I’m Having Second Thoughts on the M1 MacMini After Reading This...Advice?

[jazz1]

Inside the new Mac mini: Does Apple's M1 architecture really leave Intel behind?

While the same M1 chip is coming out in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, the design of the mini gives us some forensic clues about how the M1 chip might be designed.

www.zdnet.com

I’ve got the M1 Mini on order. I have pretty basic needs, but like to look forward to new technology, particularly with computers and cameras.

But, this article seems to underscore that fact that this first M1 MacMini seems to have made some compromises vs. the 2018 MacMini. The throughput of the ports seems particularly perplexing. It is almost like the 2018 MacMini is more “pro” than the initial offering of the late 2020 MacMini in some of the specific comparisons.

I find myself asking why did Apple go with these compromises just to get AS out the door? M1 seems so good on som many points. Is this a two steps forwarded and one step back kind of thing?

I’ve been going back and forth on whether to buy a 2018, or the new late 2020. And I did make a choice for the late 2020. But, as some of the hype clears I say again this seems more to be an evolution than a revolution in Apple technology.

 

[BeatCrazy]

Compromises like what? No 10GbE? Do you have a 10GbE LAN today? No 64GB of RAM potential? With "basic needs" it's unlikely you'll ever get slowed down by even the 8GB in the M1 version.

 

[MK500]

I own both a maxed out 2018 Mini and a new M1 MacBook Air. Unless you are running it as a server (as I am with the 2018), you will love the M1. Much less expensive also. If you are running it as a server with a handful of VMs running and 30TB of storage, then you can still buy the 2018 model with 64GB RAM for that.

For example: The GPU is SO MUCH FASTER on the M1 that it’s hard to believe. And 16GB is plenty for almost almost anything. Plus you get the neural engine.

Plus the 2018 is a nightmare to keep cool. I had to rig up my own external fan system to keep it from constantly throttling. M1 mini doesn’t throttle at all from what I’ve seen, and runs super cool.

 

[chikorita157]

From the looks of it, while the 2018 has four Thunderbolt 3 ports, there are only two Thunderbolt controllers. This means that two ports share one thunderbolt controller. Oddly, on my M1 Mac Mini, the two ports have their own dedicated Thunderbolt 3 controller. So, it's pretty much a wash as the 2018 Mac Mini has 80 GB/S in total for 2 Thunderbolt Controllers since two ports share one.

10 Gigabit Ethernet is not a big deal since you can add it with Thunderbolt 3.

 

[Ocnetgeek]

Inside the new Mac mini: Does Apple's M1 architecture really leave Intel behind?

While the same M1 chip is coming out in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, the design of the mini gives us some forensic clues about how the M1 chip might be designed.

www.zdnet.com

I’ve got the M1 Mini on order. I have pretty basic needs, but like to look forward to new technology, particularly with computers and cameras.

But, this article seems to underscore that fact that this first M1 MacMini seems to have made some compromises vs. the 2018 MacMini. The throughput of the ports seems particularly perplexing. It is almost like the 2018 MacMini is more “pro” than the initial offering of the late 2020 MacMini in some of the specific comparisons.

I find myself asking why did Apple go with these compromises just to get AS out the door? M1 seems so good on som many points. Is this a two steps forwarded and one step back kind of thing?

I’ve been going back and forth on whether to buy a 2018, or the new late 2020. And I did make a choice for the late 2020. But, as some of the hype clears I say again this seems more to be an evolution than a revolution in Apple technology.

I don’t think they rushed anything. The introduced their first systems with the new chip which they made very clear are entry level machines. I expect more powerful systems including a more powerful mini in the future

 

[sfwalter]

Apple never said the Mac mini was ever a pro machine. Even during the Intel era. If you have high-end needs then I think you should wait until atleast next year. Hopefully next year we will get a chip which supports more PCIe lanes as well as support for more memory and dedicated graphics.

 

[jazz1]

I don’t think they rushed anything. The introduced their first systems with the new chip which they made very clear are entry level machines. I expect more powerful systems including a more powerful mini in the future

Thank you for the observation regarding entry level. I just thought there should be a more “level” upgrade across the board. I’m sure the 2020 will be better in most respects over my 2015 iMac 27”. My only other comparison, for hardware that I own, is a 2018 iPad Pro. I’ve owned many Macs over the years. So I am firmly in the Apple world.

