Would a base M2 Mac mini be an upgrade from a mid-2018 MacBook Pro?

[Johnny Steps]

I was thinking of trading in a mid-2018 512gb/16gb MacBook Pro towards a base M2 Mac mini. With the education discount bringing the purchase to $64 and then the $100 gift card, I was thinking it would be a good deal. However, I have seen the posts regarding swap memory or slow storage with the base configuration. How big of a concern is this for a regular user? I only use Safari for browsing, nothing professional in the world of video or photography, and I have an iPad Pro for any sort of mobile needs.

So is it worth it? I guess I'm concerned since it looks as if I'm downgrading specs from the laptop.

 

[chabig]

That would be a huge upgrade in performance! If you’re not using more than 256GB of storage now, you won’t need more on the Mini. RAM and SSD speed won’t be meaningful. You’ll be shocked at how fast it is.

 

[Johnny Steps]

That would be a huge upgrade in performance! If you’re not using more than 256GB of storage now, you won’t need more on the Mini. RAM and SSD speed won’t be meaningful. You’ll be shocked at how fast it is.

So you think it’s not necessary to spend extra money on RAM or even the M2 Pro Mac Mini?

 

[chabig]

Not based on how you said you use the machine. I happily work fine with 8GB and do more than you. If you’re near a store, go try an 8GB machine and see how it feels.

 

[Johnny Steps]

Not based on how you said you use the machine. I happily work fine with 8GB and do more than you. If you’re near a store, go try an 8GB machine and see how it feels.

That’s what I figured. It’s just there’s numerous videos and articles that keep touching on read and write speeds, swap memory, degradation, and so on. But I feel like it’s probably more concerning to users with certain workflows.

 

[chabig]

There are people who expect RAM requirements to always rise. Both RAM and storage requirements are higher than the old days of text based interfaces because everything went to graphics. Then we got digital audio, and finally digital video. Until recently I would have thought we'd reached the end of ever increasing RAM needs, but I think the next big thing that will require RAM is AI (or machine learning, as Apple like to call it). We'll probably need RAM to run the new models. But I think it's too soon to tell how much will be required. If you're buying for today, I think 8GB is enough. If you're buying for tomorrow, who knows?

 

[bobcomer]

I was thinking of trading in a mid-2018 512gb/16gb MacBook Pro towards a base M2 Mac mini. With the education discount bringing the purchase to $64 and then the $100 gift card, I was thinking it would be a good deal. However, I have seen the posts regarding swap memory or slow storage with the base configuration. How big of a concern is this for a regular user? I only use Safari for browsing, nothing professional in the world of video or photography, and I have an iPad Pro for any sort of mobile needs.

So is it worth it? I guess I'm concerned since it looks as if I'm downgrading specs from the laptop.

If you don't need to run Windows in a VM, yes, that's definitely a good buy.

 

[ChrisA]

I was thinking of trading in a mid-2018 512gb/16gb MacBook Pro towards a base M2 Mac mini. With the education discount bringing the purchase to $64 and then the $100 gift card, I was thinking it would be a good deal. However, I have seen the posts regarding swap memory or slow storage with the base configuration. How big of a concern is this for a regular user? I only use Safari for browsing, nothing professional in the world of video or photography, and I have an iPad Pro for any sort of mobile needs.

So is it worth it? I guess I'm concerned since it looks as if I'm downgrading specs from the laptop.

You can not compare RAM in an M2 vs an Intel Mac. The base M2 works well for usage like you describe. But the mid 2018 MBP works well too. Why do you want to replace it.

Don't replace a computer unless you can say "I want to do XXX and this computer can not do XXX as well as I would like." In your case, the mid-2018 should be doing casual web browser just fine.

Eventually you might say "I need to run the current OS, Ventura so that I can run the current version of the Apple Home app and my older computer will not run Ventura." If that happens then you have a good reason to upgrade.

 

[Johnny Steps]

You can not compare RAM in an M2 vs an Intel Mac. The base M2 works well for usage like you describe. But the mid 2018 MBP works well too. Why do you want to replace it.

Don't replace a computer unless you can say "I want to do XXX and this computer can not do XXX as well as I would like." In your case, the mid-2018 should be doing casual web browser just fine.

Eventually you might say "I need to run the current OS, Ventura so that I can run the current version of the Apple Home app and my older computer will not run Ventura." If that happens then you have a good reason to upgrade.

You bring up a very good point with that as well! It seems MacOS Sonoma will still support 2018 MacBook Pros and up. And yeah, this laptop is running really well for what I need it to do. I'd argue the only thing needed is a new battery based on the battery health it has. Maybe I will hold off on the upgrade for now.

 

[MacProFCP]

I was thinking of trading in a mid-2018 512gb/16gb MacBook Pro towards a base M2 Mac mini. With the education discount bringing the purchase to $64 and then the $100 gift card, I was thinking it would be a good deal. However, I have seen the posts regarding swap memory or slow storage with the base configuration. How big of a concern is this for a regular user? I only use Safari for browsing, nothing professional in the world of video or photography, and I have an iPad Pro for any sort of mobile needs.

So is it worth it? I guess I'm concerned since it looks as if I'm downgrading specs from the laptop.

It will be MUCH faster.

However, I always recommend 16GB of ram and 512 GB SSD as a minimum spec. Even if you’ll never use more than 256GB, the machine will run slower when you fill up the SSD.

Spend a few bucks and get a machine that will last you 5 - 7 years.

 

[Populus]

I share the opinion of the comment above mine. I wouldn’t get less than 16GB of RAM in 2023 if you want to future proof your device. And getting a 512GB of SSD will save you from getting the drive full frequently (if you work with medium or large files).

Just FYI, the base M2 Pro comes with a minimum of 512/16GB, but if you don’t need the extra cores of the M2 Pro (and I think you won’t), just get an M2 and get those upgrades if you can afford them.

Alternatively, and given that your 2018 MacBook still supports Sonoma, I would really consider waiting a year and a half until the M3 Mac mini releases. That way you’ll optimize your purchase even more.

 

[Fishrrman]

"Would a base M2 Mac mini be an upgrade from a mid-2018 MacBook Pro?"

NO.
Not a "big enough jump".

But an M2pro Mini WOULD be a decent upgrade.
I recommend you "bump up" the SSD from 512gb to 1tb.

 

[chrfr]

I disagree with the post above. A regular M2 would substantially outperform the 2018 MacBook Pro and there's no need to spend the extra money on an M2 Pro for a computer that's really just going to be used for internet activity. If your 512GB of storage now is plenty of room there's also no need to move to 1TB.
I traded my 2018 13" on a base model 14" M2 Pro because the keyboard on my 2018 was becoming problematic for a second time and I wanted it gone before the keyboard failed completely and the computer had no trade-in value. I also have an M1 mini, which vastly outperforms the 2018 and in day to day use feels no slower than the M2 Pro MacBook Pro.