was waiting for your review but you have just confirmed my purchase of this M2 pro mac mini. I had pretty much decided tbf, but wanted to see your review on it in the "real world" especially as im not a content creator but a casual user but looking to future proof
I bought the M2 Pro and a refurbed Apple 27 inch display. The combo is brilliant. I’m a photographer and have one or two images upscaled, heavily cropped and edited that come in at over a GB. Opening them in Light Room or Photoshop on the M2 Pro is the blink of an eye. The power is terrific.
I got the M2 Pro Mac Mini myself and I absolutely love it! This thing is a beast of a machine. I work with 4K videos all the time on it and I have yet to encounter any major issues or stuttering. It just runs buttery smooth
@@enigmawstudios4130 I just tried playing around on Adobe Light room and tried some of the pre made filters and at the very beginning of the edit when I first applied the filter there was a slight delay but after that, it worked perfectly fine. Lightroom is a bit of a memory hog though and took up like 12 gb of memory. Overall, I think you should be completely fine once adobe is all fired up. I believe adobe is supposed to be optimized for ARM CPUs but with enough time, I'm sure adobe is going to finish smoothing out the bugs
@@showbizjosh40 hmmm. I keep going back and forth on this. It won't be my main machine but I have to use it in my pipeline, mostly video editing. The 16 gb of ram is largely what gets me. Because it's so expensive it just hits this point where it makes more sense to buy the studio base
I'm upgrading from a Quad-Core Intel Core i7 iMac (9 years old). Decided to go with M2 Mini Pro with 1tb, 32mb ram, upgraded cores and the 10 Gigabit option. Its overkill, but I keep my computers longer than most folks so I wanted to future proof.
Great video. Shortly after the release of the M1 Mac Mini, many TH-cam creators came forward to admit it wasn’t powerful enough, so they were excited to wait for the “prosumer” M1X Mac Mini. When the M1 Pro and Max chips dropped in the MacBooks, creators worried about thermal throttling and the small screens decided they would continue waiting for the M1 Pro/Max Mac Mini. Now, the M2 Pro chip has finally arrived and they’re like, Meh. I think most stopped waiting.
The biggest advantage I see now with the M2 Pro Mini are they additional ports. If I was going to upgrade anything it would be a RAM boost to 32GB. Even that is questionable as the 16GB is probably enough.
I work on sound design for movies on my Macbook pro with 8gb of RAM. Now, I ordered Mac mini M2 pro with 32 gb of unified memory. Can't wait for the delivery and have fun with that
For Logic users upgrading: Just bear in mind that the new Mac Mini will come with Ventura pre-loaded which means that many third party audio plugins won’t have yet been updated for that OS. Some have only barely been updated for M1 use!
I was hoping for the M2 mini last year - instead the MacBook Air M2 came out and I couldn't resist - got it with 16GB and 1TB hard rive + 10 core GPU, very, very happy with it. And yet I still want to own an M2 mini also. *Sigh* It's great to be burdened with so many options.
Great. Exactly just in the middle of a thing I have to decide. Checked out demands for Universal Audio LUNA. Got two Apollos and a UAD 2 Satellite. Sure it will work with the Mac mini Pro 16 GB and 1 TB
Also struggled if I should buy a Mac Studio or a very much maxed out Mac Mini M2 Pro. And .. well.. yes. I bought the Mini (which will arrive next week) because of the CPU power and the formfactor aaaaaand: the noise! If you do a video of music production please also tell us about the noise of the Mac Mini.
My M1 mini was fine at the time I got it. But as what i was using it got more into heavy work loads, it was the ram all day long running out. Waiting for the M2 Pro to be delivered, 32gb Ram, 12 cores, For me it is. not so much about time as working with out issues. I do have some videos to do, so will be a good test.
I think the M2 Pro’s ability to drive higher refresh rate displays than the base M2 is going to become an increasingly welcome feature as time goes on.
I'm torn between a M2 with 1TB and 24 GB RAM and a M2 pro 1TB and 16GB RAM. It's almost the same price. I've thinking about for over a week now. What would be the better choice?
export took longer because the M1 Max MBP has an SSD that's 2x faster than the M2 Pro 512. About 6GB/s on the MBP and 3GB/s on the M2 Pro 512 (I think the 1TB gets you to the same speed on the M2 Pro.
I’m upgrading from a 2013 27” iMac to a M2 Pro M Mini with 1Tb SSD and a Samsung M8 monitor, Apple Store is showing slow progress, but delivery scheduled for a week today.
Thank you so much for this video. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for it because I’ve been torn on whether I should be getting the M2 base or the M2 Pro base Mac mini.
I just became a sub because I'm getting a m2 mac mini and NOBODY has done videos to help guide me for music production specs. I will be using Logic X, but have not determined how to spec it out. Thanks, love your vids.
