It is not 85% who need the Mac Mini base model, more like 99%. Everybody pretends to be creating videos for Disney when nobody is. I can even edit 8k video with the base model although it is a bit slower than the upgraded models. Whose time is so valuable that you can not wait an extra 5 minutes for the export time on Final Cut Pro to be complete. It is a marketing exercise by Apple. Don't be fooled.
Also funny when 99% of TH-camrs review macs for video editing in mind, when the only thing they edit are their video reviews of a the mac's video editing capabilities.
You say that now, but when all your apps update and the os updates and you want to do a little more with your machine you can’t upgrade it later? So actually it’s smart in this case to buy slightly more than you need right now.
I do think the average user barely touches these machines and it's funny because the people watching these videos are usually in that 15% because they are interested in the topic. Yes, 99% might be able to use the Base M2 but in the end people's time is worth money and some people do use them for actual jobs/work so it might not be quite 99%. But, if you watch my channel I always buy the base as I'm only doing simple edits and hate to spend more money than I need to. So I do agree with the overall statement for sure but still think about 15% can justify the upgrade cost due to what their time is worth (even if on a hobby) or work related items.
Thank you! Finally a realistic view without those insane comparisons that other channels make as if we would die if we had to wait an extra minute or as if we are all Mr Beast creators.
Amen! I have a base model Mac Mini M2 and have zero issues. Video is not my major task, photo editing the resource demand task. Does everything I need without the high cost, or headaches from Windows!
You have a good perspective here to consider. I probably fit into the upper part of the 85%. I made most of my money as a computer pro. I hate waiting for my computer. I currently own the M1 base MacBook Air. I have delayed some personal projects because it is slow. Swap and GPU performance and small internal SSD being very clumsy. An M2 mini with 16GB and 512 SSD would be fine. I also have used all of the ports of an OWC TB3 dock. With some rearrangements of my drives, I can probably ditch the dock with the Mini Pro. $1000 for an M2 mini or $1300 for a Mini M2 pro? Then the 32GB upgrade to almost eliminate SWAP. Arggg…. Of course my Toyota cost a couple thousand dollars more for options that I didn’t need/want. I’m going to wait a bit before buying.
Thanks for you perspective and follow up. I agree with what you are saying and it appears you might be one who will want the slight upgrade to the M2Pro model. Thanks again for watching.
When you were talking about how slow the 256GB hard drive was I was expecting something far slower than 1700Mb/s. That still blows away platter drives and even most sata ssd drives.
Thanks and I appreciate the comment. I was in Spain a few years (Madrid, Toledo, Seville, and a few more smaller towns) and loved every second of it. I'll be back in coming years for sure. Fun to see where people are watching from.
Thank you don’t understand half the lingo but i realise am in 85% and base with extra ram it is going to be ,plus storage in your other video for photos and videos the western digital SSD chip thing thanks for the help and yes i did subscribe mainly because i can understand what you are talking about thanks again
Thank you for this video! I have been batting around this question for months. I've watched all the other videos, many, a number of times, and yours is the first concise information I have viewed. I do quite a bit of photo editing, with CS5, but don't think I will be able to transfer the program to my next computer, and in no way plan to pay a monthly fee. I have been trying to sell myself on the base model. If I were making money off my photography or a whole lot younger, it would be a no brainer to go for the upgrade. By the way, I will be replacing my 2009 iMac, which has performed reliably, without a hiccup. I'm now thinking the basic model will serve me well.
Thanks for watching. I would watch everything you can and then decide but for most people the base is fine. Of course if you have the money going with 16 GB ram will make sure you don't see any performance issues depending on what you use but overall for the cost $599 the base is worth that price.
Tempted to get the base model with no extras from Apple (will use an external SSD). It's for coding but I'm not doing anything too demanding. The resale value of the Mac mini is insane so if I need something faster in the future, I'll just sell it and get a newer model rather than forking out on "future-proofing".
I plan on getting the base with extra RAM and using an education discount so it's only a $100 extra. All my docs are in the cloud so no need for the extra space.
80%-Basic-Casual Home use: 8/256 or *512-Simple tasks: web, email, video conf, simple photo/video edits. Can multi task all these apps with no problem. 15%-Intermediate-Home/Office use: 16/256 or *512-Multi task user who uses more memory hungry apps, does more advanced projects in photo/video editing using multiple apps. *If you will be moving/transferring files a lot I would definitely get the 512 for the 2x more longevity(TBW rating) and faster speed compared to the 256. 5%-Professional-Power User: Pro models-Professional Creative/Graphic Artist/Large Business: Uses multiple power/memory hungry apps. I put myself between the first two users. I was going to get the 16/256 and buy an external SSD, in total would have cost about $870+. Then I saw the 8/512 go on sale for $690 and I get $50 back also. This made me do some more research to find out how much ram I would really need/use. I went to the store and launched 10 safari tabs and all the apps I would use, more than I would ever have running all at once and my memory usage was around 5-6gb. Got the 8/512 and the $ I saved is going towards a better monitor. Dell U2723QE. Newer versions of apps needing more memory doesn't concern me that much but I know its a possibility. Having the better SSD gives me some peace of mind if there’s ever a time that swap memory is used. I replace my mac when the latest OS is no longer compatible, thats usually every 5-6 yrs avg. I will sometimes go longer waiting for the latest model release to go on sale. I think this is something people don’t put into consideration when they talk about upgrading just to “future proof”. They start adding these expensive upgrades that they really didn't need in the first place and find out 5 years later that the latest OS is not compatible. Look at the compatibility list for Ventura and you will see it all depends on the year and processor, additional upgrades don't matter. If you don't care about having the latest OS after 5 years, you still have 3 years of security updates after that. If you are going to use your computer for 8+ years, having the 512 SSD will be worth it for the longer life. If you find out you need more memory you can always return it, check the store return policy before you buy.
The problem with the 256GB base model is more than just the slower SSD… The biggest issue is that many people will not have enough space to install all their apps on it. Within two days of getting my 1TB 16GB M2 Mac Mini, I had installed over 100 GB of apps. If you install Adobe Creative Suite apps, XCode, or a few games, 256GB is not enough… SSDs are less efficient when you use too much of their capacity, and are more likely to fail sooner… For most people, 16GB of unified memory and 512GB SSD will future-proof their Mac for several years at least…
Yes, but that $400 bucks is quite a bit for some people. It really depends on case us and I would guess that only 10% of users use the products you list above. So for them the base is fine. If you are using XCode I assume you are making money on the computer so for you to upgrade is a no brainer and what is the right thing to do.
Not really a concern. An nvme SSD externally connected over TB4 or USB 3.2 can give you faster than built-in drive speed. I just connected a 1TB drive and created and installed multiple apps to it. Mac OS doesn't care if the app is on that drive and that drive is even faster than the built-in in SSD. Just saying,
Will be getting the mini m2 with 16gb ram, its all I need. Been using the old Mac book pro 15 with those stats and that's starting to die ( well the screen has been hanging off for the last year😅).
Base M2 pro is still a good setup and probably the 15% would be fine with that. The thing is the CPU performance is pretty linear, the Pro doesn’t have many more cores than the base model. The main benefit of the pro is it comes with the extra RAM and ++GPU cores. If you feel the need to upgrade to the top end M2 Pro (not worth it) AND more RAM than M2 Max Studio is a better deal
For someone who is using this specific Mac for light document work, and some light photo editing... it works well. For everyday use it's great as well. With the 499 price for students and a 100 dollar gift card and no tax for pre school season... You're getting alot for $400. I'm going to get a ssd enclosure and add some storage and I see no reason why it can't he a good computer. I don't need fast read write speeds. Like I'm not on a time crunch to save 5 mins off my day lol. Just few years ago we were all.hsing sata ssds. We'll be ok lol
Thanks for sharing as that helps the viewers for sure. I agree that we can all wait a few more minutes and saving the money is a good thing to do in most cases.
Which one would I be better off with. M2 Mac mini 16 GB RAM 512 GB of SSD storage. OR M2 Mac mini 16 GB of RAM 256 GB SSD storage & 1 TB SSD external storage
Very touch call. If you can swing it the 512 is nice but I normally just get the base and then the external storage. It really depends if you are a total power user and are always downloading new apps etc. as I tend to use a few core apps and I'm fine. 256 GB is lean and not for everyone but it will cost you another $200 to go up 256 GB and you can get a 2-3 TB SSD for that. I know not the perfect answer but about as good as I can provide.
For anybody still confuse between base and pro just remember pro is called professional for a reason…… only buy pro worth more than twice if it justified with extra earnings.
