Mac mini M2/M2 Pro

[Cham2000]

I'm interested in the new Mac mini, but I'm still having troubles in deciding which configuration, especially since there's a large price difference for several configurations. Here are the configurations that I seriously consider:

1. First choice: The mini M2 Pro with 32GB ram and 1TB SSD, (the price is very close to the minimal Mac Studio M1 Max!)
2. Second choice: The mini M2 with 24GB ram and 1TB SSD (there's a large price difference with the first choice).
3. The mini M2 Pro with 16GB or 32GB ram and only 512GB SSD.
4. I'm even considering the "maximum" mini M2 Pro with 19 cores GPU, with 32GB ram and 1TB SSD.

The "power user" configuration 4 is directly into the Mac Studio M1 Max territory! It's about 100$CD more than the basic Studio. But it's a superior setup than the Studio in several aspects (smaller computer on desk, faster CPU than the M1 Max, better WiFi and Bluetooth). I don't think I'll need the extra ports on the Studio, so I don't consider buying the Studio instead of the new mini. Of course, I have a relatively tight budget, and I don't want to pay for some over-powered system that I'll never use to its full capacity (so no Mac Studio for me). I use only one large monitor, so I don't need the extra monitors features.

So which of the configurations above to choose? I want that computer to last at least 10 years! I do intense LaTeX works, Mathematica calculations, photos manipulations, vectorial drawings and schematics, and of course a lot of web browsing, watching videos on YouTube, playing some 3D games, and watching offline movies/series. I don't think I'll do large video edition or complex 3D modeling in the future. So which of these configurations would you recommend?

 

[xraydoc]

I'm interested in the new Mac mini, but I'm still having troubles in deciding which configuration, especially since there's a large price difference for several configurations. Here are the configurations that I seriously consider:

1. First choice: The mini M2 Pro with 32GB ram and 1TB SSD, (the price is very close to the minimal Mac Studio M1 Max!)
2. Second choice: The mini M2 with 24GB ram and 1TB SSD (there's a large price difference with the first choice).
3. The mini M2 Pro with 16GB or 32GB ram and only 512GB SSD.
4. I'm even considering the "maximum" mini M2 Pro with 19 cores GPU, with 32GB ram and 1TB SSD.

The "power user" configuration 4 is directly into the Mac Studio M1 Max territory! It's about 100$CD more than the basic Studio. But it's a superior setup than the Studio in several aspects (smaller computer on desk, faster CPU than the M1 Max, better WiFi and Bluetooth). I don't think I'll need the extra ports on the Studio, so I don't consider buying the Studio instead of the new mini. Of course, I have a relatively tight budget, and I don't want to pay for some over-powered system that I'll never use to its full capacity (so no Mac Studio for me). I use only one large monitor, so I don't need the extra monitors features.

So which of the configurations above to choose? I want that computer to last at least 10 years! I do intense LaTeX works, Mathematica calculations, photos manipulations, vectorial drawings and schematics, and of course a lot of web browsing, watching videos on YouTube, playing some 3D games, and watching offline movies/series. I don't think I'll do large video edition or complex 3D modeling in the future. So which of these configurations would you recommend?

M1 Max and M1 Ultra still have faster GPUs than the M2 Pro. So, if you need GPU power, then the Mac Studio may be a better bet. If you need CPU power, than the M2 Pro has an edge over the M1 Max (though the M1 Ultra is still faster given the 20 CPU cores).

Sounds like for your usage, CPU power outweighs GPU power. So I'd suggest the M2 Pro (or M1 Ultra, though cost differential is significant).

As for the standard M2, the M1 Pro is faster overall, so if you're going to go this route, you might be able to pick up a 14" MBP 10-core M1 Pro for a bargain, which would give you a fast desktop with the bonus of a laptop for a few hundred dollars more.

My 14" MBP spends most of its time pretending it's a Mac mini, and it's a very fast machine.

