Mac Mini M2(2023) versus Mac Studio M2 Max(2023)- Which is preferable?

(Image credit- MacWorld) Apple users have benefited from lightning-fast processing performance on the top Macs available ever since the introduction of the 'M' series of chips. The Mac Mini joined the "M2" party after the Macbook Air and Macbook Pro, which debuted in 2022 with M2 chips, had already done so. As of January of this year, Mac Mini users can still have the same desktop experience as those who use portable devices. Apple currently offers the "M2" and "M2 Pro" versions. The Mac Studio launched in March 2022, while the 'Max' and 'Ultra' models of the M2, which are capable of high-performance jobs, were introduced in June 2023. We'll compare the Mac Mini M2 with the Mac Studio M2 'Max' in-depth in this article to help you choose which best suits your requirements and price range. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1740"] Image credit - NotebookCheck.net News[/caption]

Mac Mini vs. Mac Studio: Cost and Availability

Sales of the Mac Studio M2 began on June 13, 2023. Starting at $1,999 is the base model. On the day of the release, Apple might offer one of its renowned discounts on the more costly equipment we're writing about, which would further reduce this figure. The base Mac Mini M2 costs only $599, but of course, this comes at the expense of less powerful specifications. Both of these devices are available in shops and online through the Apple website in the USA, but if you live in another country, we advise you to check with your local Apple retailer first.

Mac Mini vs. Mac Studio: Specification

Regarding size, there isn't much to favor one device over another. The Mac Studio's base is the same size as the Mac Mini's: 7.75 x 7.75 inches (19.7 x 19.7 cm), but it is taller: 3.7 inches (9.5 cm) as opposed to 1.41 inches (3.58 cm). With a weight of only 2.6 pounds (1.18 kg), the Mac Mini M2 lives up to its moniker. Both machines won't hurt anyone's back if carried, even though the Mac Studio weighs a significantly heavier 5.9 lb (2.7kg). In terms of base hardware characteristics, the Mac Studio M2 Max triumphs over the Mac Mini M2 with ease. It has a 12-core CPU and 30-core GPU, compared to the Mac Mini's 8 and 10 cores, respectively. This is one instance where upgrading won't really help, since even $300 more spent on a $1,299 Mac Mini M2 Pro will 'only' get you a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU. There is a 16-core neural engine in both variants. The Mac Studio M2 Max has a basic unified memory of 32GB compared to the Mac Mini M2's base model's 8GB, but you can make up the difference by spending an extra $400 on your Mac Mini. Even so, this is over $1,000 cheaper than the Mac Studio M2 Max. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2550"] Image credit- AppleToolBox[/caption] Memory bandwidth for the Mac Mini M2 is 100GB/s as compared to 400GB/s for the Mac Studio M2 Max. Compared to the 512GB SSD in the Mac Studio M2 Max, the Mac Mini M2's base model has 256GB. Once more, you can add $200 to your Mac Mini order to upgrade to a 512GB model. Overall, this implies that the Mac Mini costs roughly $1200, or around $800 less than a Mac Studio while offering nearly identical specs (apart from CPU/GPU). You must choose whether spending that much more money on an additional 20 GPU cores and 4 CPUs is worthwhile.

Mac Mini vs Mac Studio: Ports

Comparing ports between the Mac Mini and Mac Studio is important because both of these products are desktop computers. Due to the fact that it has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, the Mac Mini M2's base model is no slouch in this regard. An HDMI port, two USB-A ports, an A Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack are also included. In terms of port efficiency, the Mac Studio M2 Max stands up to its name. Two USB-C ports and an SDXC card slot are located at the front. There are no less than four Thunderbolt 4 connectors, two USB-A ports, one HDMI port, one 10Gb Ethernet port, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack on the device's back. Additionally, Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) and Bluetooth 5.3 are also built-in features of both Macs. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="980"] Image credit- Ars Technica[/caption]

Mac Mini vs. Mac Studio- Display

Apple makes a point of highlighting the fact that the Mac Studio was created especially to go with their 27" 5K "Studio Display," which comes equipped with a 12MP ultra-wide camera, three microphones, and a six-speaker sound system. Any Mac you purchase will obviously require an external display, but you'll need to consider if you can justify spending $1599 and above for the Studio Display. The Mac Studio M2 Max allows you to connect up to 5 different types of external screens in case you decide this isn't for you. According to Apple, this could consist of either:

• Single display with 4K resolution at 60Hz through HDMI and four displays with 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt
• Two displays running at 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt, two displays running at 8K resolution at 60Hz, or one monitor running at 4K resolution at up to 240Hz over HDMI.

With its capacity to support up to two displays—one with a maximum resolution of 6K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and another with a maximum resolution of 5K at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or 4K at 60Hz over HDMI—the Mac Mini M2 is a little more restrained. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="1500"] Image credit- Digital Trends[/caption] Using USB-C, both Macs support native DisplayPort output. One display with up to 4K resolution at 60Hz can be supported by the Mac Mini M2's HDMI connector. The HDMI connector on the Mac Studio M2 Max can output content at up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz to a display. Multichannel audio, HDR, and variable refresh rate (VRR) are also supported.

Mac Mini vs Mac Studio: Performance

Apple, as usual, continues highlighting the virtues of their new device, publishing a useful illustration demonstrating how much faster it renders 3D images than earlier models. The website claims that the Mac Mini M2 works 4.7 times better while using Photoshop when comparing its performance to earlier Intel-based models. Additionally, GeekBench demonstrates that the Mac Mini M2 performs somewhat better than the preceding Mac Studio (M1). The website also reveals that anyone wanting to spend an additional $1400 or $2400 to upgrade to the M2 Ultra for their Mac Studio will still experience significantly quicker speeds, however, this may not be enough to justify the high cost. Also read: Apple MacBook Air M2 spotted on Amazon with a $200 discount