders on the externals. It's about 50% free space.

Absolutely no regrets.
 
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I’m choosing the M2 Pro Mini over a Studio because the Mini is easier to open and clean.

A standard M2 would do me just fine, but I want to buy a little extra power for vanity’s sake.

Given that the M2 Pro Mini benchmarks about four times as powerful as my classic Mac Pro, while using 1/20th the electricity, I don’t anticipate being disappointed.
 
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Well for me actually yes. I sold my MacBook Air M1 (as well as an iPad Pro 11“) and switched to the Mac Mini M2 Pro base config (with a 12.9“ iPad Pro). The reasoning back then was that the iPad should suffice for my „mobile“ computing needs and I could use the extra graphics power for some light gaming (Parkitect and Minecraft).
Turns out that by now I barely have time/motivation for gaming and the bigger issue is that iPadOS and its apps are to limited (especially multi tasking and the rather crippled Pages and Numbers apps). So I‘m actually considering to replace the Mac Mini and iPad combo with a MacBook Air M2. I really miss the ability to just pick up the MacBook and use it without being forced to my desk and having to boot the Mini (as I usually cut the power when it‘s not in use).

Theoretically I could use my employer MacBook Pro but the 16“ Intel machine is just annoyingly slow once you‘re used to Apple Silicon Macs. 😅

But for the Mac Mini M2 Pro as a product: it‘s absolutely great as a desktop. The performance is amazing and it‘s super silent. It‘s just that I‘m apparently more of a notebook person. 🤷‍♂️
 
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I got an upgraded M2Pro (32G, 1TB) about 6 weeks before the new Studio came out. Even though the prices were about the same, I'm not crying because there were no guarantees about the Studio. Also, I came from a 15" 2010 MacBook Pro so the speed difference is pretty awesome.
 
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My M2 Mini Pro is a solid, quiet, fast machine that I enjoy more than any of the dozen Macs I've had in the past, with one trying exception. My M2 doesn't play well with external hard drives. Spotlight will not completely index them (I have several), the drives spin up and down repetitively (regardless of energy saving settings, regardless of the formatting of the drive; I do not use Time Machine), spin up/spin down frequently when Mini is asleep. Have to use Amphetamine to keep drives alive to get any work done because the drives go to sleep in only a few seconds (again, regardless of energy settings). I have spent hours on forums where this is discussed, including MacRumors, and in conversation with Apple with no fix available. Apple said it was known issue and that their engineers were working on it. Not sure when that will be, since some people have been having problems ever since upgrading to Apple silicon. For me, it has ruined what would have been an otherwise fantastic upgrade.
 
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icemantx said:
Back in March 2023 I purchased the M2 Pro Mac Min with the 10-16 core/16GB/2TB configuration to replace my late 2014 27" Retina iMac. I also added the Apple Studio display which I got on sale at Costco. Recently I keep seeing videos from YouTubers saying "only get the entry level Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip if you are going to buy a mini that has the M2 Pro chip. If you upgrade anything get the Mac Studio with the M2 Max in the $1999 config as it is simply a better value and a better machine."

I think they are missing the point of the Mac mini. You are paying for the very small form factor and there is a value in that (to me at least). I would not be able to put a Mac Studio between my desk and the wall in a wall mount without pulling my desk out far from the wall. For me, I wanted as close to an iMac like experience as I could get and the mini + ASD provided me that. Is the M2 Max Mac Studio more powerful and arguably a better value than the M2 Pro Mac mini? Sure you can say that.

However, for me the small size has value too and the M2 Pro is already faster for everything I do and more than I will need for some time to come.

So for me, no regrets at all.
Click to expand...
Take any YouTube recommendations with a grain of salt. They need to get clicks and have people spend time watching. The best way to optimize for that is to make strong recommendations for or against something even if the truth is much more complicated and nuanced. You can see it in the episode titles that are written like spam emails for similar reasons.
 
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richmlow said:
My M2Pro Mac mini (10-core CPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD) just came in yesterday. I'm slowly setting it up, testing its various functionality and stress-testing it a bit. So far, I'm quite impressed! No regrets.


richmlow
Click to expand...

Another quick update on my new Mac mini....

I finally got everything set up to fit my normal workflow. Coming from a 2013 Mac Pro, I find the new Mac mini very robust for my needs.

Main uses: Scientific computing using Mathematica, LaTeX (typesetting of research articles), word processing, website design, light game playing, internet surfing, playing music and watching movies.

Minor complaint: RAM limitations on Apple's Silicon CPUs. Of course, I knew about this before I transitioned to the new platform. As time goes on, I hope that Apple's Silicon CPUs will be able to scale well as their chip designs mature.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my new Mac mini. It is now my main workhorse.


richmlow
 
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