My Mac Mini 2018 withe gpu more powerful than Mac mini m2 pro?

[Maccotto]

Yesterday I watched the videos with mini m2 and m2 pro benchmarks .
With genkbench 5 metal and OpenCL test the mini 2 pro (40k OpenCL) is in the middle between m2 basic (30k) and studio max basic (55k open cl).
I was unhappy because my mini late 2018 with Vega AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 8 GB Egpiu go to 50k open cl and this result frozen me to buy new Mac mini m2 pro.

My ideas was , in fact, sell my 2018+egpu for new mini 2 pro with 32gb because Egpu take a lot of space in my desktop (the big fat box in the photo) I work a lot with big raw and LR catalog 2:

 

[leman]

Vega 56 is nominally slightly faster than M2 Pro, after all, it was a beefy powerful desktop GPU with 10x power consumption of M2 Pro, but the M2 Pro will likely outperform it in practice, especially for photo editing. Don’t forget that Geekbench compute underestimates Apple Silicon performance.

 

[Scarrus]

Honestly I'd keep that computer for at least 3 more years, probably more like 5 to 6. Even if you'll stop getting the newest OSs you'll still get security updates for some time and apart from a few small features here and there, there's not much improvement year per year anyway.

 

[Maccotto]

Honestly I'd keep that computer for at least 3 more years, probably more like 5 to 6. Even if you'll stop getting the newest OSs you'll still get security updates for some time and apart from a few small features here and there, there's not much improvement year per year anyway.

It is true because my mac mini setup works great.
I don’t want buy a new computer because my mac mini is old, i want buy because i want more phisical space in to the table and the Egpu is very big

 

[leman]

It is true because my mac mini setup works great.
I don’t want buy a new computer because my mac mini is old, i want buy because i want more phisical space in to the table and the Egpu is very big

With Apple's generous return policy, you can always buy and try. I have a feeling that the M2 pro will run circles around your current setup, even with the eGPU. But if you are unhappy or don't see much of a difference, you can always return it.

 

[grandoflex]

If your current machine is working well for you I'd be tempted to hold off and wait and see if a new Studio arrives later this year. You'd then be able to weigh that up as a possible option...

 

[Maccotto]

If your current machine is working well for you I'd be tempted to hold off and wait and see if a new Studio arrives later this year. You'd then be able to weigh that up as a possible option...

I don't want wait for a Studio that I don't know when Apple will release.
I found a review of mini 2 pro with 19 gpu and the performance is near my mini but for 300€ is better the studio.
I going to wait and decide if avoid this new mini with gpu upgrade and 16gb ram or go to studio max baseline .
I have a third choice, buy mini 2 pro baseline for moment and when will arrive studio max m2 change it. I will lost money from this choice but avoid to spent 2100€ (studio max baseline) for exchange in this year or next year for M2 max (More expensive is the Mac more hard is sell it).

I don't want anymore the big egpu box in my table , I want space .

 

[goldpin]

I don't want wait for a Studio that I don't know when Apple will release.
I found a review of mini 2 pro with 19 gpu and the performance is near my mini but for 300€ is better the studio.
I going to wait and decide if avoid this new mini with gpu upgrade and 16gb ram or go to studio max baseline .
I have a third choice, buy mini 2 pro baseline for moment and when will arrive studio max m2 change it. I will lost money from this choice but avoid to spent 2100€ (studio max baseline) for exchange in this year or next year for M2 max (More expensive is the Mac more hard is sell it).

I don't want anymore the big egpu box in my table , I want space .

Put the eGPU below the table surface? I have my mini mounted under the table top (actually it’s inside the table leg). I also have a large UPS mounted to the underside of the table top. So my workspace is nice and clean and looks uncluttered as you walk around the room. All the boxes are out of view.

 

[Maccotto]

Put the eGPU below the table surface? I have my mini mounted under the table top (actually it’s inside the table leg). I also have a large UPS mounted to the underside of the table top. So my workspace is nice and clean and looks uncluttered as you walk around the room. All the boxes are out of view.

I can’t do this metod because:
1) i haven’t space below the table
2) the thunderbolt cable is too short

 

[Maccotto]

Conclusion:
after YouTube videos and review , I decided to buy studio base.
more usb ports, more fan control, more gpu and more Cheap than mac
mini 2pro+32 gb ram and 19 gpu.

 

[stevemiller]

You probably made a good call

Ibe had an M1 Max mbp that replaced a 2018 mbp with vega64 egpu. For my uses, it’s a much better experience with the apple silicon hardware.

 

[Maccotto]

Thx
Change the current setup mini+egpu for me is a great dream because I have been windows user for a lot of years and when I bought the mini 2018 I was happy to remove big noise pc.
Now with a only machine (Studio Max) I am happy to remove the big egpu box.
Next step is insert Mac Studio under monitor =>remove monitor support (see the circle in the attached photo)
Next step 2 is change monitor with a 4k 27/32" when my dell 2711 will die or I find a good offer for another Asus/Dell/Benq photo display