M2 Mac Mini vs $2000 Gaming PC setup! 🤯
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- Опубліковано 20 чер 2024
- ✨To checkout the Hexcal studio: geni.us/HexcalStudio
M2 Mac Mini ($600 base model) vs ($2000 12th Gen Intel i7 RTX3060) Gaming PC - It was better than I thought!
Can we finally play AAA games on a Mac, let alone the base model M2 Mac Mini? The answer is yes, but there are some workarounds and drawbacks that you need ot be aware of. But even though it's possible, how does it compare against a purposely built gaming PC?
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0:00 Powerful Mac Mini, but how does it compare against a Gaming PC?
0:50 Building a Hybrid, Gaming PC and M2 Mac Mini setup
1:29 The M2 Mac Mini has been brilliant so far!
1:54 But can the M2 Mac Mini support proper gaming?
2:12 Comparing the specs of the M2 Mac Mini vs the Gaming PC
2:49 Processor 12th Gen Intel i7 12700K vs M2 Chip
3:09 M2 chip GPU cores
3:19 DDR5 memory on Gaming PC
3:36 One key advantage of a dedicated PC: upgrades
3:49 Graphic card RTX 3060
4:28 the nice thing about building your own PC
4:36 How I keep the setup looking clean - Hexcal Studio
5:01 Who is the Hexcal Studio for?
5:15 Cable management - Tackling a dual setup
5:37 Awesome lighting for working or gaming
6:20 Power 🔌 and charging functions 🔋
6:55 Design and materials
7:54 Using a gaming monitor with the M2 Mac Mini
8:25 There's good news and bad news
8:42 Let's have some fun together 🤖 or 🏕️ ?
9:24 Storage considerations for the M2 Mac Mini
9:40 Memory considerations for the M2 Mac Mini
10:11 How to run Windows on the M2 Mac Mini, seamlessly
10:22 Boosteroid needed for certain games
10:45 PS5 and XBox Controllers support on the M2 Mac Mini using Steam
11:12 Is the M2 Mac Mini good enough for casual gaming?
11:25 One of the issues with Cloud gaming
12:16 The software you will need for gaming on the M2 Mac Mini
12:43 Gaming on the M2 Mac Mini is definitely becoming easier
13:32 Could this be the perfect balance for more serious gamers?
14:03 Bloopers 🤣
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For a casual gamer and someone who wants to get into video editing this is just the info i needed to help me make my mind up on which mac to buy. You got a sub from me 👍
Awesome!! Thank you very much and I'm really glad this was useful 😊 welcome to the channel!
I recently got a Mac Mini M1 for free, and I've been testing the viability of it playing games.
Part of this journey has included watching videos on the topic. What I've seen is people desperately trying to see it as a viable gaming experience.
It's not.
I am a newbie to all of this but I have a question. I have a Mac mini M2 is there any way to upgrade the graphics card on it? I heard about an external GPU. is that a viable option? And how much would it cost? I appreciate the help.
There is no Option for External grafics for M-Macs thats only working with Intel Macs
The production quality of these video reviews is outstanding and a pleasure to watch. The good quality content is a bonus.
Thank you so much!! Really appreciate that, especially on a video like this which is a little bit out of my 'comfort zone' 🥰 More to come! have a great day!
the graphics test needed to have the same content on the screens. It looks like there were zero shadows on mm on the racing game. but they were in different areas, so I don't know if there was supposed to be shadows on the mm because it was a different scene and a different area and different time of day in the game.
Sad state of PC building - 2000 dollar-build that uses a x060 series of GPU lol.
That price does include all the software and games too. The actual build parts was about $1500
@@AlexGTech no way bru
You have to be a sucker to build a 3060 series build for 2000,for 2000 you can build a 4080 or 7900xtx system lol
lol
You can cloud game quite fast on some very cheap tech providing you have a FAST internet connection, in fact I'd say the only important thing is now the internet speed. How its leveraged, with either power at your end or cloud gaming side, makes little difference today.
Half of this video was an add for something else that had nothing to do with the mac mini..
It says it's a PC setup video too. You get two videos for the price of one. But yeah go ahead and ignore the 14 minutes of content focus on the 2 mins where I share the centrepiece of my setup.
