For Those Torn Between a Mac mini with M2 Pro and a Mac Studio with M2 Max

[Yebubbleman]

I'm not sure if anyone has found themselves in this boat. (And I spend FAR TOO MUCH time on Apple's site configuring Macs that I will never in a million years buy for myself.) But if you are in the position of shopping for either a high-end Mac mini or a lower-end Mac Studio, here is some advice that may or may not help you make your decision:

1) A Mac mini with the full/un-binned 12-Core CPU/19-Core GPU variant of M2 Pro and 1 Gigabit Ethernet and 32GB of RAM will always cost the same as a Mac Studio with the 30-GPU core variant of M2 Max and 32GB of RAM (assuming the same size of SSD is chosen for each).

2) Your only difference in cost between these two will be AppleCare+ (and we're talking about a difference of $~70.).

3) The difference between a high-end M2 Pro and a low-end M2 Max will have considerable differences when it comes to battery life and cooling (with extremely minor differences in weight due to the different cooling materials) on a MacBook Pro; and much moreso on a 14-inch MacBook Pro than on a 16-inch. This difference is functionally unimportant on a desktop, especially on two different desktops with the same footprint.

4) Odds are decent that if you are opting for the higher-end/un-binned M2 Pro configuration on your Mac mini instead of the binned (10-CPU Cores; 16 GPU cores) variant, it stands to reason that you are probably also wanting 32GB of RAM over 16GB (and if you aren't, maybe you ought to).

5) The cost difference between a binned M2 Pro on a Mac mini with 32GB of RAM and a Mac Studio with the base/binned M2 Max SoC also with 32GB of RAM is $300. $200 if you add 10Gb Ethernet to the Mac mini. This is a close difference, but not so close that it's foolish to buy such a Mac mini instead of said Mac Studio, especially if you know you won't need or even appreciate the extra two performance CPU cores and the extra 14 GPU cores.

6) The M1 Max variant of Mac Studio has two extra USB-C ports and an SD card slot on the front of it in addition to an identical rear selection of ports.

Given this: I'd say that unless there are VERY specific reasons to buy a Mac mini with the un-binned 12-CPU Core/19-GPU Core version of M2 Pro (i.e. specific form factor considerations for something like a datacenter), it's a substantially better idea to buy either a Mac mini with the 10-CPU Core/16-GPU Core version of M2 Pro or a Mac Studio with the binned/base 12-CPU Core CPU/30-GPU variant of M2 Max (assuming your needs aren't obviously higher or lower end than these Macs).

Hope this helps those of you picking between these two Macs!

 

[bobcomer]

Given this: I'd say that unless there are VERY specific reasons to buy a Mac mini with the un-binned 12-CPU Core/19-GPU Core version of M2 Pro (i.e. specific form factor considerations for something like a datacenter), it's a substantially better idea to buy either a Mac mini with the 10-CPU Core/16-GPU Core version of M2 Pro or a Mac Studio with the binned/base 12-CPU Core CPU/30-GPU variant of M2 Max (assuming your needs aren't obviously higher or lower end than these Macs).

I went with the high end M2 Pro mini 32GB, 2TB. . I like the form factor, no possibility of the whine, and I really don't need more GPU cores. It really is a nice machine and am quite happy with it. It's a solid part of my menagerie of machines...

That said, I agree with you and would suggest the same, the M2 Studio Max is a better buy. Though there's one caveat -- if your new Studio has the whine, send it back for replacement immediately. It wont get better and you wont get used to it. (I tried!)

 

[RUQRU]

I went through the same analysis and bought the base Mac Studio with M2 Max. The price difference over the mini made it an easy choice.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I went with the high end M2 Pro mini 32GB, 2TB. . I like the form factor, no possibility of the whine, and I really don't need more GPU cores. It really is a nice machine and am quite happy with it. It's a solid part of my menagerie of machines...

That said, I agree with you and would suggest the same, the M2 Studio Max is a better buy. Though there's one caveat -- if your new Studio has the whine, send it back for replacement immediately. It wont get better and you wont get used to it. (I tried!)

I thought about the whine issue. Though, is that still an issue on the 2023 models?

I agree that if it's a guarantee, then the Mac mini might be the better buy in some cases (where the Mac is an audible distance away from where one is to use it).

 

[sauria]

I went through the same analysis and bought the base Mac Studio with M2 Max. The price difference over the mini made it an easy choice.

