Very good content here. I was trying to decide and opted for the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16GB and I upgraded to 1TB. I ordered an NVME enclosure and will likely get a WD SN770. I was going to get the SN850X but after hearing your brief description of max transfer rate over Thunderbolt, I'm sure the 770 will serve me fine.
Thank you for explaining the specs and pricing differences so clearly! Apple knows how to confuse their consumers into spending more than they need to by overwhelming them with lots of overpriced upgrade options. I have been trying to choose between the Mac Mini and the Mac Studio and what you said about the studio towards the end of the video has sealed the deal for me. I probably watched 20 other comparison and review videos before I found you and none of them explained things in a way that made my decision any easier! Its taken me 3 months to finally feel confident in choosing the right Mac for my current (and future) needs. You are appreciated Sir!
Thanks for the grate video! I respect confident reviews from people who have electronic engineer degrees and have clue what about talking too. I got M2 mini for testing and now I want swap it for Mac mini M2 pro.
Your video is the best. I am lucky to have found it. I wish you had one for mac studio and or m2 max. I must admit that i struggle with my 16 gb ram windows pc. But the pc is more than 10 years old now. I am starting to wonder if i may need 24 gb or 32 gb ram once I buy myself a mac.
@@john005_ thanks for the feedback. With apple’s ability to efficiently utilize solid state drives as ram, I recommend getting 16gb with the standard 512gb SSD. Whether you get the newer M3 or even M4, the 16gb/512gb will work. Use the 512gb basically for the operating system and apps/programs. Use the money you saved on more ram to put in a 2TB NvMe external fast hard drive. (Lightning port compatible). It is as fast as my internal ssd drive. Use this drive to put and save all your files. Docs, music, pics, videos, spreadsheets, pdf, etc. I keep my internal 512gb at about 400gb to run all my operations and as the ram assistance. I also connected an additional hard drive, (standard usb external I had sitting around), for all my mirror backups. Don’t need speed for that. The only advantage of a PC is that if you don’t get enough ram initially, you can add more. But with Mac/apple being able to efficiently use the SSD drive for ram (and it’s fast), you can do well with 16gb. I don’t recommend 8gb because you will be using the SSD as ram almost continuously. But with 16gb of ram, the SSD is used to help ram only about 20-25% of the time.
Hey there. Not sure what specific needs you might have, but I'd be glad to help if I can. While we can communicate directly, I actually find that it would be better to go ahead and ask right here. The reason being is; others might have similar requirements as you, and they can benefit from the conversation. Also, while I have been working with all forms of computers for over 40 years, I don't know everything; as such, other readers may be able to provide insight on some of their similar experiences. Mike
I have to buy a MacMini Base M2 because I'm changing jobs. I don't have the money; a friend is lending it to me. In my country, we don't have many options. I already have everything else because I used to edit on an old HP laptop with a sixth-gen i3. I don't know what to expect; I just want my workflow not to be interrupted, but I don't have any other options. I've seen that in the base model, you can edit well in 4K, but I'm not sure. Now I'm scared, and I don't have any more time or money :( Wish me Luck I guess
Being you have very few options, you have to do the best that you can with what you have. I'm sure the basic mac mini M2 will work for you. It has it's limitations, but you should be fine. My biggest emphasis was when comparing the Mac Mini base m2 to the Mac mini m2 pro, that there isn't a real price difference once you compare them together with the same options. But being the M2 pro isn't an option for you, I recommend getting a decent NVMe external drive and case or really any external drive so your Base Mac Mini m2 can use the internal drive ONLY for the operating system and swap memory. Use the external drive for ALL of your documents, files, etc. It will help the mac mini base m2 run easier.
Larry. Not sure if I'd recommend people to hold off and wait for the M3 mac mini. Couple of reasons. It could easily be another 4,5, 6 or 9 months. Based on the specs, there isn't a whole lot of differences between the M2 and M3. I will be curious if they throw the new M3 chip on the OLD Board that the M2 mac mini is on; or if the new m3 mac mini will get the new board like the m2 mac mini pro. Apple normally upgrades yearly. Between the M1 and M2 was different because of covid, supply restrictions, etc. But apple normally comes out with new chips in their products almost yearly. If you were waiting for the NEWEST to come out, you'll never buy, because someone will say "The NEWER one is coming out in a few month". When it comes to apple gear, you buy it when you want it. Never wait for the "Newest" one. The M2 (especially the Pro) was a MAJOR upgrade. Because it took almost 3 years and the pro got a completely different motherboard.
