SHOULD YOU BUY the M2 Mac Mini for Everyday Use?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2023
- Should the average user buy the cheapest M2 Mac Mini? There are so many videos that talk about the M2 Mac Mini from the perspective of a Video Editor, a Photographer or a Creator - and that makes sense - because it’s a very capable computer - but I want to look at whether this new Mac Mini is a good value for the average user.
And because there are more configuration options, let’s talk about what the Mac Mini is, What you get when you buy it, which configuration option you should get, and what else you need.
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What's up everyone?! I hope this overview of the M2 Mac Mini for everyday use was helpful. Did I cover what you wanted to know? What else did you want to see or learn about?
Would love to know what you think. Is the cheapest M2 Mac Mini a good option for you? Why or why not. If you’re currently using something else, please share your experience with me. I am grateful in advance 🙏
Find a fingerprint scanner and register your fingerprint t put in saved passwords easily seems like game changer when surfing!
I use Blender, Premiere Pro, InDesign, etc., with my BASE M2, which works perfectly. You don't need to get the Pro.
U didn't spend extra $200 to get additional 8GB ram?
@@limtzeming1125 I did not. The only extra item I bought is a Samsung external SSD to store my large files.
Thank you for the info!
Would this work for Homeschooling? I am looking at buying it using the education discount but also have access to military discount. I’m wanting to use the Mac mini for homeschooling and general web browsing, TH-cam viewing, photos but mainly general stuff.
@@IndianaDiy It's more than enough for what you need. I use it as a professional content creator for work.
I love how you respond to the comments diligently unlike other big channels. 💕
This was such a great review! I have been on the fence for awhile deciding if I want to switch from a MacBook Air to a Mac Mini and I really appreciate someone making a video for the average user who doesn't necessarily care about every last detail. Thank you!
As a long time user that's always had a top of the line MacBook Pro (currently my work computer is an MBP with Intel i9 with 32GB RAM), I'm realizing that we are at a point that even these baseline M2s are insanely powerful. I could literally replace my current MBP with a 16GB MacBook Air (or Mini) and still see improved performance.
What a great thing to experience.
Just bought the base model M2 Mac Mini w 8GB RAM. I have it connected to a 36” SONY TV. Fantastic for web browsing with lots of tabs open and equally great for streaming movies. I’m a tech professional and always do “more RAM” but could not justify Apple’s insanely high price for 16GB RAM. $400 (teacher pricing) for the Mac Mini and another *$200* for the add’l RAM?!? No thanks! 8GB works awesome for normal everyday use!
Well I bought the M2 Pro Mini with 16gb RAM and I'm very happy with it. With 3 years of Applecare it came out to $1588, and I think I did very well with it. With my old M1 I had browser tabs locking up on me while running other apps and that was not good. Then too I needed a lot more GPU than the M1 had for Second Life. My M2 drives 2 monitors, a 32 and a 70 inch and mounts my 72tb disk array, 2 keyboards, 2 mice and it just plain rocks! I'm so very happy with it :)
Thanks for laying it out so clear
Thanks. Loved the video.
I have had the M2 basic Mac Mini for a couple of weeks now. Upgraded from a 2012 Imac. It is a huge improvement. I have all the peripherals needed so it made the Mac Mini choice a no brainer. I am surprised how well the regular 24” Acer monitor looks. The resolution is great for regular use (Spreadsheets, Video viewing, browsing, etc.). I have Mail, Notes, Day One, Safari, Reminders, Excel, Messages, and what ever else I need up and running, with no issues at all. Having everything sync with the Iphone and Ipad is wonderful. I use the Ipad with notes for work and have it all available where ever I am. I use 1 2TB drive for backup and another 2TB drive for storage. I have a Brother multifunction printer attached so printing and scanning is very easy. I had it on a windows machine before and could never get it setup on wifi. The Mac Mini set it up on wifi automatically. The brother software works great with the Imac OS. Overall I am quite happy with how well the little beast is working out. Thank you for a good straight forward review on the basic MacMini. It is spot on. I did take your advice and got the Satechi hub. Front ports are very handy when you need to use something once in a while.
Currently using an 2017 27" Intel iMac...and my future upgrade path hopefully is an 27" M2 0r 3 chip iMac depending on price. If that falls thru then M2 Mac mini or Pro with at least 16 G RAM. Learned over 25 years ago to always boost/max out the RAM !
