M2 Pro Mac mini review: Best price to performance Apple Silicon yet

The M2 Professional Mac mini

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The Mac mini has at all times been an efficient entry-level possibility for upgraders and switchers who have already got a keyboard, mouse, and show, however simply want the brains of the operation.

There has at all times been a slender computing energy vary in that small block, however till now, it by no means spanned that a lot of the efficiency spectrum. In case you needed extra energy than that pretty small vary, you would get a MacBook Pro, a Mac Pro, or extra just lately, a Mac Studio.

Even going into the Apple Silicon period, the primary wave of releases solely supplied minor variations of the M1, with no possibility for something extra spectacular just like the M1 Professional, M1 Max, or M1 Extremely. Stretching that far means a change to a wholly completely different mannequin.

Nonetheless, for the 2023 mannequin, Apple’s spec bump replace is a good bit past what occurred final time. Certain, you would get an M2 chip, however now you possibly can go as much as an M2 Professional for those who want that additional efficiency.

Offering entry to 2 chip tiers means you would use it as an entry-level mannequin or go for one thing extra spectacular.

We preserve saying that the Mac mini is a identified amount in Apple’s lineup. The M2 Professional possibility brings it to a brand new and thrilling degree.

In case you’ve simply completed studying the M2 Mac mini review, you’re most likely anticipating that that is going to be extremely related in some ways. You’ll be proper.

Many components of the M2 Professional Mac mini are unchanged from the M1 or M2 variations.

The M2 Professional Mac mini remains to be 7.75 inches extensive and deep and 1.41 inches in top, so it will nonetheless slot in with any docks or equipment that depend on the bodily dimensions of the mannequin.

M2 Professional Mac mini has the identical kind issue

This curved sq. of aluminum is a bit heavier in its M2 Professional variation, weighing in at 2.8 kilos or 0.2 kilos heavier than the non-Professional version. The load distinction is probably going because of a change in thermal administration moderately than an externally-present change.

One of many solely actual indicators it is an M2 Professional mannequin is across the again, the place the ports reside. As a substitute of two Thunderbolt 4 ports, the rely has elevated to 4.

Apple is aware of what it is doing when it considers goal audiences. The M2 variant will enchantment to households and informal customers who do not have numerous peripherals. Not solely do “professional” customers typically have extra gear to connect, however there may be an elevated chance they’re high-speed Thunderbolt gadgets.

We would have beloved to have a few front-facing ports for shortly connecting a charger or flash drive, however that is what the Mac Studio is for.

Whereas Apple is rumored to be engaged on a major change to the design, together with plexiglass-like covers, it is not right here, and it is not clear if it ever can be. That is not a nasty factor, as the present design of the Mac mini has stayed round for thus lengthy as a result of it really works so effectively.

It is a disgrace that it is not all-new, but it surely’s not an issue both.

There are two variants of the M2 Professional out there to buy. The primary is the 10-core model, which incorporates six efficiency cores, 4 effectivity cores, and a 16-core GPU.

The opposite is a 12-core mannequin with eight efficiency cores and 4 effectivity cores, plus an upgraded GPU with 19 cores.

The M2 and M2 Professional variations are very related

There’s additionally the 16-core Neural Engine within the M2 vary, which sees its efficiency boosted from 11 trillion calculations per second within the M1 to fifteen.8 trillion.

Each M2 Professional variations have a reminiscence bandwidth of 200GB/s, double the M2 variants. The quantity of unified reminiscence out there can also be larger, beginning at 16GB and going as much as 32GB.

Just like the M1 Professional, the M2 Professional continues to accommodate the Media Engine, specifically hardware-accelerated encoders and decoders for H.264, HEVC, ProRes, and ProRes RAW footage. Right here, there’s one every of the video decode and encode engines, plus a devoted ProRes encode and decode engine.

On this overview, we examined the 12-core M2 Professional with the 19-core GPU, 512GB of SSD storage, and 166GB of reminiscence. Apart from the reminiscence and storage, this machine is maxed out.

The again of the Mac mini has at all times been the place Apple congregates the ports, and given the skinny field design, it is smart to take action from a producing standpoint. Because it additionally pushes all of the wiring to the rear, it is good for aesthetic causes too.

Just like the M1 and the M2 fashions, the again contains the 40Gb/s Thunderbolt 4 ports, which assist USB 4, USB 3.1 Gen 2, DisplayPort, and different older requirements. With 4 ports as an alternative of two, this will allow extra {hardware} to be linked on to the unit, with out operating out of connections.

M2 Professional Mac mini ports

To the suitable are two USB-A ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack with assist for high-impedance headphones. Entry remains to be awkward for those who’re reaching round blindly and one of many USB ports is occupied, but it surely’s not a large headache.

There’s additionally the customary HDMI port, in case you do not have a DisplayPort or USB-C show.

For the Professional mannequin, the supported show rely is larger, from two to a few shows. It is doable to have two 6K 60Hz screens over Thunderbolt and one 4K 60Hz HDMI show operating concurrently, or one 6K 60Hz over Thunderbolt and a 4K 144Hz display screen over HDMI.

Improved HDMI output

In case you use one monitor, that HDMI port can deal with an 8K image at 60Hz, or a 4K decision at 240Hz.