Do you happen to know if HexCal does a UK version? I did check your link, however, couldn't find a UK version, Alex. 🤔
Hiya, yes they told me they are releasing a UK version this year. Let me ask them when that's coming
I bought the Hexcal after seeing it in your previous videos! It’s been fabulous, TY!
AWESOME! Glad you enjoy it too! Amazing find 😍
Thank you for the support.
Feel free to reach out to us whenever you want to!
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Great video. Thank you.
Great video alex, we appreciate your guidance. It was helpful. I was a bit curious about the camera you used to shoot this video, would you mind mentioning it??
Hi there, thank you and sure thing. It's the Sony A7Siii, with a combination of 24mm, 28-75mm lenses. Sometimes I use a macro 90mm but I don't think I did that here. I've added all my gear that use here: amzn.to/3FsEjTy
Great up load Alex 👍 Like the comparisons and how they both have their respective places. I do like your very cool monitor stand, very nice 😁 I have SMG's latest 47" Odyssey monitor and I have the full size wall mount multiple tilt n swing arm and I love it. Will look forward to watching your review of it!
Thanks Lee! Those monitors look incredible! Mine are smaller ones but looking forward to pushing them!
Darn was hoping to hear a few basic render times for video or photos from both computers! But great video otherwise super thanks and appreciate a breakdown of the whole setup!
Is Mac mini good enough for streaming with obs using just ps5??
Hello sir your videos are good. Thank you. Can you please suggest some mini projector (100$) -1080p for using with Mac mini? It will be really helpful
so i am stuck i need help. i dont need a computer for gaming all i need it for is recording videos/ editing and maaaybe a stream here and there with streamlabs or OBS. is a base mac mini enough or do i need a 1000 $ pc?
You mentioned that Hexcal was going to release the UK-version sometime this year. Is that actually true?
You sir are an absolute beast...
Oh thank you so much, man! I love a bit of gaming and would be great to produce more on this...
The question is why would you buy an M2 Mac Mini if you had any real interest in games? For not much more than the cost of an M2 Mac Mini, copy of Parallels, an Xbox Game Pass or Geforce Now subscription, you can get a Windows laptop or desktop with a dedicated GPU, that will do most if not all the things that the Mini can do, but without the compromised gaming of the Mini. You would be better off getting the Mac Mini and a separate games console than trying to get the Mac to game adequately, in my opinion.
Fair point. I think it's nice that it's possible now to play certain games and still have fun, on a Mac. But yes, too many barriers still...
Airdrop.
I'm not big into 'gaming' but I very much enjoy Alex inputs. Any input into the 'craze' of waiting for the 15" Macbook 'air'...would appreciate your speculation etc., Bom Dia! ;-)
You and me both! I am a big fan of teh 13" as it is, so I am not too sure about it. I guess it makes sense though, for people who enjoy that bigger display. Migth need to give it a go if it comes out 😎
Bom dia pra voce tambem!
@@AlexGTech Yes, for me, the new 15" would be a 'game changer" if it had the following enhancements: battery life, audio and latest bluetooth/wifi. I think many are hoping for this. I have partial 'sight' issues, so, for me a larger screen would suit visibility. Also 'price point', as I travel a lot, I don't want to have the bulkiness/price of the 16" Pro. Apple need to get 'real' and have a price point that is affordable in this economic crisis, IMHO.
very true!
Nice video Alex as always 😉
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed it! Did you manage to guess the games correctly?
Great video Alex. How did you set up the hybrid? Did you use a kvm switch?
Thanks Eric! Rigth now, I am manually switching the keyboard cable and mouse. The monitor switches automatically. Same with Audio interface, it's a quick swap of the USB-c cable at the back. I will be looking at a KVM solution though as this is not very convenient. Can you recommend one?
@@AlexGTech I am having the same issue, Mac mini (personal) and a windows laptop (work) using the same keyboard, mouse and monitor. I am looking for one too and I was hoping you can recommend !
have ordered the one from Startech I think. WIll let you know how I get on! 👊🏼
I am looking for a kvm with full usb c support
so 8gb ram on M2 isn't enough to run windows 10-11 through paralel on mac mini and use steam for playing games ? i don't need extra AAA games
Is it possible to play League of Legends on mac mini m2 8GB without any problem?
