Who else prefers their 2018 Mac mini over the m2?

[keyman_sam]

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. I have a 2018 Mac mini nearly maxed out. This thing handles whatever I throw at it for audio. And it’s whisper quiet that I record in the same room as the machine. Hundreds of plugins, tracks, auxes in logic, movie track, etc no hiccups.

It’s great for film scoring and beats the ARM based Macs in plug-in compatibility.

Mind you, I have an M1 Mac as well but I prefer the mini for the ports, and mainly compatibility so no fuss with audio plugins. Surely I can’t be the only one skipping out on the bandwagon? At least until the plug-in compatibility is sorted out?

The newer macs make sense for GPU or video workflows but for audio the intel macs are a bit of a bargain in the used market. Anyone else feel the same?

[chagzuki]

Not me, I have a 2017 iMac with loads of RAM and it performs worse than an M1 MacBook Air with no cooling and 8GB RAM (on battery if it suits). I'm not sure exactly how the performance compares, originally I was a little disappointed with the Air in that it seemed roughly on par, but that was running the DAW via Rosetta, so overall the M1 Air must be a fair bit more powerful.
There are very few plugins that aren't native now. There's also the energy use cost to factor into the equation, not sure how that works out but it's a plus for the newer chips.

From what I can gather the M2s aren't a huge leap from the M1, so I'll be curious to reevaluate where things are in a couple of years. Or course, I would prefer not to be stuck with soldered RAM and SSD, so it'll be good if the new AMD chips are competitive.

[vurt]

after all the "is it m1 ready????" comments everywhere (by everyone!), you will like and use the bloody m1!

[Bombadil]

No regrets. At all. My previous computer was a late 2015 iMac, 4ghz, 32GB Ram, i7, quad-core, and my M1 mini smokes it. Everything except VSL and Best Service's Engine are ARM native, now, so I'm quite happy. Thing gets slightly warm playing Civ 6, otherwise I can only tell it's on by the little light.

[keyman_sam]

I guess the processor version makes a difference. The 2018 i7 was a huge upgrade from previous models. It smoked other pro desktops at the time of launch iirc.

From the many threads on plug-in compatibility I can imagine it’s still the biggest issue plaguing the m1 macs. That and fewer ports.

The newer Macs are phenomenal, mind you. But for audio I feel we’re behind by a few years till the compatibility issues are fully fleshed out.

[Bombadil]

I guess the processor version makes a difference. The 2018 i7 was a huge upgrade from previous models. It smoked other pro desktops at the time of launch iirc.

From the many threads on plug-in compatibility I can imagine it’s still the biggest issue plaguing the m1 macs. That and fewer ports.

The newer Macs are phenomenal, mind you. But for audio I feel we’re behind by a few years till the compatibility issues are fully fleshed out.

My mini has enough inputs with a decent hub. It handles what I throw at it. It cost me about ½ the price of the iMac. A bit less. All I can say is I'm happier than I've ever been with Logic's performance, and the Apple Silicon is the future. First thing in a long time that Apple's done that impressed me.

[Michael L]

The newer macs make sense for GPU or video workflows but for audio the intel macs are a bit of a bargain in the used market. Anyone else feel the same?

Yep. I have a 2018 Mac with Mojave specifically for compatibility issues. I love being able to run all the software I know. That is far more rewarding than any speed bump. BTW you can link another Intel mac with 10GB ethernet (or via thunderbolt) as a slave when yours is maxed out.

[revvy]

after all the "is it m1 ready????" comments everywhere (by everyone!), you will like and use the bloody m1!

He’s got an M2 though. Totally different, doesn’t even include ‘1’ in its name.

FTR, I’m enjoying my M1.

Edit: he has got a 1 but it says’2’ in the thread title. Insane! Clearly some Mac users are not M1 ready!

[PAK]

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. I have a 2018 Mac mini nearly maxed out. This thing handles whatever I throw at it for audio. And it’s whisper quiet that I record in the same room as the machine. Hundreds of plugins, tracks, auxes in logic, movie track, etc no hiccups.

The newer macs make sense for GPU or video workflows but for audio the intel macs are a bit of a bargain in the used market. Anyone else feel the same?

For many peoples requirements the older Mac Mini is still just fine. So, no, I don't think you're alone at all. Synthetic benchmarks aren't always ideal, but they'll often give a rough idea..

EG A 2018 Mac Mini, with a 6 core i7, gives about 60% of the performance of a base 8 core M2 on Geekbench. (2018 Mac Mini i7 6 core: 1150 single / 5500 Multi. M2 8 core: 1950 single / 8700 multi.. Note: Approx averages, as numbers vary.)

The big difference is energy use. Apple Silicon presently uses approx 1/3rd the power Vs Intel for equivalent performance. That difference will rise even further with high end Nvidia cards. Depending on where you are, and how long you use your computer, those operating cost differences can easily equate to hundreds of dollars per year!

The other main difference depends on whether apps can use the additional new hardware accelerated features. Unfortunately this (muh video export times!!) has lead a lot of online "reviewers" to proclaim bigger differences (versus Intel and AMD) than will often be the case for things like audio use. The more that perception persists, the more it enables Apple to charge higher prices than are arguably warranted versus the PC competition. But, when it comes to power efficiency, there is literally no contest Vs Apple Silicon at present..

[sQeetz]

Can't comment on earlier Macs, since the first I got was/is the first gen MacBook Pro.
Benchmark wise it was faster then my then 2 years old Intel Core i9 9900K rig I had (which I sold part for part with a profit even it being used, due to the shortage at that time).
Now I'm hitting the limits of the M1. Bit the bullet and ordered a Mac mini M2 Pro with 12 cores, 32GB...

