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