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If you dont pay 2x price at first pace, then you'll have to renew your computer in a shorter time. I had a Mid 2010 mac pro, which means i'd used it more than 12 years, until buying my new full spec M2 pro Mac Mini. I always buy any computer for futureproof. i think this is the best ratio of money/long time usage
Because if you upgrade them to the base M2 Pro. You're at $999.00 now.. Without all the other features the M2 Pro bus you for an extra $300.00.. It's no contest which to get. As the M2 Pro buys you way more for the money..
@@WizzRacing So you're saying the base M2 pro is better than the M2 with 512 SSD and 16 RAM upgrades? I'm almost certain I want the base M2 pro because of this but I'd really like to see a comparison in performance between those two before making any decisions. Edit: Typo
@@juanpablocervantes-gz9dt You're paying that extra cost for the CPU/GPU..The HD, Ram, 4 Type C ports and 244hz support.. So Performance will be based on if you need those. As most monitors today can support 244hz anyways. Which makes for better viewing..The 4 Types C ports are worth it. If you have to use a hub to support all your devices. that use type C connectors. Which is an extra cost if you had to buy one. So cost is up to the buyer on what they need.
Only the M2 Pro allows use of 3 monitors....I'm certain Apple didn't do that by accident or an oversight. For me, 3 monitors is a must...my current setup is with iMac Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017, a 34" LG Ultrawide, and a LG 32" wide screen (LG's stock one on top the other). Then I have my old Mac from 2009 as a standalone (has music library and photos).
Great video :) would be very interesting to see the differences between an M2 Mac Mini that has been upgraded to 16GB and 512GB. One other notable difference is that the HDMI port on the M2 Pro is HDMI 2.1 and on the M2 it is HDMI 2.0. This may be an important factor depending on use case
I bought the M2 base model, then I used USD 88 to get a WERO Thunderbolt 3/USB4 enclosure (JMS583A3+JHL7440 chipset) and USD 100 to buy a low-end GEIL P4L 2TB Nvme SSD (Gen 4). I can use the 2TB external SSD as the Boot Up disk. The Blackmagic test shows the the write speed of the GEIL 2TB SSD is about 2700MB/s. Very happy about the base model M2 with just USD 188 for upgrading to 2TB storage. Apple's upgrade option is just a rip-off.
Wow, awesome videoI literally just ordered and haven't received yet: • Apple M2 Pro with 12 core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16 core Neural Engine • 1TB SSD storage • 10 Gigabit Ethernet • Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, two USB A ports, headphone jack • 32GB unified memory It will be used not only for development but extensive use of windows vm (via Parallels), so power user for sure. Thanks for the info and any advice would be much appreciated. Regards Marc
When you upgrade the M2 to make it equivalent to the M2 Pro (so both have 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM) the price difference becomes much smaller, and there is a strong case for the M2 Pro base model.
I just got the base Mini M2 pro after tons of UA-cam reviews and consideration. As you said the difference is worth the upgrade to the Pro. It's a desktop setup, I don't mind to pay a bit more for additional features (three monitors set up and another 2 thunderbolt 4 ports) and cores. My set up now with 3 monitors and it runs very smoothly. Happy with the Mini Pro M2!
Very helpful video - and yes please, more Mini content: I'd love to see a similarly detailed comparison between the two M2 Pro versions, 10 and 12 core, especially in terms of whether the 12 core version will finally make the Mini's fan spin up if pushed long enough. Also, is the 1TB storage option faster than the 512GB one?
16:55 The on-screen tests in GFXBench (anything that doesn't have Offscreen written next to it) is limited by the display refresh rate. You were getting 60fps on both machines because the recording device they were plugged into was set to 60Hz. This test is primarily designed for smartphones and tablets, where the different display resolution makes a difference. For computers you are only supposed to use the offscreen test.
Good comparison between the two. What I'm really interested in is a comparison between the M2 with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD upgrades vs the base M2 Pro. I'm guessing that the results would be still be pretty similar to the results you got here, but would be nice to know for sure.
Yeah, and the difference, once upgraded, is 300. Personally, if i was going for the ssd upgrade and ram upgrade, I think the m2 pro might be worth it. This assumes that the m2 pro has TWO nand chips for ram, which I'm guessing it does, given the benchmarks.
@@batmanonabike3119 I heard mac mini m2 pro 512gb doesnt have 2 nand chips and you should increase ssd in order. Really I would like to have full information about nand chips in all configurations of this computer. Im gonna buy it
You have to also keep in mind, that you can NEVER EVER upgrade this hardware again. So what is your average usage time of a computer? 8 years? Since 2010 the computers got good enough for the average user to never need another one. I still use a 2014 Mac Mini and a 2007 MacBook Pro. My values would be: - At least 16G RAM (8G was good 10 years ago). Better more (you can't upgrade, so 24G/32G). - Disk size I find 1T SSD is enough for most people (but you can't upgrade: so 2T). But I also have a external NAS for backup and backup needs time. - 10G Ethernet for 100$ is great and is future proof and you can't upgrade. If you want more disk that 2T you do video stuff or raw photography and you better have a good backup plan to not lose more than you can afford. Because if the mini fails you loose all data. And the mini can't be easy repaired. In case of a failed mini, Apple will only replace the complete motherboard and all your data is lost. And that may even be a repaired board from somewhere else. You will never know. More SSD size on such a system that doesn't allow you upgrade/replace anything is dangerous and useless for doing RAID 1 like mirroring. Even if it's possible it makes no sense if you can't replace a failed mirror. You need an external NAS for backup or risk losing everything.
thunderbolt has to actively be converted to HDMI so it will draw power to do that. If you did thunderbolt to displayport you likely wouldn't see this additional power consumption.