The confusing part I’m dealing with is how can people go on about the RAM only being 8gb when its M2 and 3.5ghz? I have a Macbook Pro 16gb i7 2.9ghz intel and it can’t hack anything strenuous at this point maybe because i’ve pushed it to its limits to a degree but its probably never performed to the level of this base mac mini no matter the 16gb ram… so am I missing something here? I might just get it and put it to the test for a year its got warranty anyway.
The M2 with only 8GB performs basically like 16GB with the unified memory on the chip so they do perform better then expected. But, Apple should still ship them with 16 GB in 2024.
How's the ventilation on these new M2 mac minis? I've heard they're better than the macbooks but is it good enough to dissipate the heat and any potential overheating in the summer?
They are better then MacBooks for sure and good enough as long as you don't have them in 95 degree F head etc. Could they do better with a larger case - maybe but they are still quite good for cooling as Apple has learned to get quite a bit out of smaller cases.
Fellow commenters.. should I get the base model and upgrade to 16gb of ram for an $800 total or just get the m2 pro for $1299??? I’m doing film and starting an episodic web series so I’m pretty sure my video editing will increase within the next year. The M2pro comes with 16gb ram and more usbc ports but is it worth it to spend 500 more?? Help me out guys Edit: I’m also taking up coding and app creation as well.. I just don’t want to make the mistake and settle for less and end up regretting it
It if was up to me and you are not really making a ton of money from the work yet.... I would get the $800 option. It will be more than enough for editing (with 16 GB Ram) and you can use fast external storage as you grow. You can then sell it in about 2 years for around $550 is my guess and then upgrade to a faster M3 or M4 system once things take off. But, if the extra $500 isn't going to cause any issues and if you have the money then getting the $1,299 M2Pro with extra storage isn't a bad option. I just don't think you will see a huge difference besides needing to wait about another minute for rendering but that is a tiny amount when the products can take hours to complete with everything else like filming, scripts, etc. Start out lean and it will help you grow faster.
@@craigneidel thanks. I decided on the base with 24gb of ram… didn’t pick it up yet So I’m avoiding watching TH-cam videos because I keep changing my mind lol
We all heard that but I have yet to see too many people who have bad systems because of a SSD that wore out. So it's yet to see if this will be a real world issue.
Great video! I have a question, I need a desktop pc as a trader and run entertainment business mostly working with easy editing and designing on chrome. Basically most works will be done on browser, will the m2 mac mini good enough for me ? I want it to lasts 3-4 years. Thanks
It's hard to answer that but I would in most cases yes. If you want something to last longer if you go with 16 GB ram it will be a great system for many years.
@@mariyokesh5869 makes are great for coding and students. They are not great for gaming but can do light gaming depending on title. So if you do very light gaming I would go with Mac but it needs to be light. Mac's are great with everything else.
So I am looking at getting a Mini with a 1000 cost. What would work better than ? 256/24 gb? or 512/16gb? I know the latter people are reccomending, but given i can do external ssd but the RAM is permanent, is the 24gb the better option?
Yes, if you are fine with 256 GB then the 24 GB is good if you are going to be doing things like video editing or heavy lifting. If not, the 16 GB is more than enough as that really acts like 24 or 32 on a PC.
Depends on price and what you need it for. But if you are doing video editing or higher end work I would go with the M1 with 16 GB. Watch my latest video from yesterday.
I also have Windows systems and use those sometimes, but I agree that Mac does a good job with that and they are just easy to use for most users. So I tend to use my Macs whenever I can when I have a choice. In the end I guess that is why Apple takes more of my money. Funny.
@@craigneidel Soon, M3 Pro will be able to run Windows (x86 system) near native performance using virtual machine. In general apple is a hardware company and their products always top tier high quality standards, finally macOS is very stable and looks beautiful compared to Windows 11 and Linux (some distro looks good).
I want to give MAC a try because Windows is starting to annoy me and I've recently switched from Android to iPhone. My current PC is a 5600X with 16GB of RAM and I work with Affinity Designer a lot. Would the base model be good enough?
Thanks for posting. Since you know you do some design work already I might go with the 16 GB on the Base model and feel that would be a very nice system for you. The base M2 chip is very fast but the Ram is a nice upgrade if you know you do design work. For others that only do email, browsing, video chat, and very small work I feel 8 GB is plenty but it's worth it for the extra ram if you will make any upgrade to the system. Thanks.
Mac mini (2023) with M2 chip supports up to two external displays simultaneously, based on the resolution (up to 6K) and refresh rate (up to 60Hz) of each external display. One external display Supports one external display in this configuration: One display up to 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt Two external displays Supports two external displays in any one of these configurations: One display up to 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, and one display up to 5K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt One display up to 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, and one display up to 4K at 60Hz over HDMI
Indeed the only semi-working Mac is the maximum config M2 Pro, which will barely lst you until the next update of Adobe. It's all a trick of Apple to make you buy the base model first, then an updated M2, then a M2 pro until they finally sold you the tricked-out Mac Studio, which is the only Mac that can render your 60 second tiktok video.
I usually go with the base model. I'm a bit different as I run a Apple channel but if I didn't I would most likely pick up the base every time as my videos are pretty simple and the base works fine.
@@craigneidel I bought the baseline M2 MIni. I also have a baseline 2018 Air and a baseline 2015 Air. Both were good for what's printed on the tin. I expect the M2 Mini to be as useful as my MacBook Airs. Performance of the Mini is decent - the SSD could've been a tad faster, but I am not paid by the second and it's fast enough for me. The Mini replaces a Comet Lake Hackintosh and it's twice as fast as the Hackintosh...
To be fair, nobody should be paying attention to anything Max Tech says. One day he’s posting a video saying don’t buy, the next he’s saying do buy, then a short while later it’s don’t. The guy is very clearly just trying to create false scandal to get views.
Maybe but he provides test data and everybody can take it how they may. Some of it is useful and some of it won't matter but in the end it's fun to see what tests they are running.
@@craigneidel he provides benchmarks which are synthetic at best. As you quite rightly pointed out, the vast majority of people buying the Mac mini will have no problem with 8GB. I certainly am not a “pro” user but I do more advanced everyday stuff - on a 2010 Mac mini with 8GB memory I’ve used exactly 0 bytes of swap. Same on my 2012 MBP with 8GB memory. No swap used ever! Even encoding in Handbrake on the 2010 mini I’ve never hit anywhere close to 8GB usage.
I agree, the base model is a good machine and I'm speaking from experience. I had the base M1 Mac mini, and now I have the base M2 MBA. I'm the target audience for those devices and I haven't had any issues with swap files.
Thanks for the info from a real-world user. They are just good enough for most things and unless you can make more money with a faster computer I always say start with the base. But some people just want to save a bit of time and that's fine too.
Yes it’s fast enough. At least for most people. Those who work on video/photo editing & other rigorous tasks may need to upgrade. However the average user may not ever use the M2 to its full potential. Same with the M2 MBP
Great videos. I'd like to ask you a question. We know that the 256GB internal SSD is "relatively slow" compared to the bigger ones. Could I possibly use a Samsung 980 PRO as an external SSD with Mac OS on it to use its 7000 MB/s rather than spending a lot of money to upgrade the internal one? If so, what would be the downside of it (e.g. overheating)? and how could I prevent it?
I have created a bunch of videos on booting off external drives on my 2017 iMac, 2011 iMac, and even a 2012 mac mini. But, I have not had time do do this with any M1 or M2 systems as not sure how it will work yet. But on my older systems I used NVME drives and was able to get faster speeds but I was only using a 10 Gbps connection so the fasted in theory I could get was 1.25 GB/s on that. But with overhead about 900 MB/s. Now if you are using an expensive Thunderbolt external enclosure (that is 40 Gbps) then you should be able to get faster speeds for sure but I just haven't tested it yet. Thanks for watching.
I use my M1 Mac Mini (8GB) for video editing to include 4K (on occassion) for my hobby TH-cam channels, I’ve never had any problems. Granted, most of the videos I upload are less than 5 minutes. I will pick up the Mac Mini M2 Pro in the future (when it goes on sale). And I fall in the 85% crowd. BTW, nice video.
Thanks for sharing and watching Eduardo. Yes, this is a hobby for me and if I ever start making a few bucks from it (one day) I might upgrade but for now these are more than enough. The Pro is a good choice for sure if you just want to future proof it for a few more years. I might consider that too one day but right now the base works fine.
no one should by any mac base model they are all usless as base models that have 8x256 any one that really knows and understands computers at all knows this is a fact that 8x256 is junk even windows systems today runing windows 11 is even worse becuse windows 11 wants over 9 gigs just to the desktop so guess what 8x256 or just 8 gigs period is a joke .. i use both plat forms and have been and apple and pc tech for over 33 years now and yup i know better also there is no such thing as basic users anymore and hastent been in years now
I have the m1 base iMac and it works perfect for what I use that computer for. In the end we are all different. Get what works for you and that is what matters.
