Regarding Mac Mini M2 8GB or 16GB and the Pro version - real-life user experience

[for this]

With the speed of the internal drive in these macs, most people won't notice much about performance drop when the OS starts relying on swapping.

So the point is how serious you are about wear and tear on the drive. There is no right or wrong on this.

 

[macuros]

So the point is how serious you are about wear and tear on the drive. There is no right or wrong on this.

I think most will be fine for years with SSD wear because of swap.

 

[macuros]

Gary nailed it again! I love this guy...

Watch at least the last chapter.

 

[picpicmac]

Gary nailed it again!

Most of his advice is pretty sensible. He does seem a bit shy about recommending external drives, though. For a laptop for travel, externals can be a pain. But if you are using a Mac Mini on a desktop, just use external drives to store files.

 

[theluggage]

I just can't agree that the base model is rubbish and you need 16GB RAM.

Some people happily get by with 8GB, some people need 16GB. Then, some people are happy with 8GB because the result is still faster than their old Mac, and aren't aware/aren't worried that their new Mac isn't running as fast as it could.

The real problem is that Apple's low base specs and ridiculous $200-for-8GB upgrade pricing have made 16GB RAM seem like an expensive luxury when it should be a no-brainer bit of future proofing... and as you've found, depending on where you live it's not just the local equivalent of the $200 price, its the added expense and difficulty of getting a "custom" system.

 

[macuros]

Yes, that price for upgraded RAM is ridiculous. It is also a CTO model, making it even harder to buy cheaper in our country.

I checked German Amazon. The base model Mac mini 8/256 is 599 €. The SSD upgraded model 8/512 was on a discount for 740 € so I decided to buy this one. In my country (EU) this same model costs 960 €. Insane. The RAM upgraded model 16/256 would also cost 960 €. This is not worth it.

But, I decided to go with 8/512 mainly after months of research and rethinks. Now that Mini is already at home on my desk. Working like a charm, I already added my stress work and there was no problem at all. The 512 GB SSD is even a bit faster than the SSD in my base model M2 MacBook Air, but I haven't noticed the difference. They are both very snappy.

As already said, I will continue to update this thread with my observations for this 8/512 model and hope it will help someone else to decide. For my workflow, I don't need anything more powerful and I have many apps opened.

 

[Euroamerican]

^--- I'm therefore leaning towards an M2 8/512 or even an M1 with more RAM if the price is right. The US$1,299.00 is bothersome these days.

 

[dotzero123]

Apples refurbished store gave as good a price as I've seen on M2 16gb 523 for 1099.

 

[GtrDude]

I'm probably wrong here but aren't people talking about the MM M2 Pro being much noisier than the non-pro, as far as fan noise goes?

 

[Chuckeee]

I'm probably wrong here but aren't people talking about the MM M2 Pro being much noisier than the non-pro, as far as fan noise goes?

I have never heard the fan on my Mac mini M2 pro.

 

[dotzero123]

It's quiet here too

 

[Ben J.]

Although I've just had it for a week, my MM M2 Pro is silent - and cold, here too. I've not tried to really push it yet, but with my 32GB ram, I've had it running with Protools session and Lightroom catalog open, streaming videos and sports, +++, 24/7, and it doesn't break a sweat.

I nearly went to a studio M1 Max, but didn't because of the rumors of a "whining" noise from the fan.

I've had a regular M2 mini for 9 months. totally cool and silent also. For me, that is an invaluable "feature".

 

[b.lam]

The only times when I hear the fan and the case becomes warmer, is when playing Baldur's Gate 3

MM M2 Pro 16GB (base edition)

 

[macuros]

I've also never heard a fan from M2 8/512.

 

[ToniCH]

For those wondering about 8 vs 16GB I suggest watching few of this guy's real life performance comparisons on youtube.

Another thing to consider: SSDs have finite life directly dependent on how much is written to it. If you run low on RAM, swap is used. What is swap? The SSD is used as extension to the RAM, ie. its constantly written to when you use the machine and swap is needed. This can shorten the life of the SSD. To my knowledge you (the normal user) cannot replace the SSD on new Mac Minis. So, more memory = less swap used -> longer SSD (and Mac Mini) life. In light use this will probably never be an issue (for the 1st owner at least) but in heavy use.... who knows.

 

[EdwardC]

M1 Mini 16GB / 256 & M2 Mini Pro base, I have never heard a sound out of either. Cases are always cool to the touch.

 

[ToniCH]

M1 Mini 16GB / 256 & M2 Mini Pro base, I have never heard a sound out of either. Cases are always cool to the touch.

Apple silicon processors use so few watts of power there is not much to turn into heat anyway.