Great reviwer, but I'm not sure I totally agree in this case. If you spec out the m2 with ssd and ram as suggested, and as you probably should, then you are only 300 off the m2 pro. You could argue that the difference, once specced up, is worth it. The standard m1 is a great buy overall though. Its just a shame that apple decided to increase margins so heavily on the SSDs.
Also interesting to note is the ridiculous markup on UK models. The m2 is £650 here. The m2 pro is £1400. I still maintain that the m2 pro is possibly worth the difference if you are considering ram and ssd upgrades for the basic m2.
I'm a little frustrated. The $600 price is good, but the slower SSD, inadequate memory and storage are like a slap in the face. The excessive cost of upgrading is an insult. If they think that I am going to pay $200 for an additional 8 gigs of RAM or $200 for an additional 256 gigs of SDD, well count me out. For the cost of the computer with upgrades, say an additional $400, I could get a really nice PC with more memory and storage.
As good as the computer may be, I feel that it makes Apple look uncompetitive. In the year 2023 and beyond, having only 8 gigs of RAM or 256 gigs of storage are not valid options, unless you are just a basic computer user, in which case why are you buying an M2 chip? This mismatch between power, storage and memory is a paradoxical attempt to get you to spend more money.
@@pl2514 For a casual user this might be adequate, but it is a bit of a "bait and switch." The low price is attractive but in 2023 and beyond these are really inadequate specs, with no way to upgrade once you buy it. The problem is that you have many other options at $1,000.
I got mine today. M2 with 256SSD and 16GB RAM. External 1TB so everything is fine… my first Mac ever, just for video editing for my small channel. My Windows is for my music studio, so there is my money 😊
So if you don’t need extra thunderbolt with three displays then opt for m2 with 24gb ram instead of 16 or save 200.00 bottom line if the above is not needed. It’s a trade off. What do you need?
I am glad you made the comment of the relative enclosure speed to internal. I have Mac and PC and many times I have pointed out how rediculous it is that on any machine you can have external speed that is quicker than the internal. I bought 3 enclosures and 3 2tb NVMEs to go with them and have 2 in a RAID 0 with one on its lonesome and it cost me £750. I know there are risks with the 0 but they are backed up every hour so hopefully I wouldn't lose that much and I have resolve auto back ups set. The speeds are over 4000 read and write which is slower than my macstudio but its more than fine and the stand alone is over 2500 which again, is more than fine (luckily for me my 24" ultrafine has a 2nd TB port otherwise this would be a struggle without a hub), so 6tb for less than half the price. But see what Apple have done to me, they have made me think that set up is a reasonable price as if that is the only option!!
Because Mac mini M2 Pro has HDMI 2.1 120hz output support and the regular M2, first of all, does not have HDMI, and second its Thunderbolt 4 is limited to 60hz output
Yes, please review Final Cut Pro on a MAC OS. With Davinci and Premiere Pro not really supporting ProRes RAW, non Apple users may (myself) want to know what is a good price point and requirements to edit ProRes RAW HQ in a MAC environment.
much thanks for this video, I've been researching for this comparison and you have clarified my decision, m2 is the way to go. now my dilemma is, here comes the m3. should i wait? 🙈
When all your current programs (and those within the foreseeable future) will fit **easily** on the 256GB internal SSD, you can **move** your entire Mac's Home folder to an external SSD. Then, from its new location, synchronise your entire Home folder (or parts of it) to a cloud service **at regular intervals** . And do not forget to make a new **additional** user account on the **internal SSD** before you start. So that you can always log in to your Mac without the external SSD attached, or in case the external SSD gets faulty.
I am worried about different aspect - how fast should I upgrade M2 or M2 Pro? I suppose if I get M2 Pro, I will have a few more years before an upgrade will be really needed. Yes, I am looking to M2 24ram,1TB vs M2 Pro 32ram,1TB now it's ~70000 yen difference in Japan.
The good thing with these is you probably have 5+ years with them. Only really need to upgrade when your workflow requires it. M2 Pro would probably give you longer usage with your workflows.
The basic m2 does not seem worth it once you upgrade the ssd and ram. Its only an extra 300 at that point for the m2 pro. I would definitely go with the pro if I considered longevity and I had the budget for it.
Hello; I hope you are well, man What is your suggestion for buying Mac Mini? I am a graphic designer, and part of my work is 3D space, but not too heavy Chip M2Pro or M1Pro? Basic model or... Thank you if you help me
Both M2 and M2 Pro have the encoders unlike M1 vs M1 Pro. I think the difference in performance you saw in Premiere is actually do with the speed of the RAM and gpu and extra cpu cores. You can use the external storage as a boot drive too. A TB4 enclsoure is $150, so + $180 for the M.2 you would pay $330 instead of Apple's $600. Just for external storage the 1.2GB/s speed of USB 3.1 gen 2 is cheaper.
In regards to the SSD enclosures I simply go with USB 3.2 Gen2x2 which is 20Gbps...not as fast as thunderbolt 4 but still good enough so that you can keep only the most demanding stuff on the internal SSD while still having an external drive that can very much keep up with all but the most insane projects. If you do a lot of multicamera editing then yeah TB4 for sure. Thunderbolt is still a bit too expensive IMO.
@@nateo200 I didn't know about usb gen 3.2 2x2 that sounds like a good choice. You could raid 0 the boot drive with the external and get faster speeds that way
I'm still confused after watching this video. I wanna be a UA-camr/Content creator on a reasonable budge. Which should I go for? Should I invest on a M2 Mac Studio instead??