Hi! I’m thinking on buying the M2 basic Mac Mini and I was wondering if you could tell me which display do you have or if you can recommend me one of 24” or 27” because I have no idea which one should I buy 😄
Amazing video! Instant subscribe.
out of all the tech vloggers, there are...he is by far the best. His review is soooo damn easy to understand! He doesn't talk fast, he is on point, has cool recos, and is detailed.
I just replaced a 2013 intel iMac with an Mini Pro. There’s no question the Pro has WAY more firepower than I’ll ever need. I wanted both 16GB memory and the 512GB storage, so the regular Mini came to $999. Costco then put the Mini Pro on sale for $1099, and the Pro became a no-brainer. Very, very happy with it, needless to say.
Awesome video! ❤
Great video!
Thank you for the fair review. Been using the base model for few days, with few video editing and photo editing and see no issues so far. working great for me. :)
Thank you for watching and for hr kind words. I appreciate you being part of the channel.
3:08, this is key here!, you reminded all of us to have a wired mouse / keyboard for the setup, might seem obvious, but nowadays having wired accessories lying around is a challenge, I don’t game on PC, and the old wired accessories I had I donated / recycle them some time back 😅
So glad it was helpful. I was stuck without a wired mouse and keyboard the first time. Had to get some boxes out
What a question? A clear yes!!!!
You know what we need from tech tubers like this guy? Videos that answer the "should I buy.." question about previous versions whenever something comes out. Like, now that the m2 is out, m1 is obviously even cheaper (right?). So should I still buy _it_? Is _it's_ performance still inline with every day use (or better) requirements of today?
Edit: Don't get me wrong though, I still want "should I buy..." videos about stuff that just came out, but instead of just making one video every time something comes out, make 2. It's a win-win for everyone 😁.
I have the base model M2 Mac mini, I also have a 1TB SSD external drive connected. I use a lot of audio & video processing and it does everything perfectly- it is basically a very powerful little machine for everyday use, or will handle much more demanding applications.
It’s almost like one of the best kept secrets, even though reviews are out there people don’t realise what a steal the base m2 mini is at this price point. What you can do with it is unreal for the price, I have a 1500 Msi laptop and my Mac mini operates better, faster, smoother and emulates ps3 games better. They done some black magic with this thing lol
Can you watch 4k drone videos without being choppy?? My 2014 mac mini can't handle it. Really really jerky
Great video and content as always. Much appreciated someone doing a review for the average user. Awesome!!
finally a person who seems to understand what i think i need, would you be willing to answer a couple of questions for me?
Subscribed! 😀
Great video. New subscriber. Thanks!
Thank you for being part of the channel!
thanks for that info...iam considering that mini....i have an old inac 27 (its beautiful...5k display ) but an OS system...just love
the Studio monitor...it may be overkill....but I can upgrade to a bigger mini ...later 😅😅😅
Great advice 👍🏼 Would I need a special adapter to plug in my old Cinema Display, which uses a MiniDisplay port?
This was an excellent video review of the M2 Mac mini. I’m looking forward to getting mine soon, my first trip into the Apple universe aside that is from my iPad which I use for work. Can’t wait to get working on the new computer, thanks for taking the time and giving us your informed thoughts. Liked and subscribed.
My daily work, on the job and personal, is Adobe CC. I agree with you, this is good for most folk. Even professionals who are primarily 2-D design based, the base model M2 is a great buy. Even though I could afford the Mini Pro or lowest Studio, I don't regret the decision. And Sidecar with my M2 iPad Pro 12" works perfectly. The SSD speed isn't noticeable enough for me to care; plus the hub I use allowed for internal SSD.
I have and I'm an average user, I LOVE IT!
Yes just bought one, no regrets ....... love it
CONGRATS!!! Glad you love it. Thank you for being part of the channel!
I beg to differ on one point... you are not stuck with your choice, whatever it is. I bought a 512GB M2 Mini because I usually keep my machines a long time. This time, I ditched a 2014 27"5k iMac that was no longer upgradeable to newest OS, and I just got tired of waiting on Apple to come out with another one with an M-series processor. Instead, I bought a 27" 5K Apple monitor and consider the M2 Mini to be what I'll use until I run out of capacity, which I won't. I'll just swap out the Mini for whatever comes next in a few years, and I think I'll be happy enough with the 5K monitor to keep it for at least 10 years. I'd almost recommend anyone go with the cheaper units and upgrade as needed. Resale should be good for a few years.
