The Mac miniskirt has been the neglected stepchild of the Mac lineup for many year . Though Apple ’s maintain it around and up - to - date internally , it ’s been well over a decade since the design has been touched . In lighter of the modulation to Apple Silicon , I ’ve been waiting for a proper redesign of this iconicdesktop PCthat take advantage of the new hardware .
That ’s precisely what the M4 Mac miniskirt is , and it ’s a splendid present moment for thismini PCto shine . New reckon away , the M4 Mac mini , particularly the M4 Pro configuration I review , is a remarkably powerful little estimator for the price , specially dedicate the new memory option .
Specs and configurations
The Mac mini ’s $ 599 price point make up it the most affordable Mac in the entire lineup . That remains reliable , even with the redesign , M4 chip , and surplus memory . That ’s right — the Mac mini has a minimum of 16 GB of RAM now , despite start up at just $ 599 . Compared to the former poser , theM2 Pro Mac miniskirt , you ’re save $ 200 right off the bat . That ’s a jolly unbelievable value , no matter how you slice up it .
The $ 1,399 M4 Pro model is the opposite . It ’s a little monetary value increase over the previous - gen M2 Pro Mac miniskirt , which started at $ 1,299 . The difference , however , is a low bump in retentiveness , conk from 16 GB to the new 24 GB starting form . The $ 1,399 M4 Pro Mac mini also come with 512 GB of RAM , a 12 - inwardness CPU , and a 16 - core GPU . That ’s an expensive estimator , but call up , that ’s still $ 600 less than theM4 Pro MacBook Pro .
My review unit has the two extra C.P.U. kernel and four additional GPU cores , as well as the upgrade 48 GB of RAM and 2 TB of storage . At $ 2,600 , it ’s no longer all that affordable , but you ’re plausibly set for many , many years with a configuration like that .
Design
The M4 Mac mini marks a new era for Apple ’s smallest and most economical Mac .
In many ways , the unexampled Mac miniskirt is just a shrunken - down version of theMac Studio . The strip of Negro by the ports on the old Mac mini is gone , as is the big vent . It ’s 2 inches small in each way and is importantly calorie-free — but the designs portion out a stack in common . And it realize a plenty of sense . Apple ’s not doing anything excessively flashy here , it ’s mostly just a little silver grey box , meant to blend in rather than stand out . But the size really is telling .
disregard the footprint is sassy , because if you ’re low on desk outer space , you would probably happily trade some duration or width for height . The Mac mini fits great right under a varan for port access code or can even be position back behind it .
Do n’t ask me to remember which side the hidden power clitoris is on .
The elephant in the room , of class , is the power button . locate on the bottom of the equipment , it ask you to lift the entire thing up to reach it . I do n’t care how few times you utilize that push , putting it on the bottom is just giddy . It ’s not that it ’s heavy or excessively cumbersome to tilt up when touch for the index button , but you ca n’t expect me to call back what side the thing is on .
I promise that a shipload of mass will have to consult the manual of arms just to get this affair power up for the first clock time . That ’s not on the button a welcoming fashion to get to cognize your young calculator . Let ’s not bury that , in possibility , the Mac miniskirt is many multitude ’s institution to the Mac ecosystem . I get why Apple did n’t get it on the slightly awkward placement of the power button on the honest-to-god Mac mini , but this solvent ca n’t have been the good option .
There ’s a altogether newfangled home designing as well , but it does n’t change the fact that nothing is easily approachable or removable . There are no memory or computer memory upgrades in the future for the Mac mini , so make certain to get what you require upfront .
Ports
The late Mac mini had a deal of ports , but the M4 exemplar score them more commodious . There are two USB - degree centigrade port wine up front for easy access , along with a headphone knave and a power indicator . That ’s another feature article borrow from the Mac Studio .
On the back , you ’ll find HDMI 2.1 , a 10Gb Ethernet diddly-shit , tycoon jack , and three USB - C ports . Those USB - carbon ports are n’t just any USB - atomic number 6 ports , though — they’reThunderbolt 5 . It ’s only uncommitted on the M4 Pro example , while the base M4 still uses Thunderbolt 4 . This is on-key of the split between the M4 and M4 Pro on the MacBook Pro too . bolt of lightning 5 brings more or less better outside presentation support , now allowing for up to three 6 K 60Hz display .
