SAVE Your MONEY! Mac Mini M2 Pro Vs Mac Studio M2 Max

Comparing the 2023 Mac Mini with the M2 Pro and the 2023 MacStudio with the M2 Max- find the desktop Mac that's best for you!
PRODUCT LINKS ARE LISTED BELOW 👇
Buy The 2023 Mac Mini: amzn.to/3XNoNK2
The 2023 Mac Mini with the M2 Pro was my primary working machine for the last 5 or so months until the Mac Studio came on to the scene, which I picked up as soon as it was announced at WWDC 23.
While these machines might be surprisingly similar in a lot of ways, there are some key differences that might make you choose one over the other. Today we're taking a look at both Macs, and comparison the M2 Pro vs M2 Max in the hopes that it helps other people find which one best suits them.
Download My Latest Wallpaper Pack HERE: iokyle.gumroad.com/l/arc
I monitor and manage all my macs with CleanMyMac X: macpaw.audw.net/c/3460079/263...
MY DESK SETUP GEAR:
LG 27UQ850-W Ultrafine 4K Monitor | amzn.to/3o1Beoh
Vivo Monitor Arm | amzn.to/3CtYkWE
Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse | amzn.to/3mkvEfS
Logitech MX Keys Mini | amzn.to/3PrfUQE
Flexispot Standing Desk | bit.ly/3xUYJ40
Monoprice Cable Tray | amzn.to/3A5nb3t
Orbitkey Desk Mat & Keyholder | bit.ly/41jSoMg
Fluance Ai41 Speakers | amzn.to/3oi6wah
Kanto S4 Speaker Stands | amzn.to/3A6cWvw
CalDigit TS4 USB Hub | amzn.to/3Fc80Ji
Acasis USB4 SSD Enclosure | amzn.to/3L07z5V
Western Digital SN770 SD | amzn.to/3A6aZPI
Grid Studio iPhone Classic Kit | shrsl.com/3nsgi
BenQ ScreenBar Monitor Light | amzn.to/3w7DQBH
Gove RGBIC Strip Lights | amzn.to/3CvITx3
Mandalorian Lego Figures | amzn.to/3Et0oyB
Nomad Base One Max | www.dpbolvw.net/click-1004155...
Autonomous ErgoChair Pro | www.autonomous.ai/office-chai...
MUSIC I USE IN MY VIDEOS IS ALL FROM EPIDEMIC SOUND
Get a free month with the link below:
www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
LINKS TO PRODUCTS MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS
By using the affiliate links, I earn a small fee from any purchase you make. It won't cost you anything to use them. By clicking them it helps support me, and create more content for you. Thank you for the support!
_______________________________
00:00 | Intro
00:55 | Arrival Of The Mac Mini M2 Pro
01:57 | Inside The M2 Pro Mac Mini
02:12 | Why Buy The Mac Mini?
02:54 | Enter The Mac Studio M2 Max
03:19 | Storage Comparison
04:17 | Performance Comparison
08:06 | Design Comparison
10:46 | Wrapping Up

[@KyleErickson]

small correction - USB-A ports are capable of 5 Gbps, not 10! whoopsie daisy

[@roblloyd_]

Was stuck deciding between these two and ended up going with a base M2 Max Studio. Super happy with it, as a wedding photographer having the SD slot on the front is nice to have after coming home from a long wedding day.

[@martyptx]

I was debating the same decision, went with the M2 Max Studio, but upgraded the SSD to 1 TB. I got it this week and could not be happier!

[@mp6779]

I was thinking the same as I’m a wedding photographer.

[@faizeljoemrati6329]

Also in the market, also wedding photographer (and concerts). Looks like a photographer’s workhorse 😃 (Capture One Pro user)

[@lele__2007]

I have decided to buy the base M2 Max Studio with 1 TB SSD. I'm very eager too receive it.

[@rafekaren]

Great video, thank you. It's because of this video that I went for the m2 pro. I know its slower but you saved me a lot of money with the honesty that you might not notice the performance when you are doing video rather than blender. Got a like and a sub also. Thanks bud

[@CityPlannerPlays]

Seriously impressive video, as always, Kyle! I ended up going with the Studio myself, mainly because of the type of videos I render out and the 10gbe port, since I edit off my NAS. That said, I think it's kind of ugly, so I picked up an under-desk mount so I don't have to look at it, lol!

