There is no published, directly measured figure for an M2 Mac mini playing a YouTube playlist nonstop. Apple lists 7 W for Finder-only idle and 50 W for a CPU-intensive maximum test, but neither figure measures video playback. To find your setup’s actual use, measure it at the wall during representative playback; then calculate its energy from the meter’s kWh reading.
What Apple’s M2 Mac mini figures tell you—and what they don’t
Apple’s current support table lists the 2023 M2 Mac mini configuration with 24 GB of unified memory and a 2 TB SSD at 7 W idle and 50 W CPU maximum. Apple says these are wall measurements that include system and power-supply losses. Its idle definition is Finder open by itself with default power-management settings; CPU maximum is a compute-intensive test designed to maximize processor use. Neither is a YouTube-playback measurement. Apple Support’s power-consumption figures.
Apple’s 2023 environmental report gives a different set of figures for a different stated condition: “Idle—Display on” is 3.92 W at 100 V, 3.96 W at 115 V, and 4.01 W at 230 V. In that report, the Mac is running macOS and connected to Ethernet. These figures are not a contradiction or a replacement for the current support-page idle figure: the definitions and test descriptions differ. Apple’s 2023 M2 Mac mini Product Environmental Report.
The environmental report also lists sleep at 0.55 W, 0.50 W, and 0.51 W, and off at 0.08 W, 0.10 W, and 0.11 W, at 100 V, 115 V, and 230 V respectively. Sleep is specified with Wake for network access enabled and Ethernet connected; off is the lowest power mode after shutdown, also called standby. Those states do not represent active playlist playback.
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A useful baseline calculation, not a playback estimate
If the Mac drew 7 W continuously for 24 hours, it would use 0.168 kWh per day (7 ÷ 1,000 × 24), or about 5.04 kWh in 30 days. This is arithmetic based on Apple’s Finder-only idle figure—not a claim that the Mac draws 7 W while streaming a playlist.
For another hypothetical illustration, a continuous 10 W draw would use 0.24 kWh per day (10 Ă· 1,000 Ă— 24). It is not a measured M2 Mac mini streaming result. To estimate cost for either your measured or estimated energy use, multiply kWh by your local electricity rate; rates vary, so there is no universal cost to apply.
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How to measure nonstop playlist playback in your setup
- Use a plug-in electricity usage meter at the wall. This measures the power drawn by the Mac mini and anything else plugged into the meter. Apple’s published figures use the wall as the measurement boundary and include system and power-supply losses, making wall measurement the comparable approach.
- Decide what you are measuring. For Mac mini-only use, keep the display and speakers outside the meter’s measurement. To calculate the electricity for the complete setup, include them and any other peripherals you want counted.
- Run the actual workload for a representative period. Play the playlist as you normally would, using the browser, video resolution, network connection, and playback settings you intend to keep. Let the setup settle into its usual behavior rather than treating a brief reading as a nonstop average.
- Record the conditions alongside the result. Note the resolution, browser, wired Ethernet or Wi-Fi, whether a display or speakers were included, measurement duration, and whether the meter reports accumulated energy or averaged watts. These details help distinguish one setup’s result from another.
- Read accumulated kWh if the meter provides it. If it only provides average watts, calculate kWh as average watts Ă· 1,000 Ă— hours measured. Multiply the resulting kWh by your local tariff for an energy-cost estimate.
Playback draw can vary with the screen, peripherals, browser, video resolution, codec, network, and playback behavior. Apple’s published M2 figures do not establish how YouTube resolution or browser choice changes power use, so avoid treating one reading as universal.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Keep a YouTube playlist running without leaving the Mac on
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