M2 Pro Mac mini review - 1 MONTH LATER
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มิ.ย. 2024
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I’ve been using the M2 Pro Mac mini for long enough now to provide an updated opinion on Apple’s latest desktop powerhouse.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
00:49 - Trend Micro
02:15 - How I’m using the M2 Pro Mac mini
03:34 - Bluetooth issues?
04:47 - What I love
06:52 - What I don’t love
08:57 - Should you buy it?
I picked a base model Mac Mini M2 Pro (16gb Mem, 512gb SSD) and it handles editing multiple 10 bit 4:2:2 videos with ease. Very speedy machine!
I just got the same one on Friday, and I'm starting to wonder if it's more than I need! This thing absolutely rips and just shrugs at every task I've thrown at it. Only time I could get it to warm up was playing Baldur's Gate 3 on 4k/ultra. Even that was a pretty smooth experience.
OMG, thank you so much! I stumbled across this by accident and you're the only person I can find who has mentioned the bluetooth issues. I have the M1, and it sometimes makes the computer unusable for long periods. I have to reboot completely when the keyboard starts to stutter, which can cause a lot of issues when editing anything (photos, docs, etc) because you end up with garbage in your file and then you have to clean it up after rebooting.
I have been tempted to just go for the Studio, which nobody has mentioned has issues, but maybe I don't need to...thanks again for mentioning it!
Not had any BT issues with mine either. I have the M2 Pro Mac Mini and M1 Max Mac Studio and in day to day use the Mac Mini feels snappier to me. Really happy with it.
Great review Mark and you have convinced me to go with the Mac Mini M2 Pro with extra RAM and SSD space. I was very impressed with the M1 Mac Mini when it first came out back and I hoping this will be great upgrade as I am topping out with application memory issues.
Excellent video, just wanted to add to your point with my experience as a software developer dabbling in some game development and 3D modeling. I have been doing these things on a M1 MacBook Air with 16GB of RAM and really the only thing that is sometimes a bit awkward is the 256GB SSD. For the rest this machine has been plowing through everything I have been throwing at it. I was going to switch to a MBP when they came out and then again when the M2 came out but there just isn't a rational reason for me to do so. People don't be fooled you can get A LOT done with just even the base M1 with 16GB of memory, that M2 pro Mac mini might come to my desk but I won't sell my MBA.
Just took delivery of my M2 Pro Mini 16GB/1TB earlier today. So far it's very impressive! It does seem to have a glitch in regard to home sharing, tho'.
Another great video mark! When downloading large files to the mini, backing up iPhone and things… do you import/store them on an external ssd? And work with them from that? I’m really struggling with managing data and would love some tips on this.
I store everything on either external SSDs (including all working video files) or Dropbox :)
Thanks for the great video. It is the most relevant version of the pro to test. Once either the chip or RAM (to 32Gb) upgrade is applied, it is no longer the ‘middle’ machine as it creeps into Mac Studio territory and that is then probably the more sensible buy.
Hello, i have base model M2 mac mini & i am new to using it.
Please tell, what is the proper sequence to off /shutdown it as external monitor is connected.
1) Do I need to only off M2 mac mini ? Without power off monitor ?
Or
2) Do i need to first power off external monitor & then press the shutdown button of M2 Mac mini ?
Hey Mark. Awesome video. I need your advice. I'm a trader so for me a good setup is a must. Pls recommand a setup with mac mini M2 PRO .Also pls advice witch monitor is a good pair and what is the base for mac mini.
Thank u i advance.
Great vid, Mark. I too am pleasantly surprised by the little guy (TWSS).
Cheers, mate. TWSS indeed.
Enjoyed your video - after I ordered the M2Pro with 1TB to succeed my 2013 iMac (still to be used as a monitor for the MacMini). I have been using the standard M1 headless to play music in my hi-fi setup - great little machine too:-)
Another great video! Just got my M2 Pro Mac Mini and its pretty dam good. Really like it so far. Just wish it had SD/USB ports on the front.
Do You think this machine could handle some light weight gaming while streaming too? i mostly do music streams using Ableton live but sometimes i kind of want to do some gaming too like moded Minecraft or Rocket League, right now I'm running a Lenovo yoga 710 with i7 7th gen and i feel it's about to die for all the struggle i put it in, so i have no clue if i should go for this which I'm really tempted to acquire one for 1600$(Bolivian price) or a 1600$ gaming pc, i love the fact these are not noisy at all and very compact.
I think that despite you saying you will never buy, review, and return an Apple product, your returning of the M2 Mac Mini in favour of an M2 Pro Mac Mini is a perfect example of Apple’s return policy doing its job, to allow people to deduce if their purchase is suitable for them. I don’t think anyone should be calling you out for a legitimate return of an unsuitable product for something that is far more suitable.
