This was the biggest update that had very little fanfare. The Mini with the Pro chip is the update that was not just an M1 to M2 incremental update like the Air and Pro MacBook updates. The M2 Mini Pro is a nice upgrade for those who have been working from the M1 Mini and are ready for more power.
I got the m2 with 16 ram 512 storage for the faster write speed. For Logic audio it works great! Super fast and I added an external 1 tb drive which also works great. I just added 2 hubs for extra connections and I am super happy.
I ended up settling for the M2 Pro Mac Mini. For me it came down to 2 main reasons. (1) I use 3 displays for work. (2) I need the extra ports and having 4 Thunderbolt ports is perfect. I personally don't need the extra CPU power, but hey, I will take it anyways
Bought an M2 mini with 16gb memory and 512 inetrnal for the performance boosts, it cost £919 with student discount significantly less than a pro with the same discount. Horses for courses but this seemed the best buy for my use.
The mini m2 pro - 12 core with 32gb of RAM and 1Tb of storage is actually slightly more expensive than the base model Mac Studio with 32gb of RAM and 1Tb of storage as well.. It would be nice to see a side by side performance comparison of the two.
For me, 16gb RAM and 512GB SSD is the right configuration, and the $300 upcharge for the M2 Pro (vs. the M2) gets you a lot, even if you're not editing 4K videos all day: two more TB4 ports, upgraded HDMI port, and the ability to connect a third display. I could get along with two TB4 ports but I'm pretty sure I'd buy a dock eventually,, and that alone takes a lot of the pain out of the upcharge. I think the base M2 Pro makes a lot of sense. I had ordered an M2 16/512 but will return it (unopened). I'm picking one of the M2 Pro 16/512 machines today...and then will formally retire my late 2012 quad-core Mini that was upgraded to 2TB fixed storage and 16GB RAM.
@@LPMojoGL None at all, it's been perfect and perfect for me in every way. I had a brief moment when I wondered if I should have gotten the 1GB version for its faster SSD speeds, but I don't have a real need for that, and the value ratio goes down quickly. I would buy the base M2 Pro again in a flash.
Which is better for running multiple OS'es in Parallels? And gaming? I ended up buying the M2Pro for the extra IO and larger base memory. Adding a 2TB external drive with a MVNe SSD for storing game files and OS images. Did I really need it? I dunno.
Ordered the 10 core m2 pro with 32gb and 1tb. The 32GB was the one upgrade that hurt the most and I went back and forth. I mostly edit in FinalCut, Photoshop, Lightroom, and a little Logic. I think the 32gb will be worth it in the long run. 10 vs 12 core didn’t seem to be worth it if you export in h264 or h265, which is what I do.
I ordered the M2 with 8GB of RAM and upgraded to the 512 GB hard drive. I'm a relatively light user and am thinking this will be good for me. I do think with the faster Apple silicon now that RAM is less of an issue for most of us.
I'm tempted to go for the M2 Pro Mac Mini over the eventual M2 Max Mac Studio. On paper, the primary difference between the two SOCs is GPU performance and double the media encoder engines on the higher spec. I currently have an M1 Macbook Pro with 16GB of RAM and it handles everything I throw at it such as 4k HEVC editing in Final Cut Pro and Lightroom Classic libraries of 1k-2k raw images.
M2 with 16 GB and 256 GB SSD would be my weapon of choice. It is much cheaper to add external SSD capacity, but impossible to increase the RAM size. Strangely, in a mobile computer, I would go for the M2 pro MacBook Pro 14, because the total package is far superior to the M2 MacBook Air or 13 inch Pro.
Using the M1 Mini it definitely slows down with lots of tabs open or editing a lot of photos. Video rendering seems not too bad but the libraries can blow out your storage when rendering too. Given that, if you do any photo and video work or use heaps of tabs I think m2 16GB and 1TB gives you headroom. I’ve never seen a need for the extra ports and I think the m1 chip was fast enough so m2 will be a nice bonus. Shame it doesn’t have an SD card reader though.
I like how you dont upsell the product cause everyone knows the more you spend, the better you get but being mindful of people’s budgets as well as reminding them to apply some common sense goes a long way into saving some serious bucks
Greatly appreciate the review. I'm really interested in the performance (and cost I guess) between the M2 Mac mini Pro similarly specced to the M1 Max Studio (base spec).
Interested to know what are the possibilities of adding something like a Satechi hub stand (at present just covering M1 mini) to the M2 series, as it seems like a good extra to boost the ports and even add extra SSD memory...
Most helpful video. I'm down to the M2 with 16gb mem 512gb ssd, or the same spec M2 Pro for $300 more. I will be using it to record music as a hobby in my modest home studio. Do I need the Pro? No, but it's still tempting. Either would be vastly better than the 2010 MBP I've been limping on for years.
The base model is for basic stuff so SSD speeds are moot. If you are doing a lot of transfers the 1TB is needed, or if you are using more than 8GB of RAM then buy 16GB or more RAM modules. The base model is really just for office, media, browsers, and small apps. Be sensible and buy what you need. If you need 1TB or 16GB then buy them; don’t whine when you buy 8GB/256GB when that is never going to be optimal for your workflow.
To me, the cheapest option is always the best conservative choice. Unless of course you have a specific need. It is always better to buy the cheapest rather than investing for a machine that is going to be obsoleted in two years time. The only concession would be memory, but at 200 a pop, it is better to purchase an external fast 1 Tb drive for storage and leave the M2 use the internal 256 Gb for memory swapping.
M2 Pro for me. The additional GPU, ports, 2.1 HDMI, 200GBS bandwidth, ...makes it a much better value for me. Contrary to your advice, I'll be upping the storage to 1TB, but no additional memory. 16G of unified memory is very substantial!
well, imho you should max out your memory according to your cpu and 16gb is the minimum. mac os has been always a system focusing on keeping data in memory rather than focusing on cpu power. the biggest upgrade you can get is getting huge memory.
Just purchased the M2 Pro 12 core with 32GB RAM & 1TB SSD. I'm so psyched to edit on this machine. I have been using my Late 2012 iMac i7 Intel for 9 years now and I'm soooooo looking forward to more power and smooth sailing across my 4k footage.