I am planning to buy the new mac mini m2 for music production , and I was very confused about upgrading the RAM or SSD . This swap memory made it very clear . Thanks a lot .
I've just bought a base model M2, coming from a 10 year old PC with an i7 and 24GB of RAM. I expected it to be really slick, and snappy, and I have to say, so far I'm a bit disappointed. I don't do any photo/movie/music editing, just basic web browsing etc. I'm a mod on a FB group, often have 2 FB tabs open at once, and the machine gets bogged down *a lot*. The old PC never missed a beat, with dozens of browser tabs open. I realise that FB is a resource-hog, but, really? Sometimes the second, HDMI-connected monitor goes pink/staticy and I have to power cycle it. On the PC, never any issues. This is my first time using a Mac since school, 30 years ago, and so far, it's not going great. I've used iPhones/iPads for years and always found them a joy to use.
I have not heard that before but it will depend on the specific applications you are using. The 16 GB ram might have been good if you had apps running ram heavy but overall thanks for the feedback. I like to hear both sides.
@@craigneidel Genuinely, I'm just using Safari, Things 3, and a few of the stock apps like Mail, Calendar etc. Facebook alone can use up to 4GB. I never had to think about memory use on the old machine, even when it had 16GB, so it's a bit of a culture shock. I kept reading that you could render 4K movies on a Mac Mini, so I assumed I wouldn't use anything like that sort of power, and it would therefore be plenty for me. I do love all the integration with my other devices, etc, so I'll just have to get used to computing more 'frugally.'
What two FB tabs open and the Mac chokes. That’s bad. Why do you need 16GB ram for that? Have a feeling something is wrong with it. Try returning it and getting a new one
im not a gamer, i use the mac for work, but i like to play minecraft occasionally. I think the base model should still be enough for minecraft to run perfectly fine (with all kinds of settings), but unfortunately the m2 model has only 60hz, which is actually kind of a thing. Im not sure what to do
That is true but I have heard people play minecraft on the M2 mini. Maybe watch a few videos on gameplay on the mini to see what they say and how it performs. I'm not too familiar with Minecraft or I would let you know my experience.
An important point is that there are always arguments that the SSD on the base model might suffer if it is used more frequently for swapping memory. This may be true in theory, but there is no practical example of an internal SSD failing faster as a result? I would say: its fast enought for 99% of the users.
Yes, but if we do see any issues they should start happening in about a year or two on the M1s. We will see if it turns into an issue but right now it has not and that is true.
Would you buy the Mac mini over the iMac ? Personally always been a fan of the iMac. (I know the iMac is still on M1) Great videos btw : to the point and not too much fluff - subscribed
Thanks for the nice words and for the sub. I still like the iMac but don't like the fact that they don't have a 27" base model now. That is where my true heart is the 27" iMac.
Got my MM2, 16/256gb, the logic board failed after 4 weeks. Too late to return, awaiting a new board. The wifi was awful, will see if a new board fixes it.
Great video! I have a 2018 MacBook Pro 15" 2.2ghz 6 core i7 with 16gb of ram. I am trying to get something that is reliable until I have the money to get something more powerful. Do you think the Mac mini M2 with 16gb of ram would perform well or better compared to my current computer? I'm not very familiar with the new Apple chips.
If possible please make a 4k rendering performance video on regular M2mac mini with specs - 24GB RAM & 512GB storage. Not able to find such video in YT. Most of the videos are only about base model 8GB RAM , 256GB SSD , so difficult to understand the true performance of the regular M2 mini on higher specs.
Thanks for watching. That's very specific specs so I won't most likely be testing that configuration. With what I make on TH-cam I would be in poor house:)😃
@@craigneidel Am extremely Sorry Craig . I thought you got review units for TH-cam videos. I understand now. No problems at all. Your videos are really so helpful 🙏🏻 & indepth. Appreciate your time & efforts helping others. My prayers for you to have 1M subscribers soon 🙏🏻 & many sponsors . Takecare ❤️😊
@@RameshKumar-ng3nf no worries and I was more or less kidding. I really do this for hobby and one day if I build channel I'll do more models but right now I can only get one or just use published stats. I appreciate you watching and the support. Thanks.
I think as someone like me who is using it for light stuff and some gaming I think I would prefer to just get one them beelink mini windows pcs like the one with ryzen 7 in the pc with 16gb ram and its only like half the price too so it be a better choice to get that instead.
Yes, if you are going to be doing gaming the Mac mini is not the best. But for day to day tasks it really flys and is one of the best options for $499 which you can find it for.
If you are doing basic tasks then yes as 8 GB on the Apple Silicon systems works like 16 GB on Windows. But, if you have the money then the 16 GB upgrade on the base is a good option for sure.
I got mine last friday though it should have come today Monday so yes it is fast enough so it is fast not only regarding the deliverytime but the computer itself is very fast! It kicks my old workstation/nuclear power plants but with a gtx 1080 11 gig inside that I used to run Davinci Resolve on big time so YES the mac mini m2 basemodel works very good.
8gb of ram in 2024 is simply not enough for ANY workload. and the price apple asks is insane. They need to calm down. And $200 for the upgrade in ram is just salt in the wound. I have nothing but hate for Apple anymore BECAUSE of their continued ignorance.
I would disagree as somebody who has 2 x 8 GB M1 Macs. They can do anything even 4K editing but yes they can hit their limits and today going into 2024 you should get 16 GB min. Yes, Apple has to lower the cost on the ram upgrade also but with the sales you can normally get 200 bucks off which will pay for the upgrades. If you don't like Apple that is fine and just get what you like.
Coming from a 2015 iMac with 32GB of RAM, I assume 16GB RAM of Unified Memory on a Mini should be enough? I ran a test exporting photos out of LR while exporting a 4K video at the same time. My Memory Pressure stayed pretty flat at a little less than 50%, Memory Used peaked at 25.64GB and Swap Used peaked at 3.76GB. Actually pretty shocked how well the old lady handed something this crazy.
Thanks for providing real-world stats on how it works. That is why I made the video. Realistically most people who use Macs don't even know how to export photos out of LightRoom and just use it for online shopping, TH-cam watching, browsing and more. So that is why I say the base is good for 85%.
@@craigneidel After watching so many videos and tests I'm still somewhat confused as to the best bang for the buck. I have 7 external HDs/SSDs I use for various needs, so the ports on the Pro/Studio are welcomed. I lean towards video being more important at the moment as I've been making more videos out of my GoPro at 4k. Some may be as long as 20 minutes. Nothing fancy in the edits. Possibly need to blur something out and a few titles. For LR I really want the speed for photos to open quickly and fast browsing in LR as I have about 50k photos in LR, but don't take many still photos these days. The Mini Pro 16G/1T seems to be my sweet spot. The 16G/512 would work as I still have about 300G left on my iMac, but having extra storage is a luxury not having to so closely manage storage.
Thanks, glad to see a review that isn't hating on the base model. Do you think it would suffice for, I'm about to start my Data Science training? I have limited budget, but I also don't want to waste it on something that won't support my educational goals. You mentioned 8GB RAM on Apple is the same as 1GB on PC. For real? Wow! Can you tell that I've only ever used PC before? This would be my 1st forray into Apple. Thanks for any feedback!
Yes, 8GB of ram is about 16 on a PC because how the Ram is integrated with the chip. I would say the base is fine for almost all schoolwork etc. Unless you are doing major video production (minor is fine) it would work great. Also, get the school discount and buy it for $499. You can sell it in 2 years for $399 and upgrade then and only have spent $100.
professional 2d artist. rendering images in high pixel dimensions mostly. Wanted to go for the Mac Studio monster power house and max out the ram at first, since Photoshop just loves Ram. Thoughts?
I feel the M2 Pro could be enough with 32 GB Ram but it just depends on your budget and job. If you do this professionally and can purchase the Studio it might end up saving you enough time over a few years to justify the cost. So I would say get what you think is best but also what will save you the most time if it's for a job.
I think gamers should buy this mac mini even the base. Like i have one and i play minecraft in high setting on like 700 fps. And u can play pretty heavy things on it so like even if u game GET IT😊
I may not say gammers should be the M2 Mac mini since it's not a gaming machine, but it can handle some games well for sure. Thanks for the post and for watching.