 

[Sanpete]

Keep in mind Apple dropped the price $100, a significant chunk for the Mini, so it makes sense that it wouldn't have all the same features. If it's lacking any feature you actually need or really want, then get the 2018 or wait. Otherwise, you'll love the speed of the new processor.

 

[Joelist]

Plus zdnet is kind of like the toilet of tech sites and has been for years...

 

[Boil]

M1 is a low-end APU; Apple targeted their two low-end laptops & the M1 Mac mini is the DTK for those who could not get the OG DTK...?

Phase One, complete...

 

[tokyojerry]

From the looks of it, while the 2018 has four Thunderbolt 3 ports, there are only two Thunderbolt controllers. This means that two ports share one thunderbolt controller. Oddly, on my M1 Mac Mini, the two ports have their own dedicated Thunderbolt 3 controller. So, it's pretty much a wash as the 2018 Mac Mini has 80 GB/S in total for 2 Thunderbolt Controllers since two ports share one.

10 Gigabit Ethernet is not a big deal since you can add it with Thunderbolt 3.

But, why lose a thunderbolt 3 especially with only two available on the new M1 model, when you can have 10Gbe directly through an ethernet port designed specifically for transfer over ethernet? Besides, your solution involves added expense and complexity by necessarily having to purchase a separate TB3<->10Gbe converter adapter.

I just cancelled my MacMini M1 order today in anticipation of a MacMini M1 with10Gbe. I am in no rush to acquire a new MacMini immediately.

 

[Moakesy]

Inside the new Mac mini: Does Apple's M1 architecture really leave Intel behind?

While the same M1 chip is coming out in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, the design of the mini gives us some forensic clues about how the M1 chip might be designed.

www.zdnet.com

I’ve got the M1 Mini on order. I have pretty basic needs, but like to look forward to new technology, particularly with computers and cameras.

But, this article seems to underscore that fact that this first M1 MacMini seems to have made some compromises vs. the 2018 MacMini. The throughput of the ports seems particularly perplexing. It is almost like the 2018 MacMini is more “pro” than the initial offering of the late 2020 MacMini in some of the specific comparisons.

I find myself asking why did Apple go with these compromises just to get AS out the door? M1 seems so good on som many points. Is this a two steps forwarded and one step back kind of thing?

I’ve been going back and forth on whether to buy a 2018, or the new late 2020. And I did make a choice for the late 2020. But, as some of the hype clears I say again this seems more to be an evolution than a revolution in Apple technology.

You say you have basic needs, so what’s ’missing’ piece concerns you? Do you need the 10Gbe port?

If not, then this is like not buying a car because it didn’t have a tow bar, even though you don’t own a caravan!

Don’t base your decision on someone else‘s needs.

 

[leman]

The facts are very simple: the M1 Mac mini has less ports than the Intel Mac mini it replaces. It either is a deal-breaker for you, or it is not. The weird arithmetics like the author of the article does is completely irrelevant. Who ares about the "maximal theoretical external bandwidth"? It's not an informative metrics. Not to mention that it's wrong, as Intel Mac mini thunderbolt ports share PCI-e channels and won't be able to get the full bandwidth when used simultaneously.

@jazz1 you need to look at your use case and decide what matters for you. This is the first Mac hardware that Apple has ever released, so obviously they had to make some choices. They chose to reduce the complexity by providing less maximal RAM and fewer I/O channels, which is perfectly fine in my book as they are targeting consumer-level hardware. You still get two TB3 ports with full bandwidth which is not necessarily the case with other $700 mini-desktops.

 

[matrix07]

Plus zdnet is kind of like the toilet of tech sites and has been for years...

Wouldn’t trust ZDNet with anything Apple.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Inside the new Mac mini: Does Apple's M1 architecture really leave Intel behind?

While the same M1 chip is coming out in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and Mac mini, the design of the mini gives us some forensic clues about how the M1 chip might be designed.

www.zdnet.com

I’ve got the M1 Mini on order. I have pretty basic needs, but like to look forward to new technology, particularly with computers and cameras.