It is indeed a great example. And I genuinely don’t care if people “call me out” 😉
Apple don’t get a say in the matter. It’s a matter of law under the distance selling act.
Have only ever sent one device back. The 12 inch iPad, which I found just too big.
STILL undecided whether to upgrade my m1 16gb to this or not… 😂
Thanks again for another informative video. I appreciate your honesty. I have a mid 2014 Mac mini with 16 gigs memory and I upgraded to a 1 TB ssd and also a 500 gig OWC auto pro add in ssd. I am just a normal user, email, web surf, word processing and all the little puddly stuff old guys do so I don’t need a super powerful machine, but your reviews are enticing me. Oh, I also have an M1 MacBook Air with 16 gigs memory and 512 SSD which I also use for puddly stuff.
Great video again, top of the pyramid when it comes to Mac info, first place I come for information.
One question, could you recommend a Mac Mini spec for a college student? Video editing isn’t something that would need to be completed, more research, papers, excel, ppt along with basic email and of course TH-cam to watch your content
Ah - thank you! Grab yourself the standard M2!
@@MarkEllisReviews thanks again!! Much appreciate the info and the help with the question. Keep up the awesome content
Is it worth getting the pro or base model?
Thanks for the great review!
Great video definitely helped in my decision making. Question I’m hoping someone can assist me with. I have a dual monitor setup - LG 27GP950-B 27” Ultragear UHD (3840 x 2160) and just got the MacMini M2 pro. Coming from windows to Mac I’ve noticed this scaling issue which is common knowledge but I didn’t know. If I just choose the recommended resolution will I notice any image quality issues while photo editing? Thanks in advance.
It would me nice if we would get an option to have the MAX chips with the Mac Mini.
Great video! Since the iMac I'd like won't be available for a very long time, I went for the Mini M2 Pro 16/512 with an LG 31½" 4k monitor with decent speakers, a Logitech MX keyboard and a Trackpad v3... for probably £1k less than the not-yet-available iMac would cost. I couldn't be happier, as I use the Adobe Creative Cloud often, render many 3D images and this beast flies through it all with ease!
I got the same setup. About to unbox it!
Which resolution do you use on your monitor?
@@sharingmatters Native 4K UHD at 60Hz with HDR off. Scrolling is smoother, but image is slightly blurred if HDR is on.
Great video. I’ve said it before, the vast majority of “prosumers” and professionals praying for the M1 Mac Mini Pro/Max bought the MacBook or Studio. The Studio was more machine than they needed, but regular M1 wasn’t enough and they were tired of waiting. The good news is the Mac Mini lineup is now complete for new semi professionals interested in a desktop setup.
Thanks, Sharon!
Would it work with an 8k ( 60 Hz ) TV, with hdmi 2.1?
Great Review, an always! One thing I question - you originally said that 8 GB RAM was good for normal users - now you seem to just say 16 GB? I get that with RAM more is usually better, but you just seemed to stop talking about the base 8 GB
Who actually needs a 32gigs ram, will there be massive speed bumps or should I upgrade the chip
I upgraded from the M1 Mac Mini to the M2 Pro Mac Mini.. After 8 hours of use, I'm already experiencing some weird things. Using my iPhone Pro as a webcam was seamless and worked flawlessly. on the M2 pro I can't use it without plugging my phone in. I also noticed boot time is slower on the M2 Pro for some odd reason, i never saw a loading bar on the M1 but i'm not sure why I'm seeing one with the M2 Pro..
Is the Satechi dock compatible with this? also what about the satechi dock with SSD enclosure?
I just ordered the 12/19 16 core with 32gb of UM and bright studio display
Nice video . Question for you .Would get the Mac Mini pro M2 with 16 GB of Rams and 2 TB of SSD or Mac mini Pro M2 with 32 GB of rams and 1TB of SSD ? Both are the same price . I am debating right now. :)))
Thanks for the video. I bought a M2 Mac mini (16/256). May main use is basic everyday use. I totally agree with you : this machine is the best investment I have made in years ! It's simple, it'reliable, it's cheap. See U soon. François
Question. Just trying to figure out which to buy. Do you recommend the iMac 24 or the M2 Mac mini? Looking at 16gb and 512GB on both. Some editing but nothing major. Streaming Movies and basic web browsing and a few other things. Also portability doesn’t matter. Thanks
Which one did you end up buying
Thanks, very useful comments.
Glad it was helpful!
I was not going to buy a base Air because of the SSD issue-swap-:( But Best Buy had sale of big $ reduction of mid level Air and bought it happy with it and witness a must have the two chip 512......swapping occurs often!!!!