Not sure why those Apps should be using so much memory. If not fully optimized yet for the M1 and M2 chips maybe look to using something like Google Drive instead and there are a ton of Acrobat readers (Apple can read PDF without files). But if you have specific needs for those apps I understand and just go with 16 GB ram.
imac base model or mac mini base model? I like the clean look of imac, but not sure. given you have both, would be great if you could compare them. thanks a lot
They are quite different depending on what you need. If you want a very good monitor (don't have one) that is at least 4.5K then go with the iMac. I love it and very clean. If you have a monitor you are happy with (but most likely won't be as good as iMac) and want slightly better performance etc. go with the M2 Mac mini. In the end I love iMacs more so I'm biased but maybe others can add to this. You might be able to find a M1 Mac mini soon for $399 so maybe go with the Apple store M1 iMac (base) for $1,099 and pick up a $399 M1 Mac mini - best of both worlds but most likely overkill if you only need one.
I was very excited when these were announced as I was waiting for the second generation after I saw the M1's. But Apple have decided to put out the base model with only 8GB RAM and a half-speed SSD compared to the 512GB SSD. So you're almost forced to upgrade the RAM and SSD unless you only want a machine for browsing and non-techy user activities. Normally, +256GB and +8GB of RAM is a no-brained, it's what maybe 100-150 extra, but this being Apple, it's actually 400 extra on top which then brings you to nearly 1000 at which point it's almost worth it to go for the Pro model. It's actually quite ingenious of Apple, but I hate this as a customer and user.
Yes, it's not the best but the Base is actually working quite well and for most users will be plenty. I know 8 GB doesn't sound like enough but it acts like 16 in most cases and even with the slower drive it's not that slow at 1800 MB/s. So in the end it's still a pretty good deal at $599 for what you get plus many are able to get them for $499 with student discounts or some sales. But, I hear you on what you are saying.
You’re looking at it the wrong way regarding SSD speeds. On the base model you get a very fast SSD you’ll unlikely max out. On the 512GB model you obviously have double the capacity but also faster speeds you still don’t need 😂
I know it's been a while since you made this video, but here it goes. For tax reasons I have to buy some stuff until the end of the year. I can invest in equipment I can use professionally. So I came across the idea of getting a MacBook Air and after searching for different models, I narrowed the option to 2 contenders. An M1 16Gb ram and SSD 256 and the M2 with 8Gb ram and SSD of 256Gb with the M1 being slighter cheaper (the price difference is negligible). I'll only use the computer for simple tasks at the office (in this case, out of the office as I have a Mac mini M1 8gb ram and 512 SSD at the office and a refurbished Mac mini 2012 - i7 16Gb Ram and 512 SSD - at home). Now would you advise to go with the 16Gb of ram or not? As a third option I can have the M1 with 8Gb Ram and 256Gb SSD for a lower price if ram is not all that decisive. Thanks in advance.
Having the ram is nice. If you are doing anything more than just basic stuff and to future proof it 16 GB is nice. I do think the base is enough for most as I say in my videos, but as you may have hear the SSD is actually faster on the M1 at the base level 256 GB SSD then the M2 256 GB SSD. So with the extra ram and the faster SSD I might go for the M1, especially if cheaper on top of that. I think with the ram and the faster SSD it will equal a more capable system even though the M2 CPU is about 15% faster. The only negative is to get 1 less year of software support but that won't happen for about 5 years.
Professional use can mean many things. I create 4K videos with my M2 Air but have 16 GB of ram. Ram can be more important then the chip in a number of tasks so each person and workload will be unique.
As a person who used to do TONS of video editing and graphic design in the early 2000s, I can easily say go with the max - however - todays machines are different, and I’m a little out of the loop with what I need. 2TB was my absolute minimum when it came to fielding 3D rendering apps, the entire Adobe CS Suite, and MS Office and carry that all with me for work - but now I’m wondering - with SSD storage, memory swap isn’t as bad as it was when we were stuck using spinny-disc-platter drives. USB speeds have also gotten better so now it’s not so bad having all your media off the main drive… but I wonder - can I really get by on 256GB internal for current gen apps? I no longer Adobe since they’re greedy as heck with their subscription stuff - so weening myself off that and onto stuff from the MacApp store… I really wonder. We’ll see. If it doesn’t go well, it’ll at least last until I can afford a MacBook Pro again.
I think the 256 GB is fine if you go with 16 GB ram. If you go with some Thunderbolt 3 or 4 enclosures you can get some external SSD speeds of 1500 MB/s and up to about 2800 MB/s so plenty fast for most things. Even faster than the Base model M2 iMac. But I would just see what others are using. I have a video coming out in a week or two about a Thunderbolt enclosure that I use and keep an eye open for that.
It is not 85% who need the Mac Mini base model, more like 99%. Everybody pretends to be creating videos for Disney when nobody is. I can even edit 8k video with the base model although it is a bit slower than the upgraded models. Whose time is so valuable that you can not wait an extra 5 minutes for the export time on Final Cut Pro to be complete. It is a marketing exercise by Apple. Don't be fooled.
yeah. Dudes be acting like they working for nasa meanwhile they have chrome tabs and 3-4 apps open 😂 or editing a video 😂.
Lmfao, Good Point 👍
Also funny when 99% of TH-camrs review macs for video editing in mind, when the only thing they edit are their video reviews of a the mac's video editing capabilities.
You say that now, but when all your apps update and the os updates and you want to do a little more with your machine you can’t upgrade it later? So actually it’s smart in this case to buy slightly more than you need right now.
I do think the average user barely touches these machines and it's funny because the people watching these videos are usually in that 15% because they are interested in the topic. Yes, 99% might be able to use the Base M2 but in the end people's time is worth money and some people do use them for actual jobs/work so it might not be quite 99%. But, if you watch my channel I always buy the base as I'm only doing simple edits and hate to spend more money than I need to. So I do agree with the overall statement for sure but still think about 15% can justify the upgrade cost due to what their time is worth (even if on a hobby) or work related items.
Thank you! Finally a realistic view without those insane comparisons that other channels make as if we would die if we had to wait an extra minute or as if we are all Mr Beast creators.
Thanks for the feedback and for watching the channel. Yes, for most this is plenty of speed.
So true
Thanks for the info. I got a Mac Mini M2 256GB HD 16GB RAM refurbished for $679.
Nice, that will be plenty fast for most things.
Possibly the best review of the Mac mini on TH-cam thus far!
Wow, thanks for the nice words. Appreciate that.
Amen! I have a base model Mac Mini M2 and have zero issues. Video is not my major task, photo editing the resource demand task. Does everything I need without the high cost, or headaches from Windows!
Yes, that is a great machine for sure.
You have a good perspective here to consider. I probably fit into the upper part of the 85%. I made most of my money as a computer pro. I hate waiting for my computer. I currently own the M1 base MacBook Air. I have delayed some personal projects because it is slow. Swap and GPU performance and small internal SSD being very clumsy. An M2 mini with 16GB and 512 SSD would be fine. I also have used all of the ports of an OWC TB3 dock. With some rearrangements of my drives, I can probably ditch the dock with the Mini Pro. $1000 for an M2 mini or $1300 for a Mini M2 pro? Then the 32GB upgrade to almost eliminate SWAP. Arggg…. Of course my Toyota cost a couple thousand dollars more for options that I didn’t need/want. I’m going to wait a bit before buying.
Thanks for you perspective and follow up. I agree with what you are saying and it appears you might be one who will want the slight upgrade to the M2Pro model. Thanks again for watching.
When you were talking about how slow the 256GB hard drive was I was expecting something far slower than 1700Mb/s. That still blows away platter drives and even most sata ssd drives.
Yes, it's still faster for sure than most people need. But, much slower than the 3,000 to 6,000 MB/s the larger SSDs have.
Summary: pro version only for professionals who amortize the expense. Totally agree from Spain. Nice video
Thanks and I appreciate the comment. I was in Spain a few years (Madrid, Toledo, Seville, and a few more smaller towns) and loved every second of it. I'll be back in coming years for sure. Fun to see where people are watching from.
Thank you don’t understand half the lingo but i realise am in 85% and base with extra ram it is going to be ,plus storage in your other video for photos and videos the western digital SSD chip thing thanks for the help and yes i did subscribe mainly because i can understand what you are talking about thanks again
Thanks mark. I appreciate it for sure and also thanks for feedback.