Someone shuold create an enclosure for multiple NVME with the same shape and size of the M2 Mac mini so it would look good when place at the top of the Mac Mini.
Got a M2 Mac Mini and chose 16GB RAM. Regarding SSD I'll stick to the base "thing" and get a USB4 external SSD. Not gonna buy into the Apple SSD ripoff.
Thank you for the comprehensive test. I'd like to add that Apple have deliberately put in the lowest specs on the base M2 to keep the price low - IMO it's somewhat churlish to say "why didn't they put in more....." etc; if they did then they'd have to charge more . For some customers the base model at that price and spec is totally appropriate and for others they can order extra Ram / storage (albeit at high prices.) if they need that. Cheers, Ross
Can you make a real life comparison between those and a pc with 13600k with rtx card, lightroom photoshop premiere, apple fans are just saying that those work way better than any pc with faster export times and smoother interface
@@theTechNotice bro now rtx 40 series support av1 encoding and decoding. Soon Premier pro can give av1 support then it will become way faster. Adobe is very lazy. 30 series is more 2 year old and has 1 encoders, now 40 series has 2 encoders for all codec. PC are much much faster in adobe apps, editing. There is no competition of PC in 3d work like running blender, cinema 4d, maya, 3ds max, vray, etc etc.
Oh come on… this is going to be 3rd order cancellation for me. Everyday these youtuber pumping videos and coming up with new performances problems… I just cancelled my m2 pro mac mini 16gb ram 512gb but watched few videos. Prople we’re saying 512gb and 256gb ssd are slow with m2 then i cancelled the order and placed another order m2 pro 16gb ram with 1tb ssd. Now this guy is saying m2 pro has slower performance than m2 😢
Very good video, thank you! But even after watching it and many others, I still can't choose my Mac Mini. I do professional photo (Lightroom, Photoshop), home studio (Logic Pro + a lot of instruments and sample banks), and 4K video, especially timelapse (Final Cut Pro, LRTimelapse, quickly some After Effects). I have the budget either for a Mac Mini M2 with 24 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD, or for the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD. What do you advise me? Thank you.
I'm in the same budget situation. I work with Adobe's After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and premiere. Also want to learn 3D Motion design. My current setup is the base 2015 MBP (8 GB RAM / 128 SSD / INTEL I7 And I'm sure either would be a hell of an upgrade for me, but I want to be sure if it's worth investing in silicon or RAM basically. Let me know what you decide.
Great comparison video. I'm looking for a media center to replace my old 2012 mini's. Looks like the base M2 w/16gb and external storage would work great. Only question if you know, would I be able to drive 4k-120Hz out of the thunderbolt 3 to HDMI converter? Thanks!
Unfortunately apple limits by software M2 macs for HDMI 2.0 even going from TB. So 60hz at 4k it is. Only the M2 Pro have HDMI 2.1(with TB also) so i t would be possible. For me it kills the M2 potential.
Well done! This is truly an amazing video! Very well detailed and thorough comparison with actual technical test. I don't understand how it's possible that you don't get nearly the views and subscribers you deserve!
Does the RAM double of you go Pro? If so then it’s worth it. I’ve done Apple silicon with 8GB and it’s was pretty bad. It gets very laggy if you do actual work on it. 8GB Apple silicon is just for web browsing.
I dont know about the usa, but in canada, the m2 mac mini only has 16gb and 24gb option, the m2pro has 16gb and 32gb, also I guess theres no point buying a mac studio anymore?
I have a m2 macbook pro, the new mini, and a work macbook. They all seem to always be using at least 5.8 gigs of memory no matter how much memory I have. Maybe swapping back and forth with the ssd?
$599.00 add in the base memory 200GB memory bandwidth, HD size, 4 type C ports. Then the CPU upgrade and 244 hz refresh rates on the M2 Pro.. The base M2 cost $999.00 with HD upgrade and 16gb memory... So the extra $300.00 buys you better CPU\GPU, 244hz monitor support. 200gb memory bandwidth. With 4 Type C ports..
Thank you. 😃 Thank you. 😃 Thank you. 😃 I’m trying to put together a music recording workstation. I’m leaning towards the regular M2 chip, 16 gigs of RAM, and 512 SSD.
You keep saying the Pro costs twice as much as the non-Pro but it has twice the memory and storage, both $200 upgrades, so $999 if you add them to the M2 which means the Pro is only $300 - or half again as much, not twice - as the non-Pro. That $300 is getting you the 2 extra Thunderbolt ports, HDMI 2.1 vs 2.0 and the Pro chip.
Really great review. I'm planning on getting a base mini as a dedicated Docker Host hide in the closet, no keyboard/mouse, no display. At idle, it already consumes less power (2W) than my mini ARM PC (4.7W). Can you do a video testing power consumption of base mini running a few Docker containers (e.g. OpenWRT, HomeAssistant, NodeRED, MQTT...) without keyboard/mouse, without display?
Hey, what's the app called you are using in the video to show cpu load etc. in the menu bar? Thanks in advance!! Great Video, made me buy the M2 Mac mini with 16gb of ram. :)
is the 16gig ram version of the m2 pro worth the price difference between it and the m2 (not pro) with 16gigs? I don't care about hard drive speed/capacity.
Would love to see a wall mounted, open case , wall mounted pc on a nice wooden slab, hidden wires behind the wooden slab, copper liquid cooling pipe work, an old whiskey bottle for a reservoir. Something rustic looking but also clean. So... when can we expect this build ? Lol
@flexairz - "Power and time of use are the factors that determine how much energy is used by an electrical appliance or piece of equipment. Power is the rate at which energy is used, or work is done, per unit of time. Electrical power is usually measured in watts; hence, electrical power is often referred to as wattage."