I’m with you bro! I have a MBP 16’ late april 2013 model. 16gb and 512ssd. It’s a work horse! But the fan turns on and sounds like a 68’ Buick and the temp get to butt naked and out of breath. That’s hot! I’m probably going with this build also. Since I keep my machines for years
I have yet to learn from Mac OS.... I want to get the mini to start... Besides browsing and media consumption, I use Lightroom and Photoshop for picture editing. How much memory I need for smooth editing? 16-24? m1 or m2 pro? Someone who knows to help me?
Recently sold my old Intel MacBook Air and upgraded to an M1 MacBook Air (Late 2020) with 16 GB integrated memory and 1TB storage and $300 off Apple's price from B&H Photo Video. (I love it when new products cause significant reductions in older models.). I'm really happy about this and won't need to venture into M2 world for quite a while yet. But, as usual, your analysis and advice are right-on for those looking at M2 Minis.
Thanks for the breakdown and common sense approach! I'm STILL unsure which I will buy. Speaking of making money... I make a living as an image editor in New York City (cosmetics and fashion) with a 2014 27" iMac (which is starting to fade). I say this only to make the point that it doesn't take the most expensive machine to get things done. I'm leaning towards an M2 with 24GB unified, 1TB SSD. That upgrade should last me years and easily beat the old iMac for speed. Now, if I can only afford the Studio Display. : )
is there a video by you on how far can one go with base model mac mini m2 in terms of video editing, basic 3d modeling in blender for product photography etc
I’ll probably get the pro version. Haven’t decided on how much memory. Will probably get 1TB hard drive since I consistently have a min of 450 GB of stuff on the drive even when keeping downloads under control.
watching a few youtubers om this thanks for explaining to watch your pocket depending on use i did not need a great deal so i now have made my decision becuse of your clear analasist i have several mac already thanks typos
I still think the true fight is the M2 Pro Mini against the base M1 Max is the true fight. Would you choose two more new CPU cores or six last gent GPU cores? * M2 Pro Mini with 12c CPU, 19c GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $1999 * M1 Max Studio with 10c CPU, 24c GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD for same $1999 (also get SDXC + more ports)
Each concept very well explained Mark. I was using M1 Mac Mini base model, if I had to upgrade I will buy the M2 Mac Mini with 24 GB of RAM. If I had any extra money to spend, I would go straight to 14 inch M1 Pro Macbook pro, which is still available at good discounts.
I currently have an M1 Mac Mini with 16gb RAM and a 512gb internal drive. Were I to upgrade then the entry level M2 pro would be the logical choice. I am only a hobbyist stills photographer so time is not really an issue.
Great video Mark...currently, I'm running my old IMAC (2012)..lol...it's old and now starting show it's age. I primarily edit photos in Lightroom/Photoshop and occasionally edit some videos in Final Cut Pro X. I torn between purchasing the Mac Mini (standard) or Mac Mini Pro....based on my usage...what would you recommend? I'll probably go with the 16GB unified ram and external storage either way I choose....thanks again and here's to a great 2024.
Thanks to your videos I took Mac Mini M2 Pro instead of Macbook Air M2 or Mac Mini M2. I decided to have more power for video editing (20% of the time) and visual apps (Figma, Miro, Affinity etc.). I am tired of working on an older Macbook Pro or Air with constant lagging. Although I am not a huge video producer, I work professionally on my Mac and got myself the comfort of the work that I need. And Mac Mini M2 Pro with additional ports, 16GB and faster 512GB SDD is the best money can buy.
I think it’s worth noticing that the pro has more performance cores then the standard, meaning the two extra cores are performance cores making 6/4 instead of 4/4
Sadly my iMac has eaten another graphics card, 4th one in 10 years. I recently bought a new 27" monitor for my xbox so am looking at replacing the mac with a mini using the gaming screen. I do edit video content from a gopro so tempted towards the M2 pro. Will save desk space too.
I am looking at probably the M2 max mini and it’s because of the ports. I will be doing some video editing and also some podcasting and also some work at home. It is future proofing for me and I don’t want to daisy chain too much if I don’t have too. Probably stay with 16G and maybe 1TB of storage but I think with 4TB ports then I can have extra storage there.
Coming from a 2015 iMac equipped with 32GB of RAM, which has served me well, I've heard you can half your memory in the land of Apple unified memory. Is that true? I would welcome a video on external storage options. I have a slew of external drives: two 3.5" spinning HD's and five SSD's in cheap USB enclosures. This has all worked well on the iMac, but it's a mess of cables. What's the best way to transition all this to TB/USB-C? Thinking of a few NVME cases and SSD upgrades to my workhorse SSD video drive and photo/video archive drive where speed might be an improvement. Perhaps use SATA to USB-C cables for the other SSD's since speed is not an issue. Or perhaps just hang them off the USB 3.0 hub I already have. Plus I need to add in a card reader to the mix. Only still using about 200 of my 500GB of internal storage on the iMac, but thinking of a 16GB/1TB Pro M2 for the luxury of not worrying about space and have the room to edit some videos with the internal SSD.
Great video Mark, I think your appraisal is spot-on. I would be buying for software development so more unified memory is beneficial. I have an M1 MacBook air with just 8GB and it's not quite enough. I'd go for 32GB, which is what I have on my windows machines anyway.
I have the m2 MacBook Air. For the past 3 weeks I have been running my computer near throttling limits. For the first week or so running “draw things”, a “stable diffusion” ai app. Last week they updated the app to use the code donated by apple to run on the ai processors. It still uses some gpu, but the internal temperature dropped from 218F (189F unthrottled with external heatpad to large aluminum heat sink and fan) to 106F. While pulling 16 watts. Performance wise it is about 20 times faster. (It generates 300 images as fast as the old one generated 15 images). I think it about the speed of a NVIDIA rtx 4080 (released in the last 6 months), a computer that would accomplish this task would be about 300 watts, the gpu alone is 225 watts. The m2 pro and max have the same amount of neural engines, so there is no benefit there. Interestingly, the m2 mini is cheaper than just the (unavailable) NVIDIA rtx 4080.