Thank you for this video! I have been batting around this question for months. I've watched all the other videos, many, a number of times, and yours is the first concise information I have viewed. I do quite a bit of photo editing, with CS5, but don't think I will be able to transfer the program to my next computer, and in no way plan to pay a monthly fee. I have been trying to sell myself on the base model. If I were making money off my photography or a whole lot younger, it would be a no brainer to go for the upgrade. By the way, I will be replacing my 2009 iMac, which has performed reliably, without a hiccup. I'm now thinking the basic model will serve me well.
Thanks for watching. I would watch everything you can and then decide but for most people the base is fine. Of course if you have the money going with 16 GB ram will make sure you don't see any performance issues depending on what you use but overall for the cost $599 the base is worth that price.
Tempted to get the base model with no extras from Apple (will use an external SSD). It's for coding but I'm not doing anything too demanding. The resale value of the Mac mini is insane so if I need something faster in the future, I'll just sell it and get a newer model rather than forking out on "future-proofing".
Sounds like a good plan. Can always resell it. Thanks.
I plan on getting the base with extra RAM and using an education discount so it's only a $100 extra. All my docs are in the cloud so no need for the extra space.
80%-Basic-Casual Home use: 8/256 or *512-Simple tasks: web, email, video conf, simple photo/video edits. Can multi task all these apps with no problem.
15%-Intermediate-Home/Office use: 16/256 or *512-Multi task user who uses more memory hungry apps, does more advanced projects in photo/video editing using multiple apps.
*If you will be moving/transferring files a lot I would definitely get the 512 for the 2x more longevity(TBW rating) and faster speed compared to the 256.
5%-Professional-Power User: Pro models-Professional Creative/Graphic Artist/Large Business: Uses multiple power/memory hungry apps.
I put myself between the first two users. I was going to get the 16/256 and buy an external SSD, in total would have cost about $870+. Then I saw the 8/512 go on sale for $690 and I get $50 back also. This made me do some more research to find out how much ram I would really need/use. I went to the store and launched 10 safari tabs and all the apps I would use, more than I would ever have running all at once and my memory usage was around 5-6gb. Got the 8/512 and the $ I saved is going towards a better monitor. Dell U2723QE. Newer versions of apps needing more memory doesn't concern me that much but I know its a possibility. Having the better SSD gives me some peace of mind if there’s ever a time that swap memory is used.
I replace my mac when the latest OS is no longer compatible, thats usually every 5-6 yrs avg. I will sometimes go longer waiting for the latest model release to go on sale. I think this is something people don’t put into consideration when they talk about upgrading just to “future proof”. They start adding these expensive upgrades that they really didn't need in the first place and find out 5 years later that the latest OS is not compatible. Look at the compatibility list for Ventura and you will see it all depends on the year and processor, additional upgrades don't matter. If you don't care about having the latest OS after 5 years, you still have 3 years of security updates after that. If you are going to use your computer for 8+ years, having the 512 SSD will be worth it for the longer life. If you find out you need more memory you can always return it, check the store return policy before you buy.
Thanks for posting this as it helps people decide on what model to purchase. Also, thanks for watching.
Great explanation. I am one of the 85%, I will get the base model.thank you
Thanks for watching.
Thank you for the video. I got the base model with 16gb ram and 256gb SSD.
Yes, with the 16 GB ram these systems are great too. Can do video editing on the with no issues for sure.
Great video. I'm thinking about returning my M3 Pro MacBook and getting the Mac Mini instead that way I can afford the Studio Display...
Not a bad plan if that works good for you.
The problem with the 256GB base model is more than just the slower SSD…
The biggest issue is that many people will not have enough space to install all their apps on it. Within two days of getting my 1TB 16GB M2 Mac Mini, I had installed over 100 GB of apps.
If you install Adobe Creative Suite apps, XCode, or a few games, 256GB is not enough…
SSDs are less efficient when you use too much of their capacity, and are more likely to fail sooner…
For most people, 16GB of unified memory and 512GB SSD will future-proof their Mac for several years at least…
Yes, but that $400 bucks is quite a bit for some people. It really depends on case us and I would guess that only 10% of users use the products you list above. So for them the base is fine. If you are using XCode I assume you are making money on the computer so for you to upgrade is a no brainer and what is the right thing to do.
Not really a concern.
An nvme SSD externally connected over TB4 or USB 3.2 can give you faster than built-in drive speed. I just connected a 1TB drive and created and installed multiple apps to it. Mac OS doesn't care if the app is on that drive and that drive is even faster than the built-in in SSD. Just saying,
Your room is so clean.
Sometimes my office is clean and other times not so much - thanks for watching.
Will be getting the mini m2 with 16gb ram, its all I need. Been using the old Mac book pro 15 with those stats and that's starting to die ( well the screen has been hanging off for the last year😅).
Nice system and good luck with new setup
Base M2 pro is still a good setup and probably the 15% would be fine with that. The thing is the CPU performance is pretty linear, the Pro doesn’t have many more cores than the base model. The main benefit of the pro is it comes with the extra RAM and ++GPU cores. If you feel the need to upgrade to the top end M2 Pro (not worth it) AND more RAM than M2 Max Studio is a better deal
Thanks for watching and posting.
Thanks Craig, very good explanation. Never thought about SWAP before.
Thanks for watching and the feedback.
For someone who is using this specific Mac for light document work, and some light photo editing... it works well. For everyday use it's great as well. With the 499 price for students and a 100 dollar gift card and no tax for pre school season... You're getting alot for $400. I'm going to get a ssd enclosure and add some storage and I see no reason why it can't he a good computer. I don't need fast read write speeds. Like I'm not on a time crunch to save 5 mins off my day lol. Just few years ago we were all.hsing sata ssds. We'll be ok lol
Thanks for sharing as that helps the viewers for sure. I agree that we can all wait a few more minutes and saving the money is a good thing to do in most cases.
Which one would I be better off with. M2 Mac mini 16 GB RAM 512 GB of SSD storage. OR M2 Mac mini 16 GB of RAM 256 GB SSD storage & 1 TB SSD external storage
Very touch call. If you can swing it the 512 is nice but I normally just get the base and then the external storage. It really depends if you are a total power user and are always downloading new apps etc. as I tend to use a few core apps and I'm fine. 256 GB is lean and not for everyone but it will cost you another $200 to go up 256 GB and you can get a 2-3 TB SSD for that. I know not the perfect answer but about as good as I can provide.
Craig Neidel ThanksMuch!
For anybody still confuse between base and pro just remember pro is called professional for a reason…… only buy pro worth more than twice if it justified with extra earnings.
Yes, that is the thing I think is most important. Unless you make money (Pro) then don't buy more.
Only reason to get the pro for most people is the ports
Probably could just buy two base m2’s and save a couple hundred
Yes if you need them but something like thunderbolt hub can work good
The confusing part I’m dealing with is how can people go on about the RAM only being 8gb when its M2 and 3.5ghz? I have a Macbook Pro 16gb i7 2.9ghz intel and it can’t hack anything strenuous at this point maybe because i’ve pushed it to its limits to a degree but its probably never performed to the level of this base mac mini no matter the 16gb ram… so am I missing something here? I might just get it and put it to the test for a year its got warranty anyway.
The M2 with only 8GB performs basically like 16GB with the unified memory on the chip so they do perform better then expected. But, Apple should still ship them with 16 GB in 2024.
@@craigneidel You would say very similar because of the memory swap? maybe it's a longevity thing with the 16gb.
Yes, thanks for the post.
I like your purple iMac 👍
It's actually blue but have light on it. Thanks.
Should i change or can i change my Mac Pro 2013 with the new Mac Mini M2 Pro ?!
Yes, the M2 will be much faster for sure but it just depends if you need the power.
How's the ventilation on these new M2 mac minis? I've heard they're better than the macbooks but is it good enough to dissipate the heat and any potential overheating in the summer?
They are better then MacBooks for sure and good enough as long as you don't have them in 95 degree F head etc. Could they do better with a larger case - maybe but they are still quite good for cooling as Apple has learned to get quite a bit out of smaller cases.
Fellow commenters.. should I get the base model and upgrade to 16gb of ram for an $800 total or just get the m2 pro for $1299??? I’m doing film and starting an episodic web series so I’m pretty sure my video editing will increase within the next year. The M2pro comes with 16gb ram and more usbc ports but is it worth it to spend 500 more?? Help me out guys
Edit: I’m also taking up coding and app creation as well.. I just don’t want to make the mistake and settle for less and end up regretting it
It if was up to me and you are not really making a ton of money from the work yet.... I would get the $800 option. It will be more than enough for editing (with 16 GB Ram) and you can use fast external storage as you grow. You can then sell it in about 2 years for around $550 is my guess and then upgrade to a faster M3 or M4 system once things take off. But, if the extra $500 isn't going to cause any issues and if you have the money then getting the $1,299 M2Pro with extra storage isn't a bad option. I just don't think you will see a huge difference besides needing to wait about another minute for rendering but that is a tiny amount when the products can take hours to complete with everything else like filming, scripts, etc. Start out lean and it will help you grow faster.