[@KyleErickson]

haha nice!

[@ronnycoding]

oh man, thank you, I'm thinking on making an upgrade on my hardware and really this is a good video to pointing out the reasons why this could be a good fit instead the Studio model

[@torb-no]

I have a base Mini M2 Pro with 32GB RAM. I use it for development (web development, JVM-based creative coding, occasionally C++-based stuff too), UI/UX design, photography and general productivity. It's pretty much perfect for me. I've heard many say it's such a poor value over the base Studio, but if I truly don't need any of the upgrades than I think that is poor value. This idea of ”good value” in a general abstract sense is so silly. Value depends on your needs! The Mini I have fulfils my needs pretty much exactly and I'm extremely happy with it. I also strongly prefer the form factor, it's just less unwieldy (which matters when switching the monitor cable with my work laptop). It's also funny people being worried about base SSD performance, aside from the OS and light weight documents (because iCloud needs to be on default drive)… I just run everything off an regular Samsung T7 which AFAIK is much slower than even that SSD and it's still plenty fast for my needs. I don't need the most fancy thing, I just need the thing that does the job well, and this does.

[@ccctttyyyyy]

I canceled my Mac Studio order after I saw your comment! You’re exactly right! Based on my current workflow, M2 Pro + 32GB is more than enough. I may look at Mac Studio when I’m clearly know I gonna need it in future later when I have significant changed on my workflow

[@willm5032]

This. I got the same config for a Work From home design machine and I can't fault it. The m2 studio didnt exist when i got my mini, MAYBE in hindsight i'd have bought the base studio but meh, the mini will do me for years and is a great little machine

[@torb-no]

​@@systemai AFAIK the M2 version of Mac Studio fixed the fan noise problem. I use the same SD iPad adapter as well! Works just fine!

[@sharingmatters]

Same here.

[@MartinMartin-yi9to]

You could have got a better computer, the Studio, for the same money you bought you mini. Some people are stupid and others are complete morons. Oh well...

[@user-pv9zr3ih8w]

I want to use Mac mini or studio for iOS App development and development of spark cluster with ml. Can you please suggest minimum but still appropriate configuration?

[@scotteepunk]

With the Macs, the only thing I care about is recording my songs. That means 24 tracks or more with all the plugins on each track. Then the next step is to mix the tracks with more plugins and get a good panning and volume for how the song will sound, and the last step is to master those tracks in left and right stereo, which means more plugins. Then I can upload the song to Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, etc. I don't care how the computer does for gaming or complex videos. I have the entry level Mac M2 Pro.

[@dillonmurray592]

Me too I done a little video editing as well have u decided on what to upgrade too?

[@bryans8656]

Thanks for the comparisons Kyle. I purchased the base M1 Studio Max when it released last year so the Mini M2 Pro wasn't an option and frankly, I'm not sure which one I would have opted for if the Mini had been available. I can say that the Studio has more than met my prosumer needs and I won't need to upgrade for quite a while. For those who don't need the power of the latest and greatest I suggest considering the M1 Studio. Lots of power at a discount over the M2 version.

[@tavusion]

Which site are you using for the benchmark comparisons at 2:43 ?

[@wildeyestudios5]

is it worth the extra money of the m2 max studio for regular video editing on premiere, considering it has 2 media encoding engines, and better cpu and more ram. Just want a super smooth editing process with 4k and 1080p, sometimes I work with 240fps footage on my 2017 gaming asus and it does weird things when scrolling through footage

[@gabbychow4026]

Hey Kyle, this is an amazing comparison video! I’m in school and I generally have all these things open at the same time: 20 tabs on chrome browser, paused KZbin video if on Zoom meeting, multiple Microsoft Office docs open like Word, Excel, Adobe PDF. Some user commented that Mac Studio has longevity because of better heat dissipation, and I do want my Mac to last. What’s your take on which Mac I should go with for my intended use? Thanks a lot in advance! 🙏. I appreciate your making this awesome review! 💕

[@klein3de]