Thanks for the content! Could you tell us what apps those are that you're using to view cpu, gpu & ram utilization in the menu bar? I've always wanted them to be displayed that way.
Would you like to comment on my desire to run three monitors simultaneously? I see where the M2 MacMini only supports 2. I have to go to the M2 MacMini Pro to get the ability to have three. I am not sure that alone is worth doubling the price. Any thoughts?
All the multi monitor setups look janky.... 1 large high resolution monitor with built in speakers and webcam is my preference. Apple Studio Display all the way.
Is there any way to get m1 or m2 to do distributed network computing. For instance when rendering etc it can use the gpu and cpu cores media engine of both or more machines to improve performance instead of only each machine being limited by only what’s in it. I like how we can raid ssds for more performance or duplicate for security. Why bam we do it through thunderbolt usb 4 or Ethernet or 10g Ethernet.
What utils were you running to show cpu, gpu usage, etc. on MacOS in the menu bar and in the video with what look like widgets? Good comparison review! I Have to decide if worth upgrading from my 2020 M1 16GB/512GB Mini to a M2 PRO or maybe the Studio or wait for M3 :)
Guys honestly if you want a pro mac wait till the new Mac Studio m2 gets released and you will be able to buy the Mac Studio m1 for great prices and you will get better performance than the m2 pro with 32 gb of ram
You just have to try a 4K timeline, with clips of Arri Raw, with a node with node reduction on BETTER and, 50% both , and a grain . if you can play on real time, is a perfect machine. this number are cool but in the working camp is nothing
Want to WIN the Mac Mini M2 Pro for $1??? 👇👇
Why I'm doing the raffle ->ua-cam.com/video/f0bzmN6boUg/v-deo.html
Enter the Competition here geni.us/raffallM2
3 Lucky Winners:
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i love apple so much because they always sell cheap product
If you dont pay 2x price at first pace, then you'll have to renew your computer in a shorter time. I had a Mid 2010 mac pro, which means i'd used it more than 12 years, until buying my new full spec M2 pro Mac Mini.
I always buy any computer for futureproof. i think this is the best ratio of money/long time usage
When comparing M2 and M2 Pro, I think it is best to keep the RAM and the SSD the same.
In a general sense you are right. But the point here is not to compare two processors but to compare two similar machines at different price point.
Because if you upgrade them to the base M2 Pro. You're at $999.00 now.. Without all the other features the M2 Pro bus you for an extra $300.00.. It's no contest which to get. As the M2 Pro buys you way more for the money..
@@WizzRacing So you're saying the base M2 pro is better than the M2 with 512 SSD and 16 RAM upgrades? I'm almost certain I want the base M2 pro because of this but I'd really like to see a comparison in performance between those two before making any decisions. Edit: Typo
@@juanpablocervantes-gz9dt You're paying that extra cost for the CPU/GPU..The HD, Ram, 4 Type C ports and 244hz support..
So Performance will be based on if you need those. As most monitors today can support 244hz anyways. Which makes for better viewing..The 4 Types C ports are worth it. If you have to use a hub to support all your devices. that use type C connectors. Which is an extra cost if you had to buy one.
So cost is up to the buyer on what they need.
@@maiba02 Not if he is constant comparing and using processor performance tests.
Only the M2 Pro allows use of 3 monitors....I'm certain Apple didn't do that by accident or an oversight. For me, 3 monitors is a must...my current setup is with iMac Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017, a 34" LG Ultrawide, and a LG 32" wide screen (LG's stock one on top the other). Then I have my old Mac from 2009 as a standalone (has music library and photos).
Its also HDMI 2.1 on the Pro.
Same here
Too many screens just to watch pormo
Great video :) would be very interesting to see the differences between an M2 Mac Mini that has been upgraded to 16GB and 512GB. One other notable difference is that the HDMI port on the M2 Pro is HDMI 2.1 and on the M2 it is HDMI 2.0. This may be an important factor depending on use case
M2 pro has more ports so you don't need to buy USB hub... M2 pro also came with HDMI 2.1... Has more GPU cores so better for Video Editing
I bought the M2 base model, then I used USD 88 to get a WERO Thunderbolt 3/USB4 enclosure (JMS583A3+JHL7440 chipset) and USD 100 to buy a low-end GEIL P4L 2TB Nvme SSD (Gen 4). I can use the 2TB external SSD as the Boot Up disk. The Blackmagic test shows the the write speed of the GEIL 2TB SSD is about 2700MB/s. Very happy about the base model M2 with just USD 188 for upgrading to 2TB storage. Apple's upgrade option is just a rip-off.
brilliant
Wow, awesome videoI literally just ordered and haven't received yet:
• Apple M2 Pro with 12 core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16 core Neural Engine
• 1TB SSD storage
• 10 Gigabit Ethernet
• Four Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI port, two USB A ports, headphone jack
• 32GB unified memory
It will be used not only for development but extensive use of windows vm (via Parallels), so power user for sure.
Thanks for the info and any advice would be much appreciated.
Regards
Marc
It ain't double the price. If you spec both with 16GB/512GB the difference is only about a 3rd.
When you upgrade the M2 to make it equivalent to the M2 Pro (so both have 512GB SSD and 16GB RAM) the price difference becomes much smaller, and there is a strong case for the M2 Pro base model.
That's what I'm thinking. It becomes a matter of do you want better silicon with more cpu and gpu power or more ram
You’ve got fashist flag in your nik. I can only hope it’s by mistake.