As a music server, for a high end system, which would u recommend? Thank you.
Thank you for explaining so well for the lay person (me :) Would the Mac Mini 2 be a good choice if I want to download and burn a lot of movies? TIA
I totally agree with you and I follow the same motto "buy it nice or buy it twice". Great review and information especially the hub which I will definitely get. Thank you.
For me I think it's nice to have M2 now and M5 later on .
Love my M2 Mac mini Pro
Hi, I’m wondering about using this with a smart tv as the monitor , are there any issues with doing this. And also , can you connect it to a P.A. mixer for listening to music.
Great video! Have you added a new video for additional accessories...specifically monitors that are not Apple?
Thank you! I am working on one. But in the meantime - check out this video -
th-cam.com/video/eovQnPuBCuQ/w-d-xo.html - specifically the three monitors I discuss. Hope that helps.
I was happy to see this video for every day use. Other videos go into details that do not matter to the average person. I would have liked this video to go into more detail about how the base model M2 Mac Mini works with daily productivity software like word processing, spreadsheets, simple photo editing, web browsing, playing music and videos, etc. Does someone need more than the base model for average user tasks?
Glad it was helpful! Thank you so much for the feedback.
I've bought a base m2 Mac mini a week ago, and it's been great. I'm use it mostly casually to browse the web, write some essays for my university, some photoshop and illustrator as well. I also like to edit and render simple video clips (usually about an hour long) of me driving my car, at those tasks it's absurdly fast. As for games, I enjoy playing some civ VI and it's fine for that if you don't expect 4k 144 fps at max settings. Given that I got it with the student discount (2900 PLN, about $650) it's one of the best purchases in my life. Good work Apple, for real.
Great value for ghthe price! How much unified memory did you get?
@@TechGearTalk just the basic 8 gigs - I've been using a m1 macbook air for almost 2 years with 8 gigs of unified memory and I haven't run into any situations when I needed more yet, so I think it'll do fine in the mac mini as well.
@@tecoz3083 that’s a prime example of using the Mac mini 2 basic model for regular usage since it’s an overkill with a great price in value.
Hi there, I'm interested with M2 mini. But I'm worried which monitor that could go well really without giving any flickering issue. So which external display did you get. Thanks!
@@drbenirusani Asus vg27aq, a good 27” 1440p 144hz monitor. It’s a bang for the buck
Another great video bro 👍 M1 Ultra Mac Studio has been rock solid over here. Thinking of adding one of these M2 minis to my setup at some point. Good times for tech heads. So much power in a small and quiet package!
I love my M1.I had problems with Chrome. so I had to factory reset it. and now with a different browser is super fast.
waiting for your mac mini accessories video (i.e. display, mouse & keyboard etc)
Anything in Windows system u can recommend which is similar to M2 mac mini ? In terms of spec and price
I have MacBook Air M1 second tiered one with 8 ram 8gpu 512 connected to my Dell 34” monitor. I was thinking of getting the Mac mini M2 base model to have a dedicated desktop and free up my MacBook Air. You think it’s a good idea or waste of cash?
What USB hub do u recommend for apple?
What is the name of the monitor that you use?
I am a cronhub viewer., Is Mac mini the right one for me? Or should I stick to chromecast
I want it for video editing, unreal engine 5 for game development and blender, as a student I don't have a whole lot of budget, can I buy the base model?
I’m considering purchasing the M2 Mac Mini. I’m going to be using it to copy DVD’s & Blu-ray’s from a Blu-ray Burner. I’m going to be copying these because I’m going to be taking Classic TV Series from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s that are on DVD and take every episode and Upscaling them to 4K using a Program called Topaz AI (Artificial Intelligence). And taking Classic Rock Videos and Upscaling them as well from 480p to 4K and possibly 8K.
Great video, still trying to decide if its worth me upgrading from my current Mac Mini with the M1 chip to the new one with the M2 chip. Thx
From everything I've watched so far, if you aren't doing video renders or something cpu-intensive, the upgrade wouldn't be worth the money
I've been a Mac mini user since the mid-2012 model was released, so I'm a big fan. I finally upgraded from the M1 mini to the Studio Max last March and am very happy with it, but if the M2 mini Pro had been available at the time it would have been a tough choice.
You've been riding with the Mac Mini for a while! I still think Mac Studio over M2 Pro - just because of the ports. Working on a comparison.