Thanks for the great video Kyle. I'm looking for a new Mac, had the MacBook Pro M2 Pro for a few days and am honestly not a laptop person as it turns out, so I returned it and am looking for a Mac mini M2 Pro OR the Mac Studio. For photo editing and future proofing, I want to go with 32GB, 1TB SSD and 10GBit NIC to connect it directly to my NAS. However, on 3rd party sellers (here in Germany), the Mac mini with 10G is 5€ more than the Mac Studio. Guess this is the decision then ;)

[@felipediaz8889]

Thankyou . Your videos was the last one that made me decide on my purchase …….. the journey is over 😅thanks dude . In the cart now 🛒

[@Holden_McHock]

... ... ...and you chose the mini

[@dkjones4798]

Bought the M2 Mac Mini, 16GB unified memory and 512GB SSD, so far so good. I occasionally shoot and edit in 1080p. I do some writing and graphic design work; my previous main Mac was the 2018 6-core i5, also with 16 GB RAM, 256GB SSD and an always attached WD 4TB HDD via USB 3.x, which was been fast enough for my video edit needs. I've still got a 2009 Mac Mini for running legacy apps & hardware-last year (2022), I actually had to author and burn a DVD in 4:3 which ran on a 15 year-old widescreen TV, that "forced" the 4:3 ratio to fit the screen without cutting off information. Ya just never know what ya might have need of...😎

[@ShanghaiChany]

Hey Kyle! I love your videos! They are super informative and overall very well done! I’m about to go into grad school for my MBA and also am a hobby photographer and do some editing in photoshop and Lightroom. Also looking to have my next Mac be our family computer for the next several years to come. What Mac should I go for? The Mac Mini M2 Pro? Thanks Kyle!

[@KyleErickson]

honestly, if all you're doing is editing photos as the heavy lifting. Regular Mac Mini with the M2, with the RAM bumped up to 16 and storage up to 512 is probably a good option, but if you want it to last a super long time, and you want to beef it up a little, the base M2 Pro mini is great!

[@phillblake6829]

What is productivity?

[@patriciapeters356]

Kyle. I’m about to start an online jewelry business. As I need to use adobe photoshop or lightbox, It was highly recommended I get a Mac. I don’t nor have I ever had a computer (just an iPhone). I will be using a service like Shopify. But doing my own photos. Probably short videos of each piece of jewelry. Which system would be the least expensive but last many years and what monitor can I get away with? Help!!! I will be very grateful for your advice…

[@bnnett]

Love your floor grading.

[@jerome5969]

I went for Mini M2 Pro 32gb 1TB 10cpu/16gpu cores same with yours, main reason is that I only have small desk and mini will be perfect for that. Also, I mostly working on software development, and some video editing and photoshop. That works for me. Studio size is too big for my small desk

[@antonisdavis2288]

hallo!!can i edit on mac mini m2 pro,4k-120-10bit and 6k 30p short videos (about 15 min) without using proxies?thanks

[@winstonsmith1222]

I’m a “prosumer” photographer, and generally use my Mac for several different photo programmes, as well as Office/productivity work, browsing, media consumption. Would the Mini be enough to get through what I do? Yes, I get paid for photography, but not for magazines or large corporate work beyond portraits.

[@x0234dsx]

Awesome video! Thanks for making it! . What are your speaker stands?

[@KyleErickson]

they should in in the description of the video!

[@x0234dsx]

thanks!@@KyleErickson .. lol literally the same ones i have accept mine are S2

[@valhala73]

Amazing video Kyle!!!! what model would be better if I only use it to edit photografy and watch Netflix? Take care.

[@KyleErickson]

I'd just buy a regular Mini to be honest, probably lots of power for those things

[@MJ-sg8ov]

I went through a similar calculus and came to the same conclusion. Now with the studio on my desk, replacing an M1 mini, I am extremely happy. The speed upgrade of course is quite noticeable from that baseline, but where things really shine is in the port availability. Once again my baseline there were only 2 thunderbolt ports and the ability to drive only 2 monitors, but with the new machine I've been able to eliminate the use of one piece of switchgear being utilized for a multi-USB-a connection keyboard, allowing a much smaller unit to house my Yubikey and charging cords. I may or may not go back to 3 monitors but it's nice to know I can. When making my choice the truth is I really didn't need the speed bump from the M2 pro mini, but am still ecstatic about the relative lack of clutter on the desktop, and feel good about some future-proofing with the capabilities of the studio. If you're contemplating an M2-Pro with really any significant upgrades, I'd just go with the Studio.

