M1 Mac Mini, poor performance and other bugs?

[bwillwall]

Hi all, I recently got an M1 Mac Mini, 8GB of RAM for work. I expected it to perform amazingly compared to my old machines. Yes doing basic things is nice and fast. However, when exporting video it's not exactly fast. I mean, I'm not comparing it side by side to anything, but for example exporting 5 hours of SD mp4 video is looking like it's going to take 3+ hours in compressor. (Update: it failed and I'm starting it again without using google drive files in my video, the speed seems similar so far). Yes 5 hours is a long video, but I still don't feel like this is some amazing Apple Silicon speed. Additionally scrubbing and playing mp4 footage in a Final Cut Pro timeline was pretty laggy and kept dropping frames. This might also have been because I'm using a (new) external HDD.

That might be normal, but I have experienced other issues. There's been a few times when the screen went pink and the thing just shut off. I think it may have somehow been Google Drive file sync, or could it have just run out of memory since I was doing too much?

I've also been having an issue with my AirPods (non pro, 2nd gen) cutting out and not fixing until I put them in their case for a bit and re-connect. I was using YouTube in Chrome when the issue kept happening.

Overall, the machine seems pretty good for the price, but I can't say I'm blown away or have had my expectations met. I mean maybe I got a little over-excited watching those youtube videos about how the M1 mini is the best computer on the planet, but I just didn't think I would be waiting hours and hours to export SD video.

Do you think I'm having issues with my setup including Google Drive and an external HDD or even a hardware problem? Or were my expectations for this machine way too high?

Update: Currently my bluetooth mouse (logitech) keeps lagging. It's as if I'm having bluetooth related issues suddenly today with AirPods and now that. I replaced the battery, restarted the machine multiple times, still the same trouble is happening a bit.

 

[RUQRU]

Update: Currently my bluetooth mouse (logitech) keeps lagging. It's as if I'm having bluetooth related issues suddenly today with AirPods and now that. I replaced the battery, restarted the machine multiple times, still the same trouble is happening a bit.

Use the Logitech recommended Unifying Receiver. I have the MX Keys Mac and MX Master 3 both on the receiver with zero issues.

 

[bwillwall]

Use the Logitech recommended Unifying Receiver. I have the MX Keys Mac and MX Master 3 both on the receiver with zero issues.

I don't think my other Macs have an issue with the mouse. Sorry but can the mini not seriously handle a bluetooth magic keyboard, logitech mouse and AirPods? I got bluetooth for the express purpose of not having extra dongles? I'm not buying something for that... if the mouse is the issue then I will use a wired mouse.

 

[deeppurple114]

i also got in last month mac mini 16GB.
amazing hw and sw.
but BIG BUT BT big issues - disconnect , not connect always . very disappointed

 

[DJLC]

Sorry but can the mini not seriously handle a bluetooth magic keyboard, logitech mouse and AirPods?

Based on my experience with a 2019 Intel Mac mini and what I've heard about the M1 Mac mini, no. No it can't. The Bluetooth and WiFi antennas in the mini are trash. Constant drops. My wireless Logitech keyboard with its USB receiver always works great; my Ethernet always works great; my Magic Mouse and WiFi drop out at least weekly if not daily.

 

[grahamwright1]

Try exporting H264 using the VideoToolbox option - for an SD source I'm seeing 630fps exporting and around 180fps for 1080 exports...

For the Logitech mouse and keyboard, try using the Logitech USB attached receiver. I had problems with the receiver plugged directly into the M1 Macs, but they worked perfectly when attaching the receiver to a USB-C attached hub.

 

[bwillwall]

It failed again exporting mp4 in compressor without Google Drive filestream even running on the machine. So it can't even handle Apple software or what am I missing? I thought M1 was the ultimate video machine for everything final cut and apple? Now it's only good at specific codecs and that doesn't include mp4? If I use the standard h.264 options my files will be unacceptably huge. If I cannot run something so basic I'm going to return my Mac mini.

 

[Ethosik]

Are you getting any errors while exporting? My M1 Mac mini exports just fine.

 

[0128672]

On the BT issue, I've got an M1 mini and daily use a Logitech K380, Magic Mouse 2, and MX3 headphones with no BT issues. I'm not sure what to suggest except to figure out if something else might be interferring.

