No in between choices: base mini M2 or base mini M2 Pro?

[noisedude]

I have a base 2018 i3 8GB 256GB mini at the moment, it's mostly fine but now that I have some Apple Silicon in my life (14" M1 Pro MBP) I want something snappier when I'm sat at this desk.

General usage only - lots of Chrome tabs, general office/productivity software, some light Illustrator/Photoshop/InDesign. No video editing, no intensive Photoshop use. I like to leave all my software open at once! But even on the i3 mini that isn't too bad.

My two choices, thanks to the magic of Costco, are:

Base M2 mini - 8GB/256GB - £580 (£650 from Apple)
Base M2 Pro mini - 16GB/512GB - £1265 (£1399 from Apple)

My instinct is that £685 more for the Pro is a lot more to pay for marginal performance gain, but 8GB memory on the base model isn't much. And an M2 with 16GB of memory is £850, which then makes an extra £400 for faster, more ports and more internal storage look a good deal.

So I'm stuck! Anyone with the absolute base M1 or M2 model able to reassure me that it is the bargain it appears to be? (Or ward me off of it?)

 

[pmiles]

I wouldn't expect astounding performance gains with Apple Silicon going forward. The initial jump was due to the switch to a system on a chip... reducing the travel time between the processors and related graphics, memory, et al. Now that there is no significant gap in travel, the performance boosts will be less jaw dropping. Going forward the selling points will be in relation to how many ports does it have, storage size, does it support 8K video and the like.

So inventory your i3 Mini... how many ports do you currently use on it? Do you have a need for the additional ports of the Pro? If you ran all the stuff you currently do on your i3 Mini on your M1 laptop, would you be happy with that level of performance?

The Pro is a lot more to pay for something you aren't going to use. Reality is, the Adobe product lineup is a notorious resource hog... so over time you will always need more to keep up with it. So for Adobe products, the Pro would always be the better choice unless you like buying new hardware every couple of years.

To be frank, anything less than 1TB internal storage these days is not a bargain. Costco likely locks you into minimums. Something to remember. You're buying a Mini yes, but the lowest common denominator Mini model that you could possibly get.

 

[DJ Rob]

Any thoughts on using your 14" M1 MBP in clamshell mode when you're sitting at your desk?

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

MBpro Clamshell option seems like a very good idea in this situation. $0 and it will already have the apparently useful config chosen for that MBP.

Kick the (purchase) can down the road a bit and maybe M3 or M4 Mini will default to 16GB RAM as base and likely have M2 PRO power or near to it. Perhaps buy one then.

 

[noisedude]

Any thoughts on using your 14" M1 MBP in clamshell mode when you're sitting at your desk?

On paper the most sensible choice, it's got all the power and capacity I need (10/16 cores, 16GB, 1TB), I think I'd just need to give my backup strategy a bit more thought if I was carrying my main computer around rather than leaving it at home.

And is there any downside for battery lifespan to leaving a laptop plugged in all the time?

 

[noisedude]

I wouldn't expect astounding performance gains with Apple Silicon going forward. The initial jump was due to the switch to a system on a chip... reducing the travel time between the processors and related graphics, memory, et al. Now that there is no significant gap in travel, the performance boosts will be less jaw dropping. Going forward the selling points will be in relation to how many ports does it have, storage size, does it support 8K video and the like.

So inventory your i3 Mini... how many ports do you currently use on it? Do you have a need for the additional ports of the Pro? If you ran all the stuff you currently do on your i3 Mini on your M1 laptop, would you be happy with that level of performance?

The Pro is a lot more to pay for something you aren't going to use. Reality is, the Adobe product lineup is a notorious resource hog... so over time you will always need more to keep up with it. So for Adobe products, the Pro would always be the better choice unless you like buying new hardware every couple of years.

To be frank, anything less than 1TB internal storage these days is not a bargain. Costco likely locks you into minimums. Something to remember. You're buying a Mini yes, but the lowest common denominator Mini model that you could possibly get.

Good points. I use five or six USBs at a time, four through a little hub which seems to cause wifi interference which honestly is my main issue with the current mini! Maybe I was hoping the new mini wouldn't be affected by this issue (it's literally night and day when I unplug the hub so I guess it's not properly shielded, it doesn't cause the same issue on my MBP which might just be down to how close or far the wifi unit is from the USB ports).

Mainly I use Adobe stuff on my MBP and an older iMac in my other office - this mini is at home.

If there are no downsides to using a laptop as your always-on main machine, maybe I should just do that. God knows it cost more than either of the two minis I'm considering now.