Ended up getting a Mac Mini M2 Pro to complement my MacBook Air M2. I had a MacBook Pro M2 Max and found it to be complete overkill for my needs. The nice thing is it sold on eBay for a lot of money so I only lost a few hundred. I do Rust development and I want to dive into iOS development. I’m shocked by the performance of my 8gb MacBook Air M2, and I suspect that the 16gb Mac Mini M2 Pro will be enough for me. It arrives tomorrow!
In case the 256GB SSD version has the same disadvantage like the MacBook Air with 256GB, this version has a much slower SSD than the 512GB models. It comes down to one vs two SSD chips and therefore half the bandwidth. If you are planning to use the Mac mini for 5 to 8 years, take 16GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD. Anything else is saving at the wrong place.
@@jelliottlein Just read such an article. What a downer that is. On the other hand, make sure that you really NEED the speed. Even the „slower“ SSDs might be faster than others and as fast as you need them to be. But to be honest: I cannot understand this decisions made by Apple. Especially not , when looking on the prices they ask for SSD upgrades.
I do some photoshop, Final Cut movies and Logic audio.. I don’t normally have them all open at once and I don’t have urgent deadlines to keep, so not concerned if I have to wait a min or whatever longer to export compared to a 32gb (400 quid difference and taking me into M1 studio basic territory) so I think I can work ok with the m2 pro 16 gb 512 ssd comfortably even if it has to draw a gb or so outside to help sometimes I don’t think it will notice…..
Excellent video, Mark! I currently have a Mac Mini M1/16gb/1tb that I use primarily with Lightroom and Photoshop, little to no video editing. Lightroom gets glitchy sometimes when using the clone, heal, AI tools. Other than that, the M1 has served me well. But I'm considering an M2 or M2 Pro. Considering I use Lightroom and Photoshop 99% of the time, do you think I will notice any performance difference between my current M1 and either of the M2 versions. I only care about editing performance/speed, not photo import or export speeds. Thanks!
Great video and as always, budget is King. What is slightly worrying though, as I'll be upgrading from a 2011 iMac with 8gb, how people are finding these machines not enough? I still run Ableton, without problem. It's only as I cannot upgrade software anymore that I'm forced to purchase a new machine. I think I paid around £1K for my machine and then upgraded to 8gb of ram later on. Surely with new CPU, ram and SSD these must be lightning fast! I've been looking at the base M2, but now I'm looking at the M2 pro, purely based on internet comments about how much you need these days.
One thing to remember for the ram, if you get more than 256gb disk, your SSD speed will be 1/6 the speed of 2 channels of ddr4. Though only 1/30 the speed of the m2 ram, or 1/60 the speed of m2 pro ram. DDR3 is 1/3 the speed of DDR4, so the 512gb and larger m2 SSD is the same speed as 1 channel of DDR3, or 1/2 the speed of 2 channels of DDR3. So get enough ram for your workload in real ram, but if you are upgrading from an older computer, the SSD is as fast or nearly as fast as the ram on your current computer. Personally my m2 MacBook Air had has 24gb, and it makes a noticeable difference when I run out of ram, however everything keeps running.
I have three old Mac Minis I want to replace. Two of them have 8g of memory and one has 16g. Since their functionality won't be upgraded, I can feel good about replacing them with the base M2 Mac Mini. Hmmm, maybe I will get one with 16g of memory just in case.
I like the M2-Pro Mini with 16 or 24 GB unified memory and not concerned with storage as external storage is fine. But the Pro offeres support for 3 monitors which is very nice.
Thank you for sharing this info! It’s sincerely appreciated! Quick question. I’m looking at getting the M2 mini with 16gb storage and 512gb unified memory. I do video editing as a side hustle. Not full time employment. Do you think I’ll have enough to work with? Or do I really have to spend more coin for the M2 Pro (which I’m trying to avoid)?
I’m choosing between M2 16GB 512GB storage and M2 Pro base model. Can’t decide which model to get, general use, spreadsheets, occasional gaming and planning to use virtue machine (Windows) for work. Any suggestion would be awesome, thanks!
I have been working with the M1 Mac Mini (base model) since day one.... and I love it, but I need something with a little more humph now (video editing) so I have just ordered the M2 Mac Mini Pro (base model) CPU is roughly the same power as the base model M1 Mac Studio (except GPU power and having only 16 gigs ram).... Should tie me over until the M4 or M5 are released (fingers crossed) 🤞🤞🤞🤞
I think I will wait for the Mac Studio upgrade , hopefully this year . :)) I need a Mac Mini M2 pro with 32 Gb of Ram and 2 Tb ....Then I realize the price is too close to the Mac Studio , therefore I rather wait for the Mac Studio upgrade hopefully this year .
M2 Mini Pro for me because I want 4 USB-C ports. I don't know how this generation of machines performs with Lightroom & Photoshop so I don't know how the Unified Memory performs with respect to older gen Intel RAM but I'll probably just suck it up and get the 32Gb for the long run.
I’m not someone who has a bunch of extra peripherals just laying around, so when I include the price of keyboard, mouse, and monitor, the price is pretty high. The iMac starts to make a lot more sense.
Actually if we spec up the M2 to have the same SSD storage and RAM as the base model M2 Pro then it comes to £1,049.00. So I would say the actual difference you are paying for all the extra features such as more GPUs, ports etc that a M2 Pro has is only £350.
I'm going to stick with my base model M1 Mac mini and wait for the M3 to upgrade. I haven't (as of yet) experienced any problems with video editing, coding, and web design.
Thanks. Been wondering. I use FCX but they’re not huge projects with multi cam, etc and wondering if I can get by with a base mini M2. I’m coming from a 2012 iMac! How does FCX run on your mini?
Thanks to your tips, I’ve found my 8GB/256GB M1 Mac Mini…with an accessory Thunderbolt dock…to be MORE machine than I need. If I still only depended on my mid-2011 Mac Mini (I’m investigating turning that machine into a Linux box), I’d go for the cheapest M2 Pro Mac Mini ONLY because it has more ports. As it stands now, my M1 Mac Mini’s Thunderbolt dock runs happily enough with the added numbers of ports and the 4TB drive in it. I reckon I’m all set for Mac Mini for the next 10 years.