Wish I would have seen this before I purchased my “regular” Mac Mini. I need it for light video editing, graphics for print usually 600DPI files. When deciding which one to get I came across a fork in the road with the Regular and the Pro at the 1299 price point. The decision was either the extra 8 gigs of RAM vs the faster GPU and 8 gigs less RAM. Both have 512GB … I chose the regular one because of the extra 8 gigs or RAM. Maybe not thebest choice but I think it will work for me. Apple M2 with 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine 24GB unified memory
I'm sure you'll be happy. But some clarification in case you have a friend who has similar needs. The M2 Pro has many added benefits. The 16 core "Graphics Processing Unit" is much faster with graphics than the 10 core. Also, the 4 thunderbolt ports are almost a must nowadays if you want a quality 2nd monitor or high end single monitor; also the thunderbolt is necessary for a high speed external hard drive. My NVME external 2TB drive is "AS FAST" as the internal SSD in the Mac Mini. But it would never be that fast without the Thunderbolt port. You could buy an external thunderbolt hub to add on, but they are expensive. Finally; the 24gb of memory.... well, you're not really going to notice it over the 16gb. There is a big jump between 8gb and 16gb, but that's where it stops. That's because it's "Unified Memory"; meaning, it combines the RAM with the SSD hard drive to also be more memory if needed. So I just my 512gb SSD only for the operating system and the apps/programs. ALL other data, docs, files, photos, videos, music, saved games, etc. are all stored on the external 2TB SSD NVME drive. So the 512gb SSD and the 16gb ram will always be more than enough. You'll almost never go past 16gb of ram; and if you temporarily need to, the 512gb drive covers just fine. But you will be happy with your choice I'm sure. My opinion may help some others, but that's not saying your choice won't work for you. If you have more than a 1gb internet connection, the 10gb network card will come in handy. I only have 1gb, but if I get more than 1gb some day, I can buy a thunderbolt/USB-C network card that does 2.5gb for $28. (Again, thunderbolt/usb-c is the future).
@@DIY_Mike-rm5we I actually cancelled my order and got the M2 pro, 512, with 16GB ram. I thank you because the definitely didn’t think of how much I needed the extra Thunderbolt connections
Hey I'm curious what two monitors you use with your mini. The pro displays are so expensive from apple I want to know if its possible to achieve similar quality with other monitors. Thanks!
I was using 2 27" Asus monitors. But I changed out and now I use 1 single monitor. It's an MSI MAG401QR, 40" Gaming Monitor, 3440 x 1440 HDR. Same real estate as 2 monitors but much more flexible, easier to multi task, and better resolution.
Well explained. I didn't see any arrogance or condescending voice as a commenter said. However, it was a bit too repetitive, I think the average viewer got it on hearing the same thing for the first time. 🙂 Anyway, it helped me swing towards the Pro version, now I understand why I should go for that one. Thanks Mike.
Hi Mike is Henry I would lije to asking something I have a mac mini with M1 i am a music producer and I have 2 viewsinic touch screens monitos but my mac mini only support one touch screen do you know if I get tge M2 pro i will be able to conectvmy 2 touch screens monitors I ask at apple store and they dont know. Can you believe it? Thanks for that great video Thank you
The mac mini pro can handle up to 3 monitors, one through the HDMI and 2 others through the thunderbolt (USB-C looking port). Because thunderbolt links all devices together, I would think that if both touch screens were using thunderbolt, it should work. I wish I could try it for you, but I don't use touch screens on my desktop; only on my laptop.
Not sure what you mean by flipped upside down. The bottom of the hub is black plastic. It would look terrible. As for over or under, there’s no right or wrong. I like it on top because it weighs less, and made of lower quality material, than the Mac mini . Don’t want the heavier item on top. Plus, I have the two sitting on top of a laptop cooler. Helps keep it cool.