I love how convenient the front - facing port are .
Interestingly , the late M2 Pro Mac mini had four Thunderbolt 4 port and two USB - A ports . The USB - A ports are go , but so is one of the Thunderbolt ports . In exchange for one Thunderbolt port , you get two basic USB - C ports upfront . I would likely still prefer to keep USB - A around for the occasional peripheral that I need to link , but I ’ll blithely trade in it for the convenience of the forward - facing ports .
Lastly , I get why the M4 exemplar may not have needed an SD card slot , but it ’s perceptibly missing on the M4 Pro model . I do it how convenient the South Dakota menu slotis on the Mac Studio , and it would have been a perfect addition to the M4 Pro , especially given how potent it is .
You get Bluetooth 5.3 and Wi - Fi 6E for wireless connectivity .
Audio
The Mac mini has always admit a built - in utterer , but outside of the organisation sound , they probably are n’t used too often . But you know what ? I gave it a shot , funny to see if Apple had upgraded them , and it ’s not half bad . It ’s nowhere near a MacBook Pro or Studio Display , but they ’re no bad than what you get on Windows laptop or typical internal monitor speakers .
I ’m not saying you ’re go to want to listen to music if you have earpiece or outside speakers around , but there ’s a surprising amount of astuteness to the sound . It ’s not a vast hand , but it ’s one of the small mite — something Apple could have easily left out or call up in .
Performance
The M2 Pro Mac miniskirt was a big deal . It was the first fourth dimension the “ Pro ” chip was ever made available outside of the MacBook Pro , and the fact that it was pressure into such a compact PC felt impossible . Skip ahead a year and a half , and Apple skipped the M3 multiplication on the Mac mini entirely , and now I can see why .
The M4 Pro that I critique has two extra central processor nitty-gritty and four extra GPU cores , which costs an extra $ 200 . I ca n’t tell you if it ’s worth the extra money , but I can say that the social unit I tested was thoroughly telling . There are Brobdingnagian gain in single - essence performance , satisfying advance to multi - core performance , and even a jump in GPU performance .
I think of , just look at that improvement in individual - gist performance in Cinebench R24 . That ’s a 28 % increase over the M2 Ultra and 16 % over the M3 Max . Apple has been rule in individual - heart performance ever since the M1 , but it ’s incredible to see how it continues to support that lead over the competition . Because Cinebench mental testing free burning workloads , you ’ll see that the Mac Studio still beats the Mac mini in multi - core performance . No surprisal there .
But over on Geekbench 6 , which tests faster , more bursty task , the M4 Pro in the Mac mini has a well-defined and decisive winnings over both the M2 Ultra Mac Studio and M3 Max MacBook Pro . Those are $ 4,000 computers being outfox by a $ 1,400 one . The M4 Pro Mac miniskirt establish track record - breaking exclusive - core carrying into action in both Cinebench R24 and Geekbench 6 . Just to be well-defined , this is even faster than flagship screen background chip shot like theCore i9 - 14900K.
I test the M4 Pro in two devices this calendar week , actually , both the Mac mini and the 16 - inch MacBook Pro . The two cow dung performed similarly in both devices , though the Mac mini did get considerably louder . The chassis of the Mac mini also make quite warm to the contact during testing .
I should note that any Pro or Max chips amount with dissimilar push modal value : Low Power , Automatic , and High Power , which can be set in System options . Historically , Apple has always tune up the Low Power mode down quite a bit , leaving a large disparity in performance to attain a cooler , quieter , and longer - go experience — especially when on battery . This is different from how Windows exponent options play , as they are more pernicious .
But with the M4 Pro , there ’s even a self-aggrandizing gap than in the past . In my testing in Low Power manner , the Mac mini drops performance significantly . Again , in Cinebench , High Power modality delivered 55 % faster multi - core performance . On the M3 Max MacBook Pro I ’ve tested , that increase in performance is only 33 % by comparison .