I ordered the M2 pro Mac mini with the base line spec. Ordered from one of those Select franchises in Durham. Problem with that is Apple don’t typically send the pros to these smaller shops, so I might have to wait another day for one to be forwarded to it for collection. I do some TH-cam work and photo editing, but do quite a lot of Fusion 360 cad design. I’m looking forward to it. Fingers crossed they get one tomorrow so I can pick it up and have a play before going back to my normal job.
With all the respect you deserve, calling people "knuckle-dragging" is extremely offensive. If someone makes you notice that you don't have the new mac mini is because your video was uploaded at the same time other reviewers made their videos public. You start your video holding two mac minis and saying, "there are now two mac minis to choose from." People were looking for answers. You don't have to call them "knuckle-dragging" for being disappointed. I was a huge fan of this channel, but not anymore.
Sorry if offended you, buddy. It’s tough to explain unless you’re in my shoes. We take A LOT of flack from people on TH-cam and sometimes the frustration spills over. You make a fair point - I’ll edit the comment. But trust me - I’ve had far worse directed forwards me.
Great vid, have been going back & forth on which setup to get for the family, this vid really helped & cleared up some confusion. Keep up the great content. Maybe down the road do an office/desk setup with new Mac mini?
Yes Mark - I'm going to spend 599 USD plus peripherals on an M2 mini and give it to a kid. Not sure what you are smoking, but that is typical of the throwaway attitude of virtually every creator on YT. I get that Uni students may well have a Macbook Air (more power to them) but Chromebooks and SOCs were invented for the rest.
The main game I play these days is world of tanks blitz(7 minute games). It uses 1 gpu core. And since the m2’s GPU cores are 50% faster than the m1’s any of the m2 GPUs work better.
1 more thing about M2 vs M2 Pro: M2 version has HDMI 2.0 and M2 Pro has HDMI 2.1 So a M2 can support 4k monitor with max 60 fps, but M2 pro can support 4k monitor with much more fps You can check it at apple site. If you buy M2 version then your external monitor can't go with 4k at are than 60 fps. Even if your monitor is 120 fps at 4k then it will limited at 60 fps. It's a problem for monitor / TV like LG C2 42" (awesome display with good price!) because it has only 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs without USB-C Check a comparison at apple site.
Which one bellow? Mac mini M2 8 Cpu/10Gpu - 16gb Ram - 1tb ssd (2 thunder ports, 100gb mem bandwidth) = $1.200,00 Mac mini M2 Pro 10 Cpu/16Gpu - 16gb Ram - 1tb ssd (4 thunder ports, 200gb mem bandwidth) = $1.500,00 No video making here. Im music producer. Do you think worth the extra $300,00? By CPU Mark Rating, M2:15332 against M2 Pro: 22364, its about 50% more. Is it real or marketing?
Nope, it supports two. The base Mac mini M2 supports one display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt AND one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI.
so the standard mac mini m2 with 24gb ram and 512gb storage is not a better option then the m2 pro version with 16gb ram and 512gb? i want to make a small business for video editing, like weedings and stuff
This was the biggest update that had very little fanfare. The Mini with the Pro chip is the update that was not just an M1 to M2 incremental update like the Air and Pro MacBook updates. The M2 Mini Pro is a nice upgrade for those who have been working from the M1 Mini and are ready for more power.
I got the m2 with 16 ram 512 storage for the faster write speed. For Logic audio it works great! Super fast and I added an external 1 tb drive which also works great. I just added 2 hubs for extra connections and I am super happy.
I ended up settling for the M2 Pro Mac Mini. For me it came down to 2 main reasons. (1) I use 3 displays for work. (2) I need the extra ports and having 4 Thunderbolt ports is perfect. I personally don't need the extra CPU power, but hey, I will take it anyways
Mark, Thank you for the breakdown as it really helped my build decision.
No problem, Jim!
Bought an M2 mini with 16gb memory and 512 inetrnal for the performance boosts, it cost £919 with student discount significantly less than a pro with the same discount.
Horses for courses but this seemed the best buy for my use.
It is the M2 Pro for me. Having 4 Thunderbolt 4 ports is the deciding factor for me. I always need the ports.
As Mark says, the M2 Pro spec'ed up makes the Mac Studio relevant. With two T ports and an SD slot front, to me, the Studio is a better choice.
Just buy a port dock😂
The mini m2 pro - 12 core with 32gb of RAM and 1Tb of storage is actually slightly more expensive than the base model Mac Studio with 32gb of RAM and 1Tb of storage as well.. It would be nice to see a side by side performance comparison of the two.
I ve been thinking about getting these exact specs for m2 pro Mac mini
@@TheRickymaki got this same setup just 2TB SSD
For me, 16gb RAM and 512GB SSD is the right configuration, and the $300 upcharge for the M2 Pro (vs. the M2) gets you a lot, even if you're not editing 4K videos all day: two more TB4 ports, upgraded HDMI port, and the ability to connect a third display. I could get along with two TB4 ports but I'm pretty sure I'd buy a dock eventually,, and that alone takes a lot of the pain out of the upcharge. I think the base M2 Pro makes a lot of sense. I had ordered an M2 16/512 but will return it (unopened). I'm picking one of the M2 Pro 16/512 machines today...and then will formally retire my late 2012 quad-core Mini that was upgraded to 2TB fixed storage and 16GB RAM.
Seems like I'm currently in a similar boat that you were in months ago. Any regrets with the Pro?
@@LPMojoGL None at all, it's been perfect and perfect for me in every way. I had a brief moment when I wondered if I should have gotten the 1GB version for its faster SSD speeds, but I don't have a real need for that, and the value ratio goes down quickly. I would buy the base M2 Pro again in a flash.
@@johnnewell5025 Thanks for the reply! 👍
Which is better for running multiple OS'es in Parallels? And gaming? I ended up buying the M2Pro for the extra IO and larger base memory. Adding a 2TB external drive with a MVNe SSD for storing game files and OS images. Did I really need it? I dunno.