Any whine on yours?

 

[bobcomer]

I thought about the whine issue. Though, is that still an issue on the 2023 models?

Apparently yes, but less reports that way it seems. The fan profile is slower, so there's less chance of it.

 

[Boil]

• UMA bandwidth
• M2 Pro = 200GB/s
• M2 Max = 400GB/s

 

[wingennis]

Any whine on yours?

No whine on my M2 Max Studio. I haven't even heard the fan in a room with ambient sound. I know you weren't asking me 😇

 

[sauria]

No whine on my M2 Max Studio. I haven't even heard the fan in a room with ambient sound. I know you weren't asking me 😇

Great. A good rig.

 

[George Dawes]

I chose the mini as I prefer the design and form factor

The studio is just plain ugly and I couldn’t face looking at it all day , don’t really care about the tech stuff as I’ll be doing extremely basic stuff on it

Also couldn’t face the potential whine problems

 

[heretiq]

I chose the mini as I prefer the design and form factor

The studio is just plain ugly and I couldn’t face looking at it all day , don’t really care about the tech stuff as I’ll be doing extremely basic stuff on it

Also couldn’t face the potential whine problems

+1 on the mini. I purchased the first gen M1 mini and a 32 inch Dell 4K monitor at the start of COVID and loved the mini for the whisper quiet operation, performance and minimal but elegant form factor. I traded the mini in for a maxed-out M1 Max MacBook Pro when I started traveling again after COVID shelter-in-place restrictions were relaxed. I love the MacBook Pro, but find myself constantly wishing I still had the mini. It’s my favorite Mac.

 

[Yebubbleman]

I chose the mini as I prefer the design and form factor

The studio is just plain ugly and I couldn’t face looking at it all day , don’t really care about the tech stuff as I’ll be doing extremely basic stuff on it

Also couldn’t face the potential whine problems

If your needs are basic, why are you buying the M2 Pro? This thread isn't Mac mini vs. Mac Studio; it's 12-CPU Core/19-GPU Core M2 Pro Mac mini with 32GB of RAM vs. base model Mac Studio.

 

[George Dawes]

Because I always over spec when I buy when possible , means it’ll last longer I find

Bit like buying a Lamborghini to go shopping with I guess 😝

Only times I’ve bought stock macs I’ve regretted it , especially anything involving those awful fusion drives

 

[Yebubbleman]

Because I always over spec when I buy when possible , means it’ll last longer I find

Bit like buying a Lamborghini to go shopping with I guess 😝

Only times I’ve bought stock macs I’ve regretted it , especially anything involving those awful fusion drives

Methinks you are not the target audience for this topic then.

 

[roman.stapunov]

If your needs are basic, why are you buying the M2 Pro? This thread isn't Mac mini vs. Mac Studio; it's 12-CPU Core/19-GPU Core M2 Pro Mac mini with 32GB of RAM vs. base model Mac Studio.

From my experience m2pro gives you more and better options for external Display scaling rather then regular m2. For my work m2/16gb more then enough, but I bought m2 pro base mini to get better scale options for my 5k2k display out of the box.

So considering this difference others may prefer specked m2 pro mini over base because they also need more ssd space and performance. Personally I would go with specked m2 pro mini over m2 max because I prefer mini form factor. Unfortunately in my location custom models way more expensive then base models.

 

[CWallace]

I don't need the extra GPU performance of the Max and I am not sure I need more than 16GB of RAM, but I decided to pull the trigger on a base M2 Mac Studio instead of the base M2 Pro Mac mini because for one-third more money, the extra RAM (and memory speed) and CPU and GPU cores offer me significant future-proofing so I expect I will be good into the 2030s with this machine.

 

[pshufd]

One thing that I like about the Studio is the higher cooling capacity should I ever need it. I have run 5 monitors off my Studio in the past. My ideal is 4. Right now I'm running 3 x 4k next to a 27 inch iMac but I would eventually like to go back to 4 x 4k - I went to 3 because a piece of software I use has a bug when the horizontal resolution is over 3x4k.

I have an M1 mini as a test system for new operating system and application software platform and it's nice but Costco sells the M1 Max Studio for $1,500 and I assume that they will do the same for the M2 Max Studio after the M3 Studio launches.

I can see the M1 Studio lasting me a long time. Mine does not have the whine. Yes, I took a risk getting it but there weren't any other desktop options from Apple at the time.