Graphics difference M2 Mac Mini vs gaming computer: both using same DirectX? Parallels doesn't support DX12 on M1 & M2 in release 19. DX11 is max for RISC macs currently. Big quality diff DX11 vs DX12.
As someone who is still considering how many GB of ram I should get on my Mac mini 2, this was super helpful. GeForce Now is still my main companion to play games in my old MacBook Air 2014 😅
Great to hear that this was helpful! Love GeForce Now!
Dont get a mac mini. Hes reaching hard in this video to defend it, its like someone paid him to do so. Its really really weird. Why anyone would buy a mac mini for gaming, is baffeling. Thats like buying a toaster to use as a microwave and a grill
@@jonathansoko1085 lmao for the analogy. i see what you mean and I agree that for big gamers, the Mac is not a good choice. Fortunately I play once a week (max) and most of what I play is available through GeForce or crossover. I still bought the Mac mini since I was in dire need of an upgrade and it's my main tool to code and do photo and video editing (and I didn't need the portability). The games I can play are a bonus, not the main reason for my purchase (but the GeForce Now subscription is still ongoing, haha).
@@goduxunike I mean if you play text only RPGs and read digital books sure by Mac for 3000$
@@jonathansoko1085 ahhh, typical take of someone who probably never owned a Mac, or you would know that even the base model Mac mini for 600€ can do that and way more. And plenty of games run natively on Mac, the Steam store is a good place to see some of those.
Nobody is buying Mac's solely for gaming, but this video explored their gaming capabilities. I enjoyed the comparison and how it was portrayed.
People buy fast cars and but are unlikely to take them on racing tracks. I doubt you would shit on them for that too.
Thank you for providing such an unbiased-perfectly presented-video watching experience. I always held off on PC games because I love Apple products now I know I can have the best of both worlds with Mac Mini.
Hexcal Studio monitor stand looks useful and cool. Pricey, though!
We will try our best to provide great products and services to you all.
Thanks mate, yeah it's a great looking modern stand, certainly an "investment" though!
What about for a gaming PC at the Mac mini price?
mac mini m2 8gb ram 256 would play god of war and spiderman on high settings with over 60fps?
Great channel .
Can you do a test of starcraft 2 and war craft on mac mini and m1 mac studio ?) Thanks
its so unfortunate that "Hexcal" kind of a tech is not available in India. I really want to buy. Hopefully we can get this India soon.
That 3060 card will definitely serve you well for many more years to come 👌🏼
Sweet setup and video Alex ✌🏼
Hope so! Thank you so much!!
I just order a 3060 to upgrade my pc from a 1650! Can't wait to get it for the performance looks great!
@@T3CHGY007 Now that’s a nice upgrade hope you like a lot 👍
This is an old but valid cliché .... PC for Games....Macs for Work
Thanks... I'm RICH, Dude !!!!!@diego_462
Subscribed🥂 go on.
Thank you so much 💓
The best thing for Mac gaming is cloud gaming. Windows will always be the predominant platform for gaming. It doesn't even matter the power of the hardware, it's where the software is. Explain the Wii having the worst hardware but sold so much. Software. I have a gaming PC and an iMac. A gaming laptop and a MacBook Pro. There is room for both OS also PC hardware allows for complete customization. Mac hardware allows for what Apple allows... And there are plenty of videos where you can build a decent gaming PC for 500 to 1000.
Hi Michael! Yes, it's come a long way and with a bit more storage and memory it is possible to have a decent experience but for serious gaming, the Mac is just not there, as you say, the software in the gaming world is just not that compatible with Apple's hardware. Looking forward to exploring this gaming world and think I got the "bug" of building PCs now 🤣 Have a good one!
Great video Alex! But c'mon man!!! Use that mouse and keyboard, dont be a controller player on that PC! haha
hahaha I do challenge myself and try mouse and key, but been plahing on console for so long, I am just not as good on mouse and keybaord (yet) 👊🏼
Have you tried X-plane? I’m interested in what x-plane can do
that is a great idea! Will add it to my next video. Thanks Eric! Do you recommend any specific controllers for it or will keyboard and mouse be enough?
