Base Mac Mini M1 model for video editing?

[no0nefamous]

This is my first time dipping in to buying a Mac, though I've been an iPhone user for a while. How good is the base 8GB RAM model Mac Mini M1 for video editing and audio editing? I've heard lots of good things, but the 8GB of RAM is a little concerning. The 256GB SDD doesn't bother me as I already have plenty of external storage. I won't be doing anything too serious, but am just looking for a tool to help while I try to increase my editing skills from beginner-ish to intermediate.

Is it worth it? Would a base Mini M1 outperform a similarly priced PC?

 

[Fishrrman]

DON'T BUY an m1 Mini with only 8gb of RAM. I predict you will be dissatisfied with it in short order.

DO buy an m1 Mini with 16gb of RAM. You'll probably have to special-order it.
But this is what you want. Better for video editing.

What I would do:
Wait a few more months for the upcoming m1pro Mini. It will be "a big leap" ahead of the entry-level m1 Mini...

 

[no0nefamous]

DON'T BUY an m1 Mini with only 8gb of RAM. I predict you will be dissatisfied with it in short order.

DO buy an m1 Mini with 16gb of RAM. You'll probably have to special-order it.
But this is what you want. Better for video editing.

What I would do:
Wait a few more months for the upcoming m1pro Mini. It will be "a big leap" ahead of the entry-level m1 Mini...

Thanks! That's what I was thinking. 8 GB seems too low for video editing. I'm trying to spend as little as possible but looks like I should spring for the 16GB or look at other options.

 

[coldsweat]

Assuming FCPX, you'll probably be fine with an M1 mini with 16gb and a fast external ssd - it edits 4k 50p with multiple layers of effects/colour corrections without breaking a sweat. Multi-cam with 2 camera angles is fine, 3 is just about workable, 4 is pushing it (can get quite choppy at the 'best performance' setting).

Hope that helps!

 

[phrehdd]

Thanks! That's what I was thinking. 8 GB seems too low for video editing. I'm trying to spend as little as possible but looks like I should spring for the 16GB or look at other options.

This is my first time dipping in to buying a Mac, though I've been an iPhone user for a while. How good is the base 8GB RAM model Mac Mini M1 for video editing and audio editing? I've heard lots of good things, but the 8GB of RAM is a little concerning. The 256GB SDD doesn't bother me as I already have plenty of external storage. I won't be doing anything too serious, but am just looking for a tool to help while I try to increase my editing skills from beginner-ish to intermediate.

Is it worth it? Would a base Mini M1 outperform a similarly priced PC?

Have you considered a used system? Perhaps 16/512 which for many of us is the "sweet spot."

 

[no0nefamous]

Have you considered a used system? Perhaps 16/512 which for many of us is the "sweet spot."

I have, but I'd prefer to get Apple Certified Refurbished if I go that route.

 

[phrehdd]

I have, but I'd prefer to get Apple Certified Refurbished if I go that route.

Well, a refurb is probably the word I should have used. However, that might be a good route to 16/512 and then you can add either Thunderbolt SSD external or USB 3.2 Gen 2 SSD etc.

 

[steve217]

You’ve probably noticed there’s a big debate around here about 8gb vs 16gb in these base M1 models.

As someone who has an 8GB mini and thinks it’s absolute screamer in every task I’ve thrown at it, how about taking one for the team, getting the 8GB model and reporting back? I am not the right person to judge video tools - I couldn’t edit my way out of a paper bag.

Refurbed or not, you’ve got 14 days to make up your mind.

 

[LeeW]

Is it worth it?

A decent comparison of 8GB vs 16GB. There are many reasons to go for 16GB but that does not mean 8GB is a bad thing, the fear-mongering on this site should be treated with caution.

 

[hagjohn]

With 8GB, you will be swapping data to the SSD, with the 16, not so much. So depending on how you feel about swap use and SSD life, will tell you what you should buy. With the new M1 systems, you cannot add memory, so get what memory you think you will need over the machines lifetime.

