Mac Mini M2/M2 pro

[jdoo]

600 bucks for a decent dual monitor setup? Scrap that.

Yeah... a little wishful thinking...

[sQeetz]

I've paid close to 800 for my 4K one and it's barely decent
IF *I* was to buy a replacement for that one I'd be overwhelmed too.

[jdoo]

Im reset here. Going to order a Samsung CJ791 34-Inch display ($600). Like mentioned... no video or photo editing, pure music and some limited browsing on this system.. so 4K would be overkill. I need screen real estate..

[Scotty]

Screen real estate can mean higher resolution. A 1080p monitor that is 20 inches displays the same as a 40 inch 1080p monitor with bigger pixels. If you want a low cost 4k solution consider a 4k TV that is 40 to 44 inches on the diagonal, That is big enough to show those tiny pixels at arms length, easy on the eyes not too big to hurt your neck with lots of screen real estate. Given this is not for colour accurate video editing or gaming that would be a reasonable choice and you’d save money too.

[jdoo]

Thanks Scotty.

[jdoo]

So.. my M2 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16GB RAM , 1TB SSD system showed up last night. Connected it to my aging iMac and started the Migration Assistant. This morning.. things were moved over. Spent a few hours updating Logic Pro X, installing office apps, and checking configuration items. Launching Logic Pro was the first of the immense difference in speed of this system compared to my 11 year old iMac. Holy crap. Logic busted through re-validating somewhere north of 25 plug-ins.. in seconds. I havent seen performance differences like this in decades. Anyway, watching Logic Pro launch up on subsequent runs, it comes up instantly. Just unbelievably fast. I havent run any benchmarks, and probably wont - but this is night n day faster than anything I have ever run before. The monitor I paired this with - a Samsung CJ79 series.. is great. I wont be doing photo editing with this system, nor anything else requiring the higher end graphics this system supports..
Other stuff.. The Mac Mini M2 Pro is probably twice as large as I was expecting. Not a problem.. but I had never seen one up close I have a couple of SSDs that Ive been using for additional storage on the iMac... Those plugged right in to the Mini. Im setting everything up on my home office work desk. I have 5 monitors squeezed in right now, as Im tuning the setup. Looks way cool. Once Im done configuring things... the CJ79 and Mini will end up atop my music desk.

This M2 Pro 10-core so far... is blistering fast, has breezed through a couple of the larger Logic projects I have, is quiet as a lamb, and has far exceeded my expectations.

[jdoo]

There are a few new threads re: Mac mini M2 / Pro. Thought i would revive this, and provide a quick update on my experience so far..

System: M2 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16GB RAM , 1TB SSD
Monitor: Samsung CJ791 34” Curved
2 external SSDs plugged in, with libraries and software

Primary Use is music. Hosting AU instruments, Logic Pro, MainStage. It is both a sound source for ITB instruments, and output from my mixer as a DAW (the Logic Pro stuff).

Performance continues to amaze me. Nothing is slow. I’ve pulled up old Logic and MainStage projects from 10 years ago.. and they convert to the newer versions in seconds. Stuff that would bring my iMac to it’s knees.. often causing me to abandon efforts to pull up old projects. The M2 Pro, is .. much faster than I expected.

The Samsung monitor is great, in that it adds additional connectivity to this system. The 34” monitor is perfect for my use, but Im not doing Photoshop or any type of work where I need highest end graphics. This is a music system..

My 10 year old iMac is collecting dust. It’s sitting on a music workstation desk.. unplugged. It’s just too easy to run the stuff I planned on using it for, from the M2 Pro. Some day… I’ll strip it down, to manage libraries, and as a monitor on that desk. Just too wrapped up in dinking around with the M2 for the last couple of months.

Bottom line though. Anyone considering a desktop unit.. should consider the M2 Pro. 10 Core is more than plenty for me, as was 16GB of RAM. Drive space? If I was to do it all over again? I would configure things exactly the same. System, Drive, Monitor.. But that’s just for what I need.

[Jac459]

System: M2 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16GB RAM , 1TB SSD
Monitor: Samsung CJ791 34” Curved
2 external SSDs plugged in, with libraries and software

I have the same but in a mbp. Same experience.

[jocknaethick]

if take your gaming seriously....

You're unlikely to be using a Mac of any description really...

[Jac459]

if take your gaming seriously....

You're unlikely to be using a Mac of any description really...

Not true, Mac is awesome for gaming...

Casual gaming lol....

If you are a hard-core gamer, I don't think mac can be even considered.

[sQeetz]

I once built a truly powerful gaming rig specced around a RTX 2080 thinking I would be playing games like crazy.... never did so I sold it (with a profit in the middle of the pandemic [the thing was almost 2 years old...]) to buy a MacBook Pro
If I ever feel the need again, I'll just buy an Xbox

[Jac459]

I once built a truly powerful gaming rig specced around a RTX 2080 thinking I would be playing games like crazy.... never did so I sold it (with a profit in the middle of the pandemic [the thing was almost 2 years old...]) to buy a MacBook Pro
If I ever feel the need again, I'll just buy an Xbox

If you just want to play occasionally and you want a perfect experience, considere the NVidia cloud offer, Geforce now. You don't have to buy anything and the quality is a good as the xbox one x.

[LoveEnigma18]

There are a few new threads re: Mac mini M2 / Pro. Thought i would revive this, and provide a quick update on my experience so far..

System: M2 Pro, 10‑core CPU, 16GB RAM , 1TB SSD
Monitor: Samsung CJ791 34” Curved
2 external SSDs plugged in, with libraries and software

Primary Use is music. Hosting AU instruments, Logic Pro, MainStage. It is both a sound source for ITB instruments, and output from my mixer as a DAW (the Logic Pro stuff).

