2024 M4 Mac Mini vs. M1: A Waste of Money?

[@Bassistking]

I’ve had my 16GB/1TB M1 Mac mini since April 2021, and it still feels incredibly fast.

[@IDontKnow-bb6mt]

With Amazons sale on the new M4 mini (got mine yesterday for less than $500 after tax) I finally decided to buy my first Mac. You just cannot, and will not, beat that price/performance ratio.

[@bryans8656]

I completely agree!

[@tehshingen]

Especially when you factor in how much electricity it consumes. So it doesn’t add too much to the power bill.

[@idubzh243]

It was already the case with the M2 Mini. M4 is an improvement.

[@yourordinaryduck929]

i had to order it for 700 on amazon germany because of shipping.

[@aaaaea9268]

​@@ytfeelslikenorthkorea Totally. You can get 10Gbit with an adapter connected via Thunderbolt and get like 2TB of SSD storage externally and still get a great deal. After all it's a desktop computer, having stuff plugged into it is perfectly fine.

[@GlassPup]

I picked up a barely used M2 Pro mini with 32Gb, 1Tb and the 10gig Ethernet for less than half the price of an M4 in a similar config to dabble in some iOS app coding. I think that was the best thing that came out of the M4 release: the dumping of used hardware at reasonable prices. It won’t replace my main rig, but it’s a nice side computer.

[@thumpthumptv1651]

Considering the prices remaining steady you must have got lucky or this was an irl scenario.

[@GlassPup]

@@thumpthumptv1651 someone was buying a M4 mini and wanted to offload the M2 Pro.

[@NigraXXL]

The price on the base model is amazing, but one thing I haven't seen anyone else try yet is running it out of a powerbank. With how efficient it is, strapping a powerbank and an external SSD to it could be much cheaper than a MacBook and you can use whatever KBM you want and a tablet as the display

[@newdadz]

you need to review your electricity basics. a Power bank won't be able to push that much voltage/amperage in.

[@TheSparkybon]

I like your practicality when it comes to IT. Like you I dont really care what OS I use if it does the job. All the hype and influencers nearly got me to go for the new mini, but I think I will just stick with my m1 mini for now.

[@idubzh243]

M1 is still a beast.

[@ninline2000]

16GB vs 8GB is where a lot of the improvement came from.

[@bluematrix5001]

do you think for Audio Mixing the base mac Mini m4 based model is way better than a Mac Mini M1 8-core 16GB or RAM and 512GB HD?

[@BruceHoult]

The tests where the M1 couldn't do it or was very slow were probably just because of the 8 GB RAM. I'm typing this on an 8 core M1 Mini 16 GB RAM 1 TB SSD (336 GB free rn), ordered 27/11/2020, shipped 14/12/2020. Yeah at $1095 (USD converted from NZD at today's exchange rate, before tax) it was quite a bit more pricey than the base model, but I think still a reasonable total price. It's just that the base model is stupidly cheap. And here we are four years later and upgrading isn't even crossing my mind. It's fast and smooth, the RAM is enough, I haven't had to clean up the disk yet. I use it as my UI machine on to all my Linux machines (x86, and Arm and RISC-V SBCs) and for web browsing etc. My upgrade in 2020 was semi-replacing the 32 core ThreadRipper water cooled tower I built in early 2019 for US$4795.84 with a $1600 24 core i9 Lenovo 16" laptop which is faster in every way, and uses 1/4 the electricity (both idle and under load) but can't match the TRs 128 GB RAM. Both those run Ubuntu 24.04. But the Mini with MacOS is the smoothest and best UI experience there is, throwing up bunches of Chrome windows, Terminal.app, XQuartz.app (X windows server), VNC etc. Far smoother and more precise mouse movement than Linux or Win 11 etc etc. Just the best, disappears into the background.

[@disklamer]

It's 2025 and you still rely on internal storage for projects instead of using the parallel port to write your data to 3,5" diskettes for safekeeping.

[@ericbaluya361]

Thanks for this video. My M1 Mac Mini 16GB is working like a charm. Looks like I can still keep it until it breaks.

[@garryconnors8804]

Well balanced, researched and presented review as always Bro!

[@exodous02]

Dang, nothing has doubled. Guess I'm waiting for the M7 mac mini. The low integrated storage wasn't a problem with my M1 mini, I just had a few thunderbolt drives that were fast. The integrated storage was just for programs. I also don't trust integrated storage, I've had it die on other devices, I'd rather have all my data on an external drive and backed up and use the internal storage as little as possible to reduce wear.

