- This is my 16-inch MacBook Pro,
and I completely decked out this computer.
It was around $7,000 to fully kit it out
and make it a super powerful editing machine.
Now, this is a $700 base model Mac mini,
and this computer outperforms this computer
with everything that I do.
So in this video, we're gonna go through 10 reasons
why you're gonna ditch your other computers
and you're gonna get a Mac mini M1 base model.
And I'm gonna go through
why I think this is such a powerful computer,
but I'm also gonna talk about
why you might wanna avoid this computer.
So this is just your base model,
8 gigabytes of RAM, just whatever you get standard.
I went to Best Buy and picked one up
just because it was available.
I didn't put anything extra in this.
There's no extra RAM, there's no extra hard drive space.
This is literally the base model,
and it's just crazy what you can do with this computer.
All right, guys, so let's get into 10 reasons
why you want a Mac mini M1.
(upbeat music)
So I've got just a whole bunch of Apple computers right now.
This is the 13-inch MacBook Pro M1.
I actually picked this one up as well.
And both of these together,
base models are much cheaper than this thing was.
And I'm gonna sell this thing
because this 16-inch MacBook Pro,
completely decked, out still cannot compete
with either of these computers, it's crazy.
So the first reason
you'd wanna get the Mac mini M1 is speed.
The speed of these computers is insane.
There's really nothing on the market
that really competes with it
because Apple's developed an entirely new architecture
for how this processor works.
So it's your GPU, it's your CPU,
it has a neural engine on it,
and it's all built into a single tiny chip.
Scrolling through the Apple website,
it says it's got 5-nanometer process,
16 billion transistors,
it's 9.6 faster at video processing,
it's up to 7.1 times faster in image processing,
eight cores, 3.5 CPU performance.
They throw all these numbers at you,
but basically what all that means
is that this chip is super fast.
And for me, particularly,
I've noticed that it's super fast
when I'm doing video editing.
That's like my main thing that I do with my computer,
especially here in my edit suite.
But beyond being fast, I think one of the key things
that make this computer so good
is that everything is built around the processor
rather than a computer being built,
like Apple makes computer
and then puts a fast processor in it,
they started with the processor
and then built the computer around it,
so everything just works seamlessly
and it just flows as it should.
One thing I've noticed is there's no hiccups.
So whether I'm editing,
whether I'm just browsing through my different apps
on the computer, everything just flows naturally,
and it just makes it super easy
to be able to work with the system
if you're working with the apps
that work with the Apple silicon architecture.
All right, the second reason is price.
Like I said, this is $700.
This is the base model Mac mini,
and this is a super powerful computer.
You don't have to get a bunch of additions onto this
to be able to have this speed.
Now, what you can add is more RAM,
so I have 8 gigabytes of RAM
and I haven't really had any issues speed-wise.
I've had Spotify open, I've had Google Chrome open,
I've had Final Cut open, and I've had Notion open,
and I use all four of these apps seamlessly as I'm working,
and I haven't really had any instances of slowing down.
Now, I don't know all the details
of how this processor works,
but it seems to not translate to 8 gigabytes of RAM
in an Intel-based computer.
Now I know there's gonna be people out there
that need more RAM,
and you're gonna be able to upgrade this to 16 gigabytes.
It'll be interesting to see what happens when they come out
with the MacBook Pro version 16-inch with more RAM
or the iMac with more RAM
or the Mac Pro that uses this processor,
but 8, for me, has been more than enough.
There's only been a couple of instances
where I've seen it hit that 8-gigabyte limit,
and that's when I've had every app open
and I'm downloading my mail
and I'm trying to export and this and that
and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
You know, when I first set up the computer,
I was hitting that limit,
but now that I have everything set up properly,
it seems to just flow.
So the price of these could be super cheap,
especially when you're not kitting it out
with a bunch of extra add-ons to the computer.
Number three is dual monitor.
So with the MacBook Pro M1,
you can only attach one monitor to this.
So if you had this setup on your desk,
maybe like this with the second monitor, that would be fine,
but for me, I have my ultra-wide monitor back there,
and then I have a monitor on top
that I use for color grading
and also to display the image
of what I'm editing full screen.
So with the Mac mini, you can do up to two monitors on this.
and on the back, you have an HDMI port,
and then you can use one of your other ports
to send out to the second monitor,
but you can only use two monitors with the Mac mini
and one with the MacBook Pro.