Excellent comparison between all your Mac computers. That Mac Mini M2 Pro looks amazing and has excellent performance over the Mac Mini M1 16 GB. I have a MacBook Air M1 base model and a Mac Mini M1 16GB 512G too and are awesome. Each one runs very cool talking in the CPU and GPU temperature. I live in a hot weather and that particular element it’s important for me. I do a lot of work in LR and PS but now I will start to do videos so was thinking in sell the Mac Mini M1 and get a more powerful computer so my two choices are the Macmini M2 Pro base and the Mac Studio M1 base model. M2 chip run hotter than M1 chip so in the long run the M1 I think it’s more durable in my environment. I think I will go for the Mac Studio base model and take advantage of a $250 discount in Costco stores (USA store).
The Mac Mini M2 Pro base configuration is a good stopgap computer until… a) you’ve used it to make enough money for upgrading to be worthwhile, or b) you’re holding off getting a laptop until the the three nanometer chip series comes out. Otherwise, you’ll maintain your current use case, and this computer will last you for years.
Super video and good dialogue delivery...am more into VO with Apollo twin and some editing on PPro...as you said the refurbished M1 is a good choice ...what shud be the graphics for that? Or shud I get the M2 pro and hurt my budget? Thanks mate... blessings from Qatar.
I’ve said it for a while now, the Mac mini’s are perfect machines especially for music studios where mobility and higher GPU specs aren’t required. The small form factor saves desk space for other peripherals like MIDI keyboards, drum machines, etc.
I just joined the mac studio crew, first mac ever and soo happy with it! I git the base model as I was killing Windows computers monthly and I decided enough is enough. Do you think that might be overkill for a weekly photography vlogger with premier pro
The ONE REVIEW I was waiting for! Thank you, it will definitely help many people make the upgrading decision. Mark, I’m a big fan of your content (overall quality, production and editing) and wanted to know if you have any tips when it comes to editing? I’ve started a music production channel about 7 months ago and it takes me about a day to shoot and a week to finish editing a single video on Final Cut. I’ve notice that you are super quick on creating and releasing content and was wondering if you could share any tips that would speed up my workflow? Thank you for your time
Thank you! That means a lot. Wow - a week is a long time... but that might be because you're editing for perfection (no bad thing). Try and create super quick edits and cut out all slack and everything that starts to bore you (it'll bore others if that's the case).
Mark, I enjoyed the video. The comparison was nice to see. Coming from a 2014 Intel Retina MacBook Pro, an M2 Mac Mini Pro (slightly specced up i.e. 32G Ram, 1TB) vs M1 Max Mac Studio (base, 1TB) decision is still frustrating me. Any news on your M2 Mac Mini Pro would be greatly appreciated.
I’m thinking of getting the base model for my music production adventure while managing the insufficient space issue by getting an external disk or two for all the music libraries and projects. Although I am wondering whether I should up the RAM from 16 GB to 32 GB - it would be wonderful if your music production video were to throw some light on that last bit.
It would be great if you could test your DAW's performance with demanding VST plugins like Diva, REPRO, Roland Cloud ACB synths, etc. I am very curious about the impact of reducing the number of performance core processors to 6. I'm afraid that for music applications, the 10-core version of the M2 Pro may significantly lose to the 10-core M1 Pro. I am considering buying the base version of the Mac Mini with the M2 Pro and such a comparison would help in making the right decision.
I don't allow final cut pro to background render, so I am leaning towards either finding a used M1 mac mini with 16gb or m2 mac mini 16gb. Just need a price comparison. My current 8gb Mac Mini M1 struggles when I livestream, record to quicktime and have chrome open at the same time.
Thanks for your videos! I'm finding them super helpful and informative. What I'm trying to figure out for myself is this: I'm a photographer and I do a lot of multi layer compositing. I'm overdue for an upgrade. I have an old MPB and it just isn't keeping up. I tried the M1 base a while back and, while it was an upgrade from the ancient MPB, it wasn't quite cutting it. Now that the M2's are here, I'm trying to figure out what my best direction is. I don't have a huge budget to buy the highest spec'd option on the market. I'm leaning towards the M2 16/512 at the moment, but open to suggestion. How would you recommend I go about deciding which would be the best configuration for me?
The 256 SSD speeds are such that the 512 SSD version is a must? so extra £200, same again for 16GB RAM, while I probably don't need the M2 Pro the extra couple fo hundred or so makes the tot more future-proof, and a better price to sell 2nd hand if I decide to do that? Just saw the cost of second-hand M1 16gb on eBay...
I am also looking to make a music recording studio with a M2pro mini. i wonder what display are you using for your setup. I am thinking of going with a GigaByte M28Uc because the internal KVM switch will make it very comfortable to connect multiple devices to it.
Great video but I think the advice about video editors getting an M1 Max MBP instead of the M2 Max MBP is bad. Video is progressing at a rate faster than ever and the incremental benefits provided by the M2 Max chip for video editors are good now but will be great in the future. The inclusion of HDMI 2.1 for driving an 8k display is going to be very important and could be the difference of needed to upgrade the computer or not. If you’re a professional, get the best you can afford right now and make sure it’s the latest version!
