Why Apple Mac Mini M2 / M2 Pro stutters (or pages)
macOS beachballs on base 8GB minis are classic unified-memory exhaustion: browser + Final Cut/Xcode compresses into swap, burning the internal SSD and stuttering timelines. M2 Pro’s wider memory bus helps bandwidth, but an undersized SKU still swaps. This is a buy-time capacity problem, not a JEDEC tuning problem.
What to buy or configure
Order 16GB minimum for longevity; 24–32GB (where offered) for heavy creative/multivm work. After purchase you cannot add RAM — only external storage and workflow discipline. If you need user-upgradable memory, choose Framework or a Windows mini-PC with SO-DIMMs.
Memory deep dive
Apple Mac mini M2/M2 Pro integrates unified memory on the SoC package with excellent bandwidth and zero user serviceability. This guide exists to stop people buying DDR5 SO-DIMMs for a machine that cannot use them, and to push correct CTO capacity choices.
Clearance / form factor: Not applicable — memory is on-package with the Apple silicon die.
Tuning notes: There is no Ally-style UMA slider. GPU and CPU share the unified pool automatically. Your only levers are buying enough GB and reducing simultaneous heavy apps when Memory Pressure is yellow/red. “Purgeable” memory is normal; sustained swap is not.