Thoroughly impressed with the M1 Mac mini

[AudioDoctor]

I bought a base M1 mini from Microcenter for 599.00 USD a week ago and have been very impressed with its performance for normal every day tasks such as web browsing and email, watching YouTube videos, and running Roon's Control GUI. It also rips through upsampling with HQPlayer while barely breaking a sweat. Right now the M1 mini is at 29C while I browse the web, type this reply, control Roon, etc...  Which is cooler than my fully water-cooled desktop running Ubuntu right next to it which is idling. It's super snappy and so far has done everything I have asked of it without a hiccup... After I downloaded the updates that is.  Also, this is the second one I got, the first one was DOA. After buying every adapter and cable I could find to connect the thing to my monitor, I finally brought it back to Microcenter where they verified the video out was dead and gave me a new one which has worked flawlessly. If I were to do it again, I would buy another, however I would get the 16GB RAM version. The 8GB which I have uses a lot of swap memory while I am not doing much at all with it. Currently, with a web browser and 2 tabs open, the Roon control GUI running, and a few small things in the Menu Bar, I am using 1.18GB of swap. A few minutes ago it spiked to 1.7GB. I may sell this one for the 16GB version.

 

100% worth it though, in my opinion. It's all the computer most of us need.

[AudioDoctor]

9 hours ago, kirkmc said:

Mac apps always use virtual memory; that doesn’t mean they are actually using it. macOS memory management has apps claim swap memory before they need it. I would only worry it the Mac is using, say, more than 3 or 4 GB of swap. 
 

i bought an 8 GB MacBook Air, and I’ve run dozens of apps without it breaking a sweat. The memory management on these new Macs is quite astounding. 

My previous Mini had 16GB and almost never used swap. The iMac, which had more RAM, also never used swap. Meanwhile, this one with its 8GB uses a lot of physical RAM plus swap. 

[AudioDoctor]

3 hours ago, wouterk said:

To connect a DAC over USB to the M1 MacMini: which USB port works best?

 

Just received mine today - use as a Roon bridge with Denafrips DAC. 

 

No idea.

[AudioDoctor]

2 minutes ago, wouterk said:

Fair enough - neither do I:-)

 

I just checked System Report and don't see any differences between them so I say just give it a listen and see what you think.

 

edit: A Raspberry Pi4 works as a great Roon Bridge as well, is cheaper and probably sounds better.

[AudioDoctor]

8 hours ago, wouterk said:

I just favour the USB4 - no major difference though. 
Why would a Raspberry Pi4 - I do own one - work better?

 

By the time you add a decent power supply to the Pi you get close to M1 territory without the horsepower. 

 

Less electrical noise would be my guess.

 

I don't bother with a fancy power supply with my Pi4.

[AudioDoctor]

@bobbmd If I were you I would use the HDMI unless there is some reason it doesn't work. When I first received my Mini it didn't like working with adapters at all. Maybe that has changed by now, but why add hassles you don't need?

 

I think that the worst thing that will need to be done is you'll have to re sign into your accounts with the music streaming services.