Agree, and for more uses and users than yours. 😀 IMHO almost no one should be buying the base M2 Mini because the 256GB SSD is disappointingly slow. For RAM, 8 GB vs. 16 GB is an eternal point for debate (and contention), but since RAM can't be upgraded there's a strong argument for spending US$200 on the upgrade to 16 GB. Then you take into consideration the better I/O and the base M2 Mini really appears like the sweetest spot in the 2023 Mac Mini lineup. 👍
Thanks for a great video, this is my go-to channel for mac related news! What's your take on M1 mini vs M2 mini for an everyday nothing fancy user - is it worth an upgrade?
What about mac mini 2 based model vs mac mini 2 with 16GB RAM? I am mainly working on heavy load browsing, so which one would be good for semi-professional use.
I am a hobbyist video editor, not professional, and I want a desktop Mac for this (I already have an M1 macbook air for general purpose). My question is, should I go for the basic M2 Pro Mac mini or for the standard M2 Mac mini with 16GB ram instead (or even with 24GB if than makes significant difference)? Occasionally I may also do some GarageBand music editing, but not very serious work. I do not do photo editing at all. Thanks.
I am amazed that final 4min44sec render figure for the M2 Pro Mac MIni vis-a-vis that 2min3sec M1 Max MacBook Pro. The Max series of chip would seem to be dramatically better than the Pro series of chip regardless of the generation being M1 or M2. That said…now that I know how good the dear, old M1 Mac Mini is in comparison to the other three machines, I’m even HAPPIER with my good, old M1. This is an excellent report, Mark.
Have there been any improvements to the Bluetooth and USB issues? I always have problems with a wireless mouse on my Intel Mac mini. Especially if something is connected to the USB-A port.
I would be interested in testing this configuration by a real time editing performance in Davinci Resolve, ideally few layers of video and nodes added on the footage (that mentioned 422 10bit 4K) If it could manage it without any stutter, I´m in!
I think you've convinced me to get a base pro model, I'm a trainee software developer so if it's good enough for a video editor i imagine it will be fast enough for a future software dev, any other actual current software devs got one and happy with it? Was considering upgrading it but it gets too close to mac studio with any upgrade.
Why didn’t you get the 1TB? All Macs have the slowest SSD chips at the base model. The export test doesn’t seem fair compared to the 16” mbp? It has 2x the speed, would that effect your export speed?
I am using an amd system because in 2021 I needed a 3 monitor setup. With 64 GB of memory and 1TB of ssd + 512 TB ssd, the mac m2 mini does not bring me any advantage, again. For a long time I want to complete my configuration (iPad, iPhone) with a mac, but unfortunately, Apple is 4-5 years behind technological evolution and until now it does not give me that opportunity.
Mark.... How much is the weight of that Mac mini (the 2 Pro)? Cause I'm thinking of dropping the Microsoft laptop and carrying the Mac mini with me....
Mark not sure about your advice about people wanting more video performance - If your interested in a Mini you accept you don't need a laptop - So why recommend a old M1 MacBook Max when a Studio is cheaper and is more direct comparison to Mini aka not a laptop. There is a £500 difference £1779 Studio v £2229 MacBook 14 (apple refurn prices)
Hi Mark. What’s the brand and model of that ultrawide monitor behind you and would you recommend it? Your Mac mini reviews are giving me an idea of upgrading to a Mac Mini instead of another MBA/MBP. Will the M2 Mini w/ 512GB be enough for light editing and mainly just email & office stuff? Or should I future proof with a 16GB
Great video definitely helped in my decision making. Question I’m hoping someone can assist me with. I have a dual monitor setup - LG 27GP950-B 27” Ultragear UHD (3840 x 2160) and just got the MacMini M2 pro. Coming from windows to Mac I’ve noticed this scaling issue which is common knowledge but I didn’t know. If I just choose the recommended resolution will I notice any image quality issues while photo editing? Thanks in advance.
As soon as the Chinese new year delivery jam has cleared, Apple will send me the M2 pro Mac mini. Base spec with 1TB. Received the Apple Studio Display today. I’m curious why the export times are not faster.
The reason your M2 Air base model is slow in all tests is RAM which is only 8GB. You compare it with machines that have 16GB of RAM. For what you do in those tests, 8GB Is just not enough. The best advice you can give to anyone looking at M1 or M2 computers is GET AT LEAST 16GB (the more the better, really). 8GB is already a pain when doing video production but it will eventually end up being a pain as well to do simple things like web browsing if you have several tabs open. As I am typing this, I only have 10 tabs open and it already takes 4GB just for Safari. If I had Chrome open, I would be in Swap-land. Seriously, TH-camrs should stop complaining about the SSD speed in the base models because it's pretty much irrelevant (good enough is good enough) and complain loudly about 8GB still being offered. The good news is that Apple goes straight to 16GB for the M2 Pro Mac mini. That's a really good move.
Not sure what you're getting at, Philippe - as mentioned in the video, that performance is to be expected from an 8GB base model M2 MacBook Air without active cooling.
5:15 I'd really have liked if you had got to the bottom of the discrepancy between 02:37 and 04:44. Could it just be the encoder, or might the atrociously slow SSD be at fault, too? No TH-camr so far has measured Apple's IOPs but only read/write speeds, which, in PC territory, are 7500/7000 roughly.
