The Power and Efficiency of the Mac Mini

Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel. Today I want to talk about this little machine that's sitting right here in front of me. It's tiny, it's powerful, and it's efficient, and what really impresses me is that it has more power than a base Mac Pro. Now, I know that the Mac Pro is due for an upgrade to Apple Silicon, but at the moment, this little machine is the one that's pushing the boundaries of what's possible with Apple Silicon.

One thing that stands out about this Mac mini is its performance. It's all the benefits of the new Apple Silicon stuff, including the second-generation, five-nanometer process, which provides blazing fast shared memory and all the optimizations that come with it. And the best part is that it's available for a starting price of $599, which is incredibly cheap considering what you're getting. It's basically like having a laptop in a tiny package, without the screen and keyboard, just an absolutely tiny computer in there.

The Mac mini has undergone a significant transformation since it moved from Intel chips to Apple Silicon. When it made this move, it took an absolutely hilarious leap up in performance. Some of the numbers on paper are just ridiculous. To give you an idea, let's take a look at some of the specs. The completely changed the nature of the product. This M1 Mac mini is already dramatically better than the Intel one for 99% of people.

Now, we've got the new M2 Mac mini, which comes with more cores, a more powerful CPU and GPU, more max memory, and a higher overall performance ceiling. The price has also gone down from $699 to $599, which is almost unheard of when it comes to Apple products. Apple rarely lowers the price of the entry-level model, but that's exactly what they've done here.

We're not just stopping at the M2 Mac mini, though. We've also got the M2 Pro Mac mini, which raises the ceiling for Mac mini performance even further. This new chip is so much more performant than its predecessor due to the updated architecture and extra cores. It's now benchmarking actually over the M1 Pro and the M1 Max in the CPU department that was in the highest-end MacBook Pros. The M2 Pro starts at $1299, which may seem steep, but when you consider the M2 Pro MacBook Pro with the exact same system on a chip starts at $1999, it's actually pretty good.

One of the reasons I'm calling these Mac minis game-changers is their performance per dollar. You don't usually expect that out of a Mac, but if we were to do a comparison like, here's the laptops' performance per dollar, and then here's the Mac mini's, which is the same performance but for less money, it's better. The line's higher.

So, why haven't people been buying Mac minis in the past? Well, some people get the laptop and just keep it in one room all the time because desktop options aren't as appealing. And that's fair, the iMac is cool, but it kind of feels like Apple forgot about it lately. It's been sitting with the unupgraded M1 chip for a little while now, even when M2 is out, but then they dropped Mac Studio, which is excellent in the highest-end configurations.

But now, the Mac mini slots in really nicely underneath all of that. And with the modularity of a desktop that doesn't come with a monitor built-in, you can pick whatever display you want with the $700 you save. It's funny, in recent reviews, I've been trying to give sustainability notes where it's relevant. So, there are some neat ones with this machine like recycled aluminum, the packaging on the outside, and recycled plastics on the inside of the Mac, all that's cool. But all of that is outweighed by the ability to continue using your same display and swap out displays however you want.

