Pre Jobs, Think Different, post Jobs, Think Cheap.
While the new Mac mini with the M2 chip has a lower $599 starting price, the base model with 256GB of storage has slower SSD read and write speeds compared to the previous-generation model with the M1 chip and 256GB of storage.
A teardown of the new Mac mini shared by YouTube channel Brandon Geekabit reveals that the 256GB model is equipped with only a single 256GB storage chip, while the same configuration with the M1 chip has two 128GB chips. This difference explains why the new model has a slower SSD, as multiple NAND chips allow for faster speeds.
We have confirmed with the Blackmagic Disk Speed Test benchmarking app that SSD read and write speeds for the new 256GB Mac mini are each around 1,500 MB/s, which is anywhere from 30% to 50% slower than read and write speeds for the equivalent previous-generation model, although benchmark results and real-world performance can vary.
Customers who are looking for the fastest SSD speeds should ensure they configure their M2 Mac mini with at least 512GB of storage to avoid this issue. A slower SSD can impact file transfer speeds, and overall performance can also take a slight hit since Macs temporarily use SSD space as virtual memory when physical RAM is fully used.
As for the higher-end Mac mini with the M2 Pro chip, the base model with 512GB of storage appears to have two fewer NAND chips than the Intel-based model it replaced, according to a teardown shared by MacStadium's Brian Stucki.
13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air models with the M2 chip and 256GB of storage also have slower SSD speeds due to a single NAND chip, and evidently Apple has not decided to change course with the new Mac mini.
In a statement shared with The Verge last year, Apple claimed that M2-based Macs have "even faster" performance for real-world activities, but it's unclear if the statement was referring to SSD performance or overall system performance:We have reached out to an Apple spokesperson for additional comment on the matter and will update this story if we hear back.
Update: As noted by 9to5Mac, the new MacBook Pro also has slower SSD speeds when configured with 512GB of storage due to a reduction in NAND chips.
Article Link: New 256GB Mac Mini and 512GB MacBook Pro Have Slower SSD Speeds Than Previous Models
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New 256GB Mac Mini and 512GB MacBook Pro Have Slower SSD Speeds Than Previous Models
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Well..well...well. Being late to the party I just ordered Apple refurbished M1 MM base for $422 with vet discount.
The MBP 14/16 have always had 4 or 8 chips. That's one of the benefits of the Pro - faster SSD. The mini/Air/iMac has always had 2.
Starting today, Apple gives you only 1 chip on 256/512GB on M2. On M2 Pro, Apple gives you 2 chips on 512GB. In short, you need 1TB get the same SSD performance as before.
one thing I have learned about Apple over the years, the base model products are always gimped in some way. They’ve done it in iPads, iPhones and Macs for a long time now. But here we see it has spread to a somewhat “pro” machine like a Mini M2 Pro where its base config 512 SSD is now compromised or held back compared to 1TB+.
Unacceptable.
Unacceptable.
Scam or fraud? I dont see them advertising these computers as having either a) a certain number of NAND chips nor b) achieving certain read/write speeds.
Ultimately it appears that Apple believes Macbook pro m2 pro users will not actually be impacted by this speed difference in the real world. So while I largely agree that it " is reasonable for most people to assume that they are paying for a device in which EVERY component would have equal or greater performance than previous models." what i actual think is it reasonable for people to assume the performance at tasks is equal or greater, which we have yet to see any evidence of in a real world task. That to me, is when for a Pro machine, it would be an issue.
But i also expect most people to know that manufacturers and businesses dont advertise their weaknesses, hence why you can look at real world reviews to see more detail. This is in my view likely to be a complete nothing burger.
Why make excuses for Apple? There are no "supply chain" issues.
iPhone uses 128GB chips
iPad Pro uses 128GB chips
Apple TV uses 128GB chips
iMac uses 128GB chips
MacBook Air M1 uses 128GB chips
It's pretty obvious why Apple is using a single 256GB chip. It's cheaper. Just look at spot pricing for NAND.
The grass was greener, the light was brighter, the taste was sweeter.
What is the performance of those nand chips in those other devices of which they are still manufacturing?
In any event, cheaper may be a reasonable justification for only using the 256gb chips. We are in a high inflation environment, which is particularly impacting supply chains, It makes logical sense for apple to try and reduce costs so they dont have to raise prices. USD pricing seems to have stayed the same on these new models despite that inflation. This may be part of how they are able to do it. This is particularly the case where the impact of the change will not impact consumers.
NAND and DRAM are unlike any other product. Their prices come in cycles. For the past 12 months, prices have dropped like a rock thanks to oversupply built in 2021.
DRAM spot prices fall over 40%
DRAM spot prices have declined over 40% thus far in 2022, while NAND flash wafer prices have dropped below suppliers' cash-cost levels, according to industry sources.
www.digitimes.com
NAND flash prices fall below cash cost, says Phison CEO
NAND flash memory prices have fallen below the chip suppliers' cash-cost levels, indicating the market bottom is near, according to KS Pua, CEO for flash device controller specialist Phison Electronics.
www.digitimes.com
When you run out of RAM, the system hits SSD swap. It's as simple as that. SSD performance is half that of M1.
What this means is owners of standard 8/512GB config, when they run out of RAM, performance will be lower than M1.
Just so save people time, can someone just link the thread from last year on this similar topic. lol
I wonder if they are using a new generation of NAND chips where the family of chips starts and ends at higher density so that they can get to the 8TB on the Mac mini Pro.
Technically true yet it assumes one will actually run out of RAM in Silicon; it's possible yet certainly hard(er) to do than on Intel.
On the latter point, there is also an assumption that the performance increase of M2 doesn't more than make up for any potential shortfalls in SSD performance. --Anecdotally, this reminds me of the arguments between ATA/66 vs ATA/100 in years past.
39 years ago today Steve Jobs showed off a computer that caused people to stand and cheer so loud the presentation of the Macintosh had to stop…
Today, someone who bought the entry SKU of a pro machine does a "lateral" upgrades to the "same" SKU of their pro machine will get slower performance than what they bought in October 2021…
With a system prefs layout that looks like it was organized by my four year old daughter.
Let that sink in. There needs to be a sense of Jobsian vision along with some think different desperation.
Today, someone who bought the entry SKU of a pro machine does a "lateral" upgrades to the "same" SKU of their pro machine will get slower performance than what they bought in October 2021…
With a system prefs layout that looks like it was organized by my four year old daughter.
Let that sink in. There needs to be a sense of Jobsian vision along with some think different desperation.
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Well, the good news is now you can reorder through the Apple Education Store and save some money on your 1TB upgrade.
I was talking about the m2 Pro which has 3000 speeds instead of 6000. Yes there is some impact on people who have only 8gb of ram and a 1500 speed drive. But really, thats not so much because the SSD is slow, but because they are running out of memory and are paging a lot. The m2 Pros start with 16gb of ram, so is there any practical examples of this having an impact
that's an insta-cancel of my M2 MacBook Pro 14 512GB...... thank you !
They have done it a few times.
iPad mini 6’s display is not as good as 5.
They removed MagSafe charging from Macbooks. Removed the useful ports from MBP.
Slower speed with M2 MBA base model.
Apple giveth and taketh away.
When they bump up the specs again, they have reason to boast and raise prices.