@@craigneidel thanks. I decided on the base with 24gb of ram… didn’t pick it up yet So I’m avoiding watching TH-cam videos because I keep changing my mind lol
@@mtbrecords1623 I'm sure it will be plenty of power. Good luck with everything.
swap burns out the SSD faster then just nomral use again everyone knows this that understands swap AKA virtual Memory and yup performance is affected
We all heard that but I have yet to see too many people who have bad systems because of a SSD that wore out. So it's yet to see if this will be a real world issue.
Thanks you saved me money
Thanks for watching and I wish you the best.
If I want to do only music production (Recording studio) can I go for Mac Mini M2 base model?
Yes but think about 16 GB if possible but it will still work with 8 gb
Great video!
I have a question, I need a desktop pc as a trader and run entertainment business mostly working with easy editing and designing on chrome. Basically most works will be done on browser, will the m2 mac mini good enough for me ? I want it to lasts 3-4 years. Thanks
It's hard to answer that but I would in most cases yes. If you want something to last longer if you go with 16 GB ram it will be a great system for many years.
@Craig Neidel thanks for the answer
@Craig Neidel Mac M2 mini vs custom PC. which one should I choose. Thanks in advance!
They are so different. What are you going to use it for?
@@craigneidel I'm a student, most of the time I do coding and casual gaming and editing.
@@mariyokesh5869 makes are great for coding and students. They are not great for gaming but can do light gaming depending on title. So if you do very light gaming I would go with Mac but it needs to be light. Mac's are great with everything else.
Sir! Am going to bu Mac Mini M2 16gb, 256 memory varient for Photo editing, album making and Minimum wedding video editing, is it right selection?
Yes that should work great with 16 gb ram.
So I am looking at getting a Mini with a 1000 cost. What would work better than ? 256/24 gb? or 512/16gb? I know the latter people are reccomending, but given i can do external ssd but the RAM is permanent, is the 24gb the better option?
Yes, if you are fine with 256 GB then the 24 GB is good if you are going to be doing things like video editing or heavy lifting. If not, the 16 GB is more than enough as that really acts like 24 or 32 on a PC.
Could this be a gaming option running parallels?
If you want to game I say get a PC. For light gaming it may work but not really made for that even with Parallels.
Brother which should i buy
Mac mini m1 chip 16/512
Or Mac mini m2 Chip 8/512
Depends on price and what you need it for. But if you are doing video editing or higher end work I would go with the M1 with 16 GB. Watch my latest video from yesterday.
Apple Always *The Best* in terms of hardware (SoC Chips Apple Silicon) and software stability plus security.
I also have Windows systems and use those sometimes, but I agree that Mac does a good job with that and they are just easy to use for most users. So I tend to use my Macs whenever I can when I have a choice. In the end I guess that is why Apple takes more of my money. Funny.
@@craigneidel Soon, M3 Pro will be able to run Windows (x86 system) near native performance using virtual machine. In general apple is a hardware company and their products always top tier high quality standards, finally macOS is very stable and looks beautiful compared to Windows 11 and Linux (some distro looks good).
I want to give MAC a try because Windows is starting to annoy me and I've recently switched from Android to iPhone. My current PC is a 5600X with 16GB of RAM and I work with Affinity Designer a lot. Would the base model be good enough?
Thanks for posting. Since you know you do some design work already I might go with the 16 GB on the Base model and feel that would be a very nice system for you. The base M2 chip is very fast but the Ram is a nice upgrade if you know you do design work. For others that only do email, browsing, video chat, and very small work I feel 8 GB is plenty but it's worth it for the extra ram if you will make any upgrade to the system. Thanks.
can i setup dual monitor with M2 base model?
Mac mini (2023) with M2 chip supports up to two external displays simultaneously, based on the resolution (up to 6K) and refresh rate (up to 60Hz) of each external display.
One external display
Supports one external display in this configuration:
One display up to 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt
Two external displays
Supports two external displays in any one of these configurations:
One display up to 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, and one display up to 5K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt
One display up to 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, and one display up to 4K at 60Hz over HDMI
Difference between 8g &16 g ram ?
If you do video editing or professional work or like to have more than 10 tabs open I would go with 16 GB Ram.
@@craigneidel thx brother
Indeed the only semi-working Mac is the maximum config M2 Pro, which will barely lst you until the next update of Adobe. It's all a trick of Apple to make you buy the base model first, then an updated M2, then a M2 pro until they finally sold you the tricked-out Mac Studio, which is the only Mac that can render your 60 second tiktok video.
I usually go with the base model. I'm a bit different as I run a Apple channel but if I didn't I would most likely pick up the base every time as my videos are pretty simple and the base works fine.
@@craigneidel I bought the baseline M2 MIni. I also have a baseline 2018 Air and a baseline 2015 Air. Both were good for what's printed on the tin. I expect the M2 Mini to be as useful as my MacBook Airs. Performance of the Mini is decent - the SSD could've been a tad faster, but I am not paid by the second and it's fast enough for me. The Mini replaces a Comet Lake Hackintosh and it's twice as fast as the Hackintosh...
Can this run Minecraft?
Yes.
To be fair, nobody should be paying attention to anything Max Tech says. One day he’s posting a video saying don’t buy, the next he’s saying do buy, then a short while later it’s don’t. The guy is very clearly just trying to create false scandal to get views.
Maybe but he provides test data and everybody can take it how they may. Some of it is useful and some of it won't matter but in the end it's fun to see what tests they are running.
@@craigneidel he provides benchmarks which are synthetic at best. As you quite rightly pointed out, the vast majority of people buying the Mac mini will have no problem with 8GB. I certainly am not a “pro” user but I do more advanced everyday stuff - on a 2010 Mac mini with 8GB memory I’ve used exactly 0 bytes of swap. Same on my 2012 MBP with 8GB memory. No swap used ever! Even encoding in Handbrake on the 2010 mini I’ve never hit anywhere close to 8GB usage.
I agree, the base model is a good machine and I'm speaking from experience. I had the base M1 Mac mini, and now I have the base M2 MBA. I'm the target audience for those devices and I haven't had any issues with swap files.
Thanks for the info from a real-world user. They are just good enough for most things and unless you can make more money with a faster computer I always say start with the base. But some people just want to save a bit of time and that's fine too.
Yes it’s fast enough. At least for most people. Those who work on video/photo editing & other rigorous tasks may need to upgrade. However the average user may not ever use the M2 to its full potential. Same with the M2 MBP
I totally agree and thanks for watching.
After seeing so many Mac mini m2 reviews, I can say that this was the most helpful+ eye opening 👀
Thanks for the nice comment and for watching.
Great videos. I'd like to ask you a question. We know that the 256GB internal SSD is "relatively slow" compared to the bigger ones. Could I possibly use a Samsung 980 PRO as an external SSD with Mac OS on it to use its 7000 MB/s rather than spending a lot of money to upgrade the internal one? If so, what would be the downside of it (e.g. overheating)? and how could I prevent it?
I have created a bunch of videos on booting off external drives on my 2017 iMac, 2011 iMac, and even a 2012 mac mini. But, I have not had time do do this with any M1 or M2 systems as not sure how it will work yet. But on my older systems I used NVME drives and was able to get faster speeds but I was only using a 10 Gbps connection so the fasted in theory I could get was 1.25 GB/s on that. But with overhead about 900 MB/s. Now if you are using an expensive Thunderbolt external enclosure (that is 40 Gbps) then you should be able to get faster speeds for sure but I just haven't tested it yet. Thanks for watching.
I use my M1 Mac Mini (8GB) for video editing to include 4K (on occassion) for my hobby TH-cam channels, I’ve never had any problems. Granted, most of the videos I upload are less than 5 minutes. I will pick up the Mac Mini M2 Pro in the future (when it goes on sale). And I fall in the 85% crowd. BTW, nice video.
Thanks for sharing and watching Eduardo. Yes, this is a hobby for me and if I ever start making a few bucks from it (one day) I might upgrade but for now these are more than enough. The Pro is a good choice for sure if you just want to future proof it for a few more years. I might consider that too one day but right now the base works fine.
Straight up facts in this video. Should be required viewing for those looking to buy this model.