Here in US, went with the M2 Pro 16/512 from Costco Black Friday deal at $1050. Thanks for helping confirm my decision.
Oh wowie such a great price!
Is it as quiet and cool as the M1?
Ordered the 10 core m2 pro with 32gb and 1tb. The 32GB was the one upgrade that hurt the most and I went back and forth. I mostly edit in FinalCut, Photoshop, Lightroom, and a little Logic. I think the 32gb will be worth it in the long run. 10 vs 12 core didn’t seem to be worth it if you export in h264 or h265, which is what I do.
Selam Reha, how about m2 pro mini 16gb 512ssd? also for the long run? 10 tears? para yok daha iyisine
I ordered the M2 with 8GB of RAM and upgraded to the 512 GB hard drive. I'm a relatively light user and am thinking this will be good for me. I do think with the faster Apple silicon now that RAM is less of an issue for most of us.
Could you please test some games and see if those extra gpu cores in M2 pro worth anything? Thank you.
I'm tempted to go for the M2 Pro Mac Mini over the eventual M2 Max Mac Studio. On paper, the primary difference between the two SOCs is GPU performance and double the media encoder engines on the higher spec.
I currently have an M1 Macbook Pro with 16GB of RAM and it handles everything I throw at it such as 4k HEVC editing in Final Cut Pro and Lightroom Classic libraries of 1k-2k raw images.
M2 with 16 GB and 256 GB SSD would be my weapon of choice. It is much cheaper to add external SSD capacity, but impossible to increase the RAM size. Strangely, in a mobile computer, I would go for the M2 pro MacBook Pro 14, because the total package is far superior to the M2 MacBook Air or 13 inch Pro.
Using the M1 Mini it definitely slows down with lots of tabs open or editing a lot of photos. Video rendering seems not too bad but the libraries can blow out your storage when rendering too.
Given that, if you do any photo and video work or use heaps of tabs I think m2 16GB and 1TB gives you headroom.
I’ve never seen a need for the extra ports and I think the m1 chip was fast enough so m2 will be a nice bonus. Shame it doesn’t have an SD card reader though.
Thanks for you help...I just ordered the M2 Mac Mini w/16GB and 512GB
I like how you dont upsell the product cause everyone knows the more you spend, the better you get but being mindful of people’s budgets as well as reminding them to apply some common sense goes a long way into saving some serious bucks
Greatly appreciate the review. I'm really interested in the performance (and cost I guess) between the M2 Mac mini Pro similarly specced to the M1 Max Studio (base spec).
Interested to know what are the possibilities of adding something like a Satechi hub stand (at present just covering M1 mini) to the M2 series, as it seems like a good extra to boost the ports and even add extra SSD memory...
M2 Pro 32gb Ram, my M1 has some seruious issues with 16g of ram.. I need 3 Thunderbolt ports so one spare will be good. Be ordering this week.
Most helpful video. I'm down to the M2 with 16gb mem 512gb ssd, or the same spec M2 Pro for $300 more. I will be using it to record music as a hobby in my modest home studio. Do I need the Pro? No, but it's still tempting. Either would be vastly better than the 2010 MBP I've been limping on for years.
Which would be best for cybersecurity? More specifically, pentesting?
how is the base model SSD speeds did they do the same thing as the other m2 chips and cripple the ssd speeds with only one 256gb chip vs 2 128 chips?
The base model is for basic stuff so SSD speeds are moot. If you are doing a lot of transfers the 1TB is needed, or if you are using more than 8GB of RAM then buy 16GB or more RAM modules. The base model is really just for office, media, browsers, and small apps. Be sensible and buy what you need. If you need 1TB or 16GB then buy them; don’t whine when you buy 8GB/256GB when that is never going to be optimal for your workflow.
To me, the cheapest option is always the best conservative choice. Unless of course you have a specific need. It is always better to buy the cheapest rather than investing for a machine that is going to be obsoleted in two years time. The only concession would be memory, but at 200 a pop, it is better to purchase an external fast 1 Tb drive for storage and leave the M2 use the internal 256 Gb for memory swapping.
M2 Pro for me. The additional GPU, ports, 2.1 HDMI, 200GBS bandwidth, ...makes it a much better value for me. Contrary to your advice, I'll be upping the storage to 1TB, but no additional memory. 16G of unified memory is very substantial!
Nice!
well, imho you should max out your memory according to your cpu and 16gb is the minimum.
mac os has been always a system focusing on keeping data in memory rather than focusing on cpu power. the biggest upgrade you can get is getting huge memory.
Mac mini with 8GB RAM and 512gb storage some time freezing my adobe photoshop ? how can fix the problem ?
Just purchased the M2 Pro 12 core with 32GB RAM & 1TB SSD. I'm so psyched to edit on this machine. I have been using my Late 2012 iMac i7 Intel for 9 years now and I'm soooooo looking forward to more power and smooth sailing across my 4k footage.
Oh dude you’re gonna love it. Especially coming from an intel machine! These m chips are stunning, and the m2 pro even more so!
Same price as studio .... isn't it better to go with the studio ?
I’m with you bro! I have a MBP 16’ late april 2013 model. 16gb and 512ssd. It’s a work horse! But the fan turns on and sounds like a 68’ Buick and the temp get to butt naked and out of breath. That’s hot! I’m probably going with this build also. Since I keep my machines for years
I have yet to learn from Mac OS.... I want to get the mini to start... Besides browsing and media consumption, I use Lightroom and Photoshop for picture editing. How much memory I need for smooth editing? 16-24? m1 or m2 pro? Someone who knows to help me?
Recently sold my old Intel MacBook Air and upgraded to an M1 MacBook Air (Late 2020) with 16 GB integrated memory and 1TB storage and $300 off Apple's price from B&H Photo Video. (I love it when new products cause significant reductions in older models.). I'm really happy about this and won't need to venture into M2 world for quite a while yet. But, as usual, your analysis and advice are right-on for those looking at M2 Minis.