[@newdadz]

my guess is it won't double event at the M7 level. This is apple!

[@exodous02]

@@newdadz Dang, lol. That is about right, I have the M1 and M4 still hasn't doubled some of the benchmarks. EDIT: Oh, lol, I meant the M5, not the M7, I didn't even mean to have it sound that bad.

[@Games_and_Tech]

From a price point of view the only one that nakes sense is the basic m4, but it is lo capped in storage and ram, if you want more, it becomes ridiculously expensive 😢

[@steveoc64]

I use Macs for work. Every dollar I have ever spent on a Mac or an upgrade to a Mac has paid for itself within a couple of months, and ends up giving a decent return on investment over the life of the product (1-2 years heavy usage) So is it worth the $$ to upgrade ? A: Its nearly always worth the $$ to upgrade

[@mikeboatright5349]

Upgrading from a 2018 i7 mac mini. looking forward to my new M4 base model in a couple of days.

[@BJMolette]

Can you do an in depth video editing review for the m4 mac mini vs a m2 max mac studio vs high end pc? (or something along those lines)

[@eatcarpet]

My M4 Mac mini only uses about 10%-20% CPU at most during web browsing. The CPU is an overkill for most tasks. You'd rather have more RAM.

[@Limonata_uwuslayqueen]

Is it upgrading from m2 Mac mini 8/256 to M4 16/256?

[@colinstock325]

Interesting review. My concern is that while the 16gb memory is fine now, it doesn’t bode well for the future given that applications and operating systems are not known for efficient use of resources as they offer more functions. I have a 16gb Mac Mini, which should be sufficient for now, but not for much longer given the tendency for bloat. It’s never wise to purchase the minimum amount of memory.

[@readwriter]

Just yesterday jumped into a “brand new” M1 Mac mini (16/512) purchased by me in May 2021 - kept on my desk completely unused under protective cover - except for macOS updates. I have fairly basic needs and this speedy winner will suit me for years more! I will spending my “no M4 upgrade” savings on the new Asus 5k PA27JCV monitor.

[@ElevatedSystems]

That's a good point I cut from the video for time's sake. Most casual users will probably be better served with a peripheral upgrade. A crisp new display will be much more noticeable than a webpage loading or a spreadsheet opening 10 milliseconds faster.

[@readwriter]

@ Need to admit my current Asus Pro Art 27-inch QHD/1440 monitor - (desk size cannot take larger) - is mostly sufficient for my needs. Getting higher resolution/clarity at 5k is tempting…and I very much like the fact that 5K is what makes macOS natively the happiest. But $799 isn’t peanuts!

[@dexopaw]

13:59 I don't think the fact the storage starts at 256GB or that upgrades are so expensive is a huge deal for a desktop Mac. There are lots of fast, capacious, and cheap external storage options you can use

[@ElevatedSystems]

I ran out of the room just to install the applications. It was OK until I installed Xcode and many of it's dependencies and add-ons. While you can install apps to an external drive, it's not ideal. I have the base 512GB on my Mac Studio and about 212GB is taken by Apps.

[@dexopaw]

@@ElevatedSystems If you installed ALL the SDKs and such from Xcode that will take a HUGE amount of space for sure, and you're right managing what data is on the internal drive vs the external isn't ideal. I recommend just installing the whole OS on an external drive and booting from that, and just not using the internal storage, I just ordered an 8TB drive and I'm planning on doing that with my Mac mini.

[@segundacuenta726]

@@dexopaw Yep, nvme drives are coming down in price. Thunderbolt and a drive of the size you need, a win.

[@Sqirldashadoo]

Wait ..did I tap on yet another Jaguar video or an M4 mini upgrade video. Is the m4 such a redesign that you’re about to compare it to the Jag rebrand?

[@DataHombre]

Now's a good time in my opinion to snatch a used M1/M2 Mac Mini or a Studio, as prices have dropped significantly, yet the performance for most of us with these M1/M2 systems will be more than enough. :)

[@bobmetzger51]

First time viewer. Very good m1/m4 review. Thank you.

[@bryans8656]

Thanks for the comparison. I received my base model M4 mini on Nov 8th so I've had some time to play with it. I already had all the necessary peripherals, including a 2TB NVME external drive so I wasn't worried about the 256 internal storage (I'm surprised you didn't mention that as an option) and I still have 180+GB of internal storage remaining. I'm really happy with this thing.