@@TechGearTalk Agree on the ports, especially those in front. I'm looking forward to your comparison.
Yes! I do "everyday computing" and some podcasting, video editing, and will be upgrading
my 2014 Mac mini w/ i7 chip to a Mac mini Pro.
Outside of video/photo editing, no need for a Mac Mini. The Miniforum or Intel NUCs are better with a wider selection of lower costing accessories. Also, upgradable RAM & SSD.
Let's be honest. Anyone who buys anything more than the base model doesn't "need" it, but "wants" it.
My only question is: How easy would it to connect it to my 2017 iMac so I can use the 27" monitor, rather than put a perfectly good screen into landfill.
Would it work or upscale if a TV is 24” and 720p or do I need a 4K monitor?
I have currently have a 21.5-inch, Late 2013 iMac. Its running very slow. Can I connect the iMac to the mini and use it as a monitor or connect them somehow?
Should you buy the base mac m2? Oh YES!
You know, nowadays you get overwhelmed by so much information that says "the speed is blahblah, the RAM blahblah on the base model", but the actual experience is what matters the most!
8GB makes it do a lot of swap memories but you are SMOOTHLY doing 20 tabs of chrome and editing 4k on davinci resolve? Man, go for it! Make the most out of your base M2!
I like to use 3ds max, will it able to handle the rendering???
With M2 mac mini 256GB
Whats your input for M2 Mac mini with 16 gb ram and 256 SSD?
I have had a mac mini for many years, and by turning the device 180 degrees I have all the ports on the front and the little useless lamp on the back.
Just ordered a base mac mini with 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD... is it enough for music production? I'm new to it.
The magic trackpad is absolutely life changing.
I agree - It’s so good!!!
So well done! I feel you just saved me quite a bit of money and I'm grateful. A lot of good, thoughtful and well documented content here. I hope you can still enjoy your new Mac in spite of the remorse you relate here.
Glad I was able to help. Yes, I absolutely love it because it's a perfect fit for the type of work I need it to do. Appreciate you being part of the channel!
Anyone know if I can use my 2011 iMac as an external monitor with this new M2 Mac Mini? I hear yes but only through a third party application. Would be nice if I can simply connect my old iMac since the monitor itself is still in great condition.
thxxxxxx for this
Hope it was helpful!
Switching from a maxed out 2010 Mac Pro to this with the 16gb ram. Will be using it for professional graphic design. I have high hopes for it.
Amazing. Let me know how it works out!
I love m2. It’s paired with studio display and satechi hub + 1tb (ssd). I just wish they made a hub with thunderbolt connections.
Right now I use a Logitech keyboard that also works with my phone and iPad by pushing buttons. I think I'd use another one for the mini.
What model of Mac would you recommend for someone who plays games semi-casually? Not exactly as a dedicated gaming desktop but I've been using my MacBook Pro for about 5 years but its gotten to the point where it can't run most games now, even once in a while.
Just switched from HP Spectre 360 2015 to M2 Mac Mini base model at education price together Dell U2723QE & 2 Beoplay A1 speakers for everyday use. Great value & experience!
CONGRATS!!! Glad you’re enjoying it. Thank you for being part of the channel!
Don't get the Mac Studio Display, Get the Mac Studio Pro Display. You will love it even better.
You can buy a real computer just for the price of the display, though. ;-)
Can anyone tell me if a Mac is a good option for someone who’s training for an IT and cybersecurity job?
Will it work with All In One 2013 iMac Computer?
And I’m asking You what I’m going to need to make this possible. I know for sure I’m going to need to purchase either 1 or 2 External Hard Drives that are like 5 Terabytes.
I bought a base mac m2 today, and Im thankful that I bought it because I only use it for web browsing, watch porn, and youtube. it's really fast. I came from windows, a little adjustment and I learn that there are specific displays that fits well with mac os when it comes to scaling so better check that one as well.
I’ve had an external monitor and external keyboard on all my laptops - my laptop never leaves the house - so why do I keep buying laptops? Unconscious bias. Don’t need to. Glad I took the time to watch this. And I’m confident my little recording studio will still function with the Mac mini. Great video.
Glad the video was helpful - I'm super happy with how the Mac Mini runs my studio. If you end up getting one - swing by and let me know how it works for you.