But, this article seems to underscore that fact that this first M1 MacMini seems to have made some compromises vs. the 2018 MacMini. The throughput of the ports seems particularly perplexing. It is almost like the 2018 MacMini is more “pro” than the initial offering of the late 2020 MacMini in some of the specific comparisons.

I find myself asking why did Apple go with these compromises just to get AS out the door? M1 seems so good on som many points. Is this a two steps forwarded and one step back kind of thing?

I’ve been going back and forth on whether to buy a 2018, or the new late 2020. And I did make a choice for the late 2020. But, as some of the hype clears I say again this seems more to be an evolution than a revolution in Apple technology.

The 2018 is absolutely "more Pro" - Up to 64 GB RAM, 10 Gbit Ethernet available, 4 Thunderbolt ports, ability to use an eGPU, ability to run three displays (or more with an eGPU)… And it's being kept around for exactly those reasons.

But! The M1 is absolutely faster at both CPU and GPU intensive workloads. And will almost certainly have support far longer than the Intel systems.

If you absolutely need the "Pro" features (10GbE, 64 GB RAM, eGPU, 3+ displays,) buy the Intel; or wait for the next generation of Apple Silicon. But if you don't need those, the M1 is the better buy - by FAR.

And yes, they almost certainly did it "just to get it out the door" - by expert CPU reviewer measures, the M1 is basically a beefed up A14 from the iPhone 12 and latest iPad Air. This is similar to the Intel transition, when Apple first used the "Core Duo" CPUs that were only 32-bit, and were basically just dual-core versions of Intel's older-laptop-architecture "Pentium M" CPU. It was 9 months later that they came out with the similarly-named-but-completely-different "Core 2 Duo" Macs, which were 64-bit and based on an all-new design.

I imagine that in about 9 months, we'll see an "M2" that is a complete ground-up design that isn't based on the A14. That will be the design that starts being used in "Pro" level systems. I predict that will have a higher RAM ceiling, support more monitors, have more Thunderbolt buses, etc.

 

[MK500]

From the looks of it, while the 2018 has four Thunderbolt 3 ports, there are only two Thunderbolt controllers. This means that two ports share one thunderbolt controller. Oddly, on my M1 Mac Mini, the two ports have their own dedicated Thunderbolt 3 controller. So, it's pretty much a wash as the 2018 Mac Mini has 80 GB/S in total for 2 Thunderbolt Controllers since two ports share one.

10 Gigabit Ethernet is not a big deal since you can add it with Thunderbolt 3.

I do not think the M1 Mini has a full 80 GB/S of Thunderbolt bandwidth. See this post for details.

#185

 

[jazz1]

Well I've decided to "press on regardless" and keep the M1 MacMini on order. There is always the return option if the ride is too bumpy . I do try in the meantime to read any article or thread about the M1 MacMini and its teething problems.

 

[laptech]

According to Linus Tech Tips, the ethernet on the M1 mac mini is not actually 10GB because apple has not enable it. He uses 10GB for his business and wanted to use the M1 for that but found 10GB does not work on the M1 mac mini.

 

[MK500]

According to Linus Tech Tips, the ethernet on the M1 mac mini is not actually 10GB because apple has not enable it. He uses 10GB for his business and wanted to use the M1 for that but found 10GB does not work on the M1 mac mini.

Just to be clear, unless I'm missing something, the ethernet port on the M1 Mini is NOT 10G capable. It is 1G hardware.

In comparison the Intel Minis allow the option to have 10G ethernet installed at the factory.

Maybe you meant to say Linus is having trouble getting an external Thunderbolt 10G Ethernet adapter working? This may well simply be a driver issue, and will likely get updated.

I could go watch the Linus video myself, but I find him slightly annoying.

 

[Ethosik]

But, why lose a thunderbolt 3 especially with only two available on the new M1 model, when you can have 10Gbe directly through an ethernet port designed specifically for transfer over ethernet? Besides, your solution involves added expense and complexity by necessarily having to purchase a separate TB3<->10Gbe converter adapter.

I just cancelled my MacMini M1 order today in anticipation of a MacMini M1 with10Gbe. I am in no rush to acquire a new MacMini immediately.