The base M1 (all iterations) was a leap in performance (and overall efficiency) that rarely occurs in the modern tech space. While some buyers have likely "upgraded" to M2 units, I don't think they did it in the expectation that they would get exponential gains over the M1. Creative Professionals (particularly budget-conscious small shops) worth their salt will make buying decisions based on the same Price/Performance calculation that helped them platform their business on Apple and Macs in the first place. For the other 90+ percent of Mac Users, even the base M2 Mini is a beast... let alone the M2 Pro Mini.
"why on earth is the Mac mini still powered by a walkie-talkie speaker....???" 🤣 #classic
I got the base M2 pro Mac mini. Only thing that I would have done different is to upgrade to 1T SSD. I added an external 1T SSD and it is just not the same. My old Mac was a 27" iMac with a 1 T HDD. My Time Machine backups won't restore. Not enough space! I did install home-brew and moved it to the external dive, but most people won't know how to do that. Also the SSD speed is much faster with 1T instead of the base 512M. The external SSD is pretty slow as well.
Don't get me wrong, this machine is a real beast. I cannot believe how responsive it is. I am using it for Xcode and I also have surveillance camera software running with 4 cameras (sercurityspy). The cameras are full HD(1080P) at 30FPS. I don't even know the system is running. I will be able to add more cameras easily. All in all no buyers remorse here.
Im here for this!
I'm glad you are!
Interesting that everyone else I've heard talk about the slow SSD issue have been reporting that it is ONLY an issue on SSDs below 512 GB, and that it is NOT necessary to go all the way to 1TB. They're saying that anything above 256 GB is quite fast. Can you clarify?
On all models you need to double the SSD. So base models up to 512GB and Pro models up to 1TB. Having said that the M2 Pro Mac mini is 2800 read and write which is the same as the M1 range and fine for me. I have a M1 Pro 14 with 1TB that is about 6000 read and write but as I don’t use it for video editing I’m fine with 2800 and saving the money (plus Costco in U.K. do really good prices on stock configurations).
A lot of your wishes would be solved if you bought the m1 max studio, prize wise its about the same as an lightly upgraded m2pro, and you get better usability fpr your use case
They do seem to cover a wide range of user profiles and use cases. Too much ? Time will tell
Reference Bluetooth issues on the M1. On its own, I have none. EXCEPT for Apple Airplay which, of course, is using bluetooth. I have experienced multiple and consistent audio drop outs from a second to a minute at a time. Especially on You Tube more so than pure audi like Spotify. To the point where I don't use Airplay anymore and have bought a BT Sonos Roam as my computer speaker. SInce then I have had no issues. Apple of course deny a problem despite many complaints on forums everywhere
Agreed. Having Airplay 1 & 2 units in our apartment, I use Airfoil - better by far for multiple at a time transmission.
Great device for pro’s but too expensive for normal use. I looked online and if you want to go all apple and buy this with studio display and numeric keyboard and Magic Trackpad you end up at 3.708 EUR
I think the iMac is still a better value product if you like to buy a full apple setup.
Great review but the Mac Mini M2 Pro vs Mac Studio M1 Max debate still rages on don’t you think. Or has the M2 Pro chip settled that.
Who's got an M2 Pro Mac mini? Are you happy with it?
Mine is preordered, won’t get it for two weeks. Got the 32GB mini pro with 1 TB ssd. I’m hoping that the machine lasts for 6-7 years.
I knock on wood: no bluetooth or wifi issues with my Mini M2 Pro either. I love this cute litte machine.
But yes - the „speakers“ are the worst I heard in years.
It’s great you’ve gone for the base model pro Mac mini because that’s way way more relevant to a lot of people than a lot of other channels that title it as Mac mini pro…then say oh we added 32gb ram and 2tb storage. I’m like click off as it’s irrelevant to me because I’ll be getting the base Mac mini pro so I want to know the performance of this version!. So this video/s is are probably going to be the best information for most people considering the m2 Mac mini pro!.
Thank you - that means a lot!
Fully agree as that’s the model I ordered and the one Costco are selling at similar to student prices. I’ve got an M1 Max 16 1TB but from personal experience running a laptop permanently via a dock isn’t great for the battery!
Candles next to cables and the Mac Mini on the desk itself... crazy stuff...
I'm a twisted firestarter.
@@MarkEllisReviews I knew it 🤣
I can appreciate tech reviewers who use the term "Buttery Smooth"
I shall keep using it, in that case!
Any Bluetooth issues with M2? 😬
Covered in the vid ;)
@@MarkEllisReviews This has been a humbling experience 😂
Mark - you're a bit of a teaser, aren't you? ♥
Mark, thank you for this; I have to say that I understand complaints about drive speed etc, etc but factor in that that's how they've kept the price down and if you want better you have to pay for the (admittedly pricey) upgrade.
