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expiredTowHead posted Jan 22, 2023 3:39 AM

Pre-Order: Apple Mac Mini w/ M2 Chip 8GB RAM: 512GB SSD $699, 256GB SSD

$549

$599

8% off
& More + Free S/Hat Adorama
249 Comments
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Deal Details
Adorama has for Pre-Order: $50-$100 Off Select Apple Mac Mini w/ M2 Chip listed below when you apply promo code APINSIDER at checkout. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member TowHead for posting this deal.

Note: Manufacturer will start shipping this item on 1/24/2023. Orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Your card will not be charged until item ships.

Available (prices after code APINSIDER):Specs (regular M2 models)
  • Apple M2 Octa-Core Processor (4x high-performance + 4x high-efficiency)
  • 10-Core Integrated GPU
  • 8GB Unified Memory
  • 256GB/512GB Integrated NVMe PCIe Solid State Drive
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3
  • Ports:
    • 2x USB Type-A
    • 2x Thunderbolt 4
    • 1x HDMI
    • 1x Headphone Jack
    • 1x Gigabit Ethernet

Editor's Notes

Written by StrawMan86 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Price on the 256GB model matches a current education account-exclusive Frontpage deal.
    • See forum thread for additional discussion. -StrawMan86
  • About this product:
    • Mac mini with M2 supports up to two displays.

Original Post

Written by TowHead
Community Notes
About the Poster
Deal Details
Community Notes
About the Poster
Adorama has for Pre-Order: $50-$100 Off Select Apple Mac Mini w/ M2 Chip listed below when you apply promo code APINSIDER at checkout. Shipping is free.

Thanks to Community Member TowHead for posting this deal.

Note: Manufacturer will start shipping this item on 1/24/2023. Orders will be filled on a first come first serve basis. Your card will not be charged until item ships.

Available (prices after code APINSIDER):Specs (regular M2 models)
  • Apple M2 Octa-Core Processor (4x high-performance + 4x high-efficiency)
  • 10-Core Integrated GPU
  • 8GB Unified Memory
  • 256GB/512GB Integrated NVMe PCIe Solid State Drive
  • 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6E / Bluetooth 5.3
  • Ports:
    • 2x USB Type-A
    • 2x Thunderbolt 4
    • 1x HDMI
    • 1x Headphone Jack
    • 1x Gigabit Ethernet

Editor's Notes

Written by StrawMan86 | Staff
  • About this deal:
    • Price on the 256GB model matches a current education account-exclusive Frontpage deal.
    • See forum thread for additional discussion. -StrawMan86
  • About this product:
    • Mac mini with M2 supports up to two displays.

Original Post

Written by TowHead

Community Voting

Deal Score
+105
Good Deal
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Top Comments

unitike
77Comments
40Reputation
Good news - the fear mongering around this issue, now nearly 2 1/2 years old, has not played out as predicted! The article linked, like many at the time of the M1 release, speaks of a hypothetical situation that simply isn't happening. At my org, of the nearly 150 M1/8GB machines none have run into this issue. We'd be seeing rumblings of a class action lawsuit at this point if that was the case, I'd imagine, but actual issues as you describe are still rare (and I've been looking).

Now the reduced write speed in the 256GB M2 models is a bit of a bummer - if you research a little further you'll see that they aren't using the same components between M1 and M2. Sure, still the same SOC architecture, but different SSD chips in the 256 models.
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ewong07
66Comments
30Reputation
These are the same as the edu prices 🔥🔥
Go to Comment
mischlep
2.5KComments
1.1KReputation
I did some Google searches and can't find anything specific about TBW on the m2 version of the Mac mini. Perhaps you could link something instead of an insinuation?
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249 Comments

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Jan 22, 2023 12:58 PM
116 Comments
Joined Oct 2017
AsphericalDreamJan 22, 2023 12:58 PM
116 Comments
Quote from LeviathanUltima :
Can we upgrade the ssd in the Mac mini?
no. you can just add external drives.
1
Jan 22, 2023 1:19 PM
817 Comments
Joined Dec 2010

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Jan 22, 2023 1:20 PM
527 Comments
Joined Nov 2011
4274284727Jan 22, 2023 1:20 PM
527 Comments

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Quote from ugadawgs311 :
Can you upgrade the RAM on these after purchase, similar to the old Mac minis?
Depends on your desoldering skill level.

Edit: yes, you literally have to desolder the CPU + ram package. Ridiculously and impractically difficult. Some people actually managed it with M1, so not technically impossible...
Last edited by 4274284727 January 23, 2023 at 02:35 AM.
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Jan 22, 2023 1:22 PM
817 Comments
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ugadawgs311Jan 22, 2023 1:22 PM
817 Comments
Quote from 4274284727 :
Depends on your desoldering skill level.
Got it. So it's not just plug and play like the old days? I have a mini from 2012, and upgrading the RAM was simple. Took about 30 seconds to double it.
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Jan 22, 2023 1:26 PM
815 Comments
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Jan 22, 2023 1:44 PM
547 Comments
Joined Sep 2014
hotgreaseJan 22, 2023 1:44 PM
547 Comments
How people complaining about 8GB of ram and no 4k 120hz? This machine is $500, super compact, and extremely quiet. Not to mention obvious advantages with MacOS.
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Jan 22, 2023 1:54 PM
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Jan 22, 2023 2:10 PM
55 Comments
Joined Nov 2012
AlexM8008Jan 22, 2023 2:10 PM
55 Comments
Quote from ugadawgs311 :
Got it. So it's not just plug and play like the old days? I have a mini from 2012, and upgrading the RAM was simple. Took about 30 seconds to double it.
Not to oversimplify but these new M1 are a lot closer to the SOC in a phone or tablet than your standard desktop or laptop. While not technically impossible to swap ram, it's basically impossible. There are many benefits to it, however that are worth a quick bit of research.
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Jan 22, 2023 2:19 PM
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RumbleTheBisonJan 22, 2023 2:19 PM
7.8K Comments

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This is for casual users. If you are not a casual user, don't get the base models. Some of you like to purposely troll. For attention I guess. Similar to acting like a base model iPhone is the same as the Pro/Max.

