I tested the Mac Mini with the M2 Pro chip against newer MacBook Pros and models with the M1 Pro, M1 Max, and M2 chips. The M2 Pro significantly boosts single-threaded performance and includes three additional GPU cores and two extra CPU cores compared to its predecessor. However, it doesn’t scale as well as I expected in some key tasks.
Design and Build Quality
Design of Mac Mini remains unchanged, featuring a large Apple logo on the sides and a front made entirely of aluminum. The rear panel sports a simple black disc with the inscription Mac Mini. While the design may resemble a fingerprint, it’s not a major concern as it’s rarely visible. The sides and top are notably resistant to fingerprints. Ans it has a rounded square shape with well-defined, though not sharp edges and a small power indicator light on the front.
Interestingly, M2 Pro Mac Mini includes a built-in speaker despite lacking a screen, keyboard, or batteries. However, the speaker’s quality is poor, likely meant only for playing the startup sound. The Mac Mini is available in a single color, silver. If it came in more colors like the iMacs, it would be more appealing.
Ports and Connectivity
Mac Mini’s design is impressive particularly with its port options. The M2 Pro model features four Thunderbolt ports one more than the latest MacBook Pros but it still supports only three displays. It also includes an HDMI 2.1 port, allowing you to connect a 4K high-refresh-rate monitor or an 8K TV which is a notable upgrade. Additionally, Mac Mini offers a 10-gigabit Ethernet port which is great if you need substantial storage. It enables fast access to data on a NAS or repurposed PC without needing a separate, costly dongle or using up Thunderbolt ports. For those with high-speed needs this is a valuable feature.
It’s also includes USB-A connectors with a transfer speed of 5 gigabytes per second. While all ports are located on the rear, the variety and quantity are excellent, especially for users who utilize 10-gigabit Ethernet. It would be even better if some of these ports, especially USB ones, were located on the front like the Mac Studio.
Performance
Although the M2 Pro has two additional cores compared to the M1 Pro, these are efficiency cores, not performance cores. Consequently, both models have the same number of performance cores. The M2 Pro is about 15% faster than the M1 Pro in multi-threaded tasks on Geekbench, which is a notable improvement but less than the 20% gain you might expect based on core count alone.
In certain tasks, like building Firefox, the M2 Pro performs impressively, finishing about 28% faster than the M1 Pro and 44% faster than the base M2 with four performance cores. For single-threaded tasks, the M2 Pro is nearly as fast as the M2, occasionally outperforming it due to its larger RAM bandwidth. For example, in web performance tests, the M2 Pro outperforms the M2 and M1 Pro by 30% to 40% in various browsers.
In everyday web browsing, the difference between the M2 and M2 Pro isn’t noticeable. Both handle multiple tabs and tasks efficiently, with the primary bottlenecks being server speed and internet connection. However, complex sites like Google Earth load faster on the M2 and M2 Pro compared to the M1 Pro.
When it comes to practical tasks like applying filters in Photoshop, the M2 Pro is faster than the M1 Pro but similar to the M2 for most filters. As a computer science student, I find that the M2 Pro’s advantages are more significant for large software projects. For typical programming and general tasks, the M2 offers comparable performance to the M2 Pro.
The GPU cores of the M2 Pro are likely to be the main reason to buy this model. With up to 19 GPU cores, it significantly outperforms the M2, scoring more than twice as high on the 3DMark Wildlife Extreme Unlimited test, and is 25% faster than the M1 Pro with 16 GPU cores. On paper, it boasts impressive GPU performance, but real-world results are less dramatic.
For example, in DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro, both the M2 Pro and M1 Pro took nearly the same time to render a simple 10-minute 4K video. They are only 7% faster than the base M2 model, while the M1 Max with 24 GPU cores easily outperforms them. The same trend is observed when stabilizing a one-minute clip in DaVinci Resolve—the M1 Pro and M2 Pro perform similarly. This could be due to software optimization issues, though there might be other factors at play, especially since Apple develops Final Cut Pro.
Regarding storage, the SSD in the one-terabyte model is very fast, though not significantly faster than the previous generation. It is more than sufficient for most tasks. One major advantage of this system over traditional laptops is its quiet operation. It renders videos quietly next to my M1 Pro MacBook, suggesting that even the M2 Max could be effectively cooled in this type of chassis. However, the Mac Mini only supports up to the M2 Pro. The M2 Max chip is expected to be featured in the Mac Studios, but you’ll need to wait a bit longer for those to be available with the new M2 series SOCs.
Final Thought
Mac Mini is $700 cheaper than the new 14-inch MacBook Pro, which might make it a better option if you already have a display, keyboard, and mouse. Its quiet operation makes it a great choice for home use. However, the MacBook Pro’s screen, with its 1600-nit brightness and high resolution, offers better display quality that you won’t find for $700 elsewhere.
If you need portability or a high-definition screen, the M2 MacBook Pro is worth considering. For GPU performance, the M2 Pro Mac Mini is a cost-effective option compared to the M2 Pro MacBook, though it doesn’t yet offer a noticeable improvement over the M1 Pro. Its GPU performance might improve with future software updates. For single-threaded tasks like Photoshop or programming, the M2 and M1 perform similarly, making the M2 Pro less valuable in these cases.
However, for multi-threaded tasks such as code compilation, the M2 Pro is a significant upgrade over the M1 series and the base M2, and it’s almost on par with the M2 Max, slightly behind the M1 Ultra. Overall, the Mac Mini M2 Pro provides excellent value in a compact form.
