In this review of the M1 Mac mini, I discuss my experiences with Apple’s most affordable M1-enabled Mac. Is Apple’s compact desktop computer worth it? See my M1 Mac mini diary for more details.
The Mac mini starts at $ 699 for the entry-level model with 8-core CPU, GPU and 256GB of storage. More importantly, the entry-level Mac mini has only 8 GB of memory, which cannot be upgraded like the Intel-based models.
Apple still sells the Intel Mac mini from $ 1099, but despite the ability to accommodate money-saving RAM upgrades, along with two additional Thunderbolt ports and an optional 10 Gb Ethernet port, it’s hard for me to get Intel-based Macs recommended, given the jump in performance made possible by Apple Silicon. But this is not a head-to-head comparison of the Intel Mac mini versus the Apple Silicon Mac mini; it’s a longer consideration of my daily experience with Apple’s small desktop.
Video: The Rewind – M1 Mac mini diary?
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The most important upgrade
I initially bought the M1 MacBook Pro with 8 GB of RAM because I wanted the machine as soon as possible, and 16 GB configurations were not immediately available. I knew this decision was probably a mistake, but I was impatient.
The result of my decision was by no means surprising, but due to the use of my Macs, I regret almost immediately that I bought an 8 GB model. If you just plan to use it on the internet and do spreadsheets and word processing, the basic model is definitely the job; it is a good everyday computer for basic things. But if you’ve planning to do heavy work – and this’s definitely how I use my Macs – then I recommend opting for the 16GB upgrade.
Final Cut Pro, Affinity Designer, Affinity Photo and Motion – all programs I use regularly – perform better with the extra memory. Shocker, right? The same is true when connecting to a high resolution screen like the Pro Display XDR.
Like Apple’s laptops, RAM configurations are final. If you choose the 8GB Mac mini, you are stuck with 8GB, and you can never upgrade. Since the upgrade from 8 GB to 16 GB RAM is ‘only’ $ 200, I recommend that you upgrade to 16 GB if you plan to use your machine for so-called professional workflows, or even if you use the multitasking or Safari tabs heavy want. .
What I have found in my practical experience is that if you have 16 GB of RAM, this machine can do pretty well what you throw at it. This means you can easily edit and execute 10-bit HDR video, RAW photos, multi-track music projects in Logic Pro, etc.
Storage
Storage is the more flexible upgrade option, as more storage space can be bolted on with USB and Thunderbolt SSDs. The Mac mini is better equipped than its laptop brothers in that it includes two USB-A ports to connect external peripherals such as SSDs. This means you have the option to retain precious Thunderbolt I / O for other uses.
Thanks to external SSDs, it’s pretty easy to get by with the basic 256 GB of storage in the Mac mini, but I at least recommend jumping to the next level of storage. 512GB offers more storage space to work with, especially if you want to install a virtual Windows machine. When paired with the RAM upgrade, it’s cost the Mac mini at $ 1099, or the same amount Apple charges for the basic Intel version. An M1 Mac mini with 16GB RAM and 512GB SSD is the best place, and this is the configuration I recommend for most users.
To supplement the internal storage of the Mac mini, I use an OWC Mercury Helios 3S enclosure connected to my 24 TB Amfeltec Squid PCIe SSD setup. The OWC Mercury Helios is super reliable, relatively quiet and even features a second Thunderbolt port for connecting other Thunderbolt devices. I have never checked this casing for 9to5mac but take it as my official approval. For portable storage, I use the Samsung T7, which is still one of the best mobile SSDs on the market.
I / O
Here’s how the M1 Mac mini compares to the M1 MacBook Air and MacBook Pro:
MacBook Air / Pro
- 2 x Thunderbolt
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
Mac mini
- 2 x Thunderbolt
- 3.5 mm headphone jack
- HDMI 2.0
- 2 x USB-A
- Gigabit Ethernet
By comparison, the Mac mini is a much more capable machine in terms of I / O compared to the M1 laptops. Granted, you can connect dongles to your MacBook, but the Mac mini offers a cleaner solution.
Due to the versatility of the Intel Mac mini, I admit that I am losing two Thunderbolt ports, and that I need to exchange Thunderbolt connections regularly. It’s not a deal, but it’s a big annoyance to me, especially since the Pro Display XDR permanently records one of the Thunderbolt ports, and the screen does not have an extra Thunderbolt port for setting up daisy- chain not. This is one of the reasons why I look forward to the next generation Mac mini without such a compromise.
Show
The biggest difference between the Mac mini and MacBook Air / Pro is the form factor. With the Mac mini, of course, you have to provide an external monitor. You can connect your Mac mini to various monitors, from HDMI monitors to televisions, to something like Apple’s Thunderbolt-enabled Pro Display XDR 6K display.
Related: Pro Display XDR Top Features
As a Pro Display XDR user, I was pleased with the performance of my M1 Mac mini in combination with this screen. I think it makes for an excellent Mac mini companion because the M1 GPU can drive the screen with a full resolution of 6016 x 3384 at 60 fps.
