Another Mac Mini vs. Mac Studio thread

[Silly John Fatty]

I waited all this time to get the Mac Mini with 32 GB (remember the M1 was only available with max. 16 GB), but now I'm wondering if I may not need 64 GB (my current Mid 2010 Mac Pro already has 32 GB).

The problem: The Mini doesn't come with 32 GB … but the Studio does.

So consider these settings:

Mac Mini M2 Pro	Mac Studio M1 Max
12-Core CPU	10-Core CPU
19-Core GPU	24-Core GPU
16-Core Neural Engine	16-Core Neural Engine
32 GB Memory	64 GB Memory
1 TB SSD	1 TB SSD
10 Gigabit Ethernet	10 Gigabit Ethernet
2.699,00 €	2.989,00 €

Which one would you recommend? Which one is worth its money more?

I could get the Mini cheaper if I got rid of 10 GB Ethernet. Not sure if I need that. It would only be 2.584,00 € in this case. But perhaps it's better to future proof it. It increases the group of future potential buyers.

32 vs. 64 GB is also a big factor.

As for the CPU and GPU differences, I don't know how big these are.

 

[Velin]

I could get the Mini cheaper if I got rid of 10 GB Ethernet. Not sure if I need that. It would only be 2.584,00 € in this case. But perhaps it's better to future proof it. It increases the group of future potential buyers.

Drop the 10GbE. That requires the proper copper/fiber, switches, and pipe/service. It is unlikely in the extreme home users are going to have run Cat 6a for local file transfer, and it also is highly unlikely they will have a residential provider with those speeds. Even true fiber-to-the-premesis residential providers generally top out a 1GbE, and that's the top-tier plan generally. And anyone who is actually paying the price for 10GB likely is going to need something more than a Mini.

 

[Basic75]

I'm quick to recommend getting more RAM, though you don't really say why you might need 64 GB. How much, excluding buffer cache, do you regularly use on your 32GB machine? How much swap?

 

[kschendel]

I agree with dropping the 10 Gbe. 2.5 Gbe is just starting to be affordable for in-house LAN, although most people won't get any benefit out of it; and as Velin pointed out, WAN speeds still max out at 1 gbit and it's likely to stay that way for quite a while.

 

[Spaceboi Scaphandre]

It's really a tough call between the two. While the M1 Max is a (slightly) slower CPU, it's a much better GPU by a longshot, and that Studio has a lot more RAM to work with in the future. Not to mention the Studio has a lot more ports than the Mac Mini (though you can get a Satechi hub to rectify this.

If I had to choose I would get the Studio because it has a lot more ports and a much larger cooling system. It will have to come down to your personal preference of what you want on your desk. It would help to know what you do to decide

(Though if you go Mac Mini, ditch the 10gig ethernet. You don't need it. unless you actually have an internet plan that goes beyond 2 gig)

 

[jasnw]

Unless you really REALLY need the 64GB memory and the extra ports on the Studio I'd suggest the M2Pro Mini. I have one, and (except for Ventura) love it. Dead quiet and fast. I would have pulled the trigger on a Studio when they first came out, but the noise issues pushed me to hold off until they got sorted out. I don't know if that problem with the Studios has ever been addressed/fixed by Apple, but the M2Pro Mini came out and the point became moot for me.

 

[jz0309]

I waited all this time to get the Mac Mini with 32 GB (remember the M1 was only available with max. 16 GB), but now I'm wondering if I may not need 64 GB (my current Mid 2010 Mac Pro already has 32 GB).

The problem: The Mini doesn't come with 32 GB … but the Studio does.

So consider these settings:

Mac Mini M2 Pro	Mac Studio M1 Max
12-Core CPU	10-Core CPU
19-Core GPU	24-Core GPU
16-Core Neural Engine	16-Core Neural Engine
32 GB Memory	64 GB Memory
1 TB SSD	1 TB SSD
10 Gigabit Ethernet	10 Gigabit Ethernet
2.699,00 €	2.989,00 €

Which one would you recommend? Which one is worth its money more?

I could get the Mini cheaper if I got rid of 10 GB Ethernet. Not sure if I need that. It would only be 2.584,00 € in this case. But perhaps it's better to future proof it. It increases the group of future potential buyers.

32 vs. 64 GB is also a big factor.

As for the CPU and GPU differences, I don't know how big these are.

without telling us your use case - how can anyone give you advice on the 32 vs 64GB RAM???

 

[tstafford]

I love my Studio but bought it before M2P mini existed. My display set-up requires the Studio but other than that I'd buy the mini.

 

[HDFan]

agree with dropping the 10 Gbe.

Depends how long you will be owning the system and other devices that you have on your network. I use 10 Gbe to my NAS units but that did require purchasing a 10 GbE switch. Maybe not as critical as RAM configuration as there are other ways to get that speed, such as in an external hub.

Love the ports on my Studio Ultra, all but one in use.

 

[Alameda]

Drop the 10GbE. That requires the proper copper/fiber, switches, and pipe/service. It is unlikely in the extreme home users are going to have run Cat 6a for local file transfer, and it also is highly unlikely they will have a residential provider with those speeds. Even true fiber-to-the-premesis residential providers generally top out a 1GbE, and that's the top-tier plan generally. And anyone who is actually paying the price for 10GB likely is going to need something more than a Mini.

The Internet is not the only use case for networking.

I have a Synology networked RAID box. I am a photographer and videographer, and using a hard-wired 1 Gig Ethernet cable, it’s still horribly slow, around 80 to 100 MB/second. That may seem fast, but not when you’re moving 100 GB at a time when you offload a camera memory card. And for editing off of the RAID it’s quite bad.

Yes, I know I’d need a 10 Gig Synology and a 10 Gig switch in order to upgrade, and the Synology would need an SSD buffer, but those things are reasonable to do. I’m not at 10 Gig now, but I wish I was and it’s on my radar.

My point is not that everyone should buy 10G Ethernet, only that there are definitely valid reasons for it.