 

[goldpin]

For me, the “in between“ Mini configuration that slots between the normal Mini and the Studio is the 16GB Pro with 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores and 1TB of SSD. I think that’s $1500 without any discounts. If the 512GB SSD is still full speed and you don’t need extra space or use external, that $1300 configuration would be the sweet spot.

 

[Cham2000]

For me, the “in between“ Mini configuration that slots between the normal Mini and the Studio is the 16GB Pro with 10 CPU cores and 16 GPU cores and 1TB of SSD. I think that’s $1500 without any discounts. If the 512GB SSD is still full speed and you don’t need extra space or use external, that $1300 configuration would be the sweet spot.

Is 16GB of ram really enough, for a computer that you want to use on a very long period of time?

 

[goldpin]

Is 16GB of ram really enough, for a computer that you want to use on a very long period of time?

It seems to be. 16GB has been more than enough for my usage for years on my Mac. My work PC has 32 GB and it’s never all utilized, even with Chrome and the way Windows/Office use memory. I could be wrong, but I think 16GB is still a good, very solid baseline for most people. If your video, music, engineering, analysis, etc. software really requires 32GB, you already know that - for everyone else 16GB is good number.

 

[Cham2000]

Okay, I think my choice is now a bit more precise. So which of the following configurations would you select? Prices shown are educational, in Canadian Dollars:

1. Mini M2 Pro, 32GB ram, 1TB ssd = 2244$CD + taxes = 2580$CD.

2. Mini M2 Pro, 16GB ram, 512GB ssd = 1569$CD + taxes = 1804$.

3. Mini M2, 24GB ram, 1TB ssd = 1594$CD + taxes = 1833$.

I intend to use the computer for at least 10 years. Is this reasonable with only 16GB of ram and ssd of 512GB? (while using some external storage devices). Since I have to add the prices of the keyboard and the monitor, and several costly apps (especially Mathematica), the total system cost raises considerably. The configuration 1 is highly desirable, but I feel very nervous about the cost. Configuration 2 appears to be a reasonable compromise and it's the cheapest one, but would configuration 3 be better? I don't want to regret having only 16GB of ram and 512GB ssd in the future.

 

[xraydoc]

Okay, I think my choice is now a bit more precise. So which of the following configurations would you select? Prices shown are educational, in Canadian Dollars:

1. Mini M2 Pro, 32GB ram, 1TB ssd = 2244$CD + taxes = 2580$CD.

2. Mini M2 Pro, 16GB ram, 512GB ssd = 1569$CD + taxes = 1804$.

3. Mini M2, 24GB ram, 1TB ssd = 1594$CD + taxes = 1833$.

I intend to use the computer for at least 10 years. Is this reasonable with only 16GB of ram and ssd of 512GB? (while using some external storage devices). Since I have to add the prices of the keyboard and the monitor, and several costly apps (especially Mathematica), the total system cost raises considerably. The configuration 1 is highly desirable, but I feel very nervous about the cost. Configuration 2 appears to be a reasonable compromise and it's the cheapest one, but would configuration 3 be better? I don't want to regret having only 16GB of ram and 512GB ssd in the future.

If you truly plan to keep it for 10 years, invest the dollars and get the M2 Pro 32GB/1TB machine. Buy once, cry once.

 

[bcortens]

If you truly plan to keep it for 10 years, invest the dollars and get the M2 Pro 32GB/1TB machine. Buy once, cry once.

Agreed.
I have 32GB 2TB on my machine from 2019 and I'm hoping it'll make it 8 years but I'm not sure (if it doesn't it will be App compatibility not performance).

 

[Cham2000]

If you truly plan to keep it for 10 years, invest the dollars and get the M2 Pro 32GB/1TB machine. Buy once, cry once.

I was afraid that someone would say this. Yes, ideally, this is the configuration I want, but it's very costly after adding the Apple Studio display, keyboard and a few apps. I'm getting a fabulous 6000$CD system (taxes included) that may fail after a few years (always after the warranty), that can't be repaired at all. Well, at least it is modular, since I could change the monitor or the failed item. But still, the mini alone is 2244$CD + taxes = 2580$!!!