 

[mmkerc]

So I have a similar M1 Mini but with 16gb ram and I do short (very very short by your standard) and have found a distant 30 to 35% increase in speed for exporting video clips/movie compare to a 2013 Mac Pro (the trash can) with 16 gb ram. I only had problems using Google drive so have not in years but suspect that is part of the problem. I export to my internal Tb drive and then copy the file to where I want it.

As far as bluetooth goes, I have had some problems but only with my quietbose headset. My Powerbeats, home pod minis, mouse, and keyboard have never had issues.

 

[bwillwall]

Are you getting any errors while exporting? My M1 Mac mini exports just fine.

All I know is I set compressor to output an mpeg 4, it got half done and then failed for some reason twice today.

 

[norbinhouston]

Just turn you mini upside down if you're having BT problems. The plastic bottom won't be shielded.

 

[bwillwall]

Update: it wasn't the M1, it was compressor. It failed doing the same thing on my MacBook Pro 15". Why? No clue but I will just export it another way.

I am returning the Mac mini not because it is broken or slow, nor even because the bluetooth is unreliable, but because of Apple's new extremely creepy "security" features they are implementing to iCloud. I do not plan on buying any more Apple products after being lied to about "privacy".

 

[tillathenun]

Hi all, I recently got an M1 Mac Mini, 8GB of RAM for work. I expected it to perform amazingly compared to my old machines. Yes doing basic things is nice and fast. However, when exporting video it's not exactly fast. I mean, I'm not comparing it side by side to anything, but for example exporting 5 hours of SD mp4 video is looking like it's going to take 3+ hours in compressor. (Update: it failed and I'm starting it again without using google drive files in my video, the speed seems similar so far). Yes 5 hours is a long video, but I still don't feel like this is some amazing Apple Silicon speed. Additionally scrubbing and playing mp4 footage in a Final Cut Pro timeline was pretty laggy and kept dropping frames. This might also have been because I'm using a (new) external HDD.

That might be normal, but I have experienced other issues. There's been a few times when the screen went pink and the thing just shut off. I think it may have somehow been Google Drive file sync, or could it have just run out of memory since I was doing too much?

I've also been having an issue with my AirPods (non pro, 2nd gen) cutting out and not fixing until I put them in their case for a bit and re-connect. I was using YouTube in Chrome when the issue kept happening.

Overall, the machine seems pretty good for the price, but I can't say I'm blown away or have had my expectations met. I mean maybe I got a little over-excited watching those youtube videos about how the M1 mini is the best computer on the planet, but I just didn't think I would be waiting hours and hours to export SD video.

Do you think I'm having issues with my setup including Google Drive and an external HDD or even a hardware problem? Or were my expectations for this machine way too high?

Update: Currently my bluetooth mouse (logitech) keeps lagging. It's as if I'm having bluetooth related issues suddenly today with AirPods and now that. I replaced the battery, restarted the machine multiple times, still the same trouble is happening a bit.

It's the buggiest Mac I've ever owned. Sometimes I find it very fast (and actually, I find rendering very fast from FCPX and Motion) but connecting AirPods seems to cripple the whole system.

Several times a day I go to iTunes and find it starts cycling through all the songs. I have to quit iTunes, go to Activity Monitor and force quit the 'coreaudiod' process. Open iTunes again and it'll be fine until later in the day.

I also have an issue where the LG Thunderbolt display doesn't wake from sleep. I have to unplug it and plug back in again. (HDMI display not a problem).

I also get random freezes — I don't know what caused them. I initially assumed it was having Adobe Creative Cloud apps using Rosetta but the issue persists even now they're upgraded. I get dropdown boxes appear in strange parts of the screen, Mac slows to a crawl and then a crash.

kernel_task's memory usage grows to Godzilla levels, slowing the whole system down. No idea what causes it but perhaps it's virtual memory usage? I think I made a mistake not configuring 16GB RAM. I thought the new architecture would make it work fine without it, but it's just as RAM-hungry as Intel machines as far as I can tell.

Since it's now my main work machine (and I sold the eGPU I was using with my laptop previously) I'm loath to do anything about it. I'm certainly not going to rush to get another Apple Silicon Mac.

(Regarding Bluetooth, I did have issues with the keyboard and mouse too but an update seemed to resolve them. No idea what's up with the AirPods though...)