For many people the base model will do what they want at that price..
As to the speaker , it's another way of keeping the price down ; it's only an alert to say 'turned on" ; if you want great sound then you have to hook up your own speakers.
Cheers, Ross
Nice 1 month review
Thanks!
The Mac thing is not confuse, what is confuse is that we have to study the models to don't make it confuse, then is confuse.
I'm confused.
Still uses the M1 mini, does almost everything i want to, just using a pc for my simulation games, but when i turn off the big ASUS gaming machine, and turns on the M1 Mini.... what strikes me the most.... the silence... gotta love the Mini's they are awesome! (and so are all Your videos)
Thank you!
I am positive that the reason Apple puts a terrible speaker in the Mac Mini is that they expect (read: want) customers to also buy a studio display, airpods, and/or other peripherals to get decent sound quality. Apple expects that a large number of, if not most, MacBook customers are going to use it as a stand alone device so they put time and energy into the speaker quality. We can't use the Mac Mini as a stand alone device so Apple is pushing us towards a solution that they are happy to sell.
Or just a way to cut cost no one cares about audio to begin with so what’s the point
@@michealjaymurphy And virtually no towers or mini towers even have built in speakers. It's always a bring your own external audio affair. You are probably right about it being a cost cutting measure that most users may not care about.
Final cut how does it work with a grown-up program like Adobe? Final cut is ok for hobbyists, but not for serious editing
No idea, mate. I've never gone anywhere near Premiere due to the sheer weight of reports of it being an absolute pig to use on the Mac.
I just got the M2 pro and the ssd wasn’t a big deal. My problem was how they wanted $400 for 32gb of ram. That’s $400 for 16gb of ram. Someone at Apple should be in jail
After decades of relying on the PowerBook then the MacBook Pro as my primary machines, I think I've found a better solution: use a Mac mini on the desktop for serious work, and just buy a Macbook Air as my personal, portable device.
The only problem is Apple's rampant price gouging on RAM, SSD. Once you go beyond 8GB, these start to become seriously expensive machines.
Also: Mac mini Bluetooth issues. For the first year, I didn't have any problems. Then, after a system restart one day, I started having Bluetooth issues... my Apple magic mouse started going wonky.
*Super* frustrating. And the silence from Apple is telling, and predictable.
Also a lot of reviewers forget that the M2 Mac mini is not for people who own a M1 Mac mini.
Just because we don’t mention it in every video doesn’t mean we’re not aware 😉
Quite happy I upgraded the base M2 Pro Mac mini to 1TB. 16GB RAM ist enough for most use cases. For people working within time constraints with large files and RAM-hungry apps, the 32GB RAM will make a noticeable difference.
Did you upgrade the ram too or just ssd?
@@birley4232 Just base 16GB. Only when using RAW Power plug-in for photo editing, do I see some swap. Memory pressure always green though.
I am going to wait another year or year and a half for the Mac Mini Pro with 3nn silicon....faster with more added RAM and two SSD chips hopefully, but with Tim Cook in charge who knows :(
For this M2 Mini Pro, it's best to keep it at the base spec. If you plan to upgrade RAM and faster ethernet on it you better get a Mac Studio.
Apple is so good at upselling.
Nonsense, thats only true if you max out the M2 pro, not any time sooner.
"The more money you keep spending on these devices..." Mark, that is just you. Most of us spend money on a device once every five years. If the base model is slower than the more expensive one then most of us will accept that. Are you losing your grip on what it means to be an end user and becoming a tech youtuber first and foremost?
I’m holding Apple to account here, Paul - not the consumer. I’ve made it very clear in past videos that my views will sometimes be skewed due to the sheer number of devices that pass through my hands.
Trend micro so sticky, you can’t delete
I returned my M2 pro mac mini after only afew days.
I thought it wasnt as strong as my i5 12600k with 32gb ram and 3060ti.
I think for someone who has a good gaming desktop. the m2 base woulda been better buy, and i might still get one, or if i find a m1 mini for super cheap.
but as a desktop replacement. no. m2 pro wasnt it for me
Horses for courses. They're different categories of machines.
The Mac mini is supposed to be cool, mostly silent, low power draw, optimised for macOS architecture. The Intel/3060 is none of those things.
I DEFINITELY DO NOT AGREE WITH YOU …and you should be an expert with YT channel. 16gb RAM ENOUGH FOR MAC MINI M2 PRO…YOU ARE JOKING…WHY WOULD YOU BUY A MAC-MINI PRO IF YOU DO NOT NEED MORE POWER ?
NO NEED TO SHOUT.