Apple announced in mid-January a refreshed Mac Mini. With an M2 Pro version, support up to 32 GB of memory, 8 TB of storage, 8K display, and 10 Gigabit ethernet option available, it really packs one hell of punch if you are looking for a low-power, small form factor home server.
The more pedestrian version is something to nothing to be sneezed at. With M2 that supports up to 24 GB of memory and 2 TB of storage, you already get a great value with the Mac Mini. And Apple dropped the price of the Mac Mini to $599 bringing the bang-for-your-buck factor a notch higher.
What’s New
Price Drop … Starting price dropped by $100 to $599. The M1 is great value at $699 and at $599, this just add more value. Well done, Apple.
M2 and M2 Pro … As expected, Apple refreshed the internals to support the M2 chip. Surprisingly, Apple added an option for the M2 Pro which makes the Mac Mini a very capable server.
Ports galore … The M2 Pro has 4x ThunderBolt 4 ports with 2 USB-A ports, HDMI 2.1 and Ethernet port (upgradeable to 10-Gig ethernet). You’ll almost never run out of ports with the M2 Pro Mac Mini.
32 GB Memory support … In the M2, you can spec your Mac Mini to have up to 24 GB of memory. If you opt for the M2 Pro, you can have as much as 32 GB of memory.
8 TB Storage support … The M2 version supports up to 2 TB of storage. The M2 Pro version supports 8 TB of storage.
8K Monitor Support … The M2 Pro has HDMI 2.1 which supports 8K displays at 60 Hz. Which is amazing. The M2 however only supports 4K displays.
Death of the Space Grey … With the advent of the M2 Pro Mac Mini, the 2019 Space Grey Mac Mini is finally dead. At press time, the only Intel Mac that Apple sells is the Mac Pro. With the amount of performance coming out for the Apple Silicon Macs, the days of the Mac Pro are numbered.
What’s the same
Design … Good style never goes out of style. Some might complain the design is from 20 years ago, but it is still a very good design.
Mac and Cables … Since inception, you only get a power cable and the Mac Mini from the box. It’s OK since one point of the Mac Mini is that it is highly customizable. Read our setup guide.
Price Guide
The Mac Mini comes in various configuration, here are some of the pricing guide to help you design
| Memory / CPU | 8 GB | 16 GB | 24 GB | 32 GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2 8-core CPU, 10-core GPU | $599 | $799 | $999 | - |
| M2 Pro 10-core CPU, 16-core GPU | - | $1,299 | - | $1,699 |
| M2 Pro 10-core CPU, 19-core GPU | - | $1,599 | - | $1,999 |
Is It Worth It?
The M1 Mac Mini was a tremendous value at $699. Now the M2 Mac Mini which is almost 20% more performant, can handle more storage and is cheaper than the M1 Mac Mini? It’s almost a no brainer. And if you have an education discount, it’s even a better idea.
The good thing about the M2 Mac Mini is that you can find bargain prices for the M1 Mac Mini. If you don’t really need the power of the M2, do wait a few months to see people dumping their M1 Mac Mini stock for the M2.
As for the M1 Pro version, if you are looking for a home or small business server or simply don’t want to pay for a Mac Studio, this Mac Mini is something of value.
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