I just got the base Mini M2 pro after tons of UA-cam reviews and consideration. As you said the difference is worth the upgrade to the Pro. It's a desktop setup, I don't mind to pay a bit more for additional features (three monitors set up and another 2 thunderbolt 4 ports) and cores. My set up now with 3 monitors and it runs very smoothly. Happy with the Mini Pro M2!
@@juanpablocervantes-gz9dt Both. and more ports . Hence my preference for the M2 Pro TB / 16GB. Maybe 24GB for future proofing.
That’s the Apple way.
Very helpful video - and yes please, more Mini content: I'd love to see a similarly detailed comparison between the two M2 Pro versions, 10 and 12 core, especially in terms of whether the 12 core version will finally make the Mini's fan spin up if pushed long enough. Also, is the 1TB storage option faster than the 512GB one?
Noted!
Yes, according to Apple Podcast „bitsundso“ the M2 Pro with 1 TB SSD is faster than with base configuration 512 GB SSD.
@@paulhorn24 cheers!
16:55 The on-screen tests in GFXBench (anything that doesn't have Offscreen written next to it) is limited by the display refresh rate. You were getting 60fps on both machines because the recording device they were plugged into was set to 60Hz. This test is primarily designed for smartphones and tablets, where the different display resolution makes a difference. For computers you are only supposed to use the offscreen test.
Thanks for that addition!
would u suggest m2 mac mini for music production?
Good comparison between the two. What I'm really interested in is a comparison between the M2 with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD upgrades vs the base M2 Pro. I'm guessing that the results would be still be pretty similar to the results you got here, but would be nice to know for sure.
Same! Looking for this comparison everywhere 😅
Yeah, and the difference, once upgraded, is 300. Personally, if i was going for the ssd upgrade and ram upgrade, I think the m2 pro might be worth it.
This assumes that the m2 pro has TWO nand chips for ram, which I'm guessing it does, given the benchmarks.
@@batmanonabike3119 I heard mac mini m2 pro 512gb doesnt have 2 nand chips and you should increase ssd in order. Really I would like to have full information about nand chips in all configurations of this computer. Im gonna buy it
@BiLLie WiLLie well, that doesn't explain the ssd benchmarks, not that I'm discounting you. Do you have a link?
@@batmanonabike3119 You can look for the SSD speed of a 512GB M1 Pro. It's around 5GB/s. On M2 Pro you have to upgrade to 1TB to get that speed.
You have to also keep in mind, that you can NEVER EVER upgrade this hardware again.
So what is your average usage time of a computer? 8 years? Since 2010 the computers got good enough for the average user to never need another one. I still use a 2014 Mac Mini and a 2007 MacBook Pro. My values would be:
- At least 16G RAM (8G was good 10 years ago). Better more (you can't upgrade, so 24G/32G).
- Disk size I find 1T SSD is enough for most people (but you can't upgrade: so 2T). But I also have a external NAS for backup and backup needs time.
- 10G Ethernet for 100$ is great and is future proof and you can't upgrade.
If you want more disk that 2T you do video stuff or raw photography and you better have a good backup plan to not lose more than you can afford.
Because if the mini fails you loose all data. And the mini can't be easy repaired.
In case of a failed mini, Apple will only replace the complete motherboard and all your data is lost. And that may even be a repaired board from somewhere else. You will never know.
More SSD size on such a system that doesn't allow you upgrade/replace anything is dangerous and useless for doing RAID 1 like mirroring. Even if it's possible it makes no sense if you can't replace a failed mirror. You need an external NAS for backup or risk losing everything.
thunderbolt has to actively be converted to HDMI so it will draw power to do that. If you did thunderbolt to displayport you likely wouldn't see this additional power consumption.
Great reviwer, but I'm not sure I totally agree in this case. If you spec out the m2 with ssd and ram as suggested, and as you probably should, then you are only 300 off the m2 pro. You could argue that the difference, once specced up, is worth it.
The standard m1 is a great buy overall though. Its just a shame that apple decided to increase margins so heavily on the SSDs.
Also interesting to note is the ridiculous markup on UK models.
The m2 is £650 here. The m2 pro is £1400.
I still maintain that the m2 pro is possibly worth the difference if you are considering ram and ssd upgrades for the basic m2.
I'm a little frustrated. The $600 price is good, but the slower SSD, inadequate memory and storage are like a slap in the face. The excessive cost of upgrading is an insult. If they think that I am going to pay $200 for an additional 8 gigs of RAM or $200 for an additional 256 gigs of SDD, well count me out.
For the cost of the computer with upgrades, say an additional $400, I could get a really nice PC with more memory and storage.
As good as the computer may be, I feel that it makes Apple look uncompetitive. In the year 2023 and beyond, having only 8 gigs of RAM or 256 gigs of storage are not valid options, unless you are just a basic computer user, in which case why are you buying an M2 chip? This mismatch between power, storage and memory is a paradoxical attempt to get you to spend more money.
Yep...
Yeah but some people don't like windows and prefer MacOS.
@@pl2514 I don't really like MacOS. I am using a Mac for app development.
@@john2001plus I appreciate that but the base Mac mini M2 is the cheapest Mac you can get if it needs to be the most recent one.
@@pl2514 For a casual user this might be adequate, but it is a bit of a "bait and switch." The low price is attractive but in 2023 and beyond these are really inadequate specs, with no way to upgrade once you buy it. The problem is that you have many other options at $1,000.