[@goproav8r642]

hey what monitors are you using with your studio ?

[@MJ-sg8ov]

@@goproav8r642 a 38” curved LG widescreen and a 29” widescreen.

[@godwin_njoroge]

Amazing comparison and video as always Kyle. For a heavy video editing workflow (sometimes includes Red footage), KZbin videos and web development, I’m torn between the 16 inch m2 pro with 1tb (2699$) and upgrading the M2 max Mac studio to 1tb and upping the processor to the top tier max chip (2399$) then getting a bang for buck monitor for now (300$). I mainly work from home so the second option is looking better. What’s your take?

[@KyleErickson]

If it's just stationary I would get the studio, and just grab something like an LG Ultrafine 4K monitor to go along with it.

[@godwin_njoroge]

@@KyleErickson Thanks for your insight man

[@mathiasrjacobsen]

Hey Kyle, the stands for your speakers, where did you buy them? :)

[@KyleErickson]

Amazon! Kanto S4

[@smokinjoe2122]

Curious, since you have a 4k 27" (as I do also), what do you scale at? 1440?

[@KyleErickson]

yup

[@ollym990]

You do realise you could put those same rubber round stickers on the Studio to solve the sliding problem right?

[@PerpetualPreponderer]

Hey Kyle, from what you say in the video, it seems you were using the regular m1 mac mini during your software development days? What kind of dev were you doing, and what config was your m1 mac mini?

[@KyleErickson]

when I was doing full time dev work I caught the first wave of Apple Silicon before moving into other roles - So the only thing that was available at first was the M1 Air which I mostly worked from, followed by the M1 mini. Both base configs but just had the RAM bumped to 16gb

[@PerpetualPreponderer]

@@KyleErickson was it web dev? Full stack?

[@devpurohit7686]

Pls tell which filter do you use in your videos it's very amazing?

[@lemmytheprodguy]

Definitely looking like a cinebloom filter was used on his A-Roll at least

[@vladibarraza]

I'd say pro mist 1/4

[@KyleErickson]

Hi there! I use a cinebloom 10%, and then I add back a little sharpening and lessen the halation a touch in post.

[@devpurohit7686]

​@@KyleEricksonthanks

[@RadioTeal]

Personally, having been in IT for over 35 years, I feel the $100 more is well worth it for future proof reasons. I personally need my computer to last 5 to 6 years before it needs replacing. Macs in general have lasted 8 to 10 years for my use.

[@dan_hitchman007]

A lot depends on how venting and cooling were handled. If Apple decided to make these Macs commodity consumer products like their phones or streamers rather than long lasting workhorses, then you may only get 2 or 3 years max out of them before heat degradation sets in.

[@unabonger777]

do you think the internal ssd will last that long?

[@RadioTeal]

@@unabonger777 I know SSDs in general don't last as long as the old hard drives used to do. I am sad that Apple has elected to make it so you can not upgrade easily. But yes, IF the components last.

[@RadioTeal]

@@dan_hitchman007 yes. My whole point is that if I invest over $1000 US in a machine, I need to feel I am getting value for that money. Apple has stated they want computers to be appliances. It gets worse for me if my particular investment approaches $5000 or more. I know people still rocking 6 year old iPhones for the same reason. So, in my opinion, this is a mistake for Apple in the long run. If they make all computers one way (like the iPhone) for as set cost and then offer full trade in like phone carriers, to get the latest model, then this strategy would work.

[@dan_hitchman007]

@@RadioTeal You cannot upgrade at all. Your first configuration is normally what you are stuck with. If you need to upgrade, you would have to do their hardware swap program towards the next model up.

[@eduardofierro]

thanks very good. I have A mini 3ghz 6 core i5/ 64gb ram, but I am feeling the crunch on the editing my red files. so I am trying to see if Mini Pro or Base Studio will do the trick. thanks.

[@KyleErickson]

thanks for watching!