So if you are someone that has maybe three monitors
or you have some sort of different configuration,
this computer might not work for you;
it's limited to two monitors, but for me, that's all I use,
so it works perfect for my workflow.
Number four is that this computer is silent.
So it has a integrated fan right here on the back.
However, you would never even know
that there is a fan on this computer.
It's completely silent.
When I'm in here editing
and this computer is working at full speed,
I don't hear anything.
The only sound that I hear in this room is my server,
which I've locked in a closet now,
and I've been able to close the door,
so it's actually silent.
And it's interesting, I've never had a computer
that's completely silent like this.
The MacBook Pro is the same way.
This computer, I've been playing around with it
for the last week, editing on it, doing a bunch of stuff,
I actually haven't even charged it yet,
and this computer just doesn't make any sound.
They're silent computers, but it has a fan in it,
you would think that you would hear something
but there's nothing.
It's just silence, which is really cool.
Number five is ports.
So the reason that I say the Mac mini is better
than the MacBook Pro
is because you have all your IO ports on the back.
You have a power port, you have an ethernet,
you have two Thunderbolt 3, you have an HDMI,
you have two USB 3.0, and you have your audio out.
So you have everything you need
to connect to a desktop setup.
Like I was saying, I have this two monitors set up.
I actually put this computer
in a rack case down below on the ground,
and I have all of these ports filled.
Now the only attachment I got was a little breakout box
to add a couple more USBs to this computer,
but my workflow is pretty simple.
I have a SSD drive, little SanDisk guy.
This isn't the fastest that you can get,
this is only 550 megabytes per second,
but I've been able to edit off this no problem.
I mean, it's still cheap.
2 terabytes, look how small this is,
and you're able to edit anything off of this.
I have a T7 coming, it's a little bit faster.
I actually bought a Sanjen, is that how you say it?
And it was an 8-terabyte SSD.
It was a $1,400 SSD drive,
and it's the fastest that you can get
for one of these tiny little SSDs.
Now that's more expensive than this computer,
which is crazy; however, I was using that drive
and I transported 4 terabytes of data
over to that drive and fried it.
Within minutes, that drive got so hot,
it was just way too...
You can't even touch it.
And a few minutes later, the whole thing just fried,
and now it doesn't mount to any computer,
so I essentially have a $1,400 paperweight.
So I decided to go a different route.
I got these 2-terabyte drives.
I'm just gonna use a few of these
instead of just one big drive.
The one thing I did like about the MacBook Pro 16
is that I had an 8-terabyte hard drive in this,
so I could keep everything on here
and then just carry a backup drive with me.
But it's something to think about
if you want more internal storage,
these only max out at 2 terabytes,
and the lead time to get one of these computers
with 2 terabytes is pretty far out.
So I opted for base model, I could get it right now,
and then just use these,
and now that I've switched to a two-computer system,
this makes a lot more sense anyway.
Because I could take this with me
when I have my MacBook Pro
and then I could bring it in my office here
and edit just off my Mac mini,
so now everything's gonna live on these small SSD drives.
Number six is the Thunderbolt 3 ports.
So you get two of them on the Mac mini,
you get two of them on the MacBook Pro;
however, with the MacBook Pro 13,
you have to use one for power,
and then you have dongles and things.
It just becomes a pain
because the Mac mini has all your ports on the back.
So like I said, I'm using SSD drives now,
so I use one of these Thunderbolt 3s,
I get super fast readout.
You don't need to have internal storage
because that Thunderbolt 3 is so fast.
Now you could use the second Thunderbolt 3 for another SSD,
but what I've used that for is my other monitor.
So for my workflow, this seems to work great,
but having two Thunderbolt 3s is more than enough for me.
And I think for a lot of you out there,
two Thunderbolt 3s is great.
But with the Mac mini, you get all the other ports as well,
so you're not having to deal with a bunch of dongles,
whereas with the MacBook Pro 13,
you're gonna probably have to get some sort of dock.
Number seven is a big one, Final Cut Pro.
So Final Cut Pro X is now optimized for Apple silicon.
So what that means is you're getting blazing fast speed
when you're editing, exporting, rendering, everything.
So what I found is that there's just no choppiness
on the timeline, there's no hiccups,
everything just works as it should.
And then on top of that,
you can put pretty much any camera into this,
and I haven't really had any issues yet.
So I'm using my a7S III,
I'll use 10-bit footage, 120 frames per second,
and plays back smooth.