 

[bcortens]

I was afraid that someone would say this. Yes, ideally, this is the configuration I want, but it's very costly after adding the Apple Studio display, keyboard and a few apps. I'm getting a fabulous 6000$CD system (taxes included) that may fail after a few years (always after the warranty), that can't be repaired at all. Well, at least it is modular, since I could change the monitor or the failed item. But still, the mini alone is 2244$CD + taxes = 2580$!!!

For my personal use I no longer need the 8 high performance cores all the time so I would get the
M2 24 GB + 1 TB Storage model

If the 8 high performance cores are really valuable to you then go for the M2 Pro with 32 GB 512 if you need to save some money (an external TB4 Flash Drive will be fast enough and I believe you can still put your photos library or music/movie directory on an external drive).

 

[xraydoc]

I was afraid that someone would say this. Yes, ideally, this is the configuration I want, but it's very costly after adding the Apple Studio display, keyboard and a few apps. I'm getting a fabulous 6000$CD system (taxes included) that may fail after a few years (always after the warranty), that can't be repaired at all. Well, at least it is modular, since I could change the monitor or the failed item. But still, the mini alone is 2244$CD + taxes = 2580$!!!

If you're concerned about something being repairable, then planning to keep something 10 years isn't advisable. You'd be better off then buying the cheaper model but plan on replacing it in 4-5 years.

 

[i486dx2-66]

...planning to keep something 10 years isn't advisable. You'd be better off then buying the cheaper model but plan on replacing it in 4-5 years.

This.
The base model $599 2023 M2 Mini CPU performance is nearly double that of the base $799 2018 i3 Mini.
And the $799 2018 i3 Mini is double the performance of the $599 2012 i5 Mini.

It's not always apples-to-apples, because you pay a premium for higher RAM and SSD options. But for a 10-year timespan, you really should consider the value of the 5-year upgrade cycle instead.

 

[xraydoc]

This.
The base model $599 2023 M2 Mini CPU performance is nearly double that of the base $799 2018 i3 Mini.
And the $799 2018 i3 Mini is double the performance of the $599 2012 i5 Mini.

It's not always apples-to-apples, because you pay a premium for higher RAM and SSD options. But for a 10-year timespan, you really should consider the value of the 5-year upgrade cycle instead.

And to add to this, even without worrying about service issues, the machine you keep for 10 years will lose software updates long before that.

My wife's 7 year old 2016 15" Touch Bar MacBook Pro is stuck on macOS Monterey 12.6.x. It's not supported by Ventura, so it's at Apple mercy to keep it updated with security fixes and such. So if keeping macOS up to date is important to you, consider more frequent replacements of lower-end machines.

My wife's 2016 MBP, interestingly enough, is otherwise running pretty well. Even its 7-year old battery is at 89% capacity of new, and she does absolutely nothing special to maintain it.

All that said, if we were to replace my wife's MBP at this point (since it's no longer supported by the newest macOS), we got 7 years out of it and I feel it doesn't owe us anything. Pretty good for the money, honestly. That's $2499/7 years = only $357 per year. If we wait one more year until macOS 14 (two versions out of date), then $2499/8 = $312 per year, which is like getting a new baseline Mac mini every two years.

 

[Wokis]

For a whopping 10 year plan I'd go with alternative 4.

Or a M2/24/512GB at about half the cost, invest the difference and take it out in five years when it's time to replace it with something that will whoop the M2 Pro.

Do your work routine scenarios early after purchase and return the device if it doesn't perform as expected!

 

[Cham2000]

And to add to this, even without worrying about service issues, the machine you keep for 10 years will lose software updates long before that.

My wife's 7 year old 2016 15" Touch Bar MacBook Pro is stuck on macOS Monterey 12.6.x. It's not supported by Ventura, so it's at Apple mercy to keep it updated with security fixes and such. So if keeping macOS up to date is important to you, consider more frequent replacements of lower-end machines.