Feel that most content creators should never go below an Apple Mac mini M2 Pro 16GB unified memory, and 512GB SSD. If you want to "Fight the swap!" I would have purchased the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 32GB of unified memory, and sorry for a content creator feel you should never go below 1TB SSD storage which would be at $1,499.00 US. Love it when you young people talk about the high price of Apple products. Steve Jobs unveiled the first Mac I ever owned the 1984 Apple Macintosh computer with a $2,500.00 US price tag. Today in 2023 adjusted for inflation cost of that original 1984 Apple McIntosh would be $7,041.75 US.
Someone, I believe it was MaxTech showed the drive performance of the M2 mini pro in various configurations. Looks like the bigger the drive, the faster the read/write speed. Dollar for dollar, it looks like the 1TB model is the most bang for the buck.
Hi Mark, Loving your content Looking to replace an old MacBook Pro with a Mac mini m2 pro I do a little bit of video editing. Use Lightroom quite a bit for large file photo editing Want to run X-Plane flight sim What chip and memory do you reckon will be best Cheers Gus
Thanks! Whatever you can afford :) Seriously, just spend what you're comfortable spending; given what you're coming from you are going to be blown away.
@@MarkEllisReviews in terms of base model M2 pro do you reckon this will be enough spec for a bit of video edit, Lightroom and X Plane or would I need the revved up version
@@MarkEllisReviews Thank you for your answer. I read some comments in some forums that says mac mini and studio's fans always working and audible, it is not like macbooks. If it is silent machine, it is perfect.
I wonder as to why you didn't make the jump to the 19 core GPU version of the M2 Pro chip. That's the version beating the M1 Max more clearly as acknowledged in previous videos. Any particular reason for that choice?
I now can’t decide if i should get the base model M2 Pro Mac Mini, or if i should get an upgraded spec (The particular upgraded spec i am considering is 12 core CPU and 19 core GPU, 32GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, so essentially upgrading everything except the Ethernet port) I don’t really care that it will cost more than the M1 Max Mac Studio if i do go with that spec
The M2 Pro Mac Mini is dandy but.....If you are a US Buyer and a Military Vet, you can get a Refurb Base Mac Studio for 1620 USD.....won't be around long, tho
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Hands up if you're in (or about to be in) the M2 Pro Mac mini crew 🙋♂
was waiting for your review but you have just confirmed my purchase of this M2 pro mac mini. I had pretty much decided tbf, but wanted to see your review on it in the "real world" especially as im not a content creator but a casual user but looking to future proof
@@drewmain6459 enjoy!
🤚
I’m still betting on my m1 Mac mini which is so must faster then I need 😂 what would you recommend for a new laptop based on a Intel 16 gb MacBook Air
🙋🏾♂️
I bought the M2 Pro and a refurbed Apple 27 inch display. The combo is brilliant.
I’m a photographer and have one or two images upscaled, heavily cropped and edited that come in at over a GB.
Opening them in Light Room or Photoshop on the M2 Pro is the blink of an eye. The power is terrific.
I got the M2 Pro Mac Mini myself and I absolutely love it! This thing is a beast of a machine. I work with 4K videos all the time on it and I have yet to encounter any major issues or stuttering. It just runs buttery smooth
What about when adding text and filters? I'm concerned about stuttering
@@enigmawstudios4130 I just tried playing around on Adobe Light room and tried some of the pre made filters and at the very beginning of the edit when I first applied the filter there was a slight delay but after that, it worked perfectly fine. Lightroom is a bit of a memory hog though and took up like 12 gb of memory.
Overall, I think you should be completely fine once adobe is all fired up. I believe adobe is supposed to be optimized for ARM CPUs but with enough time, I'm sure adobe is going to finish smoothing out the bugs
@@showbizjosh40 hmmm. I keep going back and forth on this. It won't be my main machine but I have to use it in my pipeline, mostly video editing. The 16 gb of ram is largely what gets me. Because it's so expensive it just hits this point where it makes more sense to buy the studio base
Do you have the base 10 core pro model?
I'm upgrading from a Quad-Core Intel Core i7 iMac (9 years old). Decided to go with M2 Mini Pro with 1tb, 32mb ram, upgraded cores and the 10 Gigabit option. Its overkill, but I keep my computers longer than most folks so I wanted to future proof.
I'm the same, I've just upgraded to the M2 Pro Mac mini (base specs) from an 11 year old Quad-Core Intel Core i7 iMac.
Great video. Shortly after the release of the M1 Mac Mini, many TH-cam creators came forward to admit it wasn’t powerful enough, so they were excited to wait for the “prosumer” M1X Mac Mini. When the M1 Pro and Max chips dropped in the MacBooks, creators worried about thermal throttling and the small screens decided they would continue waiting for the M1 Pro/Max Mac Mini. Now, the M2 Pro chip has finally arrived and they’re like, Meh. I think most stopped waiting.
Very nice review and analysis. I agree with your conclusions. I have two M1 Mac-mini and very satisfied with them.
Thank you, John.
The biggest advantage I see now with the M2 Pro Mini are they additional ports. If I was going to upgrade anything it would be a RAM boost to 32GB. Even that is questionable as the 16GB is probably enough.
