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The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming
- Thread starter GabrieleR
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Given just how slow the M1 Mac mini's USB-A ports are, I'm now convinced the M2 Mac mini just won't have any USB-A ports at all. They are rated for 5 Gbps, but even by 5 Gbps standards, they are not fast. I think the M2 Mac mini will get 2 TB/USB4 + 2 USB-C and no USB-A, like the M1 iMac. And that would be an improvement IMO since USB-C in 2023 is much more flexible than USB-A.
All bets are off for that mythical M2 Pro Mac mini, but like I mentioned more recently, I don't think there will actually be one.
I am sure this is a running gag and forgive me if somewhere in this H-U-G-E thread someone called out not to call this out.... but are we aiming for 100K posts here.?
This is just the warm up. Long way to go yet.18679 posts in 9 years so far. Don't think we'll hit 100,000 in my lifetime.
Only if there is an M2 Pro variant will it be able to do that, we already know the M2 can't do 3 monitors natively.
get a true Thunderbolt hub from OWC, Plugable etc. and hang your higher speed external drives onto that. there's a couple YT videos about this from a year or so ago.
I waited far too long to upgrade from a 2012 iMac 27, waiting for an m2 mini. The iMac died literally on the day I received my new maxed out M1 Mini and a Studio Display. Extremely happy and regret waiting so long.
I wouldn’t expect frequent upgrades to the Mini…it’s their desktop entry point and Apple wants to nudge professional users towards the Studio. I’ll take more memory next time, though. Even with 16G I’ve had a couple of red memory alerts, probably due to non-optimal software.
I wouldn’t expect frequent upgrades to the Mini…it’s their desktop entry point and Apple wants to nudge professional users towards the Studio. I’ll take more memory next time, though. Even with 16G I’ve had a couple of red memory alerts, probably due to non-optimal software.
I already have a Plugable Thunderbolt 4 / USB4 5-in-1 Hub.
100% speed - 2017 iMac USB-C
80% speed - M1 Mac mini USB-C
75% speed - Plugable USB-C
75% speed - Plugable USB-A
45% speed - 2017 iMac USB-A
35% speed - M1 Mac mini USB-A
I'm (still) of the opinion a pro photographer or graphic designer doesn't need a Studio. an M1 Pro based Mini with an available 32 GB of RAM option (or maybe M2 w/24GB) and ports configured like the Intel version, would be fine for Lightroom and Photoshop.
A Studio will work of course but a bit excessive, but Apple sets the what's available rules.
Which is exactly why a mini with those specs will never be built
£400 for 24GB RAM though? Disgusting. Maybe even £450 in 2023.
24GB for the next Mac mini is a joke! I’ll pass. Better to get a Mac Studio if you want 32GB of ram, which is what I’m considering.
After using my M1 Mac mini for a week, I'd say that besides M2 and 24 GB RAM, the two most important things I'd like to see are:
1) More USB-C ports. They can scrap the USB-A ports and replace them with USB-C if they must keep it to 4 USB ports.
2) Fix external monitor support. It's a headless Mac after all. Several different solutions that work with my Intel Macs do not work with the Apple Silicon Mac. I have a solution that mostly works now, but if I ever get a new monitor I will have to be very careful with what I choose.
1) More USB-C ports. They can scrap the USB-A ports and replace them with USB-C if they must keep it to 4 USB ports.
2) Fix external monitor support. It's a headless Mac after all. Several different solutions that work with my Intel Macs do not work with the Apple Silicon Mac. I have a solution that mostly works now, but if I ever get a new monitor I will have to be very careful with what I choose.
I'm not convinced Apple will ever understand how to make software for a headless Mac. I've had soooo many issues associated with external display support since 2018 on every single Mac OS version. There are no excuses. I will most likely buy the M2/M2 Pro mini to try for the 14 day period, and if I have a single issue like I do with my current mini, I will run my 2018 mini into the ground or go full time with Windows. I am very quickly loosing patience with Apple's software bugs. I'd get banned in minutes if I said how I really feel, lmao.
The 24gb seems important, but I’d also like a 4tb option. I know it won’t be at a great price, but I’ll need more than 2tb at that point and it seems like having it on the primary drive is generally easier
I have an external 2 TB USB-C SSD. It gets 813 MB/s on the M1 Mac mini. My Intel iMac gets 1034 MB/s with the same drive. Apple could speed up USB performance for future Macs but I have no major performance complaints with USB-C at least. However, if I did, I could just use Thunderbolt.
I suspect the reason why there is no 4 TB option is because the sales volume on the Mac mini on this SKU would be extremely low. Most people willing to drop this amount of money on a headless desktop would probably be getting a Mac Studio anyway.
I think the M2 Mac mini will have USB-A ports if only for the wired keyboard and mouse crowd.