My wife's 2016 MBP, interestingly enough, is otherwise running pretty well. Even its 7-year old battery is at 89% capacity of new, and she does absolutely nothing special to maintain it.

All that said, if we were to replace my wife's MBP at this point (since it's no longer supported by the newest macOS), we got 7 years out of it and I feel it doesn't owe us anything. Pretty good for the money, honestly. That's $2499/7 years = only $357 per year. If we wait one more year until macOS 14 (two versions out of date), then $2499/8 = $312 per year, which is like getting a new baseline Mac mini every two years.

Well, I'm still using a very old computer with Snow Leopard, since 12 years, as my main desktop computer! Yet, I'm doing lots of heavy LaTeX coding/compilations and Mathematica stuff, lots of web browsing, while listening to music. This very old Mac is running perfectly fine, except that internet web sites are frequently badly drawn and unusable because of my old internet navigators (that can't be upgraded). This is mostly why I now need to upgrade (and also the 17 years old 20" non-Retina screen that isn't large enough, which now shows some aging, and I also need some more speed). I simply don't care about system updates, once the system is very stable (bug free) and reliable. I expect something similar on a Mac Silicon, once I have a perfectly stable system.

 

[Zephar77]

I'm interested in the new Mac mini, but I'm still having troubles in deciding which configuration, especially since there's a large price difference for several configurations. Here are the configurations that I seriously consider:

1. First choice: The mini M2 Pro with 32GB ram and 1TB SSD, (the price is very close to the minimal Mac Studio M1 Max!)
2. Second choice: The mini M2 with 24GB ram and 1TB SSD (there's a large price difference with the first choice).
3. The mini M2 Pro with 16GB or 32GB ram and only 512GB SSD.
4. I'm even considering the "maximum" mini M2 Pro with 19 cores GPU, with 32GB ram and 1TB SSD.

The "power user" configuration 4 is directly into the Mac Studio M1 Max territory! It's about 100$CD more than the basic Studio. But it's a superior setup than the Studio in several aspects (smaller computer on desk, faster CPU than the M1 Max, better WiFi and Bluetooth). I don't think I'll need the extra ports on the Studio, so I don't consider buying the Studio instead of the new mini. Of course, I have a relatively tight budget, and I don't want to pay for some over-powered system that I'll never use to its full capacity (so no Mac Studio for me). I use only one large monitor, so I don't need the extra monitors features.

So which of the configurations above to choose? I want that computer to last at least 10 years! I do intense LaTeX works, Mathematica calculations, photos manipulations, vectorial drawings and schematics, and of course a lot of web browsing, watching videos on YouTube, playing some 3D games, and watching offline movies/series. I don't think I'll do large video edition or complex 3D modeling in the future. So which of these configurations would you recommend?

I’m in the same boat with you. What I have discovered is probably the best purchase option would be the M2 Mac mini Pro with 16 GB RAM and one terabyte SSD. That is because the 512 GB SSD gives you 3000 bits/s and the 1TB has four NAND chips and gives you 6000 bytes per second. Reviews are showing that 32 GB RAM versus 16 GB RAM not giving you any price points difference or performance difference in almost any circumstances including using LogicPro or Photoshop and so forth. I’ve already ordered the 512 SSD and trying to change it to the 1 TB since I discovered it’s twice as fast SSD because of the 4 NAND chips versus 2 NAND chips. Best, Seth

 

[Cham2000]

I’m in the same boat with you. What I have discovered is probably the best purchase option would be the M2 Mac mini Pro with 16 GB RAM and one terabyte SSD. That is because the 512 GB SSD gives you 3000 bits/s and the 1TB has four NAND chips and gives you 6000 bytes per second. Reviews are showing that 32 GB RAM versus 16 GB RAM not giving you any price points difference or performance difference in almost any circumstances including using LogicPro or Photoshop and so forth. I’ve already ordered the 512 SSD and trying to change it to the 1 TB since I discovered it’s twice as fast SSD because of the 4 NAND chips versus 2 NAND chips. Best, Seth