It really is. I’ve had mine for a week and haven’t had a stutter or slowdown at all. It’s been amazing.
I work on sound design for movies on my Macbook pro with 8gb of RAM. Now, I ordered Mac mini M2 pro with 32 gb of unified memory. Can't wait for the delivery and have fun with that
Thank you. Your delivery and ease make your videos better than most others I've seen. Cheers, JJ
Thank you!
I'm looking at getting this M2 mini, some tests on Logic pro would be super helpful to see.
For Logic users upgrading: Just bear in mind that the new Mac Mini will come with Ventura pre-loaded which means that many third party audio plugins won’t have yet been updated for that OS. Some have only barely been updated for M1 use!
Do plug ins need to be updated for the OS? I thought this was only needed when going from intel to Apple Silicon.
I was hoping for the M2 mini last year - instead the MacBook Air M2 came out and I couldn't resist - got it with 16GB and 1TB hard rive + 10 core GPU, very, very happy with it. And yet I still want to own an M2 mini also. *Sigh* It's great to be burdened with so many options.
Great. Exactly just in the middle of a thing I have to decide. Checked out demands for Universal Audio LUNA. Got two Apollos and a UAD 2 Satellite. Sure it will work with the Mac mini Pro 16 GB and 1 TB
Also struggled if I should buy a Mac Studio or a very much maxed out Mac Mini M2 Pro. And .. well.. yes. I bought the Mini (which will arrive next week) because of the CPU power and the formfactor aaaaaand: the noise!
If you do a video of music production please also tell us about the noise of the Mac Mini.
Personally I’m edging towards the mini as a music production device. Keen to see how you use it and what you think.
My M1 mini was fine at the time I got it. But as what i was using it got more into heavy work loads, it was the ram all day long running out.
Waiting for the M2 Pro to be delivered, 32gb Ram, 12 cores, For me it is. not so much about time as working with out issues.
I do have some videos to do, so will be a good test.
Apple M series are killing the computing market 🔥
I think the M2 Pro’s ability to drive higher refresh rate displays than the base M2 is going to become an increasingly welcome feature as time goes on.
This is a great point!
I can’t go back to 60fps!
I'm torn between a M2 with 1TB and 24 GB RAM and a M2 pro 1TB and 16GB RAM. It's almost the same price. I've thinking about for over a week now. What would be the better choice?
export took longer because the M1 Max MBP has an SSD that's 2x faster than the M2 Pro 512. About 6GB/s on the MBP and 3GB/s on the M2 Pro 512 (I think the 1TB gets you to the same speed on the M2 Pro.
Looking forward to the music creation tests on it. Mostly iPad based at the moment but considering a move to desktop. Subscribed
Welcome onboard!
I’m upgrading from a 2013 27” iMac to a M2 Pro M Mini with 1Tb SSD and a Samsung M8 monitor, Apple Store is showing slow progress, but delivery scheduled for a week today.
I nearly spit coffee all over my monitor when you said I have bought the right M2 Mac Mini!! HAHAHAHA!!!!
hugs from Brazil, my friend
This is the model I'm looking at for my photography business!! Thanks for the confirmation and informative video yet again. Cheers!
No hassles!
as usual very good explanation one of my favourite youtubers
Ah, thanks!
Thank you so much for this video. It’s exactly what I’ve been looking for it because I’ve been torn on whether I should be getting the M2 base or the M2 Pro base Mac mini.
No hassles.
I just became a sub because I'm getting a m2 mac mini and NOBODY has done videos to help guide me for music production specs. I will be using Logic X, but have not determined how to spec it out. Thanks, love your vids.
Happy to help!
Excellent comparison between all your Mac computers. That Mac Mini M2 Pro looks amazing and has excellent performance over the Mac Mini M1 16 GB. I have a MacBook Air M1 base model and a Mac Mini M1 16GB 512G too and are awesome. Each one runs very cool talking in the CPU and GPU temperature. I live in a hot weather and that particular element it’s important for me. I do a lot of work in LR and PS but now I will start to do videos so was thinking in sell the Mac Mini M1 and get a more powerful computer so my two choices are the Macmini M2 Pro base and the Mac Studio M1 base model. M2 chip run hotter than M1 chip so in the long run the M1 I think it’s more durable in my environment. I think I will go for the Mac Studio base model and take advantage of a $250 discount in Costco stores (USA store).
The Mac Mini M2 Pro base configuration is a good stopgap computer until… a) you’ve used it to make enough money for upgrading to be worthwhile, or b) you’re holding off getting a laptop until the the three nanometer chip series comes out. Otherwise, you’ll maintain your current use case, and this computer will last you for years.
Super video and good dialogue delivery...am more into VO with Apollo twin and some editing on PPro...as you said the refurbished M1 is a good choice ...what shud be the graphics for that? Or shud I get the M2 pro and hurt my budget? Thanks mate... blessings from Qatar.
I plan on getting it. 32 GB of RAM for mine.
Another great video brother, really separating yourself from the pack with your Mac Mini vids, great info and content.
