For several weeks, some of the editors that are part of the El Output team have been using the new Mac mini with Apple‘s M1 processor as their main computer and the truth is that, after putting our impressions in common, we all came to the same conclusion: despite its drawbacks (which are), this Mac mini proves that the Cupertino company is not wrong when launching with this new transition. Let us tell you why.
The insider’s Mac
The Mac mini has always been considered in a certain way as the ideal team to start in the world of macOS and the truth is that the new Mac mini with M1 chip seems to maintain that essence. With an identity that therefore remains almost unchanged, this time we find a proposal that may be even more interesting both for price and performance.
In terms of design, yes, you will not “find” anything that you have not already seen. The new generation Mac mini is physically identical to the latest models with Intel processors that we have seen in the catalog. A very elegant and visually appealing device, with a small box made of aluminum and with the quality of finishes that Apple has used to in practically all its products.
Its grace (and beauty, as the saying would go) is therefore inside: a new architecture , the M1 system on chip, which integrates the CPU, GPU, Neural Engine, I / O and much more in a thoughtful design. to be more efficient, thanks to the use it makes of its resources and how hardware and software now go hand in hand more than ever, under the control of the same manufacturer.
In the case of the unit that we have been able to test, it is the version with 8 GB of RAM , a base configuration (it is the minimum that it can mount) that has shown us to be able to behave much better than other equipment with a technical sheet a priori superior, with two and up to four times more RAM. Ultimately, that’s the optimization magic that Apple has pursued with this new approach and that could find its parallel to the way it works with its iPhones.
Performance: optimization is the key
We will not accompany this experience with becnhmarks left and right (you will have already seen data and numbers of all kinds); instead, we prefer to talk to you about how this range, more focused on the consumer and non-professional level user, has come to perform spectacularly in many tasks where other Macs with Intel and much higher prices can suffer.
As you can imagine, in everyday tasks , office automation and similar (writing documents, editing images in a basic way, browsing, etc.), the equipment has been able to function without problems, with a hard disk speed that is noticeable, already that the opening of applications and access to data has been practically instantaneous. But, what about more demanding tasks, more of a professional nature such as video editing? Or what about games?
Well, the experience in the first case has been very satisfactory, taking into account, of course, the optimization of the applications . If these have already been ported to the new architecture, you can see how all the advantages offered by the different CPU and GPU cores are taken advantage of, as well as the specific units that Apple has integrated into the SOC to improve processes such as video encoding or use of actions that require artificial intelligence. This is the case of Final Cut Pro, Davinci Resolve or the current version of Lightroom -although in the latter we have found some minor minor flaw-; performance of all of them that also makes us imagine that when teams with more cores are launched, the results will be even better.
However, when Rosetta is used to emulate applications only available for Intel processors with X86 architecture, things change. The performance is not a disaster, do not get us wrong, but it does show that it does not offer everything that the team could give of itself due to that translation of instructions that it has to perform.
The subject of games is another matter, since here the key is in how Metal is used . This set of graphical instructions allows Macs to now be better equipment for gaming, although you should keep in mind that a PC with an Intel or AMD processor and a dedicated graphics from NVIDIA or AMD itself will continue to offer better support, especially in the most demanding games. . The graphic improvement is therefore real and if you want to enjoy some games in your leisure time, you will be able to do it without problems, but this equipment is still not a device especially for this purpose, do not be confused.
So is it worth it?
With all this, the Mac mini is clear that it has made a significant leap over the previous generation with Intel processors. It is true that features such as a greater number of Thunderbolt ports or the 10 Gigabit Ethernet connection have been lost. It is assumed that Apple will have considered that these computers are not intended for that niche of users that requires such a fast cable connection, but it would have been good to keep it anyway.
For the rest, and without being a perfect equipment , we feel that as a first Mac or desktop computer for an average user, it can be a very interesting option, even in its most basic configuration, since you get a very capable machine at an attractive price. . Of course, if you already have a Mac with an Intel processor , we will not encourage you to throw it out the window and bet on the M1. The previous generation continues to offer very good equipment, capable of executing tasks in which, for a long time, they will be more solvent than Macs with M1.
But, for everything else, we think the Mac mini M1 is a good option to make the jump to the platform so if you were willing to give it a try, you probably won’t regret it.