Interesting. I double checked the product photos and that black plastic is actually the top of the hub (and you place the Mac Mini on top of that), but I understand where you’re coming from. Makes sense too. It probably does not matter from a functional perspective. Thanks for explaining!
Before watching your clip, I was struggling to decide between a PC and a Mac mini M2 PRO as my next desktop, and I was like 50/50. Now I'm like 70/30 to the PC(coming from an 2018 mac mini 2018 i5 with 32GB RAM+egpu).
And except that it loads some applications harder than my old i5-32Gb mac mini, is doing great on my daily usage(web browsing, light fusion360 designs, some python and arduino programming)
You lost me when you said "I don't deal in opinions, I deal in _facts!_" Extremely condescending, extremely arrogant. Maybe adopt a pleasant tone if you seek to persuade.
@@DIY_Mike-rm5we You're not sorry in the factual sense of the word. You have zero knowledge of my understanding of tech, economics, or anything else. I won't bother you further.
Very good content here. I was trying to decide and opted for the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16GB and I upgraded to 1TB. I ordered an NVME enclosure and will likely get a WD SN770. I was going to get the SN850X but after hearing your brief description of max transfer rate over Thunderbolt, I'm sure the 770 will serve me fine.
This has been very helpful. Thank you.
Thank you for explaining the specs and pricing differences so clearly! Apple knows how to confuse their consumers into spending more than they need to by overwhelming them with lots of overpriced upgrade options. I have been trying to choose between the Mac Mini and the Mac Studio and what you said about the studio towards the end of the video has sealed the deal for me. I probably watched 20 other comparison and review videos before I found you and none of them explained things in a way that made my decision any easier! Its taken me 3 months to finally feel confident in choosing the right Mac for my current (and future) needs. You are appreciated Sir!
Thanks for the grate video! I respect confident reviews from people who have electronic engineer degrees and have clue what about talking too. I got M2 mini for testing and now I want swap it for Mac mini M2 pro.
Glad it was helpful!
So so glad I came across you. It's the mac pro mini then. Thank you sir.
Glad I could help. Enjoy
Your video is the best. I am lucky to have found it. I wish you had one for mac studio and or m2 max. I must admit that i struggle with my 16 gb ram windows pc. But the pc is more than 10 years old now. I am starting to wonder if i may need 24 gb or 32 gb ram once I buy myself a mac.
@@john005_ thanks for the feedback. With apple’s ability to efficiently utilize solid state drives as ram, I recommend getting 16gb with the standard 512gb SSD. Whether you get the newer M3 or even M4, the 16gb/512gb will work. Use the 512gb basically for the operating system and apps/programs. Use the money you saved on more ram to put in a 2TB NvMe external fast hard drive. (Lightning port compatible). It is as fast as my internal ssd drive. Use this drive to put and save all your files. Docs, music, pics, videos, spreadsheets, pdf, etc. I keep my internal 512gb at about 400gb to run all my operations and as the ram assistance. I also connected an additional hard drive, (standard usb external I had sitting around), for all my mirror backups. Don’t need speed for that. The only advantage of a PC is that if you don’t get enough ram initially, you can add more. But with Mac/apple being able to efficiently use the SSD drive for ram (and it’s fast), you can do well with 16gb. I don’t recommend 8gb because you will be using the SSD as ram almost continuously. But with 16gb of ram, the SSD is used to help ram only about 20-25% of the time.
D-
Mega summation and great spectacles!
✊🏾
Hi Mike. Thanks for the great info! This is SO HELPFUL. I wonder if you’d be willing to communicate with me directly about my specific Mac needs?