Plus, if you already have a display you like, yeah, you can just continue using that. I haven't done a video on the Mac mini since the last one, but I wanted to give everyone an update on what's new with this incredible machine.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(logo whirring)- Hey, what's up?MKBHD here.So this little machine,this one right here,that I can hold in my hands,has more power than abase Mac Pro right now,more CPU power anyway.Now, I hope that that'snot true for much longer,because the Mac Pro is overduefor its Apple Silicon upgrade.But the fact that it'strue at all right nowis absolutely insane.This little machine isnot only super powerful,and super efficient, and super small,but it's also a really good price.So I said in my last videoabout the MacBook Prosthat the Mac mini is actuallythe more interesting machine.And I mean it, it really is.It's just gotten a refreshfrom the M1 chip that it had beforeto now having an M2, and an M2 Pro option,both of which are kind of gamechangers in their own ways.So first, the M2 version,the base M2 Mac mini is a game changerbecause it's all the benefitsof the new Apple Silicon stuff,the second-generation,five-nanometer process,the blazing fast shared memory,all the optimizations that come with it,for a starting price of $599, US.So I mean, it's a pretty simple computer,not even a small tower,just an absolutely tiny computer in there.It's basically the laptop,but without the screen and the keyboard,only one color, silver,and then a decent selectionof ports around the back,along with a small exhaustvent for active cooling,and a headphone jack.And so this thing packsa surprisingly enormouspower for its size.We've seen this AppleSilicon transition play outover the past two years.And when the Mac minimoved to Apple Siliconfrom the Intel chips,it took an absolutely hilariousleap up in performance.Some of the numbers onpaper are just ridiculous.You have to forgive mefor using Apple's stupid unlabeled charts,but like, just to give you an idea,this completely changedthe nature of the product.So this M1 Mac mini isalready dramatically betterthan the Intel one for 99% of people.And now the M2 comesalong with more cores,a more powerful CPU andGPU, more max memory,and a higher overall performance ceiling,and the price goes down from $699 to $599.Apple almost never lowers the priceof the entry level of anything,but that's exactly what's happened here.So we just got a computerthat's more powerful,and more capable, and moreefficient for less money.And so then we also havethe M2 Pro Mac mini.This is the one that I'vebeen testing and using.And so before, we just hadthe base Apple Silicon M1Mac mini, now that's the M2,but we've also now got this Pro chip,which raises the ceilingfor Mac mini performance,still on the same tiny body.Well, actually, I can't saythe exact same tiny body,because the M2 Pro versionalso does gain two more Thunderbolt ports.So now there's four Thunderboltfour ports on the backalong with everything else still here.And that means you can nowdo three external displaysinstead of two,and you can still optionup to 10 gigabit ethernetif you're blessed with thattype of internet connection,or if you're at an institutionthat will take advantageof the networking capability.And yes, that is HDMI 2.1.But the big deal here withthis new chip is the M2 Prois so much more performantthanks to the updatedarchitecture, and the extra cores,that it's now benchmarkingactually over the M1 Proand the M1 Max in the CPU departmentthat was in the highestend MacBook Pros before.I had to double takewhen I first read that,because M1 Max has been so incredible,but yet here we are,even the incrementalimprovements here are notable.And on top of that,the thermal advantagepotentially of a Mac miniwith active cooling in a tallerchassis over a MacBook Procan also mean in the long term, you know,sustained CPU performance over time.You may see even better results there.So this thing's performance is rock-solid.And then, of course, as youmove up in chips from baseto Pro to Max, that's actuallymostly a GPU improvement.And so M2 Pro does great here, too,but as you can see, the resultsfall sort of more in line.It's improvement, ofcourse, over the last one,but the Max chips are still the way to goif your applicationsspecifically take advantage of GPU power.But then everyday performance is just,it's gonna be the same,which is to say, great.But the sustained multi-coreperformance ceilingis just way higher.You know, especially forthings like video editing,or app development,things that have basicallylonger compiled timesor render timesthat might be above whatyou wanna do on the base M2,that's awesome on the M2 Pro.This model starts at $1299.Not cheap, of course,but when you considerthe M2 Pro MacBook Prowith the exact same system on a chipstarts at $1999 right now, pretty good.That's actually, that's the real reasonI'm calling these Macminis a game changer,or at least for being so good,is performance per dollar.You don't usually expectthat out of a Mac,but if I were to do like, oneof those dumb Apple chartsof