Thanks for the breakdown and common sense approach! I'm STILL unsure which I will buy. Speaking of making money... I make a living as an image editor in New York City (cosmetics and fashion) with a 2014 27" iMac (which is starting to fade). I say this only to make the point that it doesn't take the most expensive machine to get things done. I'm leaning towards an M2 with 24GB unified, 1TB SSD. That upgrade should last me years and easily beat the old iMac for speed. Now, if I can only afford the Studio Display. : )
is there a video by you on how far can one go with base model mac mini m2 in terms of video editing, basic 3d modeling in blender for product photography etc
Like that you differentiate between video editing in general and income based.
i like the approach of the review and advice-giving.
I’ll probably get the pro version. Haven’t decided on how much memory. Will probably get 1TB hard drive since I consistently have a min of 450 GB of stuff on the drive even when keeping downloads under control.
watching a few youtubers om this thanks for explaining to watch your pocket depending on use i did not need a great deal so i now have made my decision becuse of your clear analasist i have several mac already thanks typos
I still think the true fight is the M2 Pro Mini against the base M1 Max is the true fight. Would you choose two more new CPU cores or six last gent GPU cores?
* M2 Pro Mini with 12c CPU, 19c GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD for $1999
* M1 Max Studio with 10c CPU, 24c GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD for same $1999 (also get SDXC + more ports)
I hope there is a smart youtuber who will make this comparison sooner then later instead pf telling us everything that's on the website
Each concept very well explained Mark. I was using M1 Mac Mini base model, if I had to upgrade I will buy the M2 Mac Mini with 24 GB of RAM. If I had any extra money to spend, I would go straight to 14 inch M1 Pro Macbook pro, which is still available at good discounts.
I currently have an M1 Mac Mini with 16gb RAM and a 512gb internal drive. Were I to upgrade then the entry level M2 pro would be the logical choice. I am only a hobbyist stills photographer so time is not really an issue.
Great review, missing one key point. Speed of SSD 256 vs 512. Big difference
Thanks for the excellent and informative video, really helped me make my decision. M2 with 16/512 will be perfect for me
Great video Mark...currently, I'm running my old IMAC (2012)..lol...it's old and now starting show it's age. I primarily edit photos in Lightroom/Photoshop and occasionally edit some videos in Final Cut Pro X. I torn between purchasing the Mac Mini (standard) or Mac Mini Pro....based on my usage...what would you recommend? I'll probably go with the 16GB unified ram and external storage either way I choose....thanks again and here's to a great 2024.
Can the budget Mac mini support 100 hz on a 4k Display ober Displayport? Or even more? 5k ultrawide monitor with 100hz?
Thanks to your videos I took Mac Mini M2 Pro instead of Macbook Air M2 or Mac Mini M2. I decided to have more power for video editing (20% of the time) and visual apps (Figma, Miro, Affinity etc.). I am tired of working on an older Macbook Pro or Air with constant lagging. Although I am not a huge video producer, I work professionally on my Mac and got myself the comfort of the work that I need. And Mac Mini M2 Pro with additional ports, 16GB and faster 512GB SDD is the best money can buy.
Enjoy!
@@MarkEllisReviews thanks to your recommendations.
I think it’s worth noticing that the pro has more performance cores then the standard, meaning the two extra cores are performance cores making 6/4 instead of 4/4
Sadly my iMac has eaten another graphics card, 4th one in 10 years. I recently bought a new 27" monitor for my xbox so am looking at replacing the mac with a mini using the gaming screen. I do edit video content from a gopro so tempted towards the M2 pro. Will save desk space too.
I am looking at probably the M2 max mini and it’s because of the ports. I will be doing some video editing and also some podcasting and also some work at home. It is future proofing for me and I don’t want to daisy chain too much if I don’t have too. Probably stay with 16G and maybe 1TB of storage but I think with 4TB ports then I can have extra storage there.
Mark Ellis Reviews ThanksMuch!
Coming from a 2015 iMac equipped with 32GB of RAM, which has served me well, I've heard you can half your memory in the land of Apple unified memory. Is that true? I would welcome a video on external storage options. I have a slew of external drives: two 3.5" spinning HD's and five SSD's in cheap USB enclosures. This has all worked well on the iMac, but it's a mess of cables. What's the best way to transition all this to TB/USB-C? Thinking of a few NVME cases and SSD upgrades to my workhorse SSD video drive and photo/video archive drive where speed might be an improvement. Perhaps use SATA to USB-C cables for the other SSD's since speed is not an issue. Or perhaps just hang them off the USB 3.0 hub I already have. Plus I need to add in a card reader to the mix. Only still using about 200 of my 500GB of internal storage on the iMac, but thinking of a 16GB/1TB Pro M2 for the luxury of not worrying about space and have the room to edit some videos with the internal SSD.
Great Vid Mark. Good points to think about.
Great video Mark, I think your appraisal is spot-on. I would be buying for software development so more unified memory is beneficial. I have an M1 MacBook air with just 8GB and it's not quite enough. I'd go for 32GB, which is what I have on my windows machines anyway.
I have the m2 MacBook Air. For the past 3 weeks I have been running my computer near throttling limits. For the first week or so running “draw things”, a “stable diffusion” ai app.
Last week they updated the app to use the code donated by apple to run on the ai processors. It still uses some gpu, but the internal temperature dropped from 218F (189F unthrottled with external heatpad to large aluminum heat sink and fan) to 106F. While pulling 16 watts.
Performance wise it is about 20 times faster. (It generates 300 images as fast as the old one generated 15 images).
I think it about the speed of a NVIDIA rtx 4080 (released in the last 6 months), a computer that would accomplish this task would be about 300 watts, the gpu alone is 225 watts.
The m2 pro and max have the same amount of neural engines, so there is no benefit there.
Interestingly, the m2 mini is cheaper than just the (unavailable) NVIDIA rtx 4080.
Ended up getting a Mac Mini M2 Pro to complement my MacBook Air M2. I had a MacBook Pro M2 Max and found it to be complete overkill for my needs. The nice thing is it sold on eBay for a lot of money so I only lost a few hundred.
I do Rust development and I want to dive into iOS development. I’m shocked by the performance of my 8gb MacBook Air M2, and I suspect that the 16gb Mac Mini M2 Pro will be enough for me.