Performance continues to amaze me. Nothing is slow. I’ve pulled up old Logic and MainStage projects from 10 years ago.. and they convert to the newer versions in seconds. Stuff that would bring my iMac to it’s knees.. often causing me to abandon efforts to pull up old projects. The M2 Pro, is .. much faster than I expected.

The Samsung monitor is great, in that it adds additional connectivity to this system. The 34” monitor is perfect for my use, but Im not doing Photoshop or any type of work where I need highest end graphics. This is a music system..

My 10 year old iMac is collecting dust. It’s sitting on a music workstation desk.. unplugged. It’s just too easy to run the stuff I planned on using it for, from the M2 Pro. Some day… I’ll strip it down, to manage libraries, and as a monitor on that desk. Just too wrapped up in dinking around with the M2 for the last couple of months.

Bottom line though. Anyone considering a desktop unit.. should consider the M2 Pro. 10 Core is more than plenty for me, as was 16GB of RAM. Drive space? If I was to do it all over again? I would configure things exactly the same. System, Drive, Monitor.. But that’s just for what I need.

Thanks a lot for your detailed insights. Glad to know you are enjoying your new system.

I have a couple of questions (especially being a Windows user) if you could please help answer:

1. You recommend M2 Pro over M2 for music production, right? Ignoring SSD here.

2.On my Windows I use 32 GB RAM since I use a lot of sample based instruments, so I wonder if 16 GB will be fine for M2/Pro. I used to use 16 GB earlier and it did work well, but I am not sure about Macs. I assume 16 GB would be sufficient.

3. Do M1 Native apps/software/plugins run on M2 as is without any additional workarounds or there's a support problem here as was when moving from Intel to Apple Silicon? I assume there wouldn't be.

4. What audio interface do you use and did you face any driver problems? I am asking because my audio interface is Mac compatible, but I am not sure if the audio drivers need to be specifically Apple Silicon compatible. It's Komplete Audio 6 MK1 btw. Would it work with Mac mini M2/Pro?

5. Lastly, can I use my existing USB keyboard (generic) and mouse (G502 Hero) with a Mac?

[jdoo]

...

Thanks a lot for your detailed insights. Glad to know you are enjoying your new system.

I have a couple of questions (especially being a Windows user) if you could please help answer:

1. You recommend M2 Pro over M2 for music production, right? Ignoring SSD here.

2.On my Windows I use 32 GB RAM since I use a lot of sample based instruments, so I wonder if 16 GB will be fine for M2/Pro. I used to use 16 GB earlier and it did work well, but I am not sure about Macs. I assume 16 GB would be sufficient.

3. Do M1 Native apps/software/plugins run on M2 as is without any additional workarounds or there's a support problem here as was when moving from Intel to Apple Silicon? I assume there wouldn't be.

4. What audio interface do you use and did you face any driver problems? I am asking because my audio interface is Mac compatible, but I am not sure if the audio drivers need to be specifically Apple Silicon compatible. It's Komplete Audio 6 MK1 btw. Would it work with Mac mini M2/Pro?

5. Lastly, can I use my existing USB keyboard (generic) and mouse (G502 Hero) with a Mac?

I'll try, best I can.
1. For me... definitely went with the M2 Pro. I am a Logic Pro user, and the Pro version has double the performance cores.. which makes Logic Pro... twice as fast in performance benchmarks.
2. 16 GB has been plenty for me. For future proofing... I considered doubling to 32, but I havent broken a sweat with 16GB so far.. And.. i often throw heavy loads at it.
3. No idea. I never used a M1 Mac. In fact, this is my first non-Intel based Mac. ( I'm blown away by the speed and performance of these purpose-built systems.
4. I'm currently using a poor man's audio interface. A Yamaha MG10XU with it's USB Audio inteface to the Mac. No special drivers needed.
5. You may have to search out your periferals to see if they are compatible with the new system.

Comparing M2, M2 Pro.. good video here ->
Moving to a Mac from Windows? Search out keyword 'switchers' .. That term is often used, for folks looking for tips, tricks, hurdles.

[LoveEnigma18]

...

I'll try, best I can.
1. For me... definitely went with the M2 Pro. I am a Logic Pro user, and the Pro version has double the performance cores.. which makes Logic Pro... twice as fast in performance benchmarks.
2. 16 GB has been plenty for me. For future proofing... I considered doubling to 32, but I havent broken a sweat with 16GB so far.. And.. i often throw heavy loads at it.
3. No idea. I never used a M1 Mac. In fact, this is my first non-Intel based Mac. ( I'm blown away by the speed and performance of these purpose-built systems.
4. I'm currently using a poor man's audio interface. A Yamaha MG10XU with it's USB Audio inteface to the Mac. No special drivers needed.
5. You may have to search out your periferals to see if they are compatible with the new system.

Comparing M2, M2 Pro.. good video here ->
Moving to a Mac from Windows? Search out keyword 'switchers' .. That term is often used, for folks looking for tips, tricks, hurdles.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply, I really appreciate it.

Looks like Mac mini M2 Pro with 16 GB memory and 512 GB storage would be a nice sweet spot from cost and performance point of view.

If I end up buying a Mac, I am going to use it exclusively for music production and install only the plugins I really like using. One of the reasons for considering a Mac is that I want to explore Logic Pro. I have been a big fan of it just from watching videos, although I never have had a hands on. I am a FL Studio user and fortunately, FL Studio now works on Macs, so it would be a safe bet that way should Logic Pro not work for me, which I don't think it would. Of course, there will be a learning curve, but hopefully a small one for me.

I will watch the video above and keep your other points in mind, will definitely need to do the research on accessories and software/drivers support. I just realized I had a tab open of the exact same video above that I couldn't watch yesterday. That guy is indeed great.

Loved this guy's videos as well.