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Which m2 mini for me

adamcarvell

adamcarvell

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Dec 15, 2013
349
31
warwickshire england
Hi my 2012 i7 mini is due for retirement the drive failed couple of years ago so booting from external ssd.
I don’t know which to buy I want it to last as long as possible tbh. So I’m leaning towards the max ram.
My uses are internet email plex server occasionally handbrake encodes and watching films through it.
 
I'm here to get feedback and opinions. Basically have the same use case but want to get the right model.
I also have two 2012's one i5 other i7, both maxed with 16gb and ssd's.
 
The base model with 16GB RAM will be good.

There aren't many software use cases that can actually stress computer hardware released nowadays.

The M2 will be significantly more powerful than the 2012.

I still have the 2012 which I use for streaming movies. Had a 2018 that I upgraded to M1. Even the M1 can do the tasks you mentioned without difficult, so M2 will not have any limitations that's for sure.
 
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adamcarvell said:
Hi my 2012 i7 mini is due for retirement the drive failed couple of years ago so booting from external ssd.
I don’t know which to buy I want it to last as long as possible tbh. So I’m leaning towards the max ram.
My uses are internet email plex server occasionally handbrake encodes and watching films through it.
Click to expand...
Hello adamcarvell,


For your current usage, the base model of the 2023 Mac mini (M2), with 16GB RAM is more than adequate and will last you for many years.

However if your computational needs drastically change, then more RAM is always a good thing.

Good luck on your purchasing decision.


All the best
richmlow
 
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adamcarvell said:
still on the fence mac mini with 512ssd and 24gb ram or go the pro should i wait for the bench marks?
Click to expand...
Benchmarks have actually leaked out for the m2 pro and the regular m2 we already know. The m2 pro is a pretty massive boost for multicore, single core performance for your regular day to day tasks will feel the same.

M2 pro leaked benchmark of 1950 single core and 15000 multi.
 
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Every computer and Mac I’ve ever owned in 28 years became “old” in regards to performance due to the CPU becoming dated (slow) for the newer software. Not because of insufficient RAM.
None of my prior machines were chocked full of RAM, they just had the typical amount used at that time.

In retrospect, if I had X numbers of dollars to spend on a new computer, I’d aim for the highest performing CPU over excessive RAM.

I’d rather have an M2 Pro Mini with a little less RAM than a M2 that had a little more.

Swapping memory out occasionally to the super fast internal SSD isn’t really noticeable nowadays compared to when it had to be written and read to a very slow spinning hard drive.
Using Virtual memory occasionally isn’t the headache it used to be.
 
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now i see it said:
Every computer and Mac I’ve ever owned in 28 years became “old” in regards to performance due to the CPU becoming dated (slow) for the newer software. Not because of insufficient RAM.
None of my prior machines were chocked full of RAM, they just had the typical amount used at that time.

In retrospect, if I had X numbers of dollars to spend on a new computer, I’d aim for the highest performing CPU over excessive RAM.

I’d rather have an M2 Pro Mini with a little less RAM than a M2 that had a little more.

Swapping memory out occasionally to the super fast internal SSD isn’t really noticeable nowadays compared to when it had to be written and read to a very slow spinning hard drive.
Using Virtual memory occasionally isn’t the headache it used to be.
Click to expand...

Of course, this is very much dependent on a person's work flow / computational needs.

The main purpose of my next computer purchase will be for math research. I envision mainly using Mathematica, Python, Java and various SAT-solvers on it. For example, I was running a custom-designed Mathematica program/calculation on my 2013 Mac Pro (3.7GHz Quad-core Intel Xeon E5, 64GB RAM, macOS Mojave 10.14.6). It took 4 hours and consumed 64GB (towards the end of the run).

I would like my next desktop Mac system to have a minimum of 192GB RAM and 16 cores.


richmlow
 
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adamcarvell said:
Hi my 2012 i7 mini is due for retirement the drive failed couple of years ago so booting from external ssd.
Click to expand...
just wondering if you tried replacing the drive in the 2012 Mini?
the project is quite east were you just need a hex screwdriver and and new ssd drive.

I might get the base model mini with 512GB only because  kept the prices the same as last model.
 
The more cores you have, the faster Handbrake will be. And for your usage, I don't see any need for more than 8GB RAM, so 16GB should be perfect. I would pick that Pro, since it just that much faster for long term usage, although even an M1 Mac would serve you more than fine.
 
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MBAir2010 said:
just wondering if you tried replacing the drive in the 2012 Mini?
the project is quite east were you just need a hex screwdriver and and new ssd drive.

