Mac Studio - any users here?

[BigRedX]

Is there any need to have a large internal SSD if none of your data actually lives on it? For the last 15 years my Macs have accessed all their user-generated files from either a dedicated file server or a separate data disk (for audio applications). The system drive only holds the OS and applications.

I ordered the base model of the new Mac Mini yesterday and it's due for delivery this afternoon! It's going to be used a file and media server so I won't really be in a position to comment on the performance, other than to hope it boots up faster than the MacPro 2,1 that it is replacing!

[IAA]

Is there any need to have a large internal SSD

I think not, I use my Mac Studio purely for audio and photography. I chose the 512Gb internal drive. I’ve around 400gb left on it. Everything is on my external SSDs.

[chris...]

Out of interest, anyone know what the fan noise of M1 mini is like? Or even what M2/M2Pro minis are expected to be like, in terms of noise?

Ta!

[Kwackman]

I cracked in the end, and have just ordered a M2Pro Mac Mini, due 13th Feb.
My credit card is whimpering in the corner....

[chris...]

I cracked in the end, and have just ordered a M2Pro Mac Mini, due 13th Feb.
My credit card is whimpering in the corner....

Good stuff. Did you spec it up? Looks like base M2 Pro mini is available immediately. I'm not sure whether 16GB RAM is enough or whether to save up for the 32GB version.

[Kwackman]

I cracked in the end, and have just ordered a M2Pro Mac Mini, due 13th Feb.
My credit card is whimpering in the corner....

Good stuff. Did you spec it up? Looks like base M2 Pro mini is available immediately. I'm not sure whether 16GB RAM is enough or whether to save up for the 32GB version.

Yup, 32GB & 1TB. Long term investment (I hope!)
If it runs Cubase 25 in 2033 I'll be happy enough

[Luke W]

Good stuff. Did you spec it up? Looks like base M2 Pro mini is available immediately. I'm not sure whether 16GB RAM is enough or whether to save up for the 32GB version.

Due to the fact that there's no option to upgrade at a later date, I'd say if you're in any doubt then it'd be safer to opt for 32GB. Although with Apple's RAM prices I appreciate that it's not a decision that can be made lightly...

It will depend on your intended use as well, but generally speaking I'd always rather have the RAM and not need it than the other way around!

Yup, 32GB & 1TB. Long term investment (I hope!)

Nice! I'm sure it will be... The machine that my Studio just replaced was a 2015 Intel MacBook Pro, I've always found that they last for more than long enough to justify the cost, personally.

[chris...]

Due to the fact that there's no option to upgrade at a later date, I'd say if you're in any doubt then it'd be safer to opt for 32GB. Although with Apple's RAM prices I appreciate that it's not a decision that can be made lightly...

It will depend on your intended use as well, but generally speaking I'd always rather have the RAM and not need it than the other way around!

That's a good point.

I'm likely to use loads of softsynths, which I'm guessing would make good use of the CPU cores (e.g compared to base M2 non-pro mini) but might not need vast amounts of RAM.

Also, then most RAM I've ever had in a Mac is 16GB; This M2pro mini would be replacing a 2010 intel Mac Pro with 16GB, on which I didn't particularly run short of RAM. Yes, future-proofing with more makes sense, but then again we're told the Apple Silicon architecture generally requires less RAM than before. But I don't really know how this applies in relation to softsynths!

[Kwackman]

This M2pro mini would be replacing a 2010 intel Mac Pro with 16GB

Snap! Although with 32GB Ram, which is why I wanted to keep it the same in the new toy.
Those old cheese graters don't owe us much, do they!

[muzines]

Post back when you've got them installed, up and running, and run your first project on it...

Coming from a 2010 Intel machine, I think you'll be quite happy..!

[sonics]

Out of interest, anyone know what the fan noise of M1 mini is like?

Generally inaudible on my first-gen M1 Mini. With your ear over the back of the machine you'd hear it. I thought I might find it audible (I'm picky about, and sensitive to, such things), but even on an open desk in front of me it's obscured by other ambient noise.

[tea for two]

My credit card is whimpering in the corner....