[@sharingmatters]

For red I would go with Studio

[@Mocha_Girl_22]

@@sharingmatters yes Thats my thought. I will get it M1 still a great computer even if they come with the M3 next week. I will not be able to afford that. As my raid just topped. So had to expand it. From 24 to 40 plus a separes raid of 24. That was expensive 🤦🏽‍♂️. Thanks again.

[@DummyFace123]

One of the most meaningful differences for a productivity perspective is monitor support. I went with the studio simply for that, since the prices were so similar. You mention 3 vs 5 but its not that simple. High refresh high resolution monitor support differs greatly between the two. But then there is portability. The studio is heavier and larger. The more they weigh, the harder they fall, as they say. If you're going to be traveling with it a bunch, the mini will be easier to protect, with more effective cushioning. Effortlessly fitting into all kinds of spaces without weighing you down. I don't plan on traveling with it, it sits in my office. I'm not pushing the limit on an m2 pro's monitor support, not even close, but why go with the mini for the same price, with less cpu and gpu cores? Just doesn't make sense for me. If I was going to travel with it a bunch though, I'd definitely go with the mini.

[@craigsj]

"but why go with the mini for the same price, with less cpu" Because that's not true. "If I was going to travel with it a bunch though, I'd definitely go with the mini." And I'd go with a notebook. "High refresh high resolution monitor support differs greatly between the two." Which matters to few.

[@ccctttyyyyy]

I need a 32GB setup but not a 1TB SSD. The M2 Pro Mac Mini base configurations work perfectly for me. Should I buy the M2 Pro Mac Mini with a 32GB ram upgrade for $1699? (it's $1590 in my country, btw). I've mainly used it for dev with data engineering stacks for PoC on the local machine. For serious large dataset processing, I always run it on the cloud.

[@torb-no]

I have the base M2 Pro Mac mini with the 32GB memory upgrade and I’m very happy with it. I use it for web development, JVM based creative coding and occasional C++ and Rust based stuff. I also use it for photoediting, UI design and basic productivity. It more than keeps up with my 2019 i9 40GB 27" iMac. I guess maybe that would was better with GPU stuff (gaming esp) but I’m not sure. Either way I’m very happy with my setup.

[@sharingmatters]

I am planning to go with 32GB. It will last for years!

[@TheMardon55]

My M1 2020 was ordered from Costco shortly before release, at a discount. It was not all that impressive, ive built many a desktop, one AMD running at 140 MHz\onboard CPU~GPU. Iv'e never complained about my Dell laptop, (7000 Inspiron). Iv'e 30+ years collection of PC's, Apple's, Chromebook's, iPad's, Samsung tablets,.. including a first iteration of iPhone. I'm looking forward to a next; ''Must Have'' `8^/.. ☺

[@UncleManuel]

Yepp, the M2 Pro sits in a very awkward spot: just a little bit better than the Mini but if you upgrade it you basically can buy the base Mac Studio for that price. But like you said: it most positively depends on what one want to do with a Mac. And that is the most difficult part for people to figure out for themselfes... 😁😜

[@TheRealDocRobertz]

As I’ve come to understand as a dual OS owner, Mac is better for general productivity. Video editing, photo related things, etc. PC is better for GPU intensive things like blender or engineering related tasks (and it’s not close). Both systems have their use cases. I love my Mac mini as it flies through all of my creative tasks

[@wilkinsi]

I still have an i3 Mac Mini from 2018. I use it for making music. It isn't bad, but I want the lowest possible latency, a lot lower than 128ms and more plugins, including a synth which tends to struggle depending on which samples are used. As much as I want the Studio M2 Max, I'm still wondering if the Mini M2 Pro will be enough. Would also be nice to have a machine that doesn't feel like it's overheating and not break the bank at the same time.

[@jcpuga]

What did you go with? I’ve heard that the M2 Chip will be better for most DAWS. Due to them not using all the efficiency cores.

[@wilkinsi]

@@jcpuga currently waiting on what comes out in June - hopefully an M3 Mac Mini M3 Pro

[@jcpuga]

@@wilkinsi I further researched the information out there. Apparently DAWs get the most use out if M1 Max chips…of course not counting the more expensive Ultra line. Those seem to work very well.