The other main difference depends on whether apps can use the additional new hardware accelerated features. Unfortunately this (muh video export times!!) has lead a lot of online "reviewers" to proclaim bigger differences (versus Intel and AMD) than will often be the case for things like audio use.

I also wish there was a Pro/Max/Extreme Mx CPU version without any of that ProRes crap a fraction of users actually need. Throw in some more cores instead...

[keyman_sam]

Can't comment on earlier Macs, since the first I got was/is the first gen MacBook Pro.
Benchmark wise it was faster then my then 2 years old Intel Core i9 9900K rig I had (which I sold part for part with a profit even it being used, due to the shortage at that time).
Now I'm hitting the limits of the M1. Bit the bullet and ordered a Mac mini M2 Pro with 12 cores, 32GB...

The other main difference depends on whether apps can use the additional new hardware accelerated features. Unfortunately this (muh video export times!!) has lead a lot of online "reviewers" to proclaim bigger differences (versus Intel and AMD) than will often be the case for things like audio use.

I also wish there was a Pro/Max/Extreme Mx CPU version without any of that ProRes crap a fraction of users actually need. Throw in some more cores instead...

Would you care to post some audio benchmarks (say the Logic Pro test) once you get it? I’m curious how it fares against M1/i7.

[keyman_sam]

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. I have a 2018 Mac mini nearly maxed out. This thing handles whatever I throw at it for audio. And it’s whisper quiet that I record in the same room as the machine. Hundreds of plugins, tracks, auxes in logic, movie track, etc no hiccups.

The newer macs make sense for GPU or video workflows but for audio the intel macs are a bit of a bargain in the used market. Anyone else feel the same?

For many peoples requirements the older Mac Mini is still just fine. So, no, I don't think you're alone at all. Synthetic benchmarks aren't always ideal, but they'll often give a rough idea..

EG A 2018 Mac Mini, with a 6 core i7, gives about 60% of the performance of a base 8 core M2 on Geekbench. (2018 Mac Mini i7 6 core: 1150 single / 5500 Multi. M2 8 core: 1950 single / 8700 multi.. Note: Approx averages, as numbers vary.)

The big difference is energy use. Apple Silicon presently uses approx 1/3rd the power Vs Intel for equivalent performance. That difference will rise even further with high end Nvidia cards. Depending on where you are, and how long you use your computer, those operating cost differences can easily equate to hundreds of dollars per year!

The other main difference depends on whether apps can use the additional new hardware accelerated features. Unfortunately this (muh video export times!!) has lead a lot of online "reviewers" to proclaim bigger differences (versus Intel and AMD) than will often be the case for things like audio use. The more that perception persists, the more it enables Apple to charge higher prices than are arguably warranted versus the PC competition. But, when it comes to power efficiency, there is literally no contest Vs Apple Silicon at present..

I’m honestly surprised that the i7 still holds its own. I’m suffering from GAS where I’m trying to spec out my favorite m2 mini pro configs though I have absolutely no need to upgrade. I have only come close to maxing out during scoring one intense cue, but that was also due to not bouncing anything. With bounce in place, I don’t know when I’ll ever max this thing.

[sQeetz]

Would you care to post some audio benchmarks (say the Logic Pro test) once you get it? I’m curious how it fares against M1/i7.

Will do! Which one exactly? I googled and there seem to be quite some.

I just got shipping notification and since it's not an off-the-shelf model I was surprised that's been shipped from Shenzhen directly..... customs clearance has been completed in Hong Kong.....might be underway for some days. that's so weird

[keyman_sam]

Would you care to post some audio benchmarks (say the Logic Pro test) once you get it? I’m curious how it fares against M1/i7.

Will do! Which one exactly? I googled and there seem to be quite some.

I just got shipping notification and since it's not an off-the-shelf model I was surprised that's been shipped from Shenzhen directly..... customs clearance has been completed in Hong Kong.....might be underway for some days. that's so weird

Thanks! The "NewLogicBenchmarkTest 2" is the standard now, I think?? https://music-prod.com/logic-pro-benchmarks/

[PAK]

I’m honestly surprised that the i7 still holds its own. I’m suffering from GAS where I’m trying to spec out my favorite m2 mini pro configs though I have absolutely no need to upgrade.

Overall the difficulty, for Intel, isn't so much performance (stuff like video encoding aside). It's the power used to do it. Thus why new higher end Intel laptops mostly keep up with Apple Silicon - until you unplug from the wall. Then their performance crumbles

Definitely hold out for the M3 if you're not hurting though. M2 is mostly a slightly higher clocked M1. The move to 3nm, at the same time as the first major design changes, means there'll hardly be a better time to upgrade. I wish I could hold out myself (waiting for the Mac Pro announcement to see what I'll do - and whether rumours, of the Mac Studio's demise, with no M2 etc, pan out )

The "NewLogicBenchmarkTest 2" is the standard now, I think?? https://music-prod.com/logic-pro-benchmarks

The thing I don't like about it is the 1024 sample buffer setting recommendation. Whilst the idea is to minimize other factors, in order to test purely CPU performance, anyone using virtual synths real-time is unlikely to use settings that high. So it doesn't reflect our usage conditions.

This matters more for Apple Silicon, because it also appears to perform particularly well at low latency settings, versus Intel etc! So not only not reflecting that real world use case, but also not revealing how Intel performance tends to fair worse (vs M1/M2) as you lower latency..