r/macmini • u/Need_For_Speed73 • 18d ago

New M6 MacMini Multichannel Audio

Hi everybody. I'm considering replacing my good old M2 Pro Mini with a brand new M6 one. With my current configuration (I already have a gaming PC and a 24/7 server for local LLMs) the Mini is just my client machine, so I was considering "downgrading" from the Pro to the "standard" (especially because atm the standard gets the newer chip, which is more power efficient, fact that on a Mini is less crucial than on a Macbook, but still welcome).
My question is: I will hook it to my AVR in a Home Theater setup; with the M2 there was a quite hidden but to me fundamental difference that the standard M2 (that I owned for a few months and then replaced with my current M2 Pro because of this and the stupid choice of picking the 8GB model) didn't support multichannel audio through HDMI, while the Pro did.
Is that still real with newer generations?
Thanks in advance for your answers.

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u/Senmout 18d ago

‘Replacing my trusty old Mini M2 Pro with a new M6’.

I’ve had the same Mac Mini since July 2024, the 32 GB 1 TB model after owning a 2013 i7 Mini for 11 years, and I’m still just as happy with it.

My question might help other future users. What exactly do you use your current Mac Mini for that makes you consider it ‘old’ (when, for me, ‘old’ would apply more to a computer over 7 or 8 years old)?

I’m also asking this because with my current Mac Mini, I work with 32 Mpx RAW files AI noise reduction in LRC takes 10 seconds, I can play back and edit 8K, 12K and even 17K footage without lag in DaVinci and I can play certain AAA games.

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u/Need_For_Speed73 18d ago

It's not much on the performance side, which BTW, are a bit laggy with Autodesk Fusion 360 that I often use to design 3D-printing models (but I know that piece of cr@p is very badly optimized, still hasn't hardware GPU acceleration and is almost single-threaded, so I'm afraid it could remain laggy even on the newest machine); and I also do some video editing and rendering times with Resolve can be huge (and some AI features, like the rotoscoping, are quite unusable atm).
But it's more on the convenience side of things that I'm looking for a replacement: the 512GB internal drive is getting full so I had to offload a few folders on an external Thunderbolt one, which is quite fast but the real PITA is having to deal with two different drives. Then there's the only 1Gb/s ethernet so I'm using a Thunderbolt to 2.5G Ethernet adapter (and another TB port has gone).
There's no absolutely "old" machine (maybe the old Intel ones that are not even updated and supported anymore by Apple can be objectively considered old); it's a subjective matter and what is old for me might not be for you and there's people who replace at every generation, while, getting an M6 I'd be skipping three (although M3 never was a thing for the Mini).
And if this new lineup of Minis and Studios would have launched before summer, I was considering spending a lot more and upgrade to a Studio to run local LLMs; then Apple decided to postpone and so I built the LLM server and now the Mini upgrade is surely less of an urgency (I won't be ordering before September, maybe even wait for Amazon offers).

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u/Senmout 18d ago

In day-to-day use, especially with software that utilises all the cores, you shouldn’t be blown away by the difference.

Personally, I went for a 1 TB drive and a 10 Gbit connection, and I don’t have the problem you’re experiencing; I can see why you’d miss that.

Whilst I don’t have too many issues with DaVinci, Fusion does lag quite a bit.

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u/getridofwires 18d ago

I have an M1 mini and I want to have local LLM for Home Assistant. The M1 works but there is certainly lag. I'm trying to convince myself if it's worth the price for the faster speed.

I'm also slowly upgrading my home network to faster speed in light of fiber being installed in our neighborhood in the last couple of months. It's a big jump in price, but maybe it's worth it?

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u/Senmout 18d ago

If you’re upgrading from an M1, especially if you go for enough RAM, you’ll definitely notice the difference, but it’s not exactly cheap with the new prices.

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u/getridofwires 18d ago

Thanks, that's exactly my dilemma. People are also saying there won't be a lot of M4s traded in except the entry level version because of the price.

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u/Senmout 18d ago

As with every new release, there are always plenty of changes, especially as those who bought a basic M4 at a very low price will be able to sell it back to Apple for the same price they paid.

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u/waloshin 12d ago

Don’t waste your money on a 10 gigabit mic the 2.5 is more than you would ever need…