I got mine today. M2 with 256SSD and 16GB RAM. External 1TB so everything is fine… my first Mac ever, just for video editing for my small channel. My Windows is for my music studio, so there is my money 😊
how do you like it? are you editing 4k footage?
if I configure both machines with 16 gigs of ram and 1TB drive they is only a $300 difference. The pro for me all day long.
So if you don’t need extra thunderbolt with three displays then opt for m2 with 24gb ram instead of 16 or save 200.00 bottom line if the above is not needed. It’s a trade off. What do you need?
I am glad you made the comment of the relative enclosure speed to internal. I have Mac and PC and many times I have pointed out how rediculous it is that on any machine you can have external speed that is quicker than the internal. I bought 3 enclosures and 3 2tb NVMEs to go with them and have 2 in a RAID 0 with one on its lonesome and it cost me £750. I know there are risks with the 0 but they are backed up every hour so hopefully I wouldn't lose that much and I have resolve auto back ups set. The speeds are over 4000 read and write which is slower than my macstudio but its more than fine and the stand alone is over 2500 which again, is more than fine (luckily for me my 24" ultrafine has a 2nd TB port otherwise this would be a struggle without a hub), so 6tb for less than half the price. But see what Apple have done to me, they have made me think that set up is a reasonable price as if that is the only option!!
12:13 this layout of stats is confusing, instead of putting computers in rows you put scenes and then the other columns I dont know what they are
Because Mac mini M2 Pro has HDMI 2.1 120hz output support and the regular M2, first of all, does not have HDMI, and second its Thunderbolt 4 is limited to 60hz output
Yes, please review Final Cut Pro on a MAC OS. With Davinci and Premiere Pro not really supporting ProRes RAW, non Apple users may (myself) want to know what is a good price point and requirements to edit ProRes RAW HQ in a MAC environment.
Use external storage as OS/Boot Drive - Thunderbolt NVME - Can you test speed with that config ?
Have watched a lot of reviews of the M2 before deciding which one to get
And by far this is the best one, Thanks for it.
would you suggest getting the 24gb of ram?
much thanks for this video, I've been researching for this comparison and you have clarified my decision, m2 is the way to go. now my dilemma is, here comes the m3. should i wait? 🙈
who knows :)
waiting can save you 100 bucks
When all your current programs (and those within the foreseeable future) will fit **easily** on the 256GB internal SSD, you can **move** your entire Mac's Home folder to an external SSD. Then, from its new location, synchronise your entire Home folder (or parts of it) to a cloud service **at regular intervals** .
And do not forget to make a new **additional** user account on the **internal SSD** before you start. So that you can always log in to your Mac without the external SSD attached, or in case the external SSD gets faulty.
M2 Pro SSD 2TB Speed ist 5300.
Overall power consumption in surf-mode M2 Pro constantly lower as M2, like about 50% less (4 weeks measurement).
What's the application that you use to display the cpu and memory utlization on the top toolbar? I would like to use that
Sir i think you have put wrong scores of m1 ultra geekbench 5 multicore.
It should be very high but you put same as m2 pro
great stuff. Strange how M2 Pro draws so much more power and yet performs about the same in many tasks.
I am worried about different aspect - how fast should I upgrade M2 or M2 Pro? I suppose if I get M2 Pro, I will have a few more years before an upgrade will be really needed.
Yes, I am looking to M2 24ram,1TB vs M2 Pro 32ram,1TB now it's ~70000 yen difference in Japan.
The good thing with these is you probably have 5+ years with them. Only really need to upgrade when your workflow requires it. M2 Pro would probably give you longer usage with your workflows.
The basic m2 does not seem worth it once you upgrade the ssd and ram. Its only an extra 300 at that point for the m2 pro.
I would definitely go with the pro if I considered longevity and I had the budget for it.
Which one is better on weight?
Hello; I hope you are well, man
What is your suggestion for buying Mac Mini?
I am a graphic designer, and part of my work is 3D space, but not too heavy
Chip M2Pro or M1Pro?
Basic model or...
Thank you if you help me
Good review. You helped me a lot. Now I know what I should go for. The M2 definitely is the winner.
Both M2 and M2 Pro have the encoders unlike M1 vs M1 Pro. I think the difference in performance you saw in Premiere is actually do with the speed of the RAM and gpu and extra cpu cores. You can use the external storage as a boot drive too. A TB4 enclsoure is $150, so + $180 for the M.2 you would pay $330 instead of Apple's $600. Just for external storage the 1.2GB/s speed of USB 3.1 gen 2 is cheaper.
In regards to the SSD enclosures I simply go with USB 3.2 Gen2x2 which is 20Gbps...not as fast as thunderbolt 4 but still good enough so that you can keep only the most demanding stuff on the internal SSD while still having an external drive that can very much keep up with all but the most insane projects. If you do a lot of multicamera editing then yeah TB4 for sure. Thunderbolt is still a bit too expensive IMO.
@@nateo200 Which cables would you buy in both cases, USB 2x2 and TB4 ?? Thanks!
@IndianaJones: Is the TB4-cable included with the enclosure?
@@nateo200 I didn't know about usb gen 3.2 2x2 that sounds like a good choice. You could raid 0 the boot drive with the external and get faster speeds that way
@@paulhorn24 the appropriate cable should come with the drive. Just don't use the usb A adapter for it.
I'm still confused after watching this video. I wanna be a UA-camr/Content creator on a reasonable budge. Which should I go for? Should I invest on a M2 Mac Studio instead??
Someone shuold create an enclosure for multiple NVME with the same shape and size of the M2 Mac mini so it would look good when place at the top of the Mac Mini.