 

[lcubed]

It's the buggiest Mac I've ever owned. Sometimes I find it very fast (and actually, I find rendering very fast from FCPX and Motion) but connecting AirPods seems to cripple the whole system.

Several times a day I go to iTunes and find it starts cycling through all the songs. I have to quit iTunes, go to Activity Monitor and force quit the 'coreaudiod' process. Open iTunes again and it'll be fine until later in the day.

iTunes?? did you use Retroactive to install iTunes?

 

[Gnattu]

Based on my experience with a 2019 Intel Mac mini and what I've heard about the M1 Mac mini, no. No it can't. The Bluetooth and WiFi antennas in the mini are trash. Constant drops. My wireless Logitech keyboard with its USB receiver always works great; my Ethernet always works great; my Magic Mouse and WiFi drop out at least weekly if not daily.

The Mac Mini's antenna is located at the BOTTOM of the case, inside the round plastic base, which means your desk surface is blocking radio signal. If you put your Mac Mini on a metal interface, you can not even establish wireless connection.

 

[pshufd]

I did some transcoding last week and used to different programs on the M1 and the difference was about 18% between the two programs. I assume that the faster one turned on some hardstuff in Apple Silicon. I ran it on my Windows desktop, though, and it beat the M1's fastest time by another 18%. That's to be expected, though, as the Windows desktop has 8 performance cores and does score higher on multicore than the M1.

If the BT antenna is on the bottom, then perhaps putting the Mini on risers would help. I do this with my MacBook Pros when they are in desktop mode to improve thermals. I don't use BlueTooth so it's not a problem for me.

This is a low-end system. You may be able to diagnose and fix performance issues but, it's still a low-end system. Though the CPU is a screamer if used efficiently.

 

[tillathenun]

iTunes?? did you use Retroactive to install iTunes?

It'll always be iTunes to me!

 

[pshufd]

It'll always be iTunes to me!

I call it iTunes as well. It's easier than calling it Finder-Music-Podcasts-TV-Books..

 

[lcubed]

It'll always be iTunes to me!

i get it, but since it's no longer, calling it iTunes muddles the details for diagnosing the failure mode.

one gentleman years ago called the cd-rom tray a coffee cup holder because that's how he used it.

 

[hagjohn]

i also got in last month mac mini 16GB.
amazing hw and sw.
but BIG BUT BT big issues - disconnect , not connect always . very disappointed

I have Apple keyboard and mouse and I have no issues with bt on my M1 Mini. Have you tried using a combo update to see if that helps?

Apple - Support - Downloads

 

[pshufd]

I have Apple keyboard and mouse and I have no issues with bt on my M1 Mini. Have you tried using a combo update to see if that helps?

Apple - Support - Downloads

I have to try out Bluetooth now.

 

[pshufd]

My Magic Mouse connected instantly. My Apple Keyboard won't connect. It can see the device and tries to pair but isn't able to. This is the older keyboard and it came with the Late 2009 iMac 27. This appears to be a common problem. I have not had any problems using this keyboard with my 2014 MacBook Pro or 2015 MacBook Pro so this looks to be a software issue. Anyone tried Monterey to see if this fixes it? It's not a real issue for me as I normally use wired mechanical keyboards.

 

[hagjohn]

My Magic Mouse connected instantly. My Apple Keyboard won't connect. It can see the device and tries to pair but isn't able to. This is the older keyboard and it came with the Late 2009 iMac 27. This appears to be a common problem. I have not had any problems using this keyboard with my 2014 MacBook Pro or 2015 MacBook Pro so this looks to be a software issue. Anyone tried Monterey to see if this fixes it? It's not a real issue for me as I normally use wired mechanical keyboards.

Do you have the keyboard plugged into the M1? It needs to do that to add it.

 

[pshufd]

Do you have the keyboard plugged into the M1? It needs to do that to add it.

As I wrote, this is the first generation Apple Bluetooth keyboard. It is Bluetooth-only. You are talking about the second-generation Bluetooth keyboards.

It appears that 11.2.2 broke the ability to use the first-generation Bluetooth keyboards with the M1 Macs. I have not tried Intel Macs on 11.2.2 as I'm still running Mojave on my Intel Macs.