Can M2 Mac Mini drive 2 5k displays well??

[nottorp]

I have 16 GM ram on my fully spec 2018 mini and it's getting a bit sluggish which is why k figured just going to M2 and more RAM (24) with 1-2 TB will be a good upgrade as long as the 5k screens are fine and cause no problems (just because Apple says it's fine doesn't mean it is-ahem Bluetooth etc)

If you can afford it go 24 or 32. I bought a M2 mini with 16 2 weeks ago. It's very good at memory compression making more fit into less ram. But I already had one application (mind, a game) allocate like 7.8 G of ram and then swap file usage goes up and up. It even killed my game once because it was out of memory.

Consider you'll never be able to add more ram, while at worst you can plug in external storage.

Incidentally, double emulation of games with wine for x86 going through Rosetta works just fine(tm). At least in what I've tried.

 

[foo2]

I'm not sure how lots of upgrades gives you lots of longevity. What makes you want to upgrade? For me, not RAM or an incremental CPU boost; for me - the NEW things that we haven't seen yet, that Apple will introduce in a few years time. By spending a fortune on a current machine, you "lock" yourself into that machine - become much more prone to keep it - and thus can't (or just won't) take advantage of the new technologies Apple will introduce in the coming years.

Again - Apple went from M2 Ultra to M3 Max having similar performance in ONE YEAR. Actually, a little LESS than one year. Why would you want to lock in to current hardware, given that rapid pace of innovation? It just makes zero sense to me. Buy as little as you can now, and be ready to upgrade later once you see something you like that represents a significant improvement.

 

[foo2]

If you can afford it go 24 or 32. I bought a M2 mini with 16 2 weeks ago. It's very good at memory compression making more fit into less ram. But I already had one application (mind, a game) allocate like 7.8 G of ram and then swap file usage goes up and up. It even killed my game once because it was out of memory.

Consider you'll never be able to add more ram, while at worst you can plug in external storage.

Incidentally, double emulation of games with wine for x86 going through Rosetta works just fine(tm). At least in what I've tried.

That sounds like a bug, either in the game's allocation requests or the OS's memory management. Which game?

 

[ChrisA]

Thanks guys. I'm confident that I can do both at 5k...would still love if anyone actually does this currently but got my mind made up.

Also, would it look ok if I kept one 4k monitor (LG) and had the one beside it be 5k? Is that weird?

What are you using the monitors for? I've used asymmetrical monitors, even tried keeping one of them vertical and the other in landscape. It works OK if your use case is like mine, I like to keep a good deal of technical documentation open in browser windows or PDF files off to the left. The monitor that is centered over the keyboard is the "working" monitor and has some text editor windows open.

The worst setup is where you have two monitors with the seam between them centered over the keyboard, then you can not place your work in front of you where you can see best.

Even if you don't use your computer for real work, why place those YouTube cat videos a full foot off-center? Asymetry is best.

 

[ChrisA]

I am very close to pulling the trigger on a new 24 gb ram 1-2 TB Mac mini (NOT pro) that will serve my needs for years to come.

If you really want dual monitor the M2-Pro is the way to go. Why? It has enough ports that you don't need a port-extend hub. You will need to plug in an external disk or how else will you run Time Machine? OK, use WiFi solution. But the added cost of a Wifi networked disk and the hub is more than the added cost of the "Pro", plus the pro has more cores and base RAM.

With 1-2 TB you are telling us that you will in fact have a lot of data on the Mac, hence the requirement for one or more external Time Machine backups

The M3-Pro just came out and it is not much of a leap over the M2-Pro, so it looks like the M2-Pro is worth buying now and will remain the best deal until the M4 is released.

 

[Chiromac81]

Thanks guys for the help. Ended up going with the 16 gb 2 TB M2 mini Pro

 

[MapleBeercules]

only m series pro and above can drive 2x 5k screens...
The mac Mini with m2 pro can support 2 screens, Id hold out for m3 pro to come to the mini honestly its what Im waiting for