Some specs are…some aren't. If you're a professional photographer what you doing looking at a base iPhone….and where is your DSLR??? Same with a Mac mini. If your job depends on using this, you should max it out or look towards other capable variants
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Jan 22, 2023 2:33 PM
84 Comments
Joined Dec 2014
JosephT3034Jan 22, 2023 2:33 PM
84 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank JosephT3034

The fact that Apple is charging double for 8gb more of ram and a little more processing power puts a bad taste in my mouth. Thanks for the post though OP.
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Pro
Jan 22, 2023 3:28 PM
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Hat-Trick
Pro
Jan 22, 2023 3:28 PM
11.2K Comments
Quote from BrainDoc :
What proportion of the population cares about how much RAM their computer has? Anyone who even knows what RAM is and cares can buy more.

You can pay to upgrade to 16GB or more if that's not enough for you. If we make this Mac Mini a 16GB/512GB it's $1000 not on sale (education price is lower as would sales prices like this).

How much is a comparable Dell? The closest one is the Optiplex 7000 Micro. That costs $1260 for a machine with an i7-12700T, 16GB of RAM, and a 512 GB SSD. That's a good processor but isn't nearly as powerful as the M2.

Sure, you can build something but that's only an option/interest for a small portion of the population. Someone could buy some other brand but we also need to consider reliability and customer service. Both of Apple's are excellent.
Just because someone else overprices their computer doesn't make it right. Dell's Optiplex Micro is ridiculously priced for what it is. They didn't used to be, but after years of watching Apple products with ridiculously high profit margins fly off the shelves, I think Dell decided "what's good for the goose is good for the gander".

They're not quite as bad as Apple, though. That Optiplex 7000 Micro? Extra $100 for what should be a $25 upgrade to 16GB RAM. An 8GB module is <$20 on Amazon. But Apple charges an embarrassing $200 for an extra 8GB of memory. Shame on them and as long as deep pockets keep paying that, look for it to continue.
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Jan 22, 2023 3:32 PM
77 Comments
Joined Sep 2013
unitikeJan 22, 2023 3:32 PM
77 Comments

Our community has rated this post as helpful. If you agree, why not thank unitike

Quote from softwareEngineering :
https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/new...sd-health/

This is related to the excessive use by the OS. With a possible cause of using the SSD excessively for swap space. The M1 vs M2 is irrelevant. They appear to be using similar components from one model to the next.
Good news - the fear mongering around this issue, now nearly 2 1/2 years old, has not played out as predicted! The article linked, like many at the time of the M1 release, speaks of a hypothetical situation that simply isn't happening. At my org, of the nearly 150 M1/8GB machines none have run into this issue. We'd be seeing rumblings of a class action lawsuit at this point if that was the case, I'd imagine, but actual issues as you describe are still rare (and I've been looking).

Now the reduced write speed in the 256GB M2 models is a bit of a bummer - if you research a little further you'll see that they aren't using the same components between M1 and M2. Sure, still the same SOC architecture, but different SSD chips in the 256 models.
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Jan 22, 2023 3:38 PM
11.2K Comments
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Hat-Trick
Pro
Jan 22, 2023 3:38 PM
11.2K Comments
Quote from unitike :
Good news - the fear mongering around this issue, now nearly 2 1/2 years old, has not played out as predicted! The article linked, like many at the time of the M1 release, speaks of a hypothetical situation that simply isn't happening. At my org, of the nearly 150 M1/8GB machines none have run into this issue. We'd be seeing rumblings of a class action lawsuit at this point if that was the case, I'd imagine, but actual issues as you describe are still rare (and I've been looking).

Now the reduced write speed in the 256GB M2 models is a bit of a bummer - if you research a little further you'll see that they aren't using the same components between M1 and M2. Sure, still the same SOC architecture, but different SSD chips in the 256 models.
Has anyone discovered if the 256GB Mac Mini M2 is a single chip (slow) or did they use 2 chips (fast)?
1
Jan 22, 2023 3:45 PM
926 Comments
Joined Jun 2011
davin900Jan 22, 2023 3:45 PM
926 Comments
Quote from bieberwhole69 :
8GB in 2023 lol

8GB RAM + apples low TBW on their solid state = bad news.. google if you want to inform yourself.
I honestly have never run into any slowdown on my M1 MacBook Pro with 8GB of RAM. I often have a dozen different apps running and have never noticed an issue.

This reviewer had the same reaction: https://markellisreviews.com/8gb-...en-matter/
Last edited by davin900 January 22, 2023 at 07:51 AM.
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Jan 22, 2023 3:54 PM
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Joined Oct 2014
cannonoJan 22, 2023 3:54 PM
1.2K Comments
Quote from bieberwhole69 :
8GB in 2023 lol

8GB RAM + apples low TBW on their solid state = bad news.. google if you want to inform yourself.
8GB memory on the M chips is not at all comparable to traditional RAM management. Much like how people have wrongly compared ios and Android RAM, you are wrongly comparing the M series to traditional RAM. Both iOS and MacOS outperform systems with double the memory or more because of their swap and management speed, alongside better optimization.

There's many sites demonstrating the 8GB M chips outperform many PCs and older Macs with double.
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