A performance benchmark examined compilation times in seconds for a large XCode data set.
Surprisingly, the 2023 Mac Mini 10 core M2 Pro with only 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage (~$1,900 CAD or ~$1,300 USD) performed extremely well (85 seconds in the test).
The machine even went toe to toe with 10 core M1 Max/M2 Pro Macbooks containing 32-64GB of RAM and 1-2TB of storage.
An interesting result that has me taking a very close look at the 2023 Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16GB / 512GB.
Seems like a very good performance to price ratio for a new machine.
Note - I am scoping the use case down to Xcode compilation only to keep things simple.
Also - if one is willing to get an 8 core machine instead, for $100 CAD more you can get M2 8 core with 24GB RAM and 1TB SSD for $2,000, which also seems like great value (though XCode compilation in the test took 20-30 seconds longer).
Thoughts? What is your experience with XCode development and compilation using the M1/M2/M2 Pro Mac Mini?