I'm also considering this option (16GB/1TB). I saw the same video as you, about the performance differences with 16GB vs 32GB. But then I have two concerns: using more the SSD for swap files on the 16GB may alter the long term durability of the SSD, while the 32GB writes less often on the SSD. I guess this isn't much of a problem for the 1TB SSD, but still. Also, there are now new reports that the mini M2 Pro (whatever the ram/SSD) may be noisy. This is a concern to me. So I'm also considering seriously the configuration 2: Mini M2 non-pro with 24GB/1TB, which cost significantly less and is totally silent and cold.

 

[i486dx2-66]

Well, I'm still using a very old computer with Snow Leopard, since 12 years, as my main desktop computer! Yet, I'm doing lots of heavy LaTeX coding/compilations and Mathematica stuff, lots of web browsing, while listening to music. This very old Mac is running perfectly fine, except that internet web sites are frequently badly drawn and unusable because of my old internet navigators (that can't be upgraded). This is mostly why I now need to upgrade (and also the 17 years old 20" non-Retina screen that isn't large enough, which now shows some aging, and I also need some more speed). I simply don't care about system updates, once the system is very stable (bug free) and reliable. I expect something similar on a Mac Silicon, once I have a perfectly stable system.

That's... a security nightmare.
😬 😬 😬

 

[Cham2000]

That's... a security nightmare.
😬 😬 😬

Maybe. But since all the time (12 years!) while navigating on lots of unsafe web sites, I never encountered a single problem/virus/malware or whatever. It may happen tomorrow, though... who knows.

 

[xraydoc]

Maybe. But since all the time (12 years!) while navigating on lots of unsafe web sites, I never encountered a single problem/virus/malware or whatever.

That you're aware of...
(kidding, well, partly)

 

[i486dx2-66]

That you're aware of...
(kidding, well, partly)

Yeah, this is the big concern... 😬

 

[Zephar77]

I'm also considering this option (16GB/1TB). I saw the same video as you, about the performance differences with 16GB vs 32GB. But then I have two concerns: using more the SSD for swap files on the 16GB may alter the long term durability of the SSD, while the 32GB writes less often on the SSD. I guess this isn't much of a problem for the 1TB SSD, but still. Also, there are now new reports that the mini M2 Pro (whatever the ram/SSD) may be noisy. This is a concern to me. So I'm also considering seriously the configuration 2: Mini M2 non-pro with 24GB/1TB, which cost significantly less and is totally silent and cold.

That was my initial order also. But the M2 pro has some amazing benchmarks and I read or saw the same info on some noise issue, but the video showed a microphone up close to it well tasking significantly and I couldn’t hear anything. I suspect it depends on what type of work you going to be doing. I came very close to the Mac mini 24/terabyte. I ended up getting the Pro 16/1 TB. The reason for this is that it has 4 NAND chips - 6000 b/s. 512 - 3000 b/s. This is verified by couple of videos I watch, tearing down and inspecting visually how many chips for each SSD. That’s why the entry level is cheaper, it’s also half the SSD speed of the M1 Mac mini. Why Apple just can’t be upfront about this instead of initially thinking how great wonderful they are for the new series. The thing with the M2 pro is, if you start changing with upgrades too much, you’re going to be at the cost of the M1 max studio. I receive it Monday with all the other stuff I ordered. If it’s noisy and hot, which my i-STAT menus will let me know, i’ll take advantage of the 14 days. We have of returning it to Apple. It’s so small it won’t cost too much to mail back. I somehow ordered two black magic mice, mices, mouses? I’ll be returning one of them, unless someone here wants it. Not for free. I won’t even open it. I found out about the gnat chips after I ordered the Mac mini pro 512 so I have two M2 Mac mini pros coming. 16/512 and 16/1TB. It was too late to cancel, and Apple let me order the second one, even though went over my Apple Card limit. Including a screenshot of what someone posted here, which you may have already seen, but I copied and pasted it to notes for reference. Best, Seth
P.S. I’ll follow up Monday or Tuesday evening about noise and heat using it with logic pro with about 10 tracks.