 

[noisedude]

MBpro Clamshell option seems like a very good idea in this situation. $0 and it will already have the apparently useful config chosen for that MBP.

Kick the (purchase) can down the road a bit and maybe M3 or M4 Mini will default to 16GB RAM as base and likely have M2 PRO power or near to it. Perhaps buy one then.

Thank you. I'll give this a proper think-through.

Can't see Apple giving away 16GB memory as the base config when they get such an amazing markup on the extra 8 still though!

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Eventually an M-series chip will get "pulled up" to 16GB as base. See A-Series chips as the precedent.

I get the monetary thinking- Apple definitely will go out of its way to make some extra bucks- but history shows that the base RAM does get "pulled up" eventually, either because the next tier gets cheap enough or Apple cannot rationalize clinging to the "too small" tier any longer. They clung to spinning HDDs for "too long" (IMO anyway) too but eventually moved on from that.

 

[sublunar]

If ports are potentially an issue then the Pro model sounds like it should be on your radar.

Why do you have to buy from Costco? Sounds to me like you might consider the 8/512 M2 SKU if there was one on offer but realistically Adobe apps would benefit from the extra RAM in the Pro model and we all know Chrome eats RAM for lunch (what's wrong with Safari?). If its a discount you're looking for then what about refurb binned M1 Pro (14/10) models from the Apple Refurb store?

I use MacBook Pro 14 and it's great, look for official refurb models if you can because they can be had for under £1500, I'm not overly concerned about battery life. They can be replaced and in the end if they end up as a desk bound device it's no great loss (as long as the battery doesn't expand as it dies.

 

[Fishrrman]

My impression is that if you're used to the performance you're getting from the MBP 14" (which has the m1pro and 16gb of RAM), you're going to feel let down by the m2 (non "pro") Mini.

Get the m2pro Mini.
Base model if that's at the upper end of your budget.
If you can afford a little more, get the 1tb SSD (special order), because it's twice as fast as the 512gb.

Another option:
Hold out a little longer, until Apple-refurbished m2pro's become available.
(that's assuming that you have the option for "Apple-refurbished" over there...)

 

[noisedude]

If ports are potentially an issue then the Pro model sounds like it should be on your radar.

Why do you have to buy from Costco? Sounds to me like you might consider the 8/512 M2 SKU if there was one on offer but realistically Adobe apps would benefit from the extra RAM in the Pro model and we all know Chrome eats RAM for lunch (what's wrong with Safari?). If its a discount you're looking for then what about refurb binned M1 Pro (14/10) models from the Apple Refurb store?

I use MacBook Pro 14 and it's great, look for official refurb models if you can because they can be had for under £1500, I'm not overly concerned about battery life. They can be replaced and in the end if they end up as a desk bound device it's no great loss (as long as the battery doesn't expand as it dies.

To be honest, I'd sooner go 16GB/256GB because I can cope with cloud and external storage, but it's literally £270 extra to add either the memory or the storage to the base model because of the price I can get the base one for.

(Costco only because their prices are so good... now only because it's the end of the tax year and I'm feeling tempted. Neither are perfect reasons!)

That Macbook Pro 14 is the one I have, it's brilliant and it makes me realise how many little delays have crept into the experience with a couple of older Macs I have around here.

You're right about the batteries being replaceable, maybe I should just make better use of what I've already got, maybe buy a nice docking station and a touch ID keyboard.

 

[noisedude]

My impression is that if you're used to the performance you're getting from the MBP 14" (which has the m1pro and 16gb of RAM), you're going to feel let down by the m2 (non "pro") Mini.

Get the m2pro Mini.
Base model if that's at the upper end of your budget.
If you can afford a little more, get the 1tb SSD (special order), because it's twice as fast as the 512gb.

Another option:
Hold out a little longer, until Apple-refurbished m2pro's become available.
(that's assuming that you have the option for "Apple-refurbished" over there...)

That's fair. I'm becoming convinced I should just make my MBP my main machine and stop being such a dinosaur.

(Apple currently have refurb base M1 minis for £509 which is an insane deal compared to what the base 2018 i3 one used to cost)

 

[gpat]

On paper the most sensible choice, it's got all the power and capacity I need (10/16 cores, 16GB, 1TB), I think I'd just need to give my backup strategy a bit more thought if I was carrying my main computer around rather than leaving it at home.

And is there any downside for battery lifespan to leaving a laptop plugged in all the time?

