My Mac mini set me back £915.84 (ex VAT – it’s a business purchase). This Mac mini will therefore complete my M1 collection and enable me to conduct far more meaningful real-world tests between the two configurations, not to mention comparing aspects like passive versus active cooling.īut I haven’t really explained why this Mac mini will be replacing my £3,500 16” MacBook Pro, have I? I already have an 8GB M1 machine, and the most consistent topic of conversation within the comment threads on my YouTube channel centre around the big RAM debate. When my M1 Mac mini arrives later this week, it’ll come complete with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. So, instead, I decided to invest in a brand-new video editing and music production rig which would centre around… an M1 Mac mini.

So excited, in fact, that I wrote this.Īs it turns out, my next M1 Mac wouldn’t be an iMac. You see, after that initial experience with the M1 MacBook Air, I got ridiculously excited about the prospect of an M1 iMac. The aforementioned rendering test genuinely knocked me sideways, and it set my mind alight with ideas of what my next M1 Mac would be.Īt this juncture, I must make a confession. I knew the M1 was going to be impressive, but like so many reviewers, I didn’t realise quite how impressive it would be.

the absolutely effortless performance of the M1 chip.

the completely pain-free transition during which all of my apps just… worked and.

It’s arriving later this week, and it will replace my 16” MacBook Pro as my daily driver.ĭuring my first week with the M1 MacBook Air, two things leapt out at me: If you undertake 4K video editing, audio production or intensive coding, 8GB is probably still going to be the limiting factor in terms of your productivity on an M1 Mac, but that’s why the 16GB version exists. In particular, it has demonstrated that the RAM conversation has totally changed.

The Air has also replaced my iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard setup as my portable device of choice and it has completely changed the way I think about computing. Then, I bought an M1 MacBook Air – the base spec (you know, the one with ‘just’ 8GB of RAM), and it beat my 16” MacBook Pro in a Final Cut Pro rendering test. It has been my daily driver for some time and is a video and audio production powerhouse. I’m going to let you into a little secret: I’ve ordered a new computer.

Best mac mini for music production