[@RogerZoul]

The m4 mm is a definite good buy in 2024. I traded in my 2020 M1 mm for only $200 with education discount. That is a great deal for me. it leaves me more cash to put towards a m4 Mac Studio Ultra in 2025 which i will spec with 64GB and 2 TB storage, and I will trade my M1 Studio Ultra to lower the cost a bit. The m4 mm will be my surf-the-web machine with the more powerful Ultra being a production workhorse which I will keep light and nimble.

[@readwriter]

@@RogerZoul Why wasn’t the M1 enough for surfing-the-web level usages?

[@RogerZoul]

@@readwriterIt was, but I always find ways to put all of my computers over time, so I do better for more power, especially over time. And it only cost $200 to get. Had that been $400 or $500, the story would be different for me.

[@michalsulicki5148]

The problem with all the M series is that first release just of the basic M1 was sooo good and refreshing, when comparing to next-year-intel-+5% power-cpu upgrade. Also, there is much to be done when it comes to apps optimization. Most of the apps will use just a bit of new M4s power. For eg. computer statup on my mini m1 (16GB/512SSD) takes about 21 seconds. On my mini M4 (same specs) - 20 seconds. Opening like 20 apps at same time is also similar. Convertinh 120 images with HEIC -> JPG - also similar (ok, maybe a bit faster on M4 but honestly - its like 5-10% max). Sure, when I hit "render" button in Cinema4D there is huuugeee difference but until that - they the same picture (or more like pretty similar one ;) ) So, conclusion - even if somebody buys M1 today, it will still be very capable machine for 99% of everyday task. No need for M4 speed to watch some netflix, mails, social medias or to do some basic imove / photos stuff ;)

[@willm5032]

I've got the M2 pro mac mini with 32gb ram so I doubt I'll be upgrading any time soon. But ignoring the criminal cost of upgrading macs, the M4 mini is an awesome little machine

[@JamesBond-fo6ow]

4100 seconds? im celebrating my 1,388,505,888 second birthday next year. ;)

[@daveschmarder-US1950]

I bought the base M1 Mac Mini over 3 years ago and it works great for me. But I don't do much of anything. I was thinking the same about your loss leader comment. I agree.

[@applegamingse]

I just had a conversation on a discord server about the storage prices in Macs. I suspect (from having worked with Apple) that Apple knows for a fact that the only people buying these storage upgrades are large corporate & government agencies that are forced to buy first-party components due to absurd & overbearing bureaucratic structures. Buying $4m worth of SSD upgrades is a rounding error to those organizations. Apple also equally knows that most people are going to buy external SSDs or use the same drive they've had for the last 7 years, etc. So to them, there's no point in offering cheaper storage upgrade costs because for the most part the at-large consumer market isn't going to pay for it anyway. None of this is to say that I (nor you) as an average consumer should pay these upgrade prices. Understanding why they do it and agreeing with them doing it, are two separate things.

[@williamkterrell]

Keep up the good work.

Great video. I'll keep my M2 Mac Mini till the next generation.

[@akin242002]

At $600 is worth the upgrade. Even with additional costs to upgrade the RAM to 24 GB, a dongle, and adding additional external storage it is still worth it. I would only say it isn't worth upgrading if someone is just using the M1 Mac Mini for general web browsing and general office work. Still good in those categories. Examples: Netflix, Disney+, KZbin, Reddit, X, Blue Sky, Google sheets, Google docs, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Powerpoint. Even small coding tasks, like Python scripts or MatLab, you should be fine.

[@paulharrison8379]

I believe that all Apple Silicon Macs have a similar performance so long as they have lots of RAM and lots of flash memory. This means that I would be happy with an entry level M1 MacBook Air so long as it has 16 Gb of RAM and 512 Gb of flash memory. Unfortunately Apple almost exclusively sell base models. For example in Curry's in the UK you can only buy MacBook's with 8 Gb of RAM in them. Recently Apple upgraded all base level Macs that they sell to 16 Gb of RAM and so hopefully before the New Year it will no longer be possible to buy misconfigured Macs from any retail outlet. The important thing is to not be tempted by Black Friday sales where stores sell these old Macs for only 10% or so less than the price of the new upgraded models.

