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M1 Mac Mini.......The New Fan Editing Rig?

DigModiFicaTion

DᴉმWoqᴉԷᴉcɑꓕᴉou
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So, I'm a staunch anti-mac person. I just don't like much of anything about their company. They've always been the Abercrombie & Fitch of the computer world to me. More image than anything. BUT, I have to admit that the new M1 mac mini is making me wonder if I might actually switch. Is that a bit of vomit in my throat? Anyway, curious to know if anyone is currently editing on an M1 and how it's going or if anyone has thoughts on the unit's ability to perform for video editing.

My Personal Pros & Cons at the moment
  • Pros
    • Seems like this unit is receiving universal praise from those who are in the industry and using it heavily for video editing.
    • Form factor is easily portable if needed, low profile = less mess
    • As much as I don't like apple, their build quality and materials used are usually always good
    • Simple and straightforward
  • Cons
    • Price: I can probably get something comparable for less with windows
    • New OS to learn
    • New video editing program to buy & learn
      • Not knowing if I'll like Final Edit pro is a HUGE risk on the benefit vs cost ratio
    • It's apple so you can't adjust any of the components. If it's internal it's set. No ram expansion, no SD expansion. Everything has to be external which means clutter space.
    • My pride

Here are the specs for the bare minimum model needed to do video editing.

Mac mini (M1, 16GB, 256GB) $835-899.99​

  • Case Material: Aluminum
  • Color: Silver
  • CPU Cores: 8
  • CPU Manufacturer: Apple
  • CPU Model: M1
  • CPU Speed: 3.2 GHz
  • Depth: 7.7 inches
  • Height: 1.4 inches
  • Width: 7.7 inches
  • Ethernet: Gigabit
  • GPU: 8-core M1 GPU
  • Introduction Date: November 10, 2020
  • Original Price: $899 (USD)
  • More Information: Simultaneously supports up to two displays
  • Neural Engine Cores: 16
  • In the Box: Mac mini, Power cord
  • Part Number: Z12N-MGNR-05
  • 3.5mm Headphone Jack: 1
  • Ethernet Ports: 1
  • HDMI Port: 1
  • USB3 Ports: 2
  • RAM Size: 16 GB
  • RAM Type: Unified
  • OS Version: macOS Big Sur
  • Storage Capacity: 256 GB
  • Storage Type: SSD
  • Weight: 2.6 pounds
  • Bluetooth: 5.0
  • WiFi: 802.11ax Wi-Fi 6
Here are some reviews:
*make sure to watch at 2x speed as it's VERY WORDY

Addressing Issues with M1's
 
Last edited:

jobwillins

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I haven’t used it on an M1 system yet, but I’ve edited every single one of my projects on Final Cut Pro X and enjoy it 👍

DaVinci Resolve is another option and was just updated for native support of Apple silicon (also has a free version)

~J
 

Q2

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I used to use Apple and Final Cut Pro, but when they retired FCP for FCX and it was essentially iMove Pro I abandoned them. I can't speak for how FCX is now but when it was originally released it was not an NLE for pros. I switched to Premiere after that.

I don't hate Apple, I just prefer PC for several reason. Cost, as you mentioned. I also prefer to troubleshoot my system if something goes wrong as opposed to being forced to pay Apple to fix it. With a PC you can easily swap out the GPU or memory or hard drive and be back up and running quickly as opposed to having to schedule a time with Apple, take it in, wait for them to diagnose it, etc. For me it's just much easier to do it on my own.
 

robulon

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I was one of those drawn in by all the hype surrounding these at the tail end of last year. I was looking for a more capable editing machine having just completed my first proper fan edit on a pretty underpowered PC. So the new Mac Mini seemed to come along at just the right time.

Your Pros and Cons are all true. But after a couple of months I have no regrets in purchasing one. I needed a faster, more capable machine and it certainly delivers. I'm using Davinci Resolve since I was already familiar with it. So unfortunately I can't comment about FCX. At least for HD editing you can throw whatever you want at Resolve and it'll handle it with ease. Colour correction and picture in picture effects are all handled smoothly with real time playback. You don't need to transcode the H264s from a Blu-Ray to a more typical editing codec like ProRes. Just throw them into a timeline and get started.

The free version of Resolve is available for both PC and Mac so you could try installing it on your current machine to see how the layout looks and if its comparable to the NLE you're used to.

Hope this helps!
 
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