Apple Mac mini (2023) review: forget Windows 11, this is the best PC you can buy
The Apple Mac mini with M2 features the same 8-core CPU/10-core GPU silicon that we saw in the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch in 2022. I reviewed both those models for TechRadar, and I found the performance of the M2 to be an impressive jump compared to the M1 chip. Apple’s certainly getting comfortable with making computing chips.
The model I got in for review is the M2 Pro model, but I’m reasonably sure that the performance of the Mac mini with the M2 chip will be pretty close to the M2 models of the MacBook Air and 13-inch Pro. If that is indeed the case – and I’ll hopefully get hold of an M2 Mac mini at some point to confirm – then you’re looking at an impressively versatile mini PC that, for the price, easily outperforms the competition.
The M2 Pro model finally makes the Mac mini a PC worthy of consideration if you’re looking at doing intensive creative work on it, and you can get two variants of the M2 Pro: the 10-core CPU/16-core GPU version and a 12-core CPU/19-core GPU version ., including editing 8K movie files and making projects in Ableton Live 11 using a MIDI keyboard, and as with the MacBook, the new Mac mini performed brilliantly.
The model of Mac mini I used has an M2 Pro with a 12-core CPU and 19-core GPU, 1TB storage, and 16GB of memory, which will cost $1,799 / £1,899 / AU$2,749, if you configure it on Apple's website. A 16-inch MacBook Pro would set you back $2,699 / £2,899 / AU$4,299. That's quite a difference in price, and while you're not getting a screen with the Mac mini , or the portability, the fact that the Mac mini offers such close performance for so much less really is impressive.
Apple has made big strides in improving the efficiency of the M2 Pro chip, and while that is arguably more important when it comes to the MacBook, as better efficiency can lead to longer battery life, it’s also welcome with the Mac mini. Due to its compact size, the Mac mini can keep working without producing too much heat, and that means it also doesn’t need to use its fans that often, leading to a pleasingly silent PC.
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