Thanks for watching and the nice words on the video.
Thank you for the "ridiculously" honest review. Getting the Mini 256 at an educational discount. Can't go wrong.
Yes, that is a great price for sure.
no one should by any mac base model they are all usless as base models that have 8x256 any one that really knows and understands computers at all knows this is a fact that 8x256 is junk even windows systems today runing windows 11 is even worse becuse windows 11 wants over 9 gigs just to the desktop so guess what 8x256 or just 8 gigs period is a joke .. i use both plat forms and have been and apple and pc tech for over 33 years now and yup i know better also there is no such thing as basic users anymore and hastent been in years now
I have the m1 base iMac and it works perfect for what I use that computer for. In the end we are all different. Get what works for you and that is what matters.
I am planning to buy the new mac mini m2 for music production , and I was very confused about upgrading the RAM or SSD . This swap memory made it very clear . Thanks a lot .
Thanks for the feedback. Good luck with everything.
I've just bought a base model M2, coming from a 10 year old PC with an i7 and 24GB of RAM. I expected it to be really slick, and snappy, and I have to say, so far I'm a bit disappointed. I don't do any photo/movie/music editing, just basic web browsing etc. I'm a mod on a FB group, often have 2 FB tabs open at once, and the machine gets bogged down *a lot*. The old PC never missed a beat, with dozens of browser tabs open. I realise that FB is a resource-hog, but, really? Sometimes the second, HDMI-connected monitor goes pink/staticy and I have to power cycle it. On the PC, never any issues. This is my first time using a Mac since school, 30 years ago, and so far, it's not going great. I've used iPhones/iPads for years and always found them a joy to use.
I have not heard that before but it will depend on the specific applications you are using. The 16 GB ram might have been good if you had apps running ram heavy but overall thanks for the feedback. I like to hear both sides.
@@craigneidel Genuinely, I'm just using Safari, Things 3, and a few of the stock apps like Mail, Calendar etc. Facebook alone can use up to 4GB. I never had to think about memory use on the old machine, even when it had 16GB, so it's a bit of a culture shock. I kept reading that you could render 4K movies on a Mac Mini, so I assumed I wouldn't use anything like that sort of power, and it would therefore be plenty for me. I do love all the integration with my other devices, etc, so I'll just have to get used to computing more 'frugally.'
@@nkt1 thanks for sharing. It helps others.
What two FB tabs open and the Mac chokes. That’s bad. Why do you need 16GB ram for that? Have a feeling something is wrong with it. Try returning it and getting a new one
@@timmark4190 You think? Is there a performance test I can run first? I solved the monitor issue with a different cable.
im not a gamer, i use the mac for work, but i like to play minecraft occasionally.
I think the base model should still be enough for minecraft to run perfectly fine (with all kinds of settings), but unfortunately the m2 model has only 60hz, which is actually kind of a thing. Im not sure what to do
That is true but I have heard people play minecraft on the M2 mini. Maybe watch a few videos on gameplay on the mini to see what they say and how it performs. I'm not too familiar with Minecraft or I would let you know my experience.
An important point is that there are always arguments that the SSD on the base model might suffer if it is used more frequently for swapping memory. This may be true in theory, but there is no practical example of an internal SSD failing faster as a result? I would say: its fast enought for 99% of the users.
Yes, but if we do see any issues they should start happening in about a year or two on the M1s. We will see if it turns into an issue but right now it has not and that is true.
Would you buy the Mac mini over the iMac ? Personally always been a fan of the iMac. (I know the iMac is still on M1)
Great videos btw : to the point and not too much fluff - subscribed
Thanks for the nice words and for the sub. I still like the iMac but don't like the fact that they don't have a 27" base model now. That is where my true heart is the 27" iMac.
What would you recommend if you do alot of audio in logic pro? i think 16 GB would be great.
16 or more if doing logic pro
Wow!!!! This video was what I needed.
Nice, glad it helps.
You think a Mac mini m2 with 24gb ram is a good option?? Everyone is just reviewing the base model or the pro not any other configuration 😔
Probably because just about nobody on the planet truly needs 24GB unified memory, you included.
Yes, that is plenty of memory for sure and you really only need 16 in most cases.
@@craigneidel 8GB even would be more than enough for an everyday user, which is probably 90+% of users.
Does the base model support 4K 144hz ? (One monitor)
I would look it up on Google for exact specs
Any chance of loading Parallels in the base model and Win11, there is a 30 day trial version. Just considering 16Gb or 512 storage ?
I would go with 16gb. Will use less swap and then use fast external storage as you grow.
Got my MM2, 16/256gb, the logic board failed after 4 weeks. Too late to return, awaiting a new board. The wifi was awful, will see if a new board fixes it.
Great video! I have a 2018 MacBook Pro 15" 2.2ghz 6 core i7 with 16gb of ram. I am trying to get something that is reliable until I have the money to get something more powerful. Do you think the Mac mini M2 with 16gb of ram would perform well or better compared to my current computer? I'm not very familiar with the new Apple chips.
Thanks. Yes they should be faster for sure. For the cost it's a no brainier. Plus they should hold their value pretty good. Thanks for watching.
I wouldn’t pay the 200 for the extra ram. You’ll probably be ok with the base model . It’s a great price.
Need more ports? Buy a Mac mini hub
can i play stardew valley on this
Never heard of that game before.
If possible please make a 4k rendering performance video on regular M2mac mini with specs - 24GB RAM & 512GB storage.
Not able to find such video in YT.
Most of the videos are only about base model 8GB RAM , 256GB SSD , so difficult to understand the true performance of the regular M2 mini on higher specs.
Thanks for watching. That's very specific specs so I won't most likely be testing that configuration. With what I make on TH-cam I would be in poor house:)😃
@@craigneidel Am extremely Sorry Craig . I thought you got review units for TH-cam videos. I understand now. No problems at all.
Your videos are really so helpful 🙏🏻 & indepth. Appreciate your time & efforts helping others.
My prayers for you to have 1M subscribers soon 🙏🏻 & many sponsors . Takecare ❤️😊
@@RameshKumar-ng3nf no worries and I was more or less kidding. I really do this for hobby and one day if I build channel I'll do more models but right now I can only get one or just use published stats. I appreciate you watching and the support. Thanks.
@@craigneidel Thanks Craig 😊😊
Clearly you’d get the RAM as the disk space can be added externally for cheap
Yes, the Ram is the best thing to get first.
i used only for matlab , research based so perfect for me for next 7 years
Nice and good luck.
Clear and useful.Thanks a lot.
Thanks for watching and the nice comment.
I think as someone like me who is using it for light stuff and some gaming I think I would prefer to just get one them beelink mini windows pcs like the one with ryzen 7 in the pc with 16gb ram and its only like half the price too so it be a better choice to get that instead.
Yes, if you are going to be doing gaming the Mac mini is not the best. But for day to day tasks it really flys and is one of the best options for $499 which you can find it for.
Both my laptops (Windows, MBA2015) have 8gb ram, is it enough to get the same 8gb ram Mac mini or the MBA base model? I belong to the 85%.
If you are doing basic tasks then yes as 8 GB on the Apple Silicon systems works like 16 GB on Windows. But, if you have the money then the 16 GB upgrade on the base is a good option for sure.
I got mine last friday though it should have come today Monday so yes it is fast enough so it is fast not only regarding the deliverytime but the computer itself is very fast! It kicks my old workstation/nuclear power plants but with a gtx 1080 11 gig inside that I used to run Davinci Resolve on big time so YES the mac mini m2 basemodel works very good.
Thanks for sharing your experience with it. Helps people know what to do.
8gb of ram in 2024 is simply not enough for ANY workload. and the price apple asks is insane. They need to calm down. And $200 for the upgrade in ram is just salt in the wound. I have nothing but hate for Apple anymore BECAUSE of their continued ignorance.
I would disagree as somebody who has 2 x 8 GB M1 Macs. They can do anything even 4K editing but yes they can hit their limits and today going into 2024 you should get 16 GB min. Yes, Apple has to lower the cost on the ram upgrade also but with the sales you can normally get 200 bucks off which will pay for the upgrades. If you don't like Apple that is fine and just get what you like.
@@craigneidel 4k editing on 8gb of ram would be a nightmare.
I do it all the time on my M1 MacBook Air and M1 iMac. So, you can do it for sure.
can you link me the device under your iMac Stand
I have a video on this here and links should be in description - th-cam.com/video/hxOdmwTxAtw/w-d-xo.html
Coming from a 2015 iMac with 32GB of RAM, I assume 16GB RAM of Unified Memory on a Mini should be enough? I ran a test exporting photos out of LR while exporting a 4K video at the same time. My Memory Pressure stayed pretty flat at a little less than 50%, Memory Used peaked at 25.64GB and Swap Used peaked at 3.76GB. Actually pretty shocked how well the old lady handed something this crazy.