32GB & 1TB. Long term investment (I hope!)
If it runs Cubase 25 in 2033 I'll be happy enough

Same way I'd look at it 10 years (not that I've ever dropped 2G on a gear lol).

Did you go with 12Cpu cores to get the extra 2 Performance cores.
For me it's worth spending £300 more on extra 2 Performance cores instead of £200 on 1TB SSD storage.

[Kwackman]

You're probably right, but I went for the 1TB as that's what the boot drive in my cheese grater is. The extra cores would have been nice, but I was way, way beyond what I was thinking of spending and had to stop ticking options somewhere!

[Luke W]

The extra cores would have been nice, but I was way, way beyond what I was thinking of spending and had to stop ticking options somewhere!

Absolutely. The "I've already gone for this, I might as well add that" attitude can get you in trouble pretty quickly...

I'm sure you'll be impressed with it, though. One thing that keeps surprising me, and it's a very simple one, is just how quickly modern machines boot up! Mine is sat at the login screen before I've even pulled out my chair and sat down.

[IAA]

how quickly modern machines boot up! Mine is sat at the login screen before I've even pulled out my chair and sat down.

Yes I have the same experience! I’m also impressed by the connectivity Apple decided on. Generous by their standards.

[ConcertinaChap]

Well that's all very interesting reading. I'm not feeling any pressure to move on from my iMac Pro, which still rockets along quite nicely on everything I do on it even though it's 3.5 years old. However my wife is still on a 2012 Mac Mini so I think the new mini will make a perfect birthday present.

CC

[Johnny Stecchino]

I just found three videos which shows some benchmarks and those might be of interest to the one who didn’t order yet. Seems like the M2 Pro bits the M1Max in some cases (especially the 12CPU core configuration) but when it comes to GPU or SSD velocity the M1 Max wins. I don’t know how much that would be crucial to us, for ex. Kontakt libraries I’m going to put on an external SSD anyway and I will agree with Tea for two about upgrading cores but stay with the 512GB. From some research I did I think to get this one: https://www.acasis.com/products/acasis- ... e-c-tbu405

Here are the videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owLXj4BFZ-A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yx8vMlTGUC8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDFID1wA76g

Anyone knows when the Mac Studio M2 is coming?

Best of luck and please tell us how is the mini when you’ll get it and how silent it is.

Cheers,
Jonathan

[tea for two]

Just one vid to add to the vids listed by Johnny Stecchino.

New mcmini pro m2 12core Cpu Vs mcstud m1 10core Cpu
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-24_4-pkVwk

Starts at 2min55sec.
Tests. Benchmarks. Cpu and Gpu.
As well as wattage, temps, cooling, fan speed, wifi, ssd speeds,
coding, photo editing, video editing, 3d rendering, logic 8min24sec.

::

My takeaway from this comparison :
if can wait then wait for m2 mcstud;
if want to get something now then mcmini pro m2 12core Cpu.

::

Myself I'm chugging along on my decade older i5 iMac.
It does give the overload sign on a couple of pieces.

If I was to get a M series Mac it would have to be 16GB ram for not using swapfile as much as 8GB ram would
and minimum 512GB SSD for speed as 256GB is slooooow according to utube tests :
that's quite an outlay for me as an amateur for a hobby which at the moment let's say funds is better allocated elsewhere for me lol.

[dBerriff]

Just one contribution to the discussion in which slow is still fast compared to not that many years ago.

My 2018 Intel i7 Mac mini reported:

Thunderbolt/USB4:
2 x Thunderbolt/USB4 Bus

USB:
1 x Apple T2 Bus (Headset, Apple T2 Controller)
3 x USB 3.1 Bus

Now the new Mac Mini M2 Pro, base model:

4 x Thunderbolt/USB4 Bus

5 x USB 3.1 Bus

So for those of you who use external disks it might be worth knowing that you have this extra bandwidth. The audio interface also gets its own bus of course under this scheme.