like, here's the laptopsperformance per dollar,and then here's the Mac mini's,which is the same performance,but for less money, it'sbetter, the line's higher.You know, for so long Apple'sprioritized these laptops,which makes perfect sense, by the way.They've been great,lots of people buy them.But some people get the laptop,and then just keep itin one room all the timebecause desktop optionsaren't as appealing.And if we're beinghonest, the iMac is cool,but it's not for everyone.Like even right now,it kind of feels like Applelow-key forgot about the iMac.It's just been sittingwith the unupgraded M1 chipfor a little while now,even when M2 is out, butthen they dropped Mac Studio.And Mac Studio is excellentin the highest end configurations,and I can't wait for the M2 Ultra here.But yeah, the Mac mini now slots inreally nicely underneath all of that.And, of course, with themodularity of a desktopthat doesn't come with a monitor built in,now you pick whatever display you wantwith the $700 you save.It's funny, in recent reviews,I've been trying to givesustainability noteswhere it's relevant.And so there are some neatones with this machinelike recycled aluminum, thethe packaging on the outside,the recycled plastics onthe inside of the Mac,all that's cool, but all ofthat sort of is outweighedby the ability to continueusing your same display,and swap out displays howeveryou want, unlike the iMac.Call me crazy, but I thinkthere's a lot of peoplewho probably don't wanna be stuckwith a non-upgradable display and webcamand white bezels forever.Plus, if you alreadyhave a display you like,yeah, you can just continue using that.I haven't done a video on the Mac minisince the \"Fastest MacMini in the World\" projectthat I did back in college.Shout out to those of youwho subscribed back then.But I basically,I took the highest-endavailable Mac mini in 2012,and maxed it out byupgrading to the fastest RAM,the fastest SSD it would support,in an effort to make it like,the most capable tiny machinefor a college dorm roomwhere space is at a premium.Because, clearly, mypriorities at the timewere video editing over homework.Now, this M2 Pro Mac minihas all the power that Iwould've killed for back thenas a fledgling creatorwith not a lot of space,and it costs less.It costs less.I had to look back.I had spent in total withthe Mac and all the upgrades,$1,759 for the fastestMac mini in the world.This one blows it out thewater as far as performanceand capability.Of course, the difference hereis no part of thistightly-integrated machineis upgradable at all.So now you gotta think aboutspending a little bit moreto account for having themachine for a long timeand not upgrading things.Maybe a little more RAM,maybe a little more storage.Depends on what you're doing with it.But yeah, this would haveblown out the water...This can handle basically any footagethat I could possibly throw atit that I could shoot myself.Also, by the way,if you actually do happen tobe looking at one of theseand you are in collegelike I was back then,don't forget about the student discount.That's typically a hundred bucks off.And I think with thesemachines it's a hundred bucks.So now that brings this down a hundred.That also brings the base M2down to $499, which is great.So in conclusion, if you'retrying to think of...If you're trying to pickone Mac to buy right now,think of it this way.If you already have an Apple Silicon Mac,like an M1 generation Mac, you're good.You don't have to buya new Mac every year.Those machines were a greatupdate over the Intel ones.You're set.Now, if you have an older machine,and you're actually looking to upgrade,I would actually default to the Mac mini,and just start with thebase M2 $599 Mac mini.And I would not buy the iMac right now,because if you look atthe specs specifically,it's still M1,and it's $1299 for anon-removable 24-inch display.I would just get the Mac mini instead,and get whatever $600 screen you want.You can swap that out however.So I wouldn't recommend iMac right now.And then if you knowthat you specifically wannabe computing on the go,that's when you move over, okay, okay,the laptops are really good.You can get an M2-generation MacBook Pro,and those are excellent.I just reviewed them.If you wanna check it out,link's below the likebutton, that video's up,and that's how I think about the lineup.But honestly,if you can find an M1-generationMacBook Pro right nowon a discount, that's really good, too.And then within each lineup,of course, I keep saying this,but the big differencebetween M2, M2 Pro, M2 Max,and eventually M2 Ultra whenwhen it comes out, is GPU.So it shouldn't be a shockthat they're all sort ofsimilar in CPU performance.But if the applications that you use,and you know your workflow willtake advantage of GPU power,then that's when you bump that up.Okay, yeah, that's pretty much it.Maybe a little bit shocking, but yeah,price for performance, Macmini, kind of a huge winner.Mac mini might make memiss removable memory,but it makes most massivemedia machines feel pretty mid.Thanks for watching.Catch you guys the next one.Peace.(soft music)\n"