 

[LeeW]

With 8GB, you will be swapping data to the SSD - So depending on how you feel about swap use and SSD life, will tell you what you should buy.

To give a real-world example of this for some perspective. I manage servers in a data centre (London Docklands). There are 4 servers in one particular rack, each has 4x256GB SSD (consumer-grade Crucial drives - raid10). These servers were built on the 7th Feb 2016, live on the 8th Feb 2016. I built and installed them so I know the dates are accurate and I have maintained them since. Close to 6 years in service.

These are web servers running 24/7/365, reading, writing, swapping constantly since 2016. None of the drives has been replaced in that time. Point is that there is no way 99.99% of users will punish their Mac SSD the way these servers do.

SSD's certainly do have a limited lifespan but worrying that swapping on your laptop/desktop is going to stop you have many, many years of use is a non-issue.

 

[scottrngr]

Get a refurbed one with 16 gigs and a 512 gig hard drive. Then when an M1 pro/max or greater is released, trade that in if you feel you need more power. That is my plan when the next model is release. When working in FCP, I find that exporting or rendering takes up 8 gigs of memory, so you don't want to be max out. My last 3 Macs have been refurbs from Apple with no problems. I wouldn't get refurbed from Best Buy, Amazon, or anything like that.

 

[LeeW]

Definately look at the refurb store, I buy from there where I can. Always saving on standard pricing, most of the time the devices are returned within 14 days so you are getting good deals.

 

[phrehdd]

To give a real-world example of this for some perspective. I manage servers in a data centre (London Docklands). There are 4 servers in one particular rack, each has 4x256GB SSD (consumer-grade Crucial drives - raid10). These servers were built on the 7th Feb 2016, live on the 8th Feb 2016. I built and installed them so I know the dates are accurate and I have maintained them since. Close to 6 years in service.

These are web servers running 24/7/365, reading, writing, swapping constantly since 2016. None of the drives has been replaced in that time. Point is that there is no way 99.99% of users will punish their Mac SSD the way these servers do.

SSD's certainly do have a limited lifespan but worrying that swapping on your laptop/desktop is going to stop you have many, many years of use is a non-issue.

I believe in the case of the Mini, the RAM is a more significant issue. Simply stated - you cannot upgrade it later but one can add storage externally, at any time.

As for your RAID 10, rather curious you would let it continue, being a "business server" and not consider changing out those aged drives? Whether electro-mechanical or SSD, they come with an estimated life and when reaching that time or beyond, best practices would have those drives replaced (working or not).

 

[LeeW]

As for your RAID 10, rather curious you would let it continue, being a "business server" and not consider changing out those aged drives? Whether electro-mechanical or SSD, they come with an estimated life and when reaching that time or beyond, best practices would have those drives replaced (working or not).

You generally don't change drives in servers unless there is a specific need. They perform perfectly well for the task they are doing, it can handle a drive failure if it occurs, the customer is happy with the performance and does not want downtime to replace all 4 drives.

 

[phrehdd]

You generally don't change drives in servers unless there is a specific need. They perform perfectly well for the task they are doing, it can handle a drive failure if it occurs, the customer is happy with the performance and does not want downtime to replace all 4 drives.

I am unsure if that is a general practice. Often drives are bought together and have a similar lifespan (within various RAID configurations), when the manufacturer's specs provide information on the amount of use and expected hours or years, then it does make sense to initiate a window of time to engage a drive change out plan, often a vertical upgrade.

 

[no0nefamous]

So I was going to get the Mac Mini m1 from Apple Certified Refurbished since it was only $500 something, but now it's gone! Do they ever come back?

 

[steve217]

So I was going to get the Mac Mini m1 from Apple Certified Refurbished since it was only $500 something, but now it's gone! Do they ever come back?

Yes. Just keep checking.

 

[zerozoneice]

for basic beginner video/audio editing, just get the base 8/256 and save some money for a T7 SSD (or a good monitor)

it's like saying my level is iMovie but should i maybe get FCP, just in case i learn a lot, spend time, experiment and hit the limits..which i have no clue what those are anyway

by the time you'll learn techniques and have time to experiment & apply your learnings, the Mini would be obsolete...
8GB in the M1 is nothing like 8GB in the Intel world (PC & Macs alike).