I haven't tested things like RED raw,
or 8K or this and that, but for my workflow,
working with this camera, 10-bit, it's seamless,
and on my 16-inch MacBook Pro, I couldn't do that.
Now, the one time I was able to get it to slow down
is when I put four streams of 10-bit into a multicam
and tried to play back all four streams in real-time.
It won't do that.
So there is some limitations, it's not perfect;
however, for most of you out there,
if you're just working on the timeline,
you're not gonna see any hiccups
or any slowdowns with this computer.
One other thing I've noticed is that
in the upper right-hand corner of your viewer,
you can say show Better Performance or show Better Quality.
I've always had to have Better Performance checked
because on the 16-inch MacBook Pro,
it would slow down if I had the Better Quality.
Well on this computer,
I have the Better Quality checked.
I can see better quality as I'm editing,
and I'm not seeing any slowdowns.
So just working in Final Cut Pro,
what I've noticed is it's just seamless.
So if you were a Final Cut user,
you're gonna want one of these computers.
Now, one downside with Final Cut Pro
is that not all the plugins are working right now.
So I use Color Finale for all of my color grading,
and that software has not been updated
to work with Apple silicon,
so you're gonna have to look at all the plugins
that you use and see if there's anything major
that's gonna be an issue if you're switching over to the M1.
So for me, I'm just gonna use the color grading
in Final Cut until there's an update.
However, there are some other plugins I've noticed
that just don't work.
So you just need to check if your plugins
that you use are gonna work with the M1.
Now, number eight is size.
So both of these computers are tiny, but the Mac mini,
this is such a small desktop computer.
And depending on what your setup is,
if you're someone who is at the office, but also at home,
this is small enough that you can throw in your bag
and bring it with you.
You just have to have a set of cables
at both your work and home, and you can plug this in there,
plug that in here, and you're good to go.
And if you're someone who keeps this on your desk,
that's all it is; it's a super small desktop computer.
I like the minimalist design of it,
and it just looks really sleek.
Now, if you are someone who needs a laptop,
well, these are also small.
Now number nine is compatibility.
So if you have apps that don't work
on the new Apple silicon architecture,
then there is a piece of software
that Apple includes called Rosetta 2,
and what that does is it basically translates
an Intel-based app into the Apple silicon,
and it does it seamlessly.
So if you have an app that doesn't work
with these computers, Rosetta kicks in
and it actually does some magic,
and all of a sudden, you can use the apps.
Now you need to check all the apps
that you're going to use on this computer
and make sure that they are compatible in any way,
because there might still be some issues
depending on which apps you're using.
However, what I've found is that either the apps
that I use have been translated into Apple silicon,
or the Rosetta 2 kicks in and it works fine.
So for me, I haven't had any compatibility issues yet.
The only thing that I've had is plugins
in Final Cut not working.
So you just need to check,
will the plugins and will the apps
that you use be able to work with the Apple silicon.
I've seen a lot of videos coming out
where people are talking about how bad the system is
because it doesn't work with their apps.
Well, you just need to check.
And that's one thing,
don't buy a computer that's new like this
and expect it to work with everything that you're using.
This is a completely new processor.
It's a completely new chip.
This is something that hasn't been done before.
So just do a little bit of research,
make sure the apps that you wanna use
and the different things
that you wanna use will work with the M1.
Number 10 is that this computer simplifies
the whole process for me.
I like to find the path of least resistance
when it comes to my creative workflow.
That's why over here,
I have my camera on a single stand
with my light, my microphone, everything.
I've cleaned it all up.
In my office here, I've gotten rid of basically everything
except for the things that I use, which is my editing setup.
And now, my new shooting area.
And so when it comes to a computer,
I don't wanna have a computer
that I'm always finagling with,
or I'm waiting for apps to load,
or I'm waiting for Final Cut to do things like render
and transcode footage and this and that.
I like to make things simple.
I wanna make the whole process simpler.
I don't wanna waste my time on things
that I know that I can speed up,
and this computer speeds up editing.
Now, guys, if you have any questions about the Mac mini
or the Mac Book Pro 13-inch,
please put those down in the comments.
Happy to do some follow-up videos about workflow,
about building out my editing suite, everything.
So just let me know down in the comments
what you guys would like to see.
If you're new to this channel,
make sure you hit that subscribe button.
I do a lot of filmmaking tutorials,
I do some YouTube education and some adventure filmmaking.
And, guys, that's it.
I will see you on the next one.