@@AlexGTech well if you want to go and do the full Smash you can’t go wrong with the honeycomb yoke and throttles but you can use any joystick with a throttle
I had to subscribe to you man. You are just like me. I recently got a Mac Mini M2 Pro in July, you know the one with 16GB ram and 10 or 12 core CPU and 16 GPUs. Well than in early August I bout a gaming PC special at bestbuy for only $930 an HP Omen gaming desktop with Intel i5 10 core CPU 13th gen and Nvidia 3060 12GB GDDR5 and 1TB SSD. So yeah I just basically got almost the same exact things as you. So now I have both. I usually buy sell and keep going back and forth between Mac and PC a lot. So buying both was the answer. But I gotta say I like the PC more as it games. I'm not turning on the Mac Mini so much anymore, but I still love iMovie on Mac. iMovie is the biggest reason I love Macs the most. Apple's software is always way easier to use than anything available on Windows. For that reason I have reason to own the Mac Mini M2 Pro and the gaming PC. Mac has iMovie and a whole bunch of super easy to use apps. While Windows can do way more gaming. So they are both very good at what they do.
MacOs has very few compatible games. Even octopath 2 isn't available for macs
Yeah, they're really not quite there yet. Gettng a decent experience on the XBox app but that's far from matching a dedicated PC
@@AlexGTech a potato can run Xbox cloud gaming...processing is done in the cloud😂
yayy! first view and comment. great vid as always!
Yay! Thank you!
Qualcomm Oryon Nuvia Processor for Windows Laptop
Is that better than the i7? I should take a look!
@@AlexGTech yes it beat M2 . Please make a video on it..
Thank you, will check it out 👊🏼
I would still take the PC. Mac Mini hits the garbage once the SSD on chip wears out. not enough ram at 8GB. I worked in IT for many years. big companies don't like computers that are not repairable or upgradable. I can easily repair any part of my 13th gen raptor i9 full size tower case PC. graphics on games always much better on PC.
Hi Darren! 100% agree, that ability to upgrade and repair components make the PC much more desirable. At the same time I love the idea that Apple users are starting to be able to get access to AAA gaming. Still clunky and requiring a lot of workarounds, and is far from polished but I can see this developing further. Equally, I think I got the "bug" of builind a PC now 🤣 Already working on a new one! thanks for checking this out 🙏🏼
@@AlexGTech I will probably buy a M3 Mac mini when they come out. 3nm Chip. The iPhone A17 3nm Geekbench results leaked. They are very high. Multicore not so much. But M3 Mac mini would be a great computer living in Europe or the UK where energy bills are high. I live in CA. I have a solar panel roof. My electric is almost free. Goes into a solar farm on the mountain down the street.
Is there any reason to chose a Mac over a PC? Or is it just the fear of having to pair PC parts correctly that drives some towards Apple?
@@BarKeegan you can always build a hackintosh. and have the best of both worlds. there is no difference in parts between a Mac and a pc. they both break and end up in the shop. a pc you can fix yourself.
The hexcal studio is $900 😂
To be honest, it's time to say goodbye to windows. The M2 mac mini is a great performer, even for games funninly enough. I have an M1 mac mini wuth a corsair mouse and keyboard and it is flawless, even more so considering its price.
While in your experience the gaming PC is better, the mac mini does have better video editing capavilities, and it could be a very underrated advantage for serious gamers.
So i think the M2 mac mini wins.
Yeah I guess, it depends on the games and the type of players. Can't really compare cloud gaming with natively installed gaming but for casual players, this is more than enough, I'd agree
Ok so I watched the video twice now and although there is a whole section talking about how much people wanted to know what monitor that is, but Alex!!! You don't even say what monitor it is!!!!! Its an Alienware ok, but which one?!??!?! lool
I liked the video but I thought it was about Mac vs gaming pc not cable management 🤔
Seems you only watched 2 mins out of 15 😊
Mac mini with GeForce now ultimate tier is better than that pc imo.
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haha thanks! I need to improve my skills on mouse and keyboard though 🤣
🤖BEEP BOP BOOP! ME ENJOY THE GAMEPLAY!🤖
I so much regret I didn't buy Mac Mini.. better price especially when I have 40' Samsung TV. Mouse and keyboard are not expensive. Save 150$ money in my wallet 🤣
Try running Hogwarts Legacy?
excellent recommendation, will give it a go!
Hi, UPDF here, could you check your email for us?😊
Hi, Alex, still waiting for your reply to my email.🥰
🤖
haha thanks mate! I do try 🤣