Apple Mac Mini (M2 chip in 2023) review: a novice outfit that can beat the Boss level

The Mac Mini, dubbed “mooncake box”, is the most entry-level item in Apple’s product line. With its small size and low power consumption, it allows you to have a working screen and TV at home, and you can turn it into a small computer for streaming services. Online videos were offered in less popular times. However, it is also limited to positioning and pricing. In the Intel era, the Mac Mini could only use the i3 and i5 processors that were available, and it was stuck when running more apps and audio-visual post-production tools.

The Mac Mini, which was replaced by Apple Silicon, was completely reborn. It was once positioned as a developer kit and equipped with the A12Z version to test the water temperature. Later, when it was officially equipped with the ARM architecture M1 chip designed by Apple itself, it also showed that a small computer can also have great potential. possible. In 2023, the Mac Mini 2023, which has been upgraded to the M2 chip, is finally on the shelves today. The editor who once bought the last-generation moon cake box also tried the Mac Mini again to see how this small computer can make people re-imagine this kind of microcomputer. can do.

Hardware Specifications, Performance

This year, for the first time, Apple provides Mac Mini with an optional higher-end M2 Pro chip, which has stronger image processing performance. However, based on the evaluation direction of the editor this time, it is more appropriate to borrow the basic version of the M2 chip. The specific specifications are M2 (8-core CPU + 10-core GPU) / 16GB RAM / 512GB storage space (asking price HK$7,599), body I/O includes LAN, 2 sets of Thunderbolt 4, HDMI and 2 sets of USB-A, and A 3.5mm audio jack, if it is the M2 Pro version, there will be 2 more TB 4 ports.

In addition to the number of physical ports, the HDMI port of the M2 is a weaker 4K60p specification, and the M2 Pro version supports output up to 8K60p / 4K240p, but in reality, new high-end screens such as Apple Studio Display are all Can be directly connected through TB4, HDMI is more of an extended sub-screen, and weaker specifications are acceptable.

However, the new Mac Mini takes away the SD card reader, which is the most unaccustomed change for old users such as Xiaobian, and everyone should be used to using the USB-C adapter today. For Apple, a group of users who can use SD cards have been regarded as “Pro” users, because the built-in card reader is only at the level of MacBook Pro and Mac Studio, and the price of these machines is also calculated in multiples of Mac Mini up.

Here also leave the performance test tool results of M2 Mac Mini for your reference:

Experience

Just like the previous iPad Pro evaluation, I took the editor’s daily paperwork and audio-visual processing as the benchmark to see the performance of the M2 chip version of the Mac Mini. The most direct and commonly used example is the performance of video clips. The editor exported a 4-minute video through Premiere Pro in 4K50p and 1080/50p formats, and it took about 4 minutes 14 seconds and 1 minute 13 seconds.

That’s 2:08/40 on my MacBook Pro on the M2 Pro; the 2020 Intel i9 iMac’s export times of 2:55 and 1:05 are a tad slower, yes, but the difference in price is in Multiplier too! What is also amazing is that the Mac Mini does not have a huge active cooling system (that is, a fan) like the Studio model, but it can still complete the work calmly and stably, and the body does not heat up. In contrast, the Intel model The model not only has a cooling fan, but it blows loudly at every turn.

Everyone in the office may have encountered a spreadsheet with super invincible content. Don’t think that just a bunch of digital files will not be stressful. The editor once opened it on an Intel i9 iMac. Not only did it take a while to load, just scroll Viewing the content is very slow; but the same file becomes much easier on the M2 chip version of Mac Mini.

Although I don’t play games, I often watch videos. Playing Netflix Dolby Vision 4K movies in Safari browser and YouTube 4K videos in Chrome browser on Mac is stress-free. Of course, the editor has not upgraded to the WiFi 6E router to meet the new specifications of the M2 Mac Mini, but WiFi 6 is also enough to stream ultra-high-resolution videos.

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On the other hand, in recent years, Apple has also provided many functions in the software to link Mac computers with iPhone and iPad, such as handover, extended display, AirDrop, universal control and other cross-platform use functions, even in the latest macOS Ventura. The front-end management interface for . The purpose of all these efforts is to make half-wall smartphone users holding iPhones and iPads have greater incentives to choose Macs when choosing desktops, and Mac Mini is the most entry-level model among them.

Summarize

In the past, the editor would spend a lot of time choosing and matching different computer components, and now I just buy original computers according to the budget. I have experienced many changes in the middle, and I have both money and time to consider. The reason why I bought the Mac Mini back then was to have a small computer that could run at home and watch streaming videos, because I knew in my heart that it was absolutely impossible to make this mooncake box too much work.

However, Apple, which is fully committed to self-developed chips, has successfully enabled them to continue to provide more powerful computing power in the simplest design with low-power and high-efficiency ARM architecture chips. The Mac Mini with the M2 chip can be said to be a novice outfit in RPG games – at a relatively low starting price, it has enough specifications for fighting bosses (movie clips), and it also experiences the convenience of Apple’s cross-platform ecology. How to upgrade and match up depends on the depth of your wallet, and you don’t need to be submerged in DIY components that are too subdivided and have similar specifications.