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# When to Upgrade My Mac - One (mini) Month Later
- URL: https://chrisenns.com/2023/01/when-to-upgrade-my-mac-one-mini-month-later/
- Published: 2023-01-23T06:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2024-04-04T16:51:45.000Z
- Description: When is the right time to upgrade my Mac?
- Author: Chris Enns
- Tags: Apple, gear

Just over a month ago - but way back in 2022 time - I [wrote about trying to decide if I should upgrade to a Mac Studio](https://chrisenns.com/2022/12/Mac-upgrades/) from my current 2019 16” MacBook Pro. Now a month later here in early 2023 Apple announced [an upgraded Mac mini](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/19/new-macs-and-homepod-recap/?ref=chrisenns.com) with an M2 Apple Silicon based system.

Now that [reviews](https://chrisenns.com/2023/01/mac-mini-2023/%28https://www.macrumors.com/review/mac-mini/%29) and [comparisons to the Mac Studio](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/mac-mini-vs-mac-studio/?ref=chrisenns.com) are being published, it’s looking like the 2023 Mac mini is a great substitute for the more expensive Mac Studio for most of us who don’t spend all day inside a video production app.

### What I Use my Mac For

What I wrote in December 2022 (shockingly!) still holds true:

> Most of the time - let’s say 70% - I’m using my Mac, I have [Logic Pro](https://www.apple.com/ca/logic-pro/?ref=chrisenns.com) open [editing podcasts](https://www.lemonproductions.ca/?ref=chrisenns.com) with 2 - 6 tracks of audio. I use minimal plugins live while editing, so it’s fairly easy even for my MacBook Pro to keep up.

> Another 20% of the time I’ve got [Final Cut Pro](https://www.apple.com/ca/final-cut-pro/?ref=chrisenns.com) open editing a video, like [Learn with Jason](https://www.twitch.tv/jlengstorf?ref=chrisenns.com). This is where my MacBook Pro starts to show it’s age - and it’s mainly in the importing or exporting of video.

> The final 10% of time is spent invoicing, emailing, Notion’ing, and social media time wasting. I could use a 2013 Mac mini for most of that work and not miss a beat.

### Upgrade Path with the Mac mini

If I go Mac mini, I want to get it fairly loaded up since there’s no ability to upgrade it later, so the spec I’m looking at is:

- M2 Pro with the 12-core CPU / 19-core GPU upgrade for $375CAD
- 16GB RAM (toying with the 32GB upgrade but $$$!)
- 1TB SSD (I'd love to get 2TB but again, $$$!)
- for $2,324CAD + taxes

Which is just over $650CAD + taxes cheaper than the cheapest Mac Studio model I’d priced out a month ago. But that was also a Mac Studio - with M1 Max with a 10-core CPU / 32-core GPU.

In [benchmarks](https://sixcolors.com/post/2023/01/m2-mac-mini-review-whatever-you-want-it-to-be/?ref=chrisenns.com), the M2 Pro Mac mini performs better than the M1 Max Mac Studio - not by a large margin, but enough the price being less for the mini makes it a great deal for my use cases.

The only bonus wrinkle Apple could throw into the situation is releasing a M2 or M3 iMac / Mac Studio upgrade, but that [likely won’t happen until the fall of 2023](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/01/23/whats-next-for-the-mac/?ref=chrisenns.com).

Time for a few more months of indecision, just in time for Apple to update one piece of the puzzle again.