Thank you - that means a lot!
Ha, same. I ordered the spec'd out M2 Pro mini and then thought about it and went with the base pro and cancelled my order. I'm not disappointed.
I’ve said it for a while now, the Mac mini’s are perfect machines especially for music studios where mobility and higher GPU specs aren’t required. The small form factor saves desk space for other peripherals like MIDI keyboards, drum machines, etc.
Great video Mark
Thanks!
I just joined the mac studio crew, first mac ever and soo happy with it! I git the base model as I was killing Windows computers monthly and I decided enough is enough. Do you think that might be overkill for a weekly photography vlogger with premier pro
so. To export in Indesign .....M1 or M2 mac mini? And for lightroom ?
Great! How’s the Bluetooth? Thank you.
The ONE REVIEW I was waiting for! Thank you, it will definitely help many people make the upgrading decision.
Mark, I’m a big fan of your content (overall quality, production and editing) and wanted to know if you have any tips when it comes to editing? I’ve started a music production channel about 7 months ago and it takes me about a day to shoot and a week to finish editing a single video on Final Cut. I’ve notice that you are super quick on creating and releasing content and was wondering if you could share any tips that would speed up my workflow?
Thank you for your time
Thank you! That means a lot. Wow - a week is a long time... but that might be because you're editing for perfection (no bad thing). Try and create super quick edits and cut out all slack and everything that starts to bore you (it'll bore others if that's the case).
@@MarkEllisReviews I appreciate your advice
Mark, I enjoyed the video. The comparison was nice to see. Coming from a 2014 Intel Retina MacBook Pro, an M2 Mac Mini Pro (slightly specced up i.e. 32G Ram, 1TB) vs M1 Max Mac Studio (base, 1TB) decision is still frustrating me. Any news on your M2 Mac Mini Pro would be greatly appreciated.
Might your export timing on the M2 Pro Mini be constrained by the 512 SSD? 🤔
This is Really Awesome
I’m thinking of getting the base model for my music production adventure while managing the insufficient space issue by getting an external disk or two for all the music libraries and projects. Although I am wondering whether I should up the RAM from 16 GB to 32 GB - it would be wonderful if your music production video were to throw some light on that last bit.
It would be great if you could test your DAW's performance with demanding VST plugins like Diva, REPRO, Roland Cloud ACB synths, etc. I am very curious about the impact of reducing the number of performance core processors to 6. I'm afraid that for music applications, the 10-core version of the M2 Pro may significantly lose to the 10-core M1 Pro.
I am considering buying the base version of the Mac Mini with the M2 Pro and such a comparison would help in making the right decision.
I don't allow final cut pro to background render, so I am leaning towards either finding a used M1 mac mini with 16gb or m2 mac mini 16gb. Just need a price comparison. My current 8gb Mac Mini M1 struggles when I livestream, record to quicktime and have chrome open at the same time.
Awsome dude
Thanks for your videos! I'm finding them super helpful and informative. What I'm trying to figure out for myself is this: I'm a photographer and I do a lot of multi layer compositing. I'm overdue for an upgrade. I have an old MPB and it just isn't keeping up. I tried the M1 base a while back and, while it was an upgrade from the ancient MPB, it wasn't quite cutting it. Now that the M2's are here, I'm trying to figure out what my best direction is. I don't have a huge budget to buy the highest spec'd option on the market. I'm leaning towards the M2 16/512 at the moment, but open to suggestion. How would you recommend I go about deciding which would be the best configuration for me?
The 256 SSD speeds are such that the 512 SSD version is a must? so extra £200, same again for 16GB RAM, while I probably don't need the M2 Pro the extra couple fo hundred or so makes the tot more future-proof, and a better price to sell 2nd hand if I decide to do that? Just saw the cost of second-hand M1 16gb on eBay...
I am also looking to make a music recording studio with a M2pro mini. i wonder what display are you using for your setup. I am thinking of going with a GigaByte M28Uc because the internal KVM switch will make it very comfortable to connect multiple devices to it.
Great video but I think the advice about video editors getting an M1 Max MBP instead of the M2 Max MBP is bad. Video is progressing at a rate faster than ever and the incremental benefits provided by the M2 Max chip for video editors are good now but will be great in the future. The inclusion of HDMI 2.1 for driving an 8k display is going to be very important and could be the difference of needed to upgrade the computer or not. If you’re a professional, get the best you can afford right now and make sure it’s the latest version!
Agree, and for more uses and users than yours. 😀 IMHO almost no one should be buying the base M2 Mini because the 256GB SSD is disappointingly slow. For RAM, 8 GB vs. 16 GB is an eternal point for debate (and contention), but since RAM can't be upgraded there's a strong argument for spending US$200 on the upgrade to 16 GB. Then you take into consideration the better I/O and the base M2 Mini really appears like the sweetest spot in the 2023 Mac Mini lineup. 👍
Thanks for a great video, this is my go-to channel for mac related news! What's your take on M1 mini vs M2 mini for an everyday nothing fancy user - is it worth an upgrade?
Thank you! And as for that upgrade - definitely not!