It arrives tomorrow!
In case the 256GB SSD version has the same disadvantage like the MacBook Air with 256GB, this version has a much slower SSD than the 512GB models. It comes down to one vs two SSD chips and therefore half the bandwidth. If you are planning to use the Mac mini for 5 to 8 years, take 16GB of RAM and 512 GB SSD. Anything else is saving at the wrong place.
It seems that both 256 and 512 have this limitation. 1tb is the next step up. I don’t need that size, but might have to purchase just for speed.
@@jelliottlein Just read such an article. What a downer that is. On the other hand, make sure that you really NEED the speed. Even the „slower“ SSDs might be faster than others and as fast as you need them to be. But to be honest: I cannot understand this decisions made by Apple. Especially not , when looking on the prices they ask for SSD upgrades.
I do some photoshop, Final Cut movies and Logic audio.. I don’t normally have them all open at once and I don’t have urgent deadlines to keep, so not concerned if I have to wait a min or whatever longer to export compared to a 32gb (400 quid difference and taking me into M1 studio basic territory) so I think I can work ok with the m2 pro 16 gb 512 ssd comfortably even if it has to draw a gb or so outside to help sometimes I don’t think it will notice…..
Excellent video, Mark! I currently have a Mac Mini M1/16gb/1tb that I use primarily with Lightroom and Photoshop, little to no video editing. Lightroom gets glitchy sometimes when using the clone, heal, AI tools. Other than that, the M1 has served me well. But I'm considering an M2 or M2 Pro. Considering I use Lightroom and Photoshop 99% of the time, do you think I will notice any performance difference between my current M1 and either of the M2 versions. I only care about editing performance/speed, not photo import or export speeds. Thanks!
Great video and as always, budget is King. What is slightly worrying though, as I'll be upgrading from a 2011 iMac with 8gb, how people are finding these machines not enough? I still run Ableton, without problem. It's only as I cannot upgrade software anymore that I'm forced to purchase a new machine. I think I paid around £1K for my machine and then upgraded to 8gb of ram later on. Surely with new CPU, ram and SSD these must be lightning fast! I've been looking at the base M2, but now I'm looking at the M2 pro, purely based on internet comments about how much you need these days.
7:24 did I understand that correctly? Can you upgrade the internat SSD in Mac mini m1/m2 by yourself? I thought you could not.
Nope, but you can upgrade it by adding external SSDs, as I go on to explain.
One thing to remember for the ram, if you get more than 256gb disk, your SSD speed will be 1/6 the speed of 2 channels of ddr4. Though only 1/30 the speed of the m2 ram, or 1/60 the speed of m2 pro ram.
DDR3 is 1/3 the speed of DDR4, so the 512gb and larger m2 SSD is the same speed as 1 channel of DDR3, or 1/2 the speed of 2 channels of DDR3.
So get enough ram for your workload in real ram, but if you are upgrading from an older computer, the SSD is as fast or nearly as fast as the ram on your current computer.
Personally my m2 MacBook Air had has 24gb, and it makes a noticeable difference when I run out of ram, however everything keeps running.
Which TH-camr has confirmed that ? So there is only one NAND encoder on the base 256 and two NAND encoders on the 512 and later
@@SašiceAca maxtech for m2 macbook air.
@@mikegrok yep but not yet 100% sure for mini
Does the 24Gb model work in dual channel?
Have you actually tested these two side by side and are there issues with write and read speeds on the 256gb storage, like in the MacBook Air?
The SSD speed is lower on the base M2 than on the base M1 mini.
The 512GB version has double the read/write speeds, similar to the Macbook Pros.
I have three old Mac Minis I want to replace. Two of them have 8g of memory and one has 16g. Since their functionality won't be upgraded, I can feel good about replacing them with the base M2 Mac Mini. Hmmm, maybe I will get one with 16g of memory just in case.
I like the M2-Pro Mini with 16 or 24 GB unified memory and not concerned with storage as external storage is fine. But the Pro offeres support for 3 monitors which is very nice.
Thank you for sharing this info! It’s sincerely appreciated! Quick question. I’m looking at getting the M2 mini with 16gb storage and 512gb unified memory. I do video editing as a side hustle. Not full time employment. Do you think I’ll have enough to work with? Or do I really have to spend more coin for the M2 Pro (which I’m trying to avoid)?
Lots of reviewers say the M1 mini edits 4K no problem, so the M2 non-pro should be fine. 30 day returns are easy to test!
Really easy to listen to and simplifying loads so thank you! Q: what do you recommend getting for extra storage for the Mac mini?
Can you please comment on refresh rate both models offer?
Not sure why the refresh rate is important to you but the maximum refresh rate is 4K resolution at 240Hz over HDMI.
I’m choosing between M2 16GB 512GB storage and M2 Pro base model. Can’t decide which model to get, general use, spreadsheets, occasional gaming and planning to use virtue machine (Windows) for work.
Any suggestion would be awesome, thanks!
M2 16GB 512GB is the answer. Then invest the savings or spend them on an experience.
I have been working with the M1 Mac Mini (base model) since day one.... and I love it, but I need something with a little more humph now (video editing) so I have just ordered the M2 Mac Mini Pro (base model) CPU is roughly the same power as the base model M1 Mac Studio (except GPU power and having only 16 gigs ram).... Should tie me over until the M4 or M5 are released (fingers crossed) 🤞🤞🤞🤞
any suggestions for a monitor IM a student and also edit in adobe premier
14" macbook pro since need to move around e.g. for school and work
I think I will wait for the Mac Studio upgrade , hopefully this year . :)) I need a Mac Mini M2 pro with 32 Gb of Ram and 2 Tb ....Then I realize the price is too close to the Mac Studio , therefore I rather wait for the Mac Studio upgrade hopefully this year .
M2 Mini Pro for me because I want 4 USB-C ports. I don't know how this generation of machines performs with Lightroom & Photoshop so I don't know how the Unified Memory performs with respect to older gen Intel RAM but I'll probably just suck it up and get the 32Gb for the long run.
I’m not someone who has a bunch of extra peripherals just laying around, so when I include the price of keyboard, mouse, and monitor, the price is pretty high. The iMac starts to make a lot more sense.
