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Need Mac Mini Advice

J

jfleming40

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 19, 2011
34
14
I currently use a 2017 iMac 27" as my home computer. I also just updated my Macbook this year to the 14" M2 Pro model.

I am looking to replace my iMac with a Mac Mini. I want to avoid the base model because I want to at least have 16GB or RAM. I also want to avoid the 256GB SSD due to slow speeds. So I'm torn between the M2 with the 512 and 16 or the M2 Pro Base model.

With my education pricing, it comes down to $879 for the M2 and $1199 for the M2 Pro.

I will only be using one 4K display, but I might record and edit podcast episodes (that include video using Streamyard so no actual rendering on the Mac itself) or video editing.

Are there any other quirks I'm not considering and is the extra performance of the M2 Pro worth the extra $320?

I should also note, 95% of the time, this Mac will be used for video consumption and web browsing. The extra stuff (video, podcasting) will be once a week, if that.


Would also like monitor advice as well. Budget is capped at $400... prefer 32"-34" but could settle at 27"-28".
 
M2pro.
If any way possible, special order with a 1tb SSD (it's twice as fast as the 512).

Display:
A friend did well with a Dell 27" 4k paired with his own m2pro Mini.
They have one that "hits the spot" around $385 or so.
 
Firstly, I think the SSD speed issue is overplayed; though I'd get 512 Gb anyway for sufficient storage. (It's important to have at least 25% free space.) You can of course use additional external drives. Your Music, Photo and even TV libraries don't need to be read at lightning fast speeds.

The M2 is probably absolutely fine for your needs. You might benefit from getting 24Gb RAM with it, though.

Also: a 4K display at 32" has a lower pixel density than one at 27". The 27" will actually give you a sharper image.
 
Corso99 said:
Check out refurbished section on Apple Store website. They currently have the base M2 Pro mini for $1099. This is a really good deal.
Click to expand...
For $100 more I get it brand new and get a $100 Apple Gift card for the education discount.
 
jfleming40 said:
I currently use a 2017 iMac 27" as my home computer. I also just updated my Macbook this year to the 14" M2 Pro model.

I am looking to replace my iMac with a Mac Mini. I want to avoid the base model because I want to at least have 16GB or RAM. I also want to avoid the 256GB SSD due to slow speeds. So I'm torn between the M2 with the 512 and 16 or the M2 Pro Base model.

With my education pricing, it comes down to $879 for the M2 and $1199 for the M2 Pro.

I will only be using one 4K display, but I might record and edit podcast episodes (that include video using Streamyard so no actual rendering on the Mac itself) or video editing.

Are there any other quirks I'm not considering and is the extra performance of the M2 Pro worth the extra $320?

I should also note, 95% of the time, this Mac will be used for video consumption and web browsing. The extra stuff (video, podcasting) will be once a week, if that.


Would also like monitor advice as well. Budget is capped at $400... prefer 32"-34" but could settle at 27"-28".
Click to expand...
This might seem like a silly response based on your request for help deciding on a Mac mini. However, why not get the 8/8 iMac and upgrade to the 16GB unified memory? That puts the price at $1579.00. The price is similar to the mini M2 Pro and a separate display. Plus, I have one and it's pretty amazing.
 
Don't know if it is of any help, but I am running a Mac mini M2 Pro with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB SSD and it's running fine for a couple of months now. Can't compare it to other models tho. Considering that the Mac is supposed to last a few years, I didn't go for the base model.
 
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