Using a single machine should make your backup strategy a lot easier.
You'd have to back up only 1 computer vs. 2.

 

[noisedude]

Using a single machine should make your backup strategy a lot easier.
You'd have to back up only 1 computer vs. 2.

You're right, and it's big enough that most of my cloud files can be synced locally rather than streamed, which I guess makes backups easier too?

 

[gpat]

You're right, and it's big enough that most of my cloud files can be synced locally rather than streamed, which I guess makes backups easier too?

You only need 1 single drive for Time Machine and you're all set, because the laptop is with you while the drive sits at home, so there always is a delocalized copy of your data somewhere.
Dream setup.
Just use your 14" MBP, they're built with this purpose in mind anyway.
At most, you could put the saved money towards an upgrade when the M3 Pro is released.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

To be honest, I'd sooner go 16GB/256GB because I can cope with cloud and external storage, but it's literally £270 extra to add either the memory or the storage to the base model because of the price I can get the base one for.

(Costco only because their prices are so good... now only because it's the end of the tax year and I'm feeling tempted. Neither are perfect reasons!)

That Macbook Pro 14 is the one I have, it's brilliant and it makes me realise how many little delays have crept into the experience with a couple of older Macs I have around here.

You're right about the batteries being replaceable, maybe I should just make better use of what I've already got, maybe buy a nice docking station and a touch ID keyboard.

While not the cheapest, take a look at the very impressive dock from Brydge for that 14" MBpro. If I was going that way, I'd definitely consider that one: many useful ports including a few up front for easy access.

In fact, if I could buy this dock and take it back in time about a year, I would have probably chosen a MBpro instead of Mac Studio for my main "desktop" Mac.

 

[sublunar]

Thank you. I'll give this a proper think-through.

Can't see Apple giving away 16GB memory as the base config when they get such an amazing markup on the extra 8 still though!

8Gb will continue to be base while Apple get a good price for the modules.

 

[noisedude]

You only need 1 single drive for Time Machine and you're all set, because the laptop is with you while the drive sits at home, so there always is a delocalized copy of your data somewhere.
Dream setup.
Just use your 14" MBP, they're built with this purpose in mind anyway.
At most, you could put the saved money towards an upgrade when the M3 Pro is released.

Thank you. You’re absolutely right.

 

[noisedude]

While not the cheapest, take a look at the very impressive dock from Brydge for that 14" MBpro. If I was going that way, I'd definitely consider that one: many useful ports including a few up front for easy access.

In fact, if I could buy this dock and take it back in time about a year, I would have probably chosen a MBpro instead of Mac Studio for my main "desktop" Mac.

That looks immense. Nearly the price of a desktop mac!! But if I’m docking I’ll probably want something more than the basic USB 3 £20 Amazon special hub.

 

[noisedude]

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful advice. This was really helpful and saved me from buying something I didn’t need.

 

[Mardiel8128]

You asked to keep it simple so here it is:

1. The M2 is a great chip and world be more than enough for you.

2. I stopped buying any computer, Mac or PC, about two years ago, that doesn’t have at least 16 GB of ram.

3. I also found that a 256 SSD just isn’t enough in the modern world with video files being GB of data and pictures getting “heavier” with greater quality. 512 isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s a necessity.

Despite your not needing the Pro chip, spend the extra money or wait until you have the money to get something that will last you another 3 - 5 years.

Added Note: If you’re trying to save some money, I recommend you get an M1 MacMini with 16 GB of ram and at least 512 SSD. That will get you much off the gains of Apple Silicon for less than the current M2.

If I want to last as long as it can.
Should I go for the pro version?
16gb ram would be enough? or 32? or 24gb if I go for the basic model

 

[gpat]

Base M2 Pro Mini is a nice all-rounder if you want the most futureproofing for your money.
Sure 32GB RAM would be nice but not enough return for your money, considering you're going from $1299 to $1699.
Another smart move would be to get the basic $599 model and sell it when the M3 refresh comes out, that one's going to be huge.

 

[Mardiel8128]

The M2 Pro will last longer so much as it will run newer software faster and especially with 16 GB of ram.

16 or 32 ram?

 

[benwiggy]

If you're using Chrome, you need as much CPU and RAM as you can pay for.

 

[noisedude]

If you're using Chrome, you need as much CPU and RAM as you can pay for.

I know people like to say this, but I’m working in chrome all day as a web developer with a million tabs open and even on some 2017/8 Macs with 8GB of memory and pretty weak processors, I’m not seeing any real issues.