Got a M2 Mac Mini and chose 16GB RAM. Regarding SSD I'll stick to the base "thing" and get a USB4 external SSD. Not gonna buy into the Apple SSD ripoff.
Thank you for the comprehensive test. I'd like to add that Apple have deliberately put in the lowest specs on the base M2 to keep the price low - IMO it's somewhat churlish to say "why didn't they put in more....." etc; if they did then they'd have to charge more . For some customers the base model at that price and spec is totally appropriate and for others they can order extra Ram / storage (albeit at high prices.) if they need that.
Cheers, Ross
Can you make a real life comparison between those and a pc with 13600k with rtx card, lightroom photoshop premiere, apple fans are just saying that those work way better than any pc with faster export times and smoother interface
Let's do it!
@@theTechNotice bro now rtx 40 series support av1 encoding and decoding. Soon Premier pro can give av1 support then it will become way faster. Adobe is very lazy.
30 series is more 2 year old and has 1 encoders, now 40 series has 2 encoders for all codec.
PC are much much faster in adobe apps, editing.
There is no competition of PC in 3d work like running blender, cinema 4d, maya, 3ds max, vray, etc etc.
macOS is better than Windows OS.
@@paulhorn24 no it's not
@@steffmkd Yes it is. Much better than Windows OS. This is the truth.
After seen 50 Videos about M2.... This is for me the Best & True Video! THX
Wow, thanks!
What app do you for measuring the temperature?
you can’t compare this 2 only based on perf since numbers of supported screen are different and lots of other things
mac mini m2 pro 16 gb 1 tb
mac mini m2 24 gb 1 tb
which is better for final cut pro editing please suggest me asap.
Oh come on… this is going to be 3rd order cancellation for me. Everyday these youtuber pumping videos and coming up with new performances problems… I just cancelled my m2 pro mac mini 16gb ram 512gb but watched few videos. Prople we’re saying 512gb and 256gb ssd are slow with m2 then i cancelled the order and placed another order m2 pro 16gb ram with 1tb ssd. Now this guy is saying m2 pro has slower performance than m2 😢
cant wait for photoshop/lightroom performance test!
Very good video, thank you! But even after watching it and many others, I still can't choose my Mac Mini. I do professional photo (Lightroom, Photoshop), home studio (Logic Pro + a lot of instruments and sample banks), and 4K video, especially timelapse (Final Cut Pro, LRTimelapse, quickly some After Effects). I have the budget either for a Mac Mini M2 with 24 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD, or for the Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD. What do you advise me? Thank you.
I'm in the same budget situation. I work with Adobe's After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and premiere. Also want to learn 3D Motion design. My current setup is the base 2015 MBP (8 GB RAM / 128 SSD / INTEL I7 And I'm sure either would be a hell of an upgrade for me, but I want to be sure if it's worth investing in silicon or RAM basically. Let me know what you decide.
@@juanpablocervantes-gz9dt Maybe I will take the M2 Pro 16 GB RAM.
Complete newbie to Apple. I use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Would the M2 be a good choice for this with your suggested upgrade? Thank you📷
Yeah
Great comparison video. I'm looking for a media center to replace my old 2012 mini's. Looks like the base M2 w/16gb and external storage would work great. Only question if you know, would I be able to drive 4k-120Hz out of the thunderbolt 3 to HDMI converter? Thanks!
I would like to know the same :) Over HDMI it is just 60 Hz
Unfortunately apple limits by software M2 macs for HDMI 2.0 even going from TB. So 60hz at 4k it is. Only the M2 Pro have HDMI 2.1(with TB also) so i t would be possible. For me it kills the M2 potential.
Well done! This is truly an amazing video! Very well detailed and thorough comparison with actual technical test. I don't understand how it's possible that you don't get nearly the views and subscribers you deserve!
Are you running configurations which populate both NAND slots on both machines?
Will Adobe illustrator and Photoshop will work smoothly on M2 Base model?
Can anyone describe the thunderbolt to hdmi 2.1 cable....is this how one can connect a monitor or TV?
Does the RAM double of you go Pro? If so then it’s worth it. I’ve done Apple silicon with 8GB and it’s was pretty bad. It gets very laggy if you do actual work on it. 8GB Apple silicon is just for web browsing.
Did you swap your power sockets just to see whether they are not unfriendly to M2Pro
But for audio production and video de M2 is not short?
I dont know about the usa, but in canada, the m2 mac mini only has 16gb and 24gb option, the m2pro has 16gb and 32gb, also I guess theres no point buying a mac studio anymore?
I have a m2 macbook pro, the new mini, and a work macbook. They all seem to always be using at least 5.8 gigs of memory no matter how much memory I have. Maybe swapping back and forth with the ssd?
Running 95degrees day in day out (rendering), will that shorten the life of the chip considering everything that matters is on that SoC?
Best Pc for Lightroom in windows? i have Ryzen 5 1600 and 2070 now.
Is there a way to connect 2 Mac Minis base model to run in parallel?
Hey hi…… I might pick up an external drive 2TB and tb4 enclosure, what would you recommend please?
Wait for the video guide :)
$599.00 add in the base memory 200GB memory bandwidth, HD size, 4 type C ports. Then the CPU upgrade and 244 hz refresh rates on the M2 Pro.. The base M2 cost $999.00 with HD upgrade and 16gb memory...
So the extra $300.00 buys you better CPU\GPU, 244hz monitor support. 200gb memory bandwidth. With 4 Type C ports..
Good point!
