I want an upgrade! Need some advice, though...

[srgz]

Right now I'm running a M1 Mini with 8GB RAM...and I would like to upgrade to something nicer without having to spend a whole lot.

I was thinking about a M1 based Mac Studio...

For people who are familiar with the ins and outs of the Studio lineup, are there any killer features I would be missing out on by getting the older M1 models instead of the M2s?

I know the front two ports aren't full thunderbolt (aside from the M1 Ultra) and I don't really care about that.
I think the GPU is better on the M2s right? It supports higher res displays I think? Faster HDMI port maybe?

What about benchmarks...I mean are the M2s really that much better?

I do mostly audio right now but I would like to get into video stuff more...I have Da Vinci Resolve installed and have messed around with fusion a little bit, and the performance is not great at all on the m1 mini unfortunately. It's not like I'm doing it professionally though, I'm just learning it as a hobby right now.

 

[ChrisA]

Generally if you double a hardware spec, you notice only an incremental increase in performance when working. You never notice a dramatic doubling of perceived performance. Do if you double the number of CPU cores or double the RAM, the perceived increase is far from a doubling of speed. You need a radical bump in hardware specs to do that.

Yes benchmarks can measure the increase in performance but I think you are looking for a perceived increase in performance which is more expensive to get.

If this is a hobby maybe what you can do is spend more time with the camera, learning composition and lighting and just plain storytelling. Then later move to an M3-based system

On the other hand, if you are doing a lot of this and the current system is slowing you down and making you less productive, then a $3,500 upgrade is pocket change if it makes your clients happier.

But as a hobby, most of us will do better to invest in better sound gear, (microphones and such) and some lighting and of course, developing a better eye by shooting more and being more self-critical

Price is pretty indicative of the perceived performance bump, Spending $1K or less will not buy you much over the base M1 Mini. Better results by spending the "low four digits" on a new lens or camera body or whatever.

 

[Chuckeee]

In general I would prioritize RAM over processor benchmarks. Although the availability of the various video codec encoder/decoder could have a major impacts for video editing. The A17 addition of AV1 codec hardware decoder is interesting, IF the M3 includes a hardware AV1 video encoder/decoder that could have major video editing implications.

 

[richmlow]

Right now I'm running a M1 Mini with 8GB RAM...and I would like to upgrade to something nicer without having to spend a whole lot.

I was thinking about a M1 based Mac Studio...

For people who are familiar with the ins and outs of the Studio lineup, are there any killer features I would be missing out on by getting the older M1 models instead of the M2s?

I know the front two ports aren't full thunderbolt (aside from the M1 Ultra) and I don't really care about that.
I think the GPU is better on the M2s right? It supports higher res displays I think? Faster HDMI port maybe?

What about benchmarks...I mean are the M2s really that much better?

I do mostly audio right now but I would like to get into video stuff more...I have Da Vinci Resolve installed and have messed around with fusion a little bit, and the performance is not great at all on the m1 mini unfortunately. It's not like I'm doing it professionally though, I'm just learning it as a hobby right now.

You mentioned that the performance is not "great" when playing around with Da Vinci Resolve and fusion.

Can you be more specific about not "great" performance? Are you running into RAM memory pressure / massive SSD disk swaps? Or sluggish performance? Or both or something else?


richmlow

 

[srgz]

You mentioned that the performance is not "great" when playing around with Da Vinci Resolve and fusion.

Can you be more specific about not "great" performance? Are you running into RAM memory pressure / massive SSD disk swaps? Or sluggish performance? Or both or something else?


richmlow

If I remember right when I had my Intel Mac mini and a 5700XT eGPU, I was getting around 3-5 frames per second real time rendering with my fusion project (which is a text banner with animated flames that I created in 1080p at 30fps).

One of the first things I checked was how well it would do after upgrading to the M1 mini, and now I think it was around 6-8 frames per second, but I’ll have to check it again, as there’s probably a better version of DR out now with more optimizations.

From what I recall it was just GPU compute performance pressure, ie GPU % pinned super high in task manager

What I would hope to be able to achieve is real time rendering without any lag or stuttering at the project frame rate (in this case 30fps) without having to pre-render it (and obv be able to go back and change things on the fly)

 

[srgz]

In general I would prioritize RAM over processor benchmarks. Although the availability of the various video codec encoder/decoder could have a major impacts for video editing. The A17 addition of AV1 codec hardware decoder is interesting, IF the M3 includes a hardware AV1 video encoder/decoder that could have major video editing implications.

Really? One of the things that continues to surprise me about the 8GB base model M1 mini is how little I notice the fact that I only have 8GB of RAM 🤷‍♂️

I really only run into problems when I’ve got an absolute boatload of plugins loaded in logic or reaper

 

[srgz]

Yeah just tried Fusion again today, 5.8 frames per second playback

 

[HDFan]

are there any killer features I would be missing out on by getting the older M1 models instead of the M2s?

WiFi 6E. 50% faster than wired ethernet.

 

[OrenLindsey]

There isn't really a big difference. The only changes I remember:
Pros of M2 Mac Studio :

• ~20% faster CPU, 30% faster GPU
• 2 more CPU cores, 6-12 more GPU cores
• Higher maximum RAM (96gb vs 64gb on the Max chip, 192gb vs 128gb on the Ultra chip)
• Ultra chip allows 3 more displays (it allows up to 8 at 4K, 6 at 6K, or 3 at 8K resolution, the M1 Ultra only allowed 4 up to 6K plus 1 up to 4K)
• Wifi 6E instead of 6 (allows 3 wifi channels, instead of just 2), Bluetooth 5.3 instead of 5

Cons of M2:

• 50% slower SSD speeds on base storage (Only on base storage! If you get anything more than the base 512gb, it is the same speed as the M1 model)
• Pricier

I would get the M1 Max model, maybe the M1 Ultra. The M2 just isn't worth the hundreds of dollars extra, simply to get those minor features.
Also, if you can, buy it on the apple refurbished store (https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/mac/mac-studio). You can get great deals on both the M1 and M2 models.

 

[0339327]

1. ANY M1 Pro / Max or M2 Pro / Max computer will beat your current MacMini.

2. I would STRONGLY suggest you spend for the long term. Don't get a machine that will last you two years. Get a machine that will last you five years, even if you plan to upgrade earlier.

3. RAM, as mentioned, is VERY important. Don't get anything with less than 32 GB for pro work and 64 is recommended. YES, people will disagree, but there is a notable difference.

4. M2 vs M1 is minimal, but 20% is 1/5 faster.

5. I WOULD WAIT FOR M3. You're already approaching the end of the M2 cycle. If you can hold out another six months, you will probably get a much better machine for the money.

 

[HDFan]

I WOULD WAIT FOR M3. You're already approaching the end of the M2 cycle.

Likely a long wait since the M3 hasn't even been introduced yet. Assuming they upgrade the studio with the M3 it will follow the basic M3 quite a few months later - late 2024 to 2025.

 

[0339327]

Likely a long wait since the M3 hasn't even been introduced yet. Assuming they upgrade the studio with the M3 it will follow the basic M3 quite a few months later - late 2024 to 2025.

I expect Studio would be upgraded no later than WWDC. The OP doesn’t appear to “need” a machine so much as he / she “wants” a machine.

Why rush when cost is such a major factor?