[@RogerZoul]

The m4 mm is a definite good buy in 2024. I traded in my 2020 M1 mm for only $200 with education discount. That is a great deal for me. it leaves me more cash to put towards a m4 Mac Studio Ultra in 2025 which i will spec with 64GB and 2 TB storage, and I will trade my M1 Studio Ultra to lower the cost a bit. The m4 mm will be my surf-the-web machine with the more powerful Ultra being a production workhorse which I will keep light and nimble.

[@thomascoolberth2648]

th 16GB about 3 years old now .. doing just fine for me. I'm more music so it's all about the external hard drives and saving stuff. Rendering a song from 40 seconds to 20 seconds .. not really an issue. M4 sounds like it'd pay off for professionals.

[@movdqa]

I upgraded my wife from a 2018 i3 mini to the M1 mini 16/512 and she loves the M1. She was running an 8 GB system with 128 GB SSD and it was getting slow. She uses a mechanical keyboard, Logitech dongle mouse and a USB-A microhone, so USB-A ports are important. Her monitor has a USB-A port hub which solves that problem. She watches KZbin, does email, some meetings and documents. I doubt very much that she needs more than the M1 mini at this time. I think that she was more impressed with the 27 inch 4k monitor from her 25 inch 2k monitor. I'd say that the vast majority of users with an M1 mini, especially with 16 GB of RAM, will see very little benefit with M4. If, at some point, she needs an upgrade, then I will give her my Studio and get a new Studio.

[@ElevatedSystems]

She should be fine with the M1 for that workload for a while.

[@transitengineer]

Came to Apple desktop computer systems in 1996 and, I always only recommend their All-in-One systems. If, this will be your first Apple computer, you should buy a colorful 24-inch M-4 iMac (smile ... smile).

[@JDFloyd]

I noted that most of your stock footage of productively shows PC's, and not Macs.

[@ElevatedSystems]

Interestingly my wife and kids noticed that my stock footage of my wife and kids did not include my wife and kids. 😜 However to your point most professional stock footage can’t include branding or logos, and Apple loves their logo.

[@knightone57]

My only video editing is Make mkv and Handbrake.

[@bizpixvegas7651]

You are right. I did not think of the base Mini as a loss leader. I am a power user and 1TB SSD and at least 48GB RAM are a must for me. I guess Apple makes the money on guys like me! I don't mind given the awesome performance of the Macs. My ideal machine will cost around $2,500 (Mini Pro 14/20, 1TB SSD, 64GB RAM, 10GB ethernet). That machine will out perform my M1 Studio Max with similar specs. I may switch. Why? More portability. I can throw the Mini M4 in my camera bag and have my desktop with me on the road.

[@JamesBond-fo6ow]

For that much $... id prob wait for a M4 studio. Few extra $$ will get even more performance and longer life... and better resale.

[@bizpixvegas7651]

@@JamesBond-fo6ow I am tempted but I know a similarly performing M4 Studio will be quite a bit more money. Higher specked machines will for sure blow the M4 Mini Pro out of the water but probably at 2x-3x the cost which is out of my budget. In addition, with a studio, I lose the portability of the Mini M4. I am also weighing the option of getting a 14" M4 Pro. I am in no rush as my M1 Studio Max is just chewing through my files with minimal effort. We can all want for more but I consider needs first. The only need I have now is portability not more power.

[@JamesBond-fo6ow]

@@bizpixvegas7651Well, unaware portability was a factor =). Assuming the M4 Max Studio will be the same cost as the M2 MAx-- a M2 Max Studio 64/1TB is $2600. A M4 Mini Pro 48/1 TB/10 Gig is $2300 ($2500 if you go 64) -- that's really close. And the Max should be faster, waaaay better GPU, better thermals, more ports, more of everything. Only problem... gotta wait =(

[@dexopaw]

15:31 I GUARANTEE you Apple isn't selling the base Mac mini at a loss. They're probably not making as much profit on the base Mac mini as they do on an upgraded one, but Apple never sells hardware at a loss.

[@ElevatedSystems]

The manufacturing cost of the M1 Mac Mini in 2020 was estimated to be around $550 to $600. While I’m not sure about the exact manufacturing cost of the M4 Mac Mini, it’s worth noting that fab space at TSMC is at a premium, especially with Apple, AMD, Nvidia, and Intel competing for capacity. Apple leveraged its massive cash reserves to secure manufacturing priority for its M-series processors, and the M4 chip alone likely accounts for over $500 of the cost. Additionally, Macs contribute less than 8% to Apple’s total revenue, with the Mac Mini making up less than 1%. Any potential loss on the base model is likely offset by the long-term value of bringing new customers into the Apple ecosystem. For Apple, the base Mac Mini serves as a gateway product rather than a significant profit driver.