Mac mini m2 (3d modelling softwares) best or not
I purchased the base model. I may sell it in around 4 years and replace it with the base model then. I'd guess to get something between $30'-$50 more for the m2 mini resell with the 16GB version. Not worth it since I don't see the need. I'm using two 4k monitors and this little machine is flying though regular usage with surfing, video streaming, office and photo editing.
Hi which monitor did you get for the M2 mini?
btw mac mini may not the the right choice., however I like the choice of your keyboard mouse on the desk.,
What would be recommended for running virtual machines labs and for working remotely? 24GB-1GB external storage?
That would be a good setup - I definitely wouldn't go with 8GB. 16 could work, 24 is better.
how does the 8gb model cope with garageband?
love the FPV videos in the review. :) i really should upgrade my 2009 imac but i keep saying not until it fully dies..lol
Thanks for the feedback. I love how much value you're getting out of that iMac!
Yes. Next
In Europe we pay so much more 719,- strange.
I have bought the mac mini and a samsung odyssey G7, but I experience that the resolution and scaling are not what I expected since the monitor has such good specs. I am pretty new to this game, so it may be a dumb question, but do you guys have any tips? Do I need to buy an expensive display port or hdmi cable? I have tried different cables but the problem is the same
Set to 2560x1440 resolution
Hi, I wish to buy a M2 mini as a desktop computer. I never edit video and I never use application like Finalcut. The M2 pro it's definitely too powerfull for me. But I'm looking for a mac mini that will last 5 years. What do you think of the M2 mini / 512 Gb / 16 RAM ??
512 for sure because of the SSD speed issue, but 16 GB of memory is just not enough to run video editing (Premiere Pro) without worrying about crashing
Teacher on a tight budget here. Is the base model good enough for smooth teaching experience on Zoom, e.g. sharing screen, a couple of tabs, HD webcam?
Yes. If you can swing it - get 16 gigs of unified memory. It’ll work better for longer.
Are mini pc long-lasting?
i regreat hearing way to many people saying that 8 gigs of ram is ok when it clearly is not and even ihave proved it my self many times over the years and as well on video, iam also comming fromt he Side of being a Ceriteifed Apple and PC Tech so i know this all to well. right now they way things stand even for low end users 16 gigs is the min for hardcore useres well youll need alot more ram, for storage 512 is the min to look at forget 256 its pointless and wont be good for anyone other then the most and i mean the most basic users on the planet but still would need 16 gigs of ram either way
M2 Mac mini 8/256 vs 8/512 which one is better? Or m1 8/256 or 8/512?
Hi, I have an iMac late 2015 with 24 gb of ram and 256 internal ssd; I use it mainly for photography with Capture One and Affintiy Photo. So far so good but, lately, going into astrophotography and using apps like Siril and Pixinsight for stacking multiple photos, I’ve found it a bit slow.
When I use C1 and Affintiy Photo, of course, it takes a while switching between the 2 programs but I can cope with that, instead when using these apps for stacking a lot of photos, here is my problem; it normally takes up to 2 hours for this stacking process.
I am thinking of buying a Mini Mac M2 with 256 as ssd and 16 gb of ram and then adding an external drive, maybe even the Satechi unit. Can the Mini Mac M2 make improvements for what I’d be going to use it?
I’d also use it in FCPX but in a very little way.
Thank you,
Fabrizo
for gaming is it
can it read 4 TB M.2 ssd?
Just cheaply upgraded my Mac Mini late 2014 with an NVMe SSD. It will now suffice for another two years as a basic family computer running Microsoft office, email, turbo tax, internet and other basic tasks. I almost bought a M2 Pro Mac mini 16Gb/1TB - not for the power now, I don't need that much today, but so it would last 8-10 years like my 2014 Mac Mini.
You forgot to mention the state of the art hdmi and usb A port!
Your product links go to a page that won’t open . Why not link to Amazon like others ? I can’t see any information you are trying to to link . Interested in monitor s not as expensive as Apple Display Port .
sir how about for graphic design and video edit is it good to buy m2 pro?
What are your choices? :-)
The other day I went to a store just see the RAM usage, there was no mac mini display piece, so I tried it on M2 macbook air. I opened few apps and activity monitor. It appeared that with just 4 apps open it was using around 5 GB of RAM. So, I am definitely going to buy 16GB RAM versionof mac mini. I am not yet able to decide, whether to go for 512 GB version. Does that write and read speed matters for normal user?
You don’t need more than 8 gb. 😅
Just wish it was space grey, don't understand why all the other products have silver and space grey but not the Mac mini