Hey there. Not sure what specific needs you might have, but I'd be glad to help if I can. While we can communicate directly, I actually find that it would be better to go ahead and ask right here. The reason being is; others might have similar requirements as you, and they can benefit from the conversation. Also, while I have been working with all forms of computers for over 40 years, I don't know everything; as such, other readers may be able to provide insight on some of their similar experiences. Mike
I have to buy a MacMini Base M2 because I'm changing jobs. I don't have the money; a friend is lending it to me. In my country, we don't have many options. I already have everything else because I used to edit on an old HP laptop with a sixth-gen i3. I don't know what to expect; I just want my workflow not to be interrupted, but I don't have any other options. I've seen that in the base model, you can edit well in 4K, but I'm not sure. Now I'm scared, and I don't have any more time or money :(
Wish me Luck I guess
Being you have very few options, you have to do the best that you can with what you have. I'm sure the basic mac mini M2 will work for you. It has it's limitations, but you should be fine. My biggest emphasis was when comparing the Mac Mini base m2 to the Mac mini m2 pro, that there isn't a real price difference once you compare them together with the same options. But being the M2 pro isn't an option for you, I recommend getting a decent NVMe external drive and case or really any external drive so your Base Mac Mini m2 can use the internal drive ONLY for the operating system and swap memory. Use the external drive for ALL of your documents, files, etc. It will help the mac mini base m2 run easier.
If one was thinking of buying a mac mini now in Nov 2023 that one should hold off the the M3 Mac Mini?
Larry. Not sure if I'd recommend people to hold off and wait for the M3 mac mini. Couple of reasons. It could easily be another 4,5, 6 or 9 months. Based on the specs, there isn't a whole lot of differences between the M2 and M3. I will be curious if they throw the new M3 chip on the OLD Board that the M2 mac mini is on; or if the new m3 mac mini will get the new board like the m2 mac mini pro. Apple normally upgrades yearly. Between the M1 and M2 was different because of covid, supply restrictions, etc. But apple normally comes out with new chips in their products almost yearly. If you were waiting for the NEWEST to come out, you'll never buy, because someone will say "The NEWER one is coming out in a few month". When it comes to apple gear, you buy it when you want it. Never wait for the "Newest" one. The M2 (especially the Pro) was a MAJOR upgrade. Because it took almost 3 years and the pro got a completely different motherboard.
Good video. I like the cut of your jib. Make more content and I’ll watch it.
Or buy the MM M2 Pro on a deal??? X
this is totally true. he is right! 👍🏻
Excellent video., thanks!!!
Wish I would have seen this before I purchased my “regular” Mac Mini. I need it for light video editing, graphics for print usually 600DPI files. When deciding which one to get I came across a fork in the road with the Regular and the Pro at the 1299 price point. The decision was either the extra 8 gigs of RAM vs the faster GPU and 8 gigs less RAM. Both have 512GB … I chose the regular one because of the extra 8 gigs or RAM.
Maybe not thebest choice but I think it will work for me.
Apple M2 with
8-core CPU, 10-core GPU,
16-core Neural Engine
24GB unified memory
I'm sure you'll be happy. But some clarification in case you have a friend who has similar needs. The M2 Pro has many added benefits. The 16 core "Graphics Processing Unit" is much faster with graphics than the 10 core. Also, the 4 thunderbolt ports are almost a must nowadays if you want a quality 2nd monitor or high end single monitor; also the thunderbolt is necessary for a high speed external hard drive. My NVME external 2TB drive is "AS FAST" as the internal SSD in the Mac Mini. But it would never be that fast without the Thunderbolt port. You could buy an external thunderbolt hub to add on, but they are expensive. Finally; the 24gb of memory.... well, you're not really going to notice it over the 16gb. There is a big jump between 8gb and 16gb, but that's where it stops. That's because it's "Unified Memory"; meaning, it combines the RAM with the SSD hard drive to also be more memory if needed. So I just my 512gb SSD only for the operating system and the apps/programs. ALL other data, docs, files, photos, videos, music, saved games, etc. are all stored on the external 2TB SSD NVME drive. So the 512gb SSD and the 16gb ram will always be more than enough. You'll almost never go past 16gb of ram; and if you temporarily need to, the 512gb drive covers just fine.
But you will be happy with your choice I'm sure. My opinion may help some others, but that's not saying your choice won't work for you. If you have more than a 1gb internet connection, the 10gb network card will come in handy. I only have 1gb, but if I get more than 1gb some day, I can buy a thunderbolt/USB-C network card that does 2.5gb for $28. (Again, thunderbolt/usb-c is the future).
