YOU Should Buy the CHEAPEST M2 Mac Mini, And Here's Why!

The M2 Mac mini is pretty darn remarkable in that its both better AND cheaper than its previous iteration.

And you should totally buy one!

M2 Mac mini

———————What Gear I Recommend!——————————

First Mac ( M1 Mac Mini)

Best Macbook (MacBook Pro 16)

Best Travel Professional Windows Laptop (XPS 17)

Best Thunderbolt 3 Dock (cal digit TS3 Plus)

Best Beginner YouTube Camera (Sony A6100)

Best Overall YouTube Camera (Sony A7IV)

—————What Gear I Use!————————————————

Main Camera (Sony A7IV)

Main Lens (Tamron 28-75)

Secondary Lens (Tamron 17-28)

Main Computer (MacBook Pro 16)

DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the Amazon product links, I’ll receive a small commission.

[MatthewH]

Glad you called out the clickbaiters because they need to be called out. The M2 Mac lineup rocks!

[MacinMindSoftware]

Got an M1 mini to replace a 2010 mini that ran playout, processing and stream encoding for nearly 13 years. The 2010 ran silently about 118-125° F on CPU, not bad. But the M1 runs about 60-65° F 15-18° C consuming only 7% CPU. Maybe those sensors are wrong so I tried an infrared thermometer. The room is 65° F. The top back of the mini is 69° F. I'll be purchasing an M2 mini to replace a 2006 Mac Pro that's been running a radio station 24/7 for 16 years.

[digitalmarketinghumans]

M2 Mac Mini SSD base model = 1431 MBps and 1482 MBps (Read/Write)

To put into perspective, old school hard disks (HDD) vs Older SSD (Sata) vs M2 Mac Mini
HDD = 80-160MB/s
Older SSD's SATA = 200 MB/s to 550
M2 Mac Mini Base = 1431 MB/s

Of course relative to the older M1 Mac Mini model base = 2733 MBps write and 2854 MBps
But you are paying what you are getting for and by all means, that M2 Mac Mini Base IS NOT SLOW, AT ALL.

I personally would opt up to go higher spec. But if money is an issue, M2 Mac Mini base is amazing.

[fransisco]

The base model M2 Mac mini is my first ever Mac computer and I am super in love with this..
Editing hours of 1080p video on Davinci Resolve with light transition effects and Fairlight effects, while opening 10-ish Chrome tabs, while also opening Notion app, Spotify app, Tradingview app, Canva app.. Everything runs very very smooth. The only thing I'm still struggling with, is the operational side: keyboard shortcut and the OS logic.

Almost all Youtube videos are encouraging you to buy at least the 16GB RAM version, but for most people, $200 is quite a lot, and workflow like me are more than enough with the 8GB RAM.
My advice is to ask yourself again if you really need those bigger RAMs or are you just being persuaded by those Youtubers whose lives are filled with great techs that now their standard is way up there?

[peteandpuy]

Just upgraded from the Mac Mini M1 to the M2. I didn't notice much difference in performance but the annoying Bluetooth and network issues have both been fixed! The Mac Mini M1 would regularly drop the Apple mouse requiring me to plug it in every couple of days to get it back. Also, the ethernet connection would drop out and getting it reconnected was a constant pain. That's all in the past. All the problems are no longer problems. Buy a Mac Mini M2, not the M1. One other thing, my monitor is a 43" 4K TV. It's a fairly cheap model but it doesn't make any difference. The huge screen is perfect for Sports and Movies or just surfing. I can't imagine having a better computer.

[MCCNN]

To anyone thinking about buying one and upgrading to 10Gb Port. Remember, 99% of people do not have network equipment that is compatible with 10Gb.
Even the ones that do have compatible equipment, usually only have 1 or 2 aspects that are compatible..Like a high end NAS with a 10Gb port, or a router with 1 or 2 SFP+ ports.
Cool option, but basically useless at this point in time for almost anyone that is going to buy one of these.

[TheGelatinousSnake]

Im so basic… I don’t push the Mac Mini anywhere near it’s limits. It just Syncs my iPods, iPads and iPhone. Occasional FaceBook/YouTube. 1 TB external HDD. For a girl that does practically nothing, this has been the best for me. I just needed a cheap Mac that Sync’s with old iPods

[game]

I PURCHASED this one on sale for 499..99. I bought it because I had no room for a desktop HDMI this to the flat screen got the Magic Keyboard and mouse and go

[macjeffff]

Love this review. Personally, I'm getting the higher-end model with 10‑core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine, 16GB unified memory, and 1TB SSD storage. Still a great buy at 1500, in my book.

[sharonb.]

Great video. Every video like this gets tons of comments saying, “there are plenty of PC’s you can buy that are better and cheaper!” That’s great, go buy one of them. People should spend their money on whatever they like without criticism from those who would make a different choice.

[mgaming]

I bought a base model and a Pro model. Both are Amazing for the price. For the intended buyer, the $599 is an Insane value. Nothing out there is better at that price. The Pro machine is stupid fast. Love it. Everyone Should buy ANY mac mini they can afford.

[willx]

Upgrade the ram if you're doing anything more than just basic stuff. Trust me. I ran into memory issues on my M1 mini while streaming Ableton Live and a music visualizer in OBS.

[bryans]

I've had Mac minis since the 2012 model was released. They've always been impressive and have just gotten better, and more affordable, with the M series chips. I don't have the M2 mini, I finally made the jump to the M1 Studio Max for my desktop needs, but I do have the base M2 MB Air and its performance is just as good as you say.

[richardkoolen]

Great review. My Mac mini 2018 is still blazing with a QC i3. The problem with the reviews is that their all made by video editors. My Mac mini 2018 still rock iMovie and Final Cut Pro. Yeah the exports take longer, but then I actually give some attention to my kids and spouse. O and our dog 🐶 😅

[MarbsMusic]

So I never buy the base model... definitely believe you need at least 16GB of memory. However I needed something for my studio as I sold my Mac Studio because I just wasn't using it often nor really utilizing the power it had. I recently picked up a base M2 mini, yes I know the M4 will probably be released in the next 6 months, but I've been able to do everything I wanted with it. I hooked up one of my external drives and have even been able to actually use it for Logic without issue. I had purchased the Studio so I could do tons of tracks but just never did that... this base model has been great so far, even in 2024.

[KevinMillard]

for the gains any of the m2s offer they are not worth buying as many have already found out

[TCHGY]

I have a full desktop pc for gaming, but I am thinking of buying this little powerhouse!

[manbuckets]

I want to eventually get a Mac mini as a desktop!

[bikdav]

This might be a good candidate for my “modest” home theater set up instead of streaming adapters.

[garth]

This is like a shopping channel...Buy a Mac M2 mini but what we haven't told you is all the other expenses you need to buy once you've got the bloody thing!!!