Of of course , the reflexive mode is on by default , which is what most people will expend , but it ’s interesting to see Apple tweak how extremely these mode throttle performance .
Graphics
There ’s been a luck of talk about thegaming potentiality of the M4 Pro Mac miniskirt . We ’ll get into whether that is a serious way to think about this Mac mini , but the M4 Pro for sure gets a swelling up in terms of nontextual matter . It ’s a fully grown bound over the M2 Pro Mac mini , of trend , and nest in right under the execution of the M3 Max , according to my testing .
Like in the CPU mental test , the M4 Pro handily beats the M2 Ultra in GPU performance . That is hugely telling because the Mac Studio has a 60 - core GPU . That goes to show just how big of a spring forward in GPU carrying into action that there has been in the M3 and M4 generations . I will note , again , that my review unit had four extra GPU sum , so your gasoline mileage may vary on the 16 - core modelling .
For starters , let ’s search at the Cinebench R24 GPU test . The M4 Pro beats many of the Godhead - based RTX 4070 laptop computer out there , such as theSamsung Galaxy Book4 UltraandAcer Swift X 14 , and falls just behind the Dell XPS 16 .
One of the few Mac games that have a built - in benchmark , Shadow of the Tomb Raider , shows the M4 Pro falling just behind the M3 Max , but still able-bodied to average 81 frames per 2d ( fps ) in 1200p at the high graphics preset .
I also installedBaldur ’s Gate 3 , one of the big flagship titles to have number to the Mac recently . As it was on the M3 Max , the M4 Pro wield it beautifully . To try out the ray tracing capabilities , which have been placard as doubly as tight in the M4 , I installedMyst . And while you’re able to sure reverse ray trace on and get adequate frame rates using MetalFX upscaling , I did n’t find the it worth the sacrifice in performance .
So no , it ’s a bite of a stretch to unlimited call this a proper gaming PC . There ’s no one - to - one compare useable , but the M4 Pro ’s GPU comes in just under the performance of the desktop RTX 4060 . Now , you may bribe a gaming microcomputer with an RTX 4060 for far less than $ 1,399 , of course , but it ’ll be about three or four time as large .
One of the only firm option is theAsus ROG NUC , which just happens to also set out at $ 1,399 with an RTX 4060 , though with not as much RAM . It ’s also a bit larger than the Mac miniskirt .
But really , perhaps liken it to the PC experience is a morsel unfair . It ’s jolly close to on par with the current generation of console , despite the diminutive size of it by comparison . This does n’t feel like the climax of Apple ’s grand play strategy — far from it . But it ’s another step forward .
Is it worth it?
The benefit of going with a Mac mini rather of an iMac or MacBook Pro is two-fold . First , it ’s the price . You ’re father all the performance as you would on those gimmick ( or even more in some fount ) without the extra expense . front at the $ 599 foundation model , for example . That pricing means that it ’ll retain to be the most entry - level Mac , even under the MacBook Air . The second reward is versatility . If you have already have a monitoring gadget you like and desire to carry through the supernumerary cash , or perhaps have a certain other display in judgment that you like , such as aultrawide proctor , the Mac miniskirt is a gravid pick .
you may certainly just buy a MacBook and dock it while at home ( or in the office ) , but if you are n’t traveling for work and have something like an iPad alternatively , the Mac mini is cleaner , more cost - effective answer .
With that out of the manner , I can say without a doubt that the M4 Pro Mac mini is a fantastical footling computing machine . If you may get over the power button ’s placement , you ’ll find lots to love about the redesigned chassis and huge performance under the hood . It ’s not a “ proper gaming personal computer ” as some have paint a picture , but it ’s start a luck more GPU performance than you might assume .
And the base manikin is a must - buy . I do n’t involve to have tested the accurate shape to know that the M4 Mac mini is out-and-out bargain at $ 599 , and unlike anything else you’re able to find at that damage . Just mind that adding storage stick expensive , as is distinctive for Apple .