External screen connections are another case where I find that 16 GB of memory makes a noticeable difference in performance. When you run apps like Final Cut Pro, animations occur – like when you turn on full-screen mode – and overall performance is smoother on the 16 GB-equipped M1 Macs compared to the 8 GB versions.
Bluetooth issues
Since the Mac mini does not come with a mouse or keyboard, you need to provide it yourself. I turn between a Magic Mouse / Magic Trackpad and the Magic Keyboard / Keychron K2. Unfortunately, all of these devices have intermittent connections from time to time due to problems with Bluetooth.
Intermittent disconnections are the most common Bluetooth problem I encounter, and while they do not always occur, they do seem to happen at the most inconvenient times. I tried all the so-called means – disconnecting USB 3 devices, disabling Wi-Fi, etc., and still, no dice.
Admittedly, it seems like Apple’s MacOS 11.2 update helped a lot. My Bluetooth issues on M1 Macs are not nearly as bad compared to previous versions of macOS, but they have not completely disappeared yet, and I still experience sometimes frustrating Bluetooth disconnections.
Speakers
The Mac mini speaker is ridiculously awful, but that should come as no surprise, as it has always been. Apple basically includes a speaker in the Mac mini that is good enough to be audible and nothing more. With that in mind, you need to rely on a headphone jack or some external speakers or monitors.
The Pro Display XDR does not have built-in speakers, and I still have to sit on a few monitors that are small enough to fit in my compact workspace. Finally I get some more iLoud Micro Monitors that I presented in episode 16 of Back to the Mac. Alternatively, I could use a HomePod mini stereo pair, but that would only be good for music playback due to inherent delay issues.
Performance
The main reason why I prefer to use Macs, other than that Microsoft Windows is incorrigible, is to have access to Final Cut Pro. The Mac mini, like all M1-enabled Macs, is surprisingly good at editing videos thanks to its powerful CPU and GPU. What’s even more impressive is how well these machines handle my specific workflow. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re largely switched to HDR videos on the 9to5Mac YouTube channel, thanks in large part to the M1 system on a slide and the way it HEVC (H.265 ) Can handle 10-bit workflows. . As cameras become more capable and software workflows become easier to use, I suspect you will see more content creators switch to HDR video in the next few years.
Like the chips that drive Apple’s iPads, the M1 chip inside the Mac mini is very skilled at encoding 10-bit HEVC videos. I use a 10-bit compressor setting and export my HDR timelines directly to easily digestible H.265 format to upload to YouTube.
The Mac mini, coupled with an HDR functional screen, is an excellent companion for HDR workflows and has made working with this type of video dead simple. Of course, this is only for my specific workflow, but you will find that these sentiments resonate online in different disciplines.
Perhaps most impressive to me is how well the 8-core GPU performs on the M1 Mac mini. It’s so good I’m not even thinking about it. While trying to edit 4K videos on an Intel-based Mac mini, it was more or less useless unless you connected an external GPU. Editing videos or doing any other graphically intensive editing only works on the M1 Mac mini. It’s impressive how capable Apple Silicon is in these areas.
With all that said, the Mac mini is still a first generation product, and there are occasional bugs and accidents and just totally weird stuff that I have not seen with my other Intel machines yet. There is also no support for running Windows via Boot Camp (Windows runs on ARM via parallel) and external GPUs (although you probably find that you do not need them). If these are things you currently use regularly, stick with Intel or find an alternative path.
Overall, the M1 Mac mini, just like the M1 MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, is completely outstanding and offers incredible amount of power for not so much money. It’s also pretty dead quiet for everything I do, including delivering and exporting large, complex 4K HDR videos via Final Cut Pro.
Software
No one doubts Apple’s hardware skill or ability to design chips. I think we all expected Apple Silicon to perform well, although I think even those expectations were blurred. The biggest question mark in the era of Apple Silicon on Mac was around software. Would enough software support be there on day one? What does the transition look like 6 or 12 months after the launch?
The fact that this is not something I really thought about while writing this post answers the question. Apple took it out of the park with software support, because on the first day they had original versions of most of the apps, and by having to handle the incredible Rosetta 2 translation. There are exceptions, of course, but unless you use an obscure app or program, most software works well on M1 Macs. In fact, many apps, like Apple’s aforementioned pro apps, work better than ever before, thanks to Apple’s hands-on design.
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Is the M1 Mac mini worth it? Absolutely, as long as you think it’s the first version of the Mac mini with Apple Silicon, and the upcoming versions will include more powerful chips, more robust configuration options, and more I / O. But even in its current form, the Mac mini is the most versatile of any of the machines in Apple’s M1 series, and it’s also the cheapest. When paired with the right peripherals, the Mac mini seems to be one of the best Macs we’ve seen in a while. The more I use it, the more I realize how good it is.
What do you think? Have you switched to an M1 Mac? Sounds at the bottom of the comments.
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