To the left is the Gigabit Ethernet port, upgradable to 10Gb Ethernet for those who want the additional pace, the facility connection, and the facility button.

For wi-fi connectivity, Apple contains an replace to Wi-Fi 6E, which can be useful on Wi-Fi networks that assist the usual. Bluetooth 5.3 can also be in use as an alternative of Bluetooth 5.0.

The headphone jack and the everyday built-in speaker deal with Non-HDMI audio duties. That speaker will do at a pinch, however you are higher off using a TV’s audio system over HDMI or hooking up one thing to that headphone jack.

The bottom M2 Professional Mac mini is $1,299, which nets you the 10-core M2 Professional with the 16-core GPU, 16GB of unified reminiscence, and 512GB of SSD storage.

Upgrading to the M2 Professional with the 12-core CPUT and 19-core GPU prices an additional $300. If you would like 32GB of reminiscence, that is $400 extra, and 10-gigabit Ethernet is $100 additional.

Storage upgrades, as common, are costly on the time of configuration. From 512GB to 1TB, it is an additional $200, with one other $400 getting you to 2TB, an extra $600 once more to 4TB, and an eye-watering $1,200 on high of that to get the 8TB mannequin.

Reminiscence improve choices on M2 Professional Mac mini

With the highest chip and reminiscence, the value for the unit goes from $1,299 to $1,999, for those who preserve storage at 512GB. Bumping as much as 8TB as effectively brings the utmost value to $4,499.

Since you can’t improve or change inside elements after buy, a advice for saving cash can be to place the finances into the reminiscence and chip upgrades and decrease your storage improve.

Utilizing an exterior SSD or NVMe drive connected to one of many 4 Thunderbolt ports will nonetheless offer you high-speed and accessible storage with real-world speeds of as much as about 3GB/s, and notably cheaper than Apple’s dear upgrades.

The M2 Mac mini had a strong enchancment in comparison with the M1, so we anticipated related outcomes on the M2 Professional. Because it makes use of the identical CPU cores, simply extra of them, the single-core Geekbench 5 outcomes are practically similar.

We bought 1951 on the M2 and 1953 on the M2 Professional. These examine favorably to 1688 scored by the M1, representing a roughly 15 p.c acquire. Apple promised as much as 18 p.c sooner CPU, so these numbers aren’t far off.

Single-core Geekbench outcomes

With the extra cores, the M2 Professional model of the Mac mini flies. It notched a powerful 15172 on the multi-core take a look at. Once more, that is evaluating the 12-core M2 Professional versus the 8-core M2.

Multi-core Geekbench outcomes

On Cinebench R23, the M2 Professional Mac mini earned a 14792 on the multi-core take a look at, which is unimaginable when the M1 Max Mac Studio solely scored 12389.

Working Cinebench R23

The M2 Professional version of the Mac mini places the pint-sized processing machine into new territory. Certain, it supplied greater than sufficient efficiency for computing duties in its earlier guises, however now it is pushing to new heights.

Certainly, with excessive efficiency within the Mac mini kind, it does elevate the query of whether or not it is price getting the M1 Max-equipped Mac Studio.

Deliver your keyboard, mouse, and show

The 12-core M2 Professional outpaces the 10-core M1 Max present in that machine. You possibly can decide up the brand new 10-core M2 Professional Mac Mini for $1,300 whereas the M1 Max Mac Studio starts at $2,000 — a $700 financial savings with related efficiency.

Spending one other $300 will get you a 12-core M2 Professional Mac mini, nonetheless a $400 financial savings and now higher efficiency. Mac Studio has extra ports, however for those who’re snug with Ethernet, 4 Thunderbolt, HDMI, and two USB-A, the Mac mini wins out.

Plus, the Mac mini has additional advantages the Mac Studio would not, reminiscent of assist for 4K 240Hz and 8K shows.

There are nonetheless many justifications for going to the Mac Studio, together with the far larger CPU and GPU core counts, larger reminiscence choices, and the sheer novelty of getting one thing that appears like a chunky Mac mini in your desk.

The Mac Studio remains to be the selection of customers who need Apple Silicon efficiency on their desks. The M2 Professional Mac mini would not fairly attain that degree, but it surely nonetheless provides greater than sufficient to maintain demanding customers glad without having to pay for the steroid-consuming Mac Studio.

The brand new Mac mini is a superb machine

If Apple comes out with an M2 model of the Mac Studio housing an M2 Max and M2 Extremely, the M2 Professional Mac mini will simply slot in as the choice between the M2 worth proposition and the higher tier mannequin.

However for the second, it’s a nice desktop possibility if efficiency is required, however the associated fee remains to be an element.

• M2 Professional chip
• Upgraded CPU and GPU efficiency
• Compact and understated design
• 4 Thunderbolt ports
• Improved HDMI output for high-end workflows
• Wi-Fi 6E
• Numerous present peripherals to match the present kind issue

• Excessive value for reminiscence and storage upgrades
• No consumer upgradability
• No front-facing ports

Each 2023 Mac mini is discounted by up to $200 with promo code APINSIDER at Apple Licensed Reseller Adorama.