[@nahidsumon9635]

I see the results however im not sure either to have a fully upgraded mac mini with 2 tb of storage or a Mac Studio semi upgraded with 1 terabyte of storage. The Mac Studio beats the Mac mini in all categories however, does more ssd storage equate to more speed? Sorry if this question is dumb, im not that much into technology.

[@dan_hitchman007]

1 TB is all you need. Add external solid state drives to augment. You get the added SSD speeds with the 1 TB (Apple's 512 GB drives are a lot slower), but you don't pay Apple's outrageous storage upcharge costs.

[@C4Crotona]

Kinda torn watching this. I do audio recording but i dont mix my music like that. But what I will be doing is editing rap videos... was thinking of the regular m2 1299 but upgrading the ram to 32gb and 1 terabyte but now im looking at this studio one like hmmm

[@NeverRnB]

The Base mac Studio is far more expensive in Australia than it is in the US, any explanation for this?

[@NeverRnB]

M2 Pro Mini - $1999 AUD m2 Max Studio - $3299 AUD

[@Wan2bMountainman]

It’s really close to the same price if you check the exchange rate from USD to AUD. .64 to 1.00

[@melee75]

FYI the M2 Mac Mini Pro base model is on sale at Costco for $1099 until July 30.

[@youssefhamidi8152]

M2 studio looks much better imo so that is the one id buy.

[@unabonger777]

Have you compared regular coffee to decaf?

[@KyleErickson]

there is no comparison my friend

[@HausOfPain]

I just bought the 16" MacBook M3 Pro but I really want the studio display. Seriously thinking about returning it and getting the Mac Mini instead to soften the blow of the massive price tag on the Studio Display...

[@dan_hitchman007]

You do not really need the Studio Display. If you need the 1:1 pixel mapping 5k resolution, get the LG equivalent instead and save some money. Apple upcharges are terrible. And if you want an adjustable display stand, the Studio Display costs start to bump up near $2,000!!

[@HausOfPain]

@@dan_hitchman007 the LG is still $1150. No thanks. Can get a studio display refurb from apple for $1350.

[@YoungShizzie]

I went with the m2 pro Mac mini

[@blvckoutprty]

what LG monitor you using?

[@dan_hitchman007]

If it hasn't changed, it's in the video's description. LG 27UQ850-W

[@MariusIhlar]

I'm gonna do editing in 4K 10 bit 4:2:2 and I'm looking into switching back to Mac after 5 years with pc. 😅😅

[@kenturnbull5450]

if you upgrade your memory on the mini to 32 mb there is not much difference in price

[@dan_hitchman007]

Yes, if you upgrade the mini enough, you might as well get the Studio.

[@wjjohns04able]

I noticed something several years so while my wife was watching HGTV in that the scene would change almost every two seconds on average. I even pointed it out to her one day and counted it out. This video does the same thing. Try it.

[@shadow.banned]

Doesn't Apple's architecture struggle with Blender?

[@patriciapeters356]

I’m not sure if it’s against the rules to hire someone for professional advice…hence the previous comment

[@VFX_Hunter]

a Video editor that aspires to the future M3-PRO Mac Mini & former owner of 3 iMacs, am waiting as APPLE "parses out" features that were releaased by others YEARS before. It comes down to the CEO, others would have OBSERVED the 25th Anniversary of the iMAC this Year & reLeased a Special edition of the iMac, but Cook doesn't care about anything other than bottom line & perceived eco-conscisiousness. the Apple silicon is Exciting . . .

[@CaptainSwallowtail]

slow down a bit, make it easier to digest..

[@KyleErickson]

nah

[@ElMacho0423]

Bro from 8 to 15 minutes is a huge difference! The value of time should be one of the most important things.

[@KyleErickson]

Not arguing at all, I definitely value it! But lots of folks export in the background while they do other things, or just infrequently - the difference isn't as important to some people, that's all. It's not up to me to decide how important it is per individual

[@derekec]

Thank you but thanks for the YT speed control. Hey, 65yo brain what can I say 🧐

[@ddolde]

Wrong. SPEND your money

[@einsteinwasright1044]

Very unhelpful.