Thanks for providing real-world stats on how it works. That is why I made the video. Realistically most people who use Macs don't even know how to export photos out of LightRoom and just use it for online shopping, TH-cam watching, browsing and more. So that is why I say the base is good for 85%.
@@craigneidel After watching so many videos and tests I'm still somewhat confused as to the best bang for the buck. I have 7 external HDs/SSDs I use for various needs, so the ports on the Pro/Studio are welcomed. I lean towards video being more important at the moment as I've been making more videos out of my GoPro at 4k. Some may be as long as 20 minutes. Nothing fancy in the edits. Possibly need to blur something out and a few titles. For LR I really want the speed for photos to open quickly and fast browsing in LR as I have about 50k photos in LR, but don't take many still photos these days. The Mini Pro 16G/1T seems to be my sweet spot. The 16G/512 would work as I still have about 300G left on my iMac, but having extra storage is a luxury not having to so closely manage storage.
Thanks, glad to see a review that isn't hating on the base model. Do you think it would suffice for, I'm about to start my Data Science training? I have limited budget, but I also don't want to waste it on something that won't support my educational goals. You mentioned 8GB RAM on Apple is the same as 1GB on PC. For real? Wow! Can you tell that I've only ever used PC before? This would be my 1st forray into Apple. Thanks for any feedback!
Yes, 8GB of ram is about 16 on a PC because how the Ram is integrated with the chip. I would say the base is fine for almost all schoolwork etc. Unless you are doing major video production (minor is fine) it would work great. Also, get the school discount and buy it for $499. You can sell it in 2 years for $399 and upgrade then and only have spent $100.
professional 2d artist. rendering images in high pixel dimensions mostly. Wanted to go for the Mac Studio monster power house and max out the ram at first, since Photoshop just loves Ram. Thoughts?
I feel the M2 Pro could be enough with 32 GB Ram but it just depends on your budget and job. If you do this professionally and can purchase the Studio it might end up saving you enough time over a few years to justify the cost. So I would say get what you think is best but also what will save you the most time if it's for a job.
I think gamers should buy this mac mini even the base. Like i have one and i play minecraft in high setting on like 700 fps. And u can play pretty heavy things on it so like even if u game GET IT😊
I may not say gammers should be the M2 Mac mini since it's not a gaming machine, but it can handle some games well for sure. Thanks for the post and for watching.
Hi Can M2 base model accommodate with blender software like rendering. Is it good enough?
I don't use that so can somebody respond about Blender if they know.
Thanks been trying to find a clear youtuber 85% thanks for your honest Brain over heart explanation
Thanks for watching and for your nice comments. I hope it helps a bit.
iMovie and basic stuff like that should be fine right ...? thats all I use is iMovie
Yes iMovie works great on base model
Logic Pro and Xcode programming? If 8gig will cut it ill buy one today lol
Research the ram you need for what you do and get that. If for a job that makes you money then don't get base.
my problem Acrobat reader for pdf file and Dropbox are eating too much memory :(
Not sure why those Apps should be using so much memory. If not fully optimized yet for the M1 and M2 chips maybe look to using something like Google Drive instead and there are a ton of Acrobat readers (Apple can read PDF without files). But if you have specific needs for those apps I understand and just go with 16 GB ram.
imac base model or mac mini base model? I like the clean look of imac, but not sure. given you have both, would be great if you could compare them. thanks a lot
They are quite different depending on what you need. If you want a very good monitor (don't have one) that is at least 4.5K then go with the iMac. I love it and very clean. If you have a monitor you are happy with (but most likely won't be as good as iMac) and want slightly better performance etc. go with the M2 Mac mini. In the end I love iMacs more so I'm biased but maybe others can add to this. You might be able to find a M1 Mac mini soon for $399 so maybe go with the Apple store M1 iMac (base) for $1,099 and pick up a $399 M1 Mac mini - best of both worlds but most likely overkill if you only need one.
@@craigneidel thanks a lot
Thanks a lor!
👍
Thanks for watching.
I was very excited when these were announced as I was waiting for the second generation after I saw the M1's. But Apple have decided to put out the base model with only 8GB RAM and a half-speed SSD compared to the 512GB SSD. So you're almost forced to upgrade the RAM and SSD unless you only want a machine for browsing and non-techy user activities. Normally, +256GB and +8GB of RAM is a no-brained, it's what maybe 100-150 extra, but this being Apple, it's actually 400 extra on top which then brings you to nearly 1000 at which point it's almost worth it to go for the Pro model. It's actually quite ingenious of Apple, but I hate this as a customer and user.
Yes, it's not the best but the Base is actually working quite well and for most users will be plenty. I know 8 GB doesn't sound like enough but it acts like 16 in most cases and even with the slower drive it's not that slow at 1800 MB/s. So in the end it's still a pretty good deal at $599 for what you get plus many are able to get them for $499 with student discounts or some sales. But, I hear you on what you are saying.
You’re looking at it the wrong way regarding SSD speeds. On the base model you get a very fast SSD you’ll unlikely max out. On the 512GB model you obviously have double the capacity but also faster speeds you still don’t need 😂
Thank u i will get 16 ram for future proof
Thanks for sharing. 8 or 16 will be fine unless you are doing professional work that makes you money. That is how I look at it.
@@craigneidel thank you. I work with mac, thus I make money with them, but mostly on web based platforms...
@@Pablito2466 thanks. 16 will be best then.
I know it's been a while since you made this video, but here it goes. For tax reasons I have to buy some stuff until the end of the year. I can invest in equipment I can use professionally. So I came across the idea of getting a MacBook Air and after searching for different models, I narrowed the option to 2 contenders. An M1 16Gb ram and SSD 256 and the M2 with 8Gb ram and SSD of 256Gb with the M1 being slighter cheaper (the price difference is negligible). I'll only use the computer for simple tasks at the office (in this case, out of the office as I have a Mac mini M1 8gb ram and 512 SSD at the office and a refurbished Mac mini 2012 - i7 16Gb Ram and 512 SSD - at home). Now would you advise to go with the 16Gb of ram or not? As a third option I can have the M1 with 8Gb Ram and 256Gb SSD for a lower price if ram is not all that decisive. Thanks in advance.
Having the ram is nice. If you are doing anything more than just basic stuff and to future proof it 16 GB is nice. I do think the base is enough for most as I say in my videos, but as you may have hear the SSD is actually faster on the M1 at the base level 256 GB SSD then the M2 256 GB SSD. So with the extra ram and the faster SSD I might go for the M1, especially if cheaper on top of that. I think with the ram and the faster SSD it will equal a more capable system even though the M2 CPU is about 15% faster. The only negative is to get 1 less year of software support but that won't happen for about 5 years.
@@craigneidel Thank you, Craig.
@@nunosantos8497 for sure
So for professional use it does not worth it, isnt it?
Professional use can mean many things. I create 4K videos with my M2 Air but have 16 GB of ram. Ram can be more important then the chip in a number of tasks so each person and workload will be unique.
As a person who used to do TONS of video editing and graphic design in the early 2000s, I can easily say go with the max - however - todays machines are different, and I’m a little out of the loop with what I need. 2TB was my absolute minimum when it came to fielding 3D rendering apps, the entire Adobe CS Suite, and MS Office and carry that all with me for work - but now I’m wondering - with SSD storage, memory swap isn’t as bad as it was when we were stuck using spinny-disc-platter drives. USB speeds have also gotten better so now it’s not so bad having all your media off the main drive… but I wonder - can I really get by on 256GB internal for current gen apps? I no longer Adobe since they’re greedy as heck with their subscription stuff - so weening myself off that and onto stuff from the MacApp store… I really wonder. We’ll see. If it doesn’t go well, it’ll at least last until I can afford a MacBook Pro again.
I think the 256 GB is fine if you go with 16 GB ram. If you go with some Thunderbolt 3 or 4 enclosures you can get some external SSD speeds of 1500 MB/s and up to about 2800 MB/s so plenty fast for most things. Even faster than the Base model M2 iMac. But I would just see what others are using. I have a video coming out in a week or two about a Thunderbolt enclosure that I use and keep an eye open for that.
What would you recommend if you do a ton of Photo editing?
The 1299 M2 pro Mac mini or 14 inch MacBook pro. Both should fly but 14 inch a bit faster.