 

[picpicmac]

For those wondering about 8 vs 16GB I suggest watching few of this guy's real life performance comparisons on youtube.

Another thing to consider: SSDs have finite life directly dependent on how much is written to it.

MaxTech is a bit of a drama queen.

Regarding the SSD: it is true that NAND chips wear out.

HOWEVER, how many people do you know whose AS Macs have had their SSDs already fail due to use?

Yes, you can always find people who have had their MacBook fail on them. And if you insist on going to a certain Youtube channel which likes to whine about this, note that any product that sells in the tens of millions will always have a certain % fail early on.

The question is: how large is that %?

There has been no consumer action lawsuit against Apple due to SSD failure, so far, and that is evidence that failure rate is rather low.

 

[ToniCH]

MaxTech is a bit of a drama queen.

Yes probably, but I guess his stop watch is not. They were real life use comparisons not so far fetched from most use cases.

how many people do you know whose AS Macs have had their SSDs already fail due to use?

Something that is almost impossible to prove even if it was the actual cause.

Yes, you can always find people who have had their MacBook fail on them. And if you insist on going to a certain Youtube channel which likes to whine about this, note that any product that sells in the tens of millions will always have a certain % fail early on.

The question is: how large is that %?

I don't insist anything, I suggested the videos for anybody wondering about the 8GB vs 16GB thing. I am sure there is many other channels discussing this matter if that one is not to ones liking.

I see you are angry or annoyed about something. Sorry if I caused that. I am an Apple fan boy myself, so don't get me wrong. I also have so much experience that I had a firm opinion on this matter, even before seeing any of his videos. His IRL comparisons just confirmed what I already knew. In 2023 8GB RAM is not enough, it was not few years ago and its not now.

Peace.

 

[macuros]

Observations:
First month with M2 Mac Mini, 8GB RAM, 512 GB SSD

It's a perfect Mac for me with Studio Display. This monitor is prohibitively expensive but extremely worth every penny.

Running apps: Pixelmator Pro, Safari and Firefox (both with 3-5 tabs), Music, iMessage, Mail, Finder, Notes, Obsidian and Mattermost. I'm sure I forgot some other background apps.

Result:

No lags, snappy as it should be. Not a single sound of a fan. No heating.

A bit later (Pixelmator Pro closed):

After a while wile using the Mac further, it was like this:

After a while like this:

Closing some apps and after a while like this:

Currently, I am like this:

*Mac mini is occasionally used by another user with its account, also this Mac hasn't been restarted since doing all this above.

I would say, don't bother with Activity Monitor. And 8/512 or 8/256 is more than enough for my needs. The swap is normal and I am not concerned. The max swap used I've seen was around 4 GB. Nothing to worry about. Happy swapping.

The only thing I've noticed is that when I unlock the Mac mini, my Logitech MX3 mouse is not active right away. It needs a second or two.

For now, I can say, save your money if you don't need your Mac for some special professional work. And don't bother with longevity unless you already know you are buying a Mac for more than 5 or 6 years. In that case, maybe I would go with 16 GB RAM (and 512 SSD). Otherwise, trade in, sell or give to someone you know who needs a computer desperately and upgrade your desktop with another base model after a few years.

Enjoy your Mac!

 

[AlmightyKang]

Using 8/256 here. I got an M2 base mini at the weekend for cheap from a friend.

I was on a 16/512 M1 Pro 14" MBP and I honestly can't tell the difference. I've thrown some horrible stuff at it so far and all I can say is these machines are so fast I can't tell.

I think 99% of the 16Gb memory paranoia comes from four classes of users, none of which I am at least:

Specimen A: YT influencers who spend all day mixing 4k streams about how crap 8Gb of RAM is.

Specimen B: people who install Chrome and have exactly 1000 browser tabs open all the time.

Specimen C: people who have to run a Windows XP VM from the dark ages to do tax returns.

Specimen D: Anything Adobe.

I'm using the built in apps mostly, plus Pixelmator, plus terminal to do Unix bits (R/Go/Python/remote ssh), MacTeX, Numbers, scanning stuff.

If I need compute I rent it hourly from Vultr.

 

[macuros]

I think 99% of the 16Gb memory paranoia comes from four classes of users, none of which I am at least:

Specimen A: YT influencers who spend all day mixing 4k streams about how crap 8Gb of RAM is.

Specimen B: people who install Chrome and have exactly 1000 browser tabs open all the time.

Specimen C: people who have to run a Windows XP VM from the dark ages to do tax returns.

Specimen D: Anything Adobe.

Exactly. Thank you for your comment.

 

[picpicmac]

I don't insist anything,

I should have been more clear: my "you" was for anybody reading my post, not aimed specifically at you.