10Gbe is still too expensive for the majority of people. It would be a $1,000+ cost just to upgrade my switches, getting NICs and upgrading my NAS to support it. I can understand the loss of 10Gbe on the systems, but the Intel Mac mini is still around if you need it. It will probably have 10Gbe sometime next year.

People are acting like 10Gbe is a standard when it is very expensive vs a $20 1Gbe switch.

And USB 4 includes Thunderbolt 3. Unless you are referring to the two extra ports. Again, this is the lowest Mac mini configuration. Its probably a limitation of the M1 chip that will get addressed with the more higher performance chip that will be in the top spec Mac mini.

 

[MrGunnyPT]

For the 99.9% these reasons aren't a problem. Even with VMs and everything I can't push beyond 32GB

 

[Ethosik]

The 2018 is absolutely "more Pro" - Up to 64 GB RAM, 10 Gbit Ethernet available, 4 Thunderbolt ports, ability to use an eGPU, ability to run three displays (or more with an eGPU)… And it's being kept around for exactly those reasons.

But! The M1 is absolutely faster at both CPU and GPU intensive workloads. And will almost certainly have support far longer than the Intel systems.

If you absolutely need the "Pro" features (10GbE, 64 GB RAM, eGPU, 3+ displays,) buy the Intel; or wait for the next generation of Apple Silicon. But if you don't need those, the M1 is the better buy - by FAR.

And yes, they almost certainly did it "just to get it out the door" - by expert CPU reviewer measures, the M1 is basically a beefed up A14 from the iPhone 12 and latest iPad Air. This is similar to the Intel transition, when Apple first used the "Core Duo" CPUs that were only 32-bit, and were basically just dual-core versions of Intel's older-laptop-architecture "Pentium M" CPU. It was 9 months later that they came out with the similarly-named-but-completely-different "Core 2 Duo" Macs, which were 64-bit and based on an all-new design.

I imagine that in about 9 months, we'll see an "M2" that is a complete ground-up design that isn't based on the A14. That will be the design that starts being used in "Pro" level systems. I predict that will have a higher RAM ceiling, support more monitors, have more Thunderbolt buses, etc.

I expect COVID had some impact that people aren't realizing on these threads. The fact that the same chip is on Macbook Air, Mac mini and Macbook Pro seems odd to me. I bet the Mac mini would have been given a different processor if they were able to have 100% of their staff in the office instead of a smaller amount and the majority working from home. It certainly would have had some impact with the engineering. Plus the supply chains are still affected by the pandemic so maybe they couldn't get enough to properly test the newer chips to completion where as the bare minimum was completed.

So the chip that was finished was replacing the Macbook Air, with significant improvements to even the Mac mini and Macbook Pro 13" lower spec. I guess Apple decided to release those newer systems with the Macbook Air chip.

I believe the lower spec Macbook Pro 13" will eventually get a better processor than the Air, because it really makes no sense having three products with roughly the same processor with some slight GPU differences. Or maybe the Macbook Pro 13" will go away. The Air can do a lot of what the MBP can do now.

 

[Sanpete]

The M1 is absolutely faster at both CPU and GPU intensive workloads. And will almost certainly have support far longer than the Intel systems.

Think I read here yesterday that Apple was promising that all models being sold now will have the same period of support.

 

[MK500]

The 2018 is absolutely "more Pro"

I think Apple knew this too, because it was the first and only generation Mini to come in Space Gray like the iMac Pro.

I think they wanted to give us a kind of "last hurrah" Intel Mini server to tide us over for a few years until they could perfect a Mx series Mini server. Because a LOT of people use Minis as servers.

It is for this reason I bought a decked out Mini this year (for more $$ than I would have liked to spend). It will be my server for maybe 8 to 10 years. 10G is sweet

BUT, in a lot of "Pro" use cases the M1 will be clearly superior already. Final Cut and Logic for example. Just need to get a thunderbolt 10G port working if you are using network storage.

So there is kind of the "Pro" as in server crowd, and then the "Pro" as in content creation crowd. At the moment things are a bit muddled between these.

 

[maximizer]

I got my Mac mini week ago. You need to experience it to understand how quick this Mac mini is. I love it so much!!!