[adamskij]

Yepp, bought my M1max Studio (64gb ram, 32core gpu, 2tb) in November, got it in December. Was waiting until October to hear from M2pro minis, so it was a surprise introduction January.
After looking at the basic price of an M2pro and the cost of its upgrades guess i would still choose a Studio over the stronger mini. The bandwidth of a Max/Ultra board is twice of a Pro/basic one. Studio has ports in the front and it's chassis is a new design. Adding two upgrades for an M2Pro you are already hitting the price of the basic M1max and this latter one is a stronger computer.
Guess an M2Pro 16Gb 1Tb would be an ideal mid-level configuration (with the weaker 10core cpu), but i am just a bit more cautious with memory size. Think for mac os memory is the most important upgrade, even more important, than cpu speed. Therefore i would always opt for maximum memory what is available. However M2Pro 32Gb 1Tb costs almost the same as M1max 32Gb 512gb but this latter one feels more future proof with at least 1Tb internal drive.
Ah yes, ventilation: it is always working in a Studio chassis, but my earlier late 2009 mini was way louder when they were put next to each other. i am pretty sure those who need a silent computer could find a spot where this ventilation is even less prominent.

Hi,
Anyone using one?
Especially the "basic" 10 core model.
Are they silent?
I believe the 20 core (which gets good reports on it's silence) uses different cooling materials than the 10 core.
Any other experience from users would be appreciated.

[Johnny Stecchino]

Just found this review - you can jump directly to the “Performance arts” section:
https://sixcolors.com/post/2023/01/m2-m ... -it-to-be/

Quoting him:
“Oh, and since I know fan noise is of particular concern to segments of the market that might be interested in the M2 Pro mini, I’ll say this: I could not hear the machine’s fan. Ever. I fired up all the cores and left them going for a while, and still nothing. I held my Apple Watch’s decibel reader near the back of the mini, and I noticed no appreciable change. I even installed Fanny, an app that reports fan data, to make sure there was indeed a fan inside. (There is, but apparently it is very quiet.) Apple’s not blowing smoke when it says low power consumption is a cornerstone of how it develops its chips.“

[Kwackman]

I've seen you a tube video where you can clearly hear the fan on a M2 Mac mini- I can't remember what program the bloke was running to cause the fan to run. There's a thread about fan noise on MacRumours.

I gave up watching opposing videos, and just ordered one. I SUSPECT under my normal use I'll not have many noise problems. In any case, it'll be quieter than my cheese grater Mac Pro!!

[Wonks]

Noise levels are all relative. In that review it would have been far more useful to know what the background noise levels level was and what the ‘no appreciable increase’ was.

If the background level was say 30dB(A) and with the fan it was 31dB(A), then the fan’s contribution would be pretty quiet at 24 dB(A). If the background level was 40dB(A) and with the fan it was 41dB(A), then it would be less so at 34 dB(A), and the fan would certainly be noticeable in a 30dB(A) environment, and in that would raise the noise level to 35.5dB(A).

Measurement distance from the fan is also important to know as that affects the level as well. A 1dB increase at 10cm will contribute a lot less to room noise than 1dB at 1m.

With noise level measurement, context is everything.

I’m not saying that it’s not a quiet fan, just that the review’s test method is flawed.

[tea for two]

just ordered one. I SUSPECT under my normal use I'll not have many noise problems. In any case, it'll be quieter than my cheese grater Mac Pro!!

I would done same.
Even the first gen M1 mcmini with 8cores (just 4 perfm cores) is way more than I would use, currently on my decade older i5 imac and even older 2010 i5 mcbook.
I have a fondness for cheese grater mcpro design.
Liked it's neatness with memory compartment, motherboard layout. Proper workstation.
I had the dual core 3,1 the the 6core 5,1.
Dvd drive door wouldn't open on my 3,1 there was a simple fix of lifting up the dvd drive itself if I recall.
My favourite mctower was the mirror drive doors G4 I had that before I got the cheese grater.

[BigRedX]

When I can finally afford to replace my MacPro 5,1 with a Mac Studio, I won't miss the fan noise in the slightest. It's just as well that it doesn't affect my day job (graphic design) and any music doesn't involve recording with microphones and is mostly done using headphones. I also suspect that the graphics card is responsible for the majority of the noise. And finally to put it all into perspective, next-door's washing machine in spin cycle is louder than the fan noise from the MacPro.