"I won't be doing anything too serious, but am just looking for a tool to help while I try to increase my editing skills from beginner-ish to intermediate." -> that's your key statement right there. 8/256. Case closed. You're welcome

"Is it worth it? -> Yes
"Would a base Mini M1 outperform a similarly priced PC?" -> Yea, just about

 

[szczottie]

for basic beginner video/audio editing, just get the base 8/256 and save some money for a T7 SSD (or a good monitor)

it's like saying my level is iMovie but should i maybe get FCP, just in case i learn a lot, spend time, experiment and hit the limits..which i have no clue what those are anyway

by the time you'll learn techniques and have time to experiment & apply your learnings, the Mini would be obsolete...
8GB in the M1 is nothing like 8GB in the Intel world (PC & Macs alike).

"I won't be doing anything too serious, but am just looking for a tool to help while I try to increase my editing skills from beginner-ish to intermediate." -> that's your key statement right there. 8/256. Case closed. You're welcome

"Is it worth it? -> Yes
"Would a base Mini M1 outperform a similarly priced PC?" -> Yea, just about

+1

Sold my mini i7 with 32GB RAM and egpu Vega 64 for mini M1 8/256 and for small projects has been great.

 

[no0nefamous]

Thanks for your input, everyone! You're right in that the base model would probably be fine for what I want to do for now.

Quick question.

Is this a good deal? And how comparable would it be to Mac Mini M1? I'd know what to expect from a PC with these stats but Mac will be new to me.

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[profcutter]

No no no god no run away. That’s a pre-apple silicon machine with an 8th gen intel processor. The apple silicon ones are 24 inches. Just keep checking the apple refurb site for M1 minis with 16 GB ram. You’d probably be fine with a 27 inch machine, but why not go with an apple silicon machine?

 

[Fishrrman]

Again... for video editing... you want 16gb of RAM (NOT 8 -- buy 8, and you're gonna be sorry)...

 

[dandeco]

DON'T BUY an m1 Mini with only 8gb of RAM. I predict you will be dissatisfied with it in short order.

DO buy an m1 Mini with 16gb of RAM. You'll probably have to special-order it.
But this is what you want. Better for video editing.

What I would do:
Wait a few more months for the upcoming m1pro Mini. It will be "a big leap" ahead of the entry-level m1 Mini...

I can vouch for that, though it's the M1 MacBook Air that I got with 16 GB of RAM, as I knew I'd probably do a lot of video-editing on it. And with that M1 chip with 16 GB of RAM, it rivals some of the fastest final Intel Core i7 or even i9 MacBook Pros in terms of editing/rendering speed and power!
I too am waiting for that upcoming "Pro" Mini, as I do want to replace my 2012 quad-core i7 Mac Mini with a newer Apple Silicon desktop next year. The 2012 Mini also edits and renders video nicely, especially since it also has 16 GB of RAM, but my M1 MacBook Air can render video in at least a third of the time it'd take to render the same video on the Mini!

 

[Camarillo Brillo]

After playing with an 8gb m1 for a while and stress testing it, I feel you can do a LOT more with 8gb on m1 than people think.

For example I loaded up a Logic project that was 9.5 gb ram on its own according to activity monitor (remember this is 8gb ram total machine) let it play on a loop, opened 20 YouTube tabs in safari, and exported a 40gb Final Cut Pro project at the same time. Memory pressure was yellow, there were a few gigs of swap, but Logic never stopped playing and the fcp export didn’t even take much longer than normal. Everything kept working.

If you don’t look at activity monitor you won’t even notice the difference. The 8gb models are on sale so cheap right now, you can pick one up at Costco and then when you finally reach that point that you think it’s not enough for you, trade it in to Apple and buy the next big thing

Or at least that’s how I’m convincing myself that I’m happy with the money saved. And if it just works it just works, can’t really argue with that. If it slows me down I may change my mind.