What about mac mini 2 based model vs mac mini 2 with 16GB RAM? I am mainly working on heavy load browsing, so which one would be good for semi-professional use.
Mark, what model is the curved screen you have in the background please? Looking for a new large screen
You thinking base Mac mini or base Mac mini pro is better for streaming? Or worth it for the upgrade
What monitor do you use and what 32 or 34 monitor would you recommend for Mac Studio or macs?
MSI ultra-wide.
I'm an ableton user. Would you recommend the m2 Pro 16gig or m2 24gig ram? Not so fussed about 3 monitors
I am a hobbyist video editor, not professional, and I want a desktop Mac for this (I already have an M1 macbook air for general purpose). My question is, should I go for the basic M2 Pro Mac mini or for the standard M2 Mac mini with 16GB ram instead (or even with 24GB if than makes significant difference)? Occasionally I may also do some GarageBand music editing, but not very serious work. I do not do photo editing at all. Thanks.
I am amazed that final 4min44sec render figure for the M2 Pro Mac MIni vis-a-vis that 2min3sec M1 Max MacBook Pro. The Max series of chip would seem to be dramatically better than the Pro series of chip regardless of the generation being M1 or M2. That said…now that I know how good the dear, old M1 Mac Mini is in comparison to the other three machines, I’m even HAPPIER with my good, old M1. This is an excellent report, Mark.
Thanks, Jim! This does demonstrate how amazing those Max chips are - I agree!
Have there been any improvements to the Bluetooth and USB issues? I always have problems with a wireless mouse on my Intel Mac mini. Especially if something is connected to the USB-A port.
Very happy you got the right one Mark! 😊 So…if you had it all just starting out, which computer would you buy?
This one.
@@MarkEllisReviews That is high praise for sure! Wish I had waited to replace my old 2013 iMac with the M2 Mini as well. 👍🏻
I would be interested in testing this configuration by a real time editing performance in Davinci Resolve, ideally few layers of video and nodes added on the footage (that mentioned 422 10bit 4K) If it could manage it without any stutter, I´m in!
Any Bluetooth issues so far?
Haven't had it long enough!
Did I miss why the export time was so much higher on the m2 pro?
Slower ssd .. as it’s likely only 1 or 2 nand chips instead of 4 ..
No idea I'm afraid, Steven. Needs more time, although it'll do for me, to be honest.
If you buy the m2 pro Mac mini and can upgrade one thing, would it be better to upgrade the processor or ram to 32gb?
I think you've convinced me to get a base pro model, I'm a trainee software developer so if it's good enough for a video editor i imagine it will be fast enough for a future software dev, any other actual current software devs got one and happy with it? Was considering upgrading it but it gets too close to mac studio with any upgrade.
I've done it , ordered it. I've gone base pro model seems it will do my needs just fine. Thanks for the video!
Looking forward to the music production videos
Yes please, me too
Why didn’t you get the 1TB? All Macs have the slowest SSD chips at the base model. The export test doesn’t seem fair compared to the 16” mbp? It has 2x the speed, would that effect your export speed?
Because I wanted to see what the base model is capable of, buddy.
@@MarkEllisReviews Thanks Mark! It’s very capable. 😎
I am using an amd system because in 2021 I needed a 3 monitor setup. With 64 GB of memory and 1TB of ssd + 512 TB ssd, the mac m2 mini does not bring me any advantage, again. For a long time I want to complete my configuration (iPad, iPhone) with a mac, but unfortunately, Apple is 4-5 years behind technological evolution and until now it does not give me that opportunity.
mac mini m2 base model support how much external monitors???
Mark.... How much is the weight of that Mac mini (the 2 Pro)? Cause I'm thinking of dropping the Microsoft laptop and carrying the Mac mini with me....
Mark not sure about your advice about people wanting more video performance - If your interested in a Mini you accept you don't need a laptop - So why recommend a old M1 MacBook Max when a Studio is cheaper and is more direct comparison to Mini aka not a laptop. There is a £500 difference £1779 Studio v £2229 MacBook 14 (apple refurn prices)
Hi Mark. What’s the brand and model of that ultrawide monitor behind you and would you recommend it? Your Mac mini reviews are giving me an idea of upgrading to a Mac Mini instead of another MBA/MBP. Will the M2 Mini w/ 512GB be enough for light editing and mainly just email & office stuff? Or should I future proof with a 16GB
It's an MSI - it's been great! Grab the 16GB if you're asking yourself that question ;)
Great video definitely helped in my decision making. Question I’m hoping someone can assist me with. I have a dual monitor setup - LG 27GP950-B 27” Ultragear UHD (3840 x 2160) and just got the MacMini M2 pro. Coming from windows to Mac I’ve noticed this scaling issue which is common knowledge but I didn’t know. If I just choose the recommended resolution will I notice any image quality issues while photo editing? Thanks in advance.
As soon as the Chinese new year delivery jam has cleared, Apple will send me the M2 pro Mac mini. Base spec with 1TB. Received the Apple Studio Display today.
I’m curious why the export times are not faster.
