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Configuring M2 Mac mini

 

I'm giving some thought to replacing my current 2012 Mac mini 6,1, which is configured as follows:

1TB SSD, replacing the original 500GB Fusion Drive
16BG RAM

My motivation for wanting to upgrade is to be able to use the newest versions of some of my apps. Also, I'm thinking of retiring in the next year or two, so this could be my last computer. I use the computer for email, web surfing, word processing, and a bit of light Excel work. I also stream radio shows, using Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba, save them as MP3's, and edit them with Fission by Rogue Amoeba. A 3-hour radio show can be up to 200MB, so I have that much data loaded into Fission when I'm editing a show. My data files consist of emails, various PDFs, Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets. I have 882GB free on the SSD, but I accumulate more data over time--not very fast, but I do. I don't use anything resource-intensive like Photoshop or Final Cut, and I don't foresee doing so. So here are the options off Apple's website:

Basic M2 Mac mini, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM: $600
16GB RAM: +$200
1TB SSD: +$400
10GB Ethernet: +$100

I'm thinking I'd like to get 16GB of RAM and have the same amount of RAM I have now, but if the M2 Mac mini can somehow use RAM more efficiently, I'd be open to going for 8GB and saving the $200.

On the SDD, I'm well aware that the SSD couldn't be upgraded, or replaced if it failed. I'm not in danger of my SSD getting more than half full any time soon, but I understand that if the wear and tear is spread out over a bigger SSD, then the SSD will last longer.

If I go for 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, we're looking at $1200, which I can afford. Does this sound reasonable, or like overkill? I don't think I need the 10GB Ethernet.

Thanks for your thoughts.
 

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Andrew Buc wrote:
If I go for 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, we're looking at $1200, which I can afford.
Does this sound reasonable?
I don't think I need the 10GB Ethernet.

Last year I moved from a 2013 Macbook Pro to a Mac Studio.

I agree with your conclusions above COMPLETELY.

--?
Jim Saklad
jimdoc@...
Jim logo small.jpg

 

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On Jan 14, 2024, at 1:45?PM, Andrew Buc <abuc@...> wrote:

Does this sound reasonable, or like overkill? I don't think I need the 10GB Ethernet.

I recently updated my laptop from a 2019 Core i7 (last Intel gen) 16” MacBook Pro to a new Core M3 14” MacBook Pro. My justifications: an almost-full 512 GB SSD, a desire to be able to use current generation applications, and a too-heavy shoulder bag when traveling with chargers for it, my iPad Pro, and my iPhone, along with accessories and reading materials and current projects.

However, it’s impressive to go from “Bong” to login in 10 seconds and never bogging down opening windows

--?
Jim Robertson

 

On Jan 14, 2024, at 12:45 PM, Andrew Buc <abuc@...> wrote:

I'm thinking I'd like to get 16GB of RAM and have the same amount of RAM I have now, but if the M2 Mac mini can somehow use RAM more efficiently, I'd be open to going for 8GB and saving the $200.
Unless you are working with HUGE files, and very high-end applications (e.g. humongous databases, 3D rendering, or editing movies), more than 8 GB of RAM is overkill with any of the silicon-based Macs:

Apple insists 8GB unified memory equals 16GB regular RAM


Opinion: Is the base MacBook Air M1/8GB powerful enough for you?


I do agree that purchasing a bigger SSD than you need is a good idea. The extra capacity, even if you never come close to filling it up with data, will make the SSD live quite a bit longer.
__________________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Essential But Hard To Find Macintosh Software and Advice

__________________________________________________
 

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Can you get the same benefit from additional SSD by buying an external SSD to pair with a pre-configured machine? ?Thinking of buying a pre-configured machine from Costco which has better prices than Apple?

Thanks

Jay

On Jan 15, 2024, at 1:27 AM, Randy B. Singer <randy@...> wrote:

I do agree that purchasing a bigger SSD than you need is a good idea. ?The extra capacity, even if you never come close to filling it up with data, will make the SSD live quite a bit longer.
 

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On Jan 17, 2024, at 8:22?AM, Jay Abraham <jaygroups@...> wrote:

Thinking of buying a pre-configured machine from Costco which has better prices than Apple?

One other benefit of purchasing from Costco is a longer timeframe for full refund (90 days for many electronics) if the purchase doesn’t work out!

--?
Jim Robertson

 

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Wait until someone better informed than me, but I think not.?

It is going to use the internal SSD for several functions like short term RAM, long before it moves anything off to an external drive.?

Brent

On my iPhone Xr

On Jan 17, 2024, at 07:22, Jay Abraham <jaygroups@...> wrote:

?Can you get the same benefit from additional SSD by buying an external SSD to pair with a pre-configured machine? ?Thinking of buying a pre-configured machine from Costco which has better prices than Apple?

Thanks

Jay

On Jan 15, 2024, at 1:27 AM, Randy B. Singer <randy@...> wrote:

I do agree that purchasing a bigger SSD than you need is a good idea. ?The extra capacity, even if you never come close to filling it up with data, will make the SSD live quite a bit longer.
 

On Jan 17, 2024, at 7:22 AM, Jay Abraham <jaygroups@...> wrote:

Can you get the same benefit from additional SSD by buying an external SSD to pair with a pre-configured machine? Thinking of buying a pre-configured machine from Costco which has better prices than Apple?
Maybe. The problem is that once every register on your SSD has been filled once (regardless of whether much of it has been marked for erasing and re-use), your SSD will begin to noticably slow down. Since your Mac uses your internal (boot) drive for invisible scratch space, temp files, meta data, databases, etc., your internal drive’s free space gets used even if you meticulously use an external to offload stuff too. If your internal drive is too small, it is going to fill up eventually even if you don’t actually store much on it.

__________________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Essential But Hard To Find Macintosh Software and Advice

__________________________________________________
 

Randy,

Thanks for your input.

Jay

On Jan 17, 2024, at 11:17 PM, Randy B. Singer <randy@...> wrote:



On Jan 17, 2024, at 7:22 AM, Jay Abraham <jaygroups@...> wrote:

Can you get the same benefit from additional SSD by buying an external SSD to pair with a pre-configured machine? Thinking of buying a pre-configured machine from Costco which has better prices than Apple?
Maybe. The problem is that once every register on your SSD has been filled once (regardless of whether much of it has been marked for erasing and re-use), your SSD will begin to noticably slow down. Since your Mac uses your internal (boot) drive for invisible scratch space, temp files, meta data, databases, etc., your internal drive’s free space gets used even if you meticulously use an external to offload stuff too. If your internal drive is too small, it is going to fill up eventually even if you don’t actually store much on it.

__________________________________________________

Randy B. Singer
Co-author of The Macintosh Bible (4th, 5th, and 6th editions)

Essential But Hard To Find Macintosh Software and Advice

__________________________________________________

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