Base M2 mini for use as a media server.
Actually if we spec up the M2 to have the same SSD storage and RAM as the base model M2 Pro then it comes to £1,049.00. So I would say the actual difference you are paying for all the extra features such as more GPUs, ports etc that a M2 Pro has is only £350.
I'm going to stick with my base model M1 Mac mini and wait for the M3 to upgrade. I haven't (as of yet) experienced any problems with video editing, coding, and web design.
Thanks. Been wondering. I use FCX but they’re not huge projects with multi cam, etc and wondering if I can get by with a base mini M2. I’m coming from a 2012 iMac! How does FCX run on your mini?
Which M2 Mac mini are you going for?
Thanks to your tips, I’ve found my 8GB/256GB M1 Mac Mini…with an accessory Thunderbolt dock…to be MORE machine than I need. If I still only depended on my mid-2011 Mac Mini (I’m investigating turning that machine into a Linux box), I’d go for the cheapest M2 Pro Mac Mini ONLY because it has more ports. As it stands now, my M1 Mac Mini’s Thunderbolt dock runs happily enough with the added numbers of ports and the 4TB drive in it. I reckon I’m all set for Mac Mini for the next 10 years.
I ordered the M2 pro Mac mini with the base line spec. Ordered from one of those Select franchises in Durham.
Problem with that is Apple don’t typically send the pros to these smaller shops, so I might have to wait another day for one to be forwarded to it for collection.
I do some TH-cam work and photo editing, but do quite a lot of Fusion 360 cad design.
I’m looking forward to it. Fingers crossed they get one tomorrow so I can pick it up and have a play before going back to my normal job.
With all the respect you deserve, calling people "knuckle-dragging" is extremely offensive. If someone makes you notice that you don't have the new mac mini is because your video was uploaded at the same time other reviewers made their videos public. You start your video holding two mac minis and saying, "there are now two mac minis to choose from." People were looking for answers. You don't have to call them "knuckle-dragging" for being disappointed. I was a huge fan of this channel, but not anymore.
Sorry if offended you, buddy. It’s tough to explain unless you’re in my shoes. We take A LOT of flack from people on TH-cam and sometimes the frustration spills over. You make a fair point - I’ll edit the comment. But trust me - I’ve had far worse directed forwards me.
Worth upgrading from Mac mini M1 16/512 to Mac mini M2 16/512? or even to the pro?
no wait til m3 or later
Any Bluetooth issues so far?
No idea yet, but I'll be testing and reporting back!
Have ordered the Mac Mini M2 pro with 16Gb memory and 1Tb disc to upgrade my intel Mac mini
Great vid, have been going back & forth on which setup to get for the family, this vid really helped & cleared up some confusion.
Keep up the great content.
Maybe down the road do an office/desk setup with new Mac mini?
Glad it was helpful!
Yes Mark - I'm going to spend 599 USD plus peripherals on an M2 mini and give it to a kid. Not sure what you are smoking, but that is typical of the throwaway attitude of virtually every creator on YT. I get that Uni students may well have a Macbook Air (more power to them) but Chromebooks and SOCs were invented for the rest.
The main game I play these days is world of tanks blitz(7 minute games). It uses 1 gpu core. And since the m2’s GPU cores are 50% faster than the m1’s any of the m2 GPUs work better.
If I’m getting away with a M2 iPad Pro will a Base M2 Mac mini do a similar job for my young channel?
Great vlog btw and have a subscribe👍
Apple why not a Mac Mini with M2 Max? I know about Mac Studio but... why not the Mac mini too?
I was going to buy the Mac Mini pro until I saw some refurbs base model Mac Studio for £1799 on the Apple store now I'm unsure
1 more thing about M2 vs M2 Pro:
M2 version has HDMI 2.0 and M2 Pro has HDMI 2.1
So a M2 can support 4k monitor with max 60 fps, but M2 pro can support 4k monitor with much more fps
You can check it at apple site.
If you buy M2 version then your external monitor can't go with 4k at are than 60 fps. Even if your monitor is 120 fps at 4k then it will limited at 60 fps.
It's a problem for monitor / TV like LG C2 42" (awesome display with good price!) because it has only 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs without USB-C
Check a comparison at apple site.
? You can just use the thunderbolt port and have 4k and 140hz
I think I'm waiting until the Studio is upgraded to an M2 pro ....
Super advıces Thank you
No problem!
M2 Pro Mac Mini! Just because of the 32GB of Ram with it.
Do you have recommendations for monitors to support the mini? Hard to find those as good as Apple without being pricey.
As I understand LG work closely with Apple for the screens they use so might be worth looking at their range of monitors…?
Can the m2 run 4k 120hz
pro only
M2 pro cause I do video and design work.
Which one bellow?
Mac mini M2 8 Cpu/10Gpu - 16gb Ram - 1tb ssd (2 thunder ports, 100gb mem bandwidth) = $1.200,00
Mac mini M2 Pro 10 Cpu/16Gpu - 16gb Ram - 1tb ssd (4 thunder ports, 200gb mem bandwidth) = $1.500,00
No video making here. Im music producer. Do you think worth the extra $300,00? By CPU Mark Rating, M2:15332 against M2 Pro: 22364, its about 50% more. Is it real or marketing?
M2 Pro for me..
I Thought that the standard m2 mac mini could only drive one display
Nope, it supports two. The base Mac mini M2 supports one display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt AND one display with up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K resolution at 60Hz over HDMI.
@@deasystems Thanks good to know, i just need to stop myself buying one !!!!!
so the standard mac mini m2 with 24gb ram and 512gb storage is not a better option then the m2 pro version with 16gb ram and 512gb? i want to make a small business for video editing, like weedings and stuff
Grab the M2 Pro if you can afford it - that's a far more video focused machine.
Mac mini M2 with 16Gb, 256Gb. Then get a Mac mini dock with 1Tb of M.2 nvme SSD.
I am getting the M2 with 16 GB of memory and 512 GB storage.
I've got the M1 Mac Mini with 16 GB of RAM, and I honestly see no reason to upgrade!