The reason your M2 Air base model is slow in all tests is RAM which is only 8GB. You compare it with machines that have 16GB of RAM. For what you do in those tests, 8GB Is just not enough. The best advice you can give to anyone looking at M1 or M2 computers is GET AT LEAST 16GB (the more the better, really). 8GB is already a pain when doing video production but it will eventually end up being a pain as well to do simple things like web browsing if you have several tabs open. As I am typing this, I only have 10 tabs open and it already takes 4GB just for Safari. If I had Chrome open, I would be in Swap-land. Seriously, TH-camrs should stop complaining about the SSD speed in the base models because it's pretty much irrelevant (good enough is good enough) and complain loudly about 8GB still being offered. The good news is that Apple goes straight to 16GB for the M2 Pro Mac mini. That's a really good move.
Not sure what you're getting at, Philippe - as mentioned in the video, that performance is to be expected from an 8GB base model M2 MacBook Air without active cooling.
5:15 I'd really have liked if you had got to the bottom of the discrepancy between 02:37 and 04:44. Could it just be the encoder, or might the atrociously slow SSD be at fault, too? No TH-camr so far has measured Apple's IOPs but only read/write speeds, which, in PC territory, are 7500/7000 roughly.
No idea at the moment, Michael. As noted in the video, this was a quick 'benchmark', nothing more.
I am interested in your audio tests:-)
Feel that most content creators should never go below an Apple Mac mini M2 Pro 16GB unified memory, and 512GB SSD. If you want to "Fight the swap!" I would have purchased the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 32GB of unified memory, and sorry for a content creator feel you should never go below 1TB SSD storage which would be at $1,499.00 US.
Love it when you young people talk about the high price of Apple products. Steve Jobs unveiled the first Mac I ever owned the 1984 Apple Macintosh computer with a $2,500.00 US price tag. Today in 2023 adjusted for inflation cost of that original 1984 Apple McIntosh would be $7,041.75 US.
I love that you think I’m “young” 😂
Someone, I believe it was MaxTech showed the drive performance of the M2 mini pro in various configurations. Looks like the bigger the drive, the faster the read/write speed. Dollar for dollar, it looks like the 1TB model is the most bang for the buck.
Catching up now 🎉
Does anyone know if this one works with the Satechi base to extend the storage and have extra ports on the front?
On the m2 pro mini, do you need 32 GB of memory ?
Hi Mark,
Loving your content
Looking to replace an old MacBook Pro with a Mac mini m2 pro
I do a little bit of video editing.
Use Lightroom quite a bit for large file photo editing
Want to run X-Plane flight sim
What chip and memory do you reckon will be best
Cheers
Gus
Thanks! Whatever you can afford :) Seriously, just spend what you're comfortable spending; given what you're coming from you are going to be blown away.
@@MarkEllisReviews in terms of base model M2 pro do you reckon this will be enough spec for a bit of video edit, Lightroom and X Plane or would I need the revved up version
Is it worth it 2,5 times the price of the base M2 mac mini.
What about the sound of fans? Is it deadly silent as much as macbook air etc.?
I’ve never heard the fan on these Apple silicon Macs.
@@MarkEllisReviews Thank you for your answer. I read some comments in some forums that says mac mini and studio's fans always working and audible, it is not like macbooks. If it is silent machine, it is perfect.
Please test the WiFi as well as Bluetooth.
If I spec it like my Studio it’s actually more expensive.
I wonder as to why you didn't make the jump to the 19 core GPU version of the M2 Pro chip. That's the version beating the M1 Max more clearly as acknowledged in previous videos. Any particular reason for that choice?
I wanted to see how good this base model is. I think that's far more interesting and more likely to generate interest in this video.
I now can’t decide if i should get the base model M2 Pro Mac Mini, or if i should get an upgraded spec
(The particular upgraded spec i am considering is 12 core CPU and 19 core GPU, 32GB unified memory, 1TB SSD, so essentially upgrading everything except the Ethernet port)
I don’t really care that it will cost more than the M1 Max Mac Studio if i do go with that spec
3200 dollars in Can Dollars :(
I wonder if the slow export was due to the slow HD.....
No idea. I also have no idea if it is actually 'slow'. Needs more time.
Do you think the export time is affected by the slower 512 GB SSD?
No one knows, Billy. People are making some big assumptions in this comments thread. How do we know that it's affected at all?
is there any reason why the export time is not so good on the m2 mac mini base model?
I assume you mean the M2 Pro Mac mini in this video? If so, we don't know that it's 'not as good', really - that's conjecture at best.
Informative and entertaining!
Thanks!
The M2 Pro Mac Mini is dandy but.....If you are a US Buyer and a Military Vet, you can get a Refurb Base Mac Studio for 1620 USD.....won't be around long, tho
Got a 32/2tb 12/19/16 M2 Pro Mini , total overkill for the crap i do LOL
Mini mac m2 or MacBook m2 ? Can’t decide
Depends on SO many factors!
The M2 Pro mini has a ssd that’s half the speed which probably effected the export. Thanks Apple
Possibly... That may not be the case though. Tricky to test - if I can be bothered, I might do in the near future.
Pronounce toadlguy as total guy
How do you know for sure?