[@kamaboko1]

16 GB for any llm ran locally is the absolute Rock Bottom bare minimum. If you expect to run llms locally, buy an M4 Pro with 64gb of memory or more

[@Derpy1969]

My 2013 iMac has finally met its… replacement.

[@Bienbien-ft3yn]

(Ae user here) The video I needed, Thanks 🙏

[@cerulyse]

Worth adding that Apple aren't minded to give away AI goodies for free so most of the worthwhile on host stuff will be hidden in paid for apps I suspect

[@SpongeBob.Ripped]

Wow ive always known xbox and playstation sold hardware at a loss. I think almost nobody thought or realized the mac mini base model is sold at a loss too

[@idubzh243]

M4 Mac Mini vs M1 : live from jail !

[@dominicbritt]

Why are you chasing your tail in circles? It’s the 2025 model - It’s double the performance from an m1 model at the same price. It’s specifically designed to support new AI platform.

[@JamesR624]

Is it worth upgrading? Yes. I can prove it with a simple phrase: 16GB base RAM vs. 8GB base RAM.

[@redesignedlife777]

Yup….apple needs to man up and give us 512 or 1tb minimum. Im very sure they will do 1tb minimum on the m4 Mac Studio. It seems inevitable

[@grtitann7425]

Great video. But you are wrong in one thing, apple does not sell absolutely nothing at a loss. So yes, that's a poor excuse on apples behalf. If anything, apple is notorious for their profit per unit margins and some reach 40%.

[@KanielD]

I try to price my time savings by cost. If the computer will save me X amount of time over the year it is worth upgrading. The M4 made that cut.

[@ElevatedSystems]

Fair point. Time is money after all.

[@TheDanEdwards]

"my wife"

[@znerol1]

hey man, don't stomp all over this guys dreams

[@martin22336]

The used market is the best market.

[@soucouyant]

🎉🎉🎉🎉 LETS GO !!! 🎉🎉🎉

[@大支爺]

No thx, Apple spend too much for marketing.

[@raydavies7892]

useless waffle just like lots of the M4 Mac Mini videos.

[@goobfilmcast4239]

For Windows Fan Bois who spend ridiculous amounts of American Freedom Eagles on laser-lit bubbling CPU coolers and LED flashing boo-boo accessories then consider that a tiny, minimalist, high-performance computer that can be had for about $500 a WASTE of money....that is indeed rich.

[@ElevatedSystems]

What are you on about? There are only 2 computers featured in this video and they are both Mac Minis.

[@stevedeitry4644]

@goobfilmcast4249 Jesus Christ Dude, what a random misplaced rant! You’re obviously the only Fan Boi here.

[@epicsilver33]

@goobfilmcast4238 cool story bro, you should tell that story at parties

[@natearrigoni]

If you want your computer to match your soccer mom/live, laugh, love aesthetic Mac is perfect, lol. Sorry, I hate the Apple ecosystem and their shitty ways. Taking working functionality from an older device and crippling it to push sales is as lame as it gets. Their new silicone is kind of neat though.

[@JamesBond-fo6ow]

My soccer wife is uninterested in knowing about bios, malware/viruses, the names of the people at the local PC repair place, and would have a panic attack seeing a blue screen of death. Thankfully I have spared her from those things in her life by getting her macs. =) Everyone is different, Im not sure what "working functionality" means to you... but I run a design studio with a 5 year old mac... it functions and works great...

[@natearrigoni]

@@JamesBond-fo6ow I'm not sure the last time I saw a BSOD in my house or had any security issues, that really doesn't happen with daily use, unless you are trying to download more ream. And that probably means a little more education on what is safe to interact with on the web. My roommate is an old tool maker, and his $200 mini-PC works flawlessly. I showed him my mac and my mini-x86 and had him use them for a bit, he didn't understand the difference in price for his office use case. They nailed the creative market for sure. But I honestly think if you aren't doing prosumer level video editing you are getting them for their looks and the other neat looking stuff in their ecosystem.

[@JamesBond-fo6ow]

@@natearrigoni I remember the last time. Never. =) I mean, the whole world could drive a kia... but they don't. A $25K tuscon has the same space and will get from A-Z the same as a $250K Urus.... but I still see Urus everwhere =)

[@natearrigoni]

@@JamesBond-fo6ow LOL, ok.