@@DIY_Mike-rm5we I actually cancelled my order and got the M2 pro, 512, with 16GB ram. I thank you because the definitely didn’t think of how much I needed the extra Thunderbolt connections
just wondering, can a mac mini M2 base output a 4K 120Hz VRR via the Thunderbolt port? will be using DP1.4 to USBC cable.
Hey I'm curious what two monitors you use with your mini. The pro displays are so expensive from apple I want to know if its possible to achieve similar quality with other monitors. Thanks!
I was using 2 27" Asus monitors. But I changed out and now I use 1 single monitor. It's an MSI MAG401QR, 40" Gaming Monitor, 3440 x 1440 HDR. Same real estate as 2 monitors but much more flexible, easier to multi task, and better resolution.
Well explained. I didn't see any arrogance or condescending voice as a commenter said.
However, it was a bit too repetitive, I think the average viewer got it on hearing the same thing for the first time. 🙂
Anyway, it helped me swing towards the Pro version, now I understand why I should go for that one. Thanks Mike.
Well done.
appreciate your analysis... it helped me to take decision, opted Mac Mini M2 Pro
Hi Mike is Henry
I would lije to asking something
I have a mac mini with M1 i am a music producer and I have 2 viewsinic touch screens monitos but my mac mini only support one touch screen do you know if I get tge M2 pro i will be able to conectvmy 2 touch screens monitors I ask at apple store and they dont know. Can you believe it?
Thanks for that great video
Thank you
The mac mini pro can handle up to 3 monitors, one through the HDMI and 2 others through the thunderbolt (USB-C looking port). Because thunderbolt links all devices together, I would think that if both touch screens were using thunderbolt, it should work. I wish I could try it for you, but I don't use touch screens on my desktop; only on my laptop.
Good video. Common computer sense.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks Mike, great review.
About your hub though… isn’t it supposed to go UNDER the Mac Mini (and flipped upside down from how you placed it)?
Not sure what you mean by flipped upside down. The bottom of the hub is black plastic. It would look terrible. As for over or under, there’s no right or wrong. I like it on top because it weighs less, and made of lower quality material, than the Mac mini . Don’t want the heavier item on top. Plus, I have the two sitting on top of a laptop cooler. Helps keep it cool.
Interesting. I double checked the product photos and that black plastic is actually the top of the hub (and you place the Mac Mini on top of that), but I understand where you’re coming from. Makes sense too. It probably does not matter from a functional perspective. Thanks for explaining!
@@DIY_Mike-rm5we ua-cam.com/video/3Gz5tnohqJE/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared 🤭
I double checked again and it looks like you have a different hub! Sorry! My bad… haha
Good Work
Nice and informative video
Thank you so much 😀
Thanks. There’s a lot of videos saying the base model can run Logic X with no worries which I find hard to believe.
10x bro! You help me a lot ❤
Glad I could help
Before watching your clip, I was struggling to decide between a PC and a Mac mini M2 PRO as my next desktop, and I was like 50/50. Now I'm like 70/30 to the PC(coming from an 2018 mac mini 2018 i5 with 32GB RAM+egpu).
Glad I could help. I love my Mac Mini M2 Pro; but I also like my PC's with windows and linux. Each have different uses.
@@DIY_Mike-rm5we yeah, finaly I saw an offer on Black Friday that I could not refuse, so currently I’m a proud owner of a mac mini m2.
And except that it loads some applications harder than my old i5-32Gb mac mini, is doing great on my daily usage(web browsing, light fusion360 designs, some python and arduino programming)
You lost me when you said "I don't deal in opinions, I deal in _facts!_" Extremely condescending, extremely arrogant. Maybe adopt a pleasant tone if you seek to persuade.
Not arrogant or condescending at all. What I posted are facts. Sorry you don’t understand the technology or basic economics
.
@@DIY_Mike-rm5we You're not sorry in the factual sense of the word. You have zero knowledge of my understanding of tech, economics, or anything else. I won't bother you further.