Yeah, I totally agree. The m2 pro seems worth it once you consider like foe like ssd+ram
Thank you. 😃 Thank you. 😃 Thank you. 😃
I’m trying to put together a music recording workstation. I’m leaning towards the regular M2 chip, 16 gigs of RAM, and 512 SSD.
Yep :)
HDMI 2.1 only with M2 Pro and M2 only has HDMI 2.0 according to some reviews.
So is the 24Gb M2 mac mini good enough for basic 4K editing with light colour grading with few animations????
yes, but depends on your definition of 'light' :)
You keep saying the Pro costs twice as much as the non-Pro but it has twice the memory and storage, both $200 upgrades, so $999 if you add them to the M2 which means the Pro is only $300 - or half again as much, not twice - as the non-Pro. That $300 is getting you the 2 extra Thunderbolt ports, HDMI 2.1 vs 2.0 and the Pro chip.
Really great review.
I'm planning on getting a base mini as a dedicated Docker Host hide in the closet, no keyboard/mouse, no display.
At idle, it already consumes less power (2W) than my mini ARM PC (4.7W).
Can you do a video testing power consumption of base mini running a few Docker containers (e.g. OpenWRT, HomeAssistant, NodeRED, MQTT...) without keyboard/mouse, without display?
Hey, what's the app called you are using in the video to show cpu load etc. in the menu bar? Thanks in advance!! Great Video, made me buy the M2 Mac mini with 16gb of ram. :)
It's iStatistica, costs about 5 in APP store :)
Can you make a comparison between the M2 8GB RAM and 16 GB RAM ? How is gaming with the M2 ?
Thanks, I’m getting the M2 Pro with 32 GB RAM and 2 TB SSD.
Rich guy....
is the 16gig ram version of the m2 pro worth the price difference between it and the m2 (not pro) with 16gigs? I don't care about hard drive speed/capacity.
Would love to see a wall mounted, open case , wall mounted pc on a nice wooden slab, hidden wires behind the wooden slab, copper liquid cooling pipe work, an old whiskey bottle for a reservoir. Something rustic looking but also clean. So... when can we expect this build ? Lol
😉👍
What about music production. Any advice on which machine to choose. Thanks.
At least 16GB of RAM and double the base storage :)
@@theTechNotice Got it. M2 Mac Mini or M2 Pro Mac Mini.
The temp is normal between 50 and 90 f according to tech specs on Apple’s website.
How can the base model handle two displays with 6k and 5k with 60Hz and not one with 4K and 120Hz?
Can i upgrade my mac mini from 8gb to 16gb after ive already bought it? maybe in a couple months after i have used it for a while?
Nope, its soldered.
Nice video. I opted for a M2 Mac Mini with max ram (24 gb). Hope it serves me well.
Power NOT wattage.
SpeeDOMeter is only a list drop down test.. not representative at all. Try the other two for a change.
@flexairz - "Power and time of use are the factors that determine how much energy is used by an electrical appliance or piece of equipment. Power is the rate at which energy is used, or work is done, per unit of time. Electrical power is usually measured in watts; hence, electrical power is often referred to as wattage."
Studio vs Mini? I am not sure which one to get
3:44 @theTechNotice How do I get to see the CPU, RAM, GPU usage in the menu bar?
Mac Mini M2 Pro currently $1099 at Costco, if you need it.
So far the best review I've seen!
Thanks for the content! Could you tell us what apps those are that you're using to view cpu, gpu & ram utilization in the menu bar? I've always wanted them to be displayed that way.
iStatistica Pro :)
Excellent! I just need to know those. I booked a m2 basic, ssd 256g, ... but 24g ram(keep rooms for runs windows games for future),
Would you like to comment on my desire to run three monitors simultaneously? I see where the M2 MacMini only supports 2. I have to go to the M2 MacMini Pro to get the ability to have three. I am not sure that alone is worth doubling the price. Any thoughts?
All the multi monitor setups look janky....
1 large high resolution monitor with built in speakers and webcam is my preference.
Apple Studio Display all the way.
I have a Mac mini, M2 Pro and my Cine bench, scores are higher than yours by quite a bit. Seems to be something wrong there.
Is there any way to get m1 or m2 to do distributed network computing.
For instance when rendering etc it can use the gpu and cpu cores media engine of both or more machines to improve performance instead of only each machine being limited by only what’s in it.
I like how we can raid ssds for more performance or duplicate for security.
Why bam we do it through thunderbolt usb 4 or Ethernet or 10g Ethernet.
Fun to watch electrician at work on technology benchmarking job. fantastic.
I want to use 8 screens, which one is the best ? Thanks.
There's an app that seamlessly connects ipads. I've seen 6 displays in use concurrently. That was with the m2 pro
8 screens? But you have only 2 eyes.
How silent is the M2 Pro Mac Mini? Can you capture the fan noise with a microphone?
It's completely silent
Any chance you can do a Logic Pro benchmark?
What utils were you running to show cpu, gpu usage, etc. on MacOS in the menu bar and in the video with what look like widgets? Good comparison review! I Have to decide if worth upgrading from my 2020 M1 16GB/512GB Mini to a M2 PRO or maybe the Studio or wait for M3 :)
Wait for m3 or m2 max or m2 ultra :)
Guys honestly if you want a pro mac wait till the new Mac Studio m2 gets released and you will be able to buy the Mac Studio m1 for great prices and you will get better performance than the m2 pro with 32 gb of ram
You just have to try a 4K timeline, with clips of Arri Raw, with a node with node reduction on BETTER and, 50% both , and a grain . if you can play on real time, is a perfect machine. this number are cool but in the working camp is nothing
I think the M2 Pro is better for music production
Definitely want to see speeds for Final Cut Pro please!