I might get the base model mini with 512GB only because  kept the prices the same as last model.
Click to expand...
No I haven’t I could try it once I got my new one just use it as a plex server but sometimes it struggles with 4K hdr.
 
T'hain Esh Kelch said:
The more cores you have, the faster Handbrake will be. And for your usage, I don't see any need for more than 8GB RAM, so 16GB should be perfect. I would pick that Pro, since it just that much faster for long term usage, although even an M1 Mac would serve you more than fine.
Click to expand...
I am leaning towards the pro now tbh.
As for where I purchase it from KCRS in the uk are cheaper I can get £155 off brand new. Only ever had one Mac mini before but if I buy from KCRS I just register it with Apple get the same support and warranty etc .
 
adamcarvell said:
No I haven’t I could try it once I got my new one just use it as a plex server but sometimes it struggles with 4K hdr.
Click to expand...
there are Ifixit instructions that are very good.
they are selling our mini for over $150-300 on eBay now.
and there are not a lot of them available.
my fan port fell off the logic board (among other things wrong) so I might trash that or sell for parts.
 
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MBAir2010 said:
just wondering if you tried replacing the drive in the 2012 Mini?
the project is quite east were you just need a hex screwdriver and and new ssd drive.

I might get the base model mini with 512GB only because  kept the prices the same as last model.
Click to expand...
Oh yeah the drive replacement in the older Intel Minis was a very easy job. 2012 was the last year with a twist-off bottom too.

I’ve done a couple of drive replacements on my 2011 Mini Server (dual drive model). Currently it has a 1TB SSD in the main drive slot, but the original 500GB 7200pm spinning disk is still in the second slot (that one is much more involved to replace). The spinning disk is just for DVR duties and after 12 years it still doesn’t have any s.m.a.r.t. errors.

Slap an SSD in the 2012 Mini and it’ll be a fantastic secondary computer and/or a media server.
 
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Boy I really wanted the M2 Pro to have 24/48GB RAM options. I would happily pay around $1350 for the base m2 Pro and 24GB, but now we need to spec m2 pro‘s in such a way that they butt up against the base studio. Apple product stacking has gotten so tight recently, gotta commend them on it. I think I’ll just get the base model Pro and hope that 16gb will be enough. I kinda am tempted try m2+24Gb but I really want the upgraded HDMI, extra thunderbolt, and more memory bandwidth.

Also not a fan of the fact that for M1 Pro 10 cores meant 8 performance + 2 efficiency cores. Now with M2 Pro it’s 6 perfrmance cores + 4 efficiency cores unless you pay the extra $300, and on desktop efficiency cores aren’t as important, 2 is enough. It’s still great that you can get base $2K 14” MBP specs in a M2 Pro mini for $1300 but it’s still a little bothersome. Smarter segmentation from them this gen as the 14” mbp will probably really benefit from having more e-cores when on battery. The segmentation will probably change again next gen lol so no use in getting used to any of it.
 
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My report: I went with Mac Mini Pro 'base' w/ 512GB & 32GB RAM. I run lots of programs simultaneously and two monitors and don't want to ever worry about needing to close some down for performance reasons. Planning on getting 6-7 years out of this unit as I'm upgrading from an iMac i7 2017 40GB RAM which as performed wonderfully over many OS upgrades. I certainly would have ordered a unit with 16GB RAM had it been user upgradable (as was the 2017 iMac).
 
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henrikeriksson said:
If you're planning to replace the 2012 i7 mini in the near future, you may want to consider the new models of the Mac Mini. They have been developed using newer processors, more RAM, and bigger storage options.

To increase general performance, decide if getting the highest amount of RAM you can afford is right for your needs. Having plenty of RAM will help you get the most out of your device or antigene. Your online activities, emailing, streaming Plex servers, and occasional video encoding will require racks of RAM.

To store your files and other media, you may want to buy a hard drive with a minimum of a 512GB SSD. Having so much space on your storage device will help improve performance and allow the device to function better.

If you need a more powerful chip, consider investing in an Intel quadcore Core i5 or i7 processor, as this will provide your tasks with the power it needs and help the device run smoothly.

It's also worth noting that the latest Mac Minis use an Apple Silicon M1 chip, which is also extremely energy-efficient and powerful. In general, it is important to look at your finances and your needs before buying a new Mac Mini, and choose the model that best suits your needs.
Click to expand...
All my files are on external I only ever have had the os and apps on the internal so it’s a toss up between the extra 8 gb ram or the processor with the pro version. I’m thinking longer term which will serve me better more ram or more processor?.
 
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