 

[Mardiel8128]

That was my initial order also. But the M2 pro has some amazing benchmarks and I read or saw the same info on some noise issue, but the video showed a microphone up close to it well tasking significantly and I couldn’t hear anything. I suspect it depends on what type of work you going to be doing. I came very close to the Mac mini 24/terabyte. I ended up getting the Pro 16/1 TB. The reason for this is that it has 4 NAND chips - 6000 b/s. 512 - 3000 b/s. This is verified by couple of videos I watch, tearing down and inspecting visually how many chips for each SSD. That’s why the entry level is cheaper, it’s also half the SSD speed of the M1 Mac mini. Why Apple just can’t be upfront about this instead of initially thinking how great wonderful they are for the new series. The thing with the M2 pro is, if you start changing with upgrades too much, you’re going to be at the cost of the M1 max studio. I receive it Monday with all the other stuff I ordered. If it’s noisy and hot, which my i-STAT menus will let me know, i’ll take advantage of the 14 days. We have of returning it to Apple. It’s so small it won’t cost too much to mail back. I somehow ordered two black magic mice, mices, mouses? I’ll be returning one of them, unless someone here wants it. Not for free. I won’t even open it. I found out about the gnat chips after I ordered the Mac mini pro 512 so I have two M2 Mac mini pros coming. 16/512 and 16/1TB. It was too late to cancel, and Apple let me order the second one, even though went over my Apple Card limit. Including a screenshot of what someone posted here, which you may have already seen, but I copied and pasted it to notes for reference. Best, Seth
P.S. I’ll follow up Monday or Tuesday evening about noise and heat using it with logic pro with about 10 tracks.

So How did it go?

 

[Zephar77]

Ahhh.... Good timing. I ended up with the 1TB SSD, Mac mini pro with 16 GB RAM. Initially concerned because I open one app of medium significance, and 11 GB of RAM have been used and only a few left! So, I kept opening up more apps until I had about 15 different apps including logic pro, music, photos, etc. Suddenly I had 8 GB unused. The more apps I opened, the more free RAM was available. Been following this since January and traded in the 512 SSD for the 1 TB and the speed doubled to 5000–7000 MB/s. √ screenshot. Absolutely zero noise from the Mac mini pro. The G-Drive 4 TB, which has a through thunderbolt 4 connection,but made all sorts of noise, yet, I have another one on my 2014 iMac which is silent. I also have two LaCie 4TB, one on the 2023 Mac mini pro and the other on the 2014 iMac, and both are silent, one used as Time Machine, the other holding large files for photos, music, and so forth. It's the unit advertised for just under $200, whereas the G-Drive was around $250. Although stated to be thunderbolt four, under system information they're all connecting as USB 3.2. The only thing connected to thunderbolt four is the Apple display. Clearly they haven't sorted out the thunderbolt 3, 4/USB 3, 4 protocols, despite Intel not charging royalties any longer. There must be a considerable cost and the chip on those cables/connectors. I purchased a Samsung 980 with an enclosure from Orico and a thunderbolt 4 cable, and expected speeds, as advertised, like the internal SSD, but got less than 900 Mb/s. Returned. The fastest already put together drive is a SanDisk one terabyte or 2 TB at 1050 Mb/s. The Samsung T7 performed much like the Samsung 980 with a couple different good enclosures around $50. And doing more sourcing it looks like they all max out around 2000 Mb/s. There is a SanDisk 2 TB version for $219 that has that speed already put together, but they all use some strange cable with no markings, not USB and not thunderbolt, and literature that came with the drives all state not to use any other cable. It's about 6 inches long.
So, you don't get the four NAND chips until you get the one terabyte SSD or above, And the 7000 Mb/s speeds.
The 16 GB RAM is enough and not necessary to get to 32 GB, in my several months of experiments. Have fun, Seth