M4 Mac mini ($599) - Too Good to Be True?

[@OldboyGamez]

Basic model is not "just for browsing, and simple task", are you kidding me. Its as fast as M3 Pro machine, which was for "full profesional workloads and serious users". There is no better workstation for that money, not even close. Storage part i agree.

[@MostWantedGrooves]

Fr , I’m some ways it’s wild how Apple did this. It’s all marketing at this point but shout out to them and what they’ve been able to offer since M1. crazy value for money for the technology this generation with ram boost in all generation. I think it’s mostly that really the ram upgrade included with the better chip

[@mahirooyama9424]

Just buy the base model and use external storage thunderbolt 4 is fast enough where it won’t matter.

[@notaregard]

@@TyrantTitan. it just depends on what someone wants to do with the machine. most people don't need such a powerful GPU unless they are gaming or doing some kind of rendering, etc.

[@cesarvarela5438]

Just remember that KZbinrs do not live in the real world with real people they live in a bubble

[@choanlpoto]

@@mahirooyama9424yea this dude is smoking good apple weed

[@michaelelliott3559]

I have the base model for a work computer in my office. I work in marketing, I constantly have ads editor open, 20 chrome tabs and a zoom call. This use to make my 2019 MBP heat up like a stove. The base model chews through everything. It is definitely a powerful computer. - Written on Mac Mini M4

[@Applecompuser]

What bothers me is that they all raved about the 2019 i9 MBP. They noted they fixed the heating issues. I bought a loaded one and as you noted, it has major heat issues. I would bet dollars to donuts some of these folks get free product to review and or are not actually using the computers.

[@michaelelliott3559]

@ agreed. My 2019 was a great computer it’s just so loud under any load. Like 5 tabs and a zoom call and I can cook a burger. Glad I’m not the only one who’s been struggling with it

[@udiorockmeamadeus]

Thanks! You go there for a while. I was thinking I just bought the worst Mac mini or whatever but notice it's less than half the price of the pro so you can get two of those minis for the price of the pro that just doesn't make any sense.

[@jonathanjones906]

I hit Apple Store here in Bristol, UK on Saturday morning and within minutes was walking out with the base model Mac mini. It is sensational. Traded in the M1 and so a big step up, but the design of the Mac Mini is super! Really impressive.

[@Swing4TheRing]

How much did they give you for the m1?

[@yorkan213swd6]

I still do not understand: How this mini can make "basic tasks" when it as fast as M3 Pro chip ?

[@Silicon_Magic]

Simple, last years pro tasks are this years basic tasks. 🤣😉

[@massimo79mmm]

well, i used the vanilla M1 mac mini 16gb for development, and worked great.

[@bodigames]

It’s marketing. M4’s CPU single and multi core is faster than the M1 Max and even M2 Max. The real difference here is GPU scores. The M4 scores right between the M3 and M1 Pro. Meaning that if you need to use a fast GPU the M4 is probably not for you. Any other chip that is M Pro or Max is faster than the M4. If you get the M4 Pro for GPU the story changes again. The M4 Pro is basically as fast the M1 Max.

[@goobfilmcast4239]

If you go back to 2019... it would have been the fastest Mac ever created.....with only the highest spec'd Intel Mac and iMac Pro edging it out in graphics performance...for 599 2024 dollars...that is CRAZY !

[@k.vn.k]

Easy, now you can do basic task faster with mini and pro tasks faster with mini pro. 😅

[@TomaszMaraszkiewicz]

Just tested the basic model for 3 days, running Parallels Desktop for a few hours, and on it Windows + PRO100 for interior design with Rendering and 3D graphics enabled + additionally other programs, and it did not even sweat. Fans do not turn on or are so quiet that you cannot hear them, the temperature is lower than watching videos on KZbin. The decision was made to sell Mac Studio m2 Max.

[@iXeo81]

I need a new mac for app development. My Macbook Air 2017 is still working great but no new XCode for that. So I thought I need to buy a Macbook Pro with M4 for 1899 €. But I changed my mind after seeing all the good reviews about the M4 Mac mini. So I ordered it for 699 €. This safes me 1200 €. And yes it's no laptop anymore. But I will just use my old Macbook as a terminal to do remote connection to the new Mac mini. No need to wait for M4 Macbook Air in 4 months for 1299 €. Killer value this year.

[@danielwp498]

I tested mine on some 3D Blender project but the rendering speed was not good. So I can't imagine a Studio being slower than a Mac mini tbh. It is super fast on CPU based tests though and overal the experience was very pleasant.

[@vueport99]

@@danielwp498 did it put a smile on your face?

[@wookiee4145]

Glad to see you prosper and grow, you look super healthy and the hair is fire asf, great job man and keep up the great content.

[@GregsGadgets]

Well that’s a pick me up lol. Thank you 🙏

[@Rychiar]

Base model is an absolute beast. I sold my m2 and got this and I’ve been using them Both as holdovers waiting for an m4 studio for design and photography… the m2 machine choked on raw photos but this one flies. It feels like it does everything better than my M2 Max studio I use at work

[@NeeteshPathak]

my recording devices are, 4k dslr n iphn 15 pro max please suggest is base model 16gb is enough for my 4 years need ?

[@TomaszMaraszkiewicz]

Just tested the basic model for 3 days, running Parallels Desktop for a few hours, and on it Windows + PRO100 for interior design with Rendering and 3D graphics enabled + additionally other programs, and it did not even sweat. Fans do not turn on or are so quiet that you cannot hear them, the temperature is lower than watching videos on KZbin. The decision was made to sell Mac Studio m2 Max.

[@Rychiar]

@@NeeteshPathakthe base model should work fine 🤷🏻‍♂️ if there’s any issues it’s cheap enough to sell and update every time a new one comes out

[@77dris]

In macOS 15.1 you can now set it to default to install large applications (1GB+) on an external harddrive.

[@jamit500]

Is there any delay doing this or issues? Will it update with iCloud? Thinking games like Wow on the external drive and wondering if there would be any lag

[@EnglishMike]

@@jamit500 I don't see why there would be any issues. If you buy a USB 4 (Thunderbolt 4) SSD enclosure (around $80) and stick a fast 1TB NVME drive in it (under $100) it should match the speed of the internal SSD in performance.

[@bunjumun]

that's awesome

[@timleahezra]

Great info, thanks!!! Makes me more tempted to get a base Mini. I guess Apple would rather direct people to buy an external elsewhere than charge a reasonable amount for storage.

[@salz4life]

So you think for basic use, the base would work with a solid external NVMe drive?

[@HiFiInsider]

i got the base mini using it with Pro XDR display. no issues. it’s fast

[@JayzBeerz]

It's $499.99 with the Education pricing.

[@heathfagan2149]

And if you have an older one to trade you can get it even cheaper. I got an estimate from apple using ed discount and trade in of my m1 Mac mini… price is down to $270

[@sharonb.9128]

Great comparison and highlighting the useful differences. Also, I want to congratulate you on your weight loss and improved physical fitness. Keep up the good work both personally and professionally.

[@itsrob2321]

My 2015 MacBook Pro has 4 cores at 2.8 with 16Gb ram and a 2Gb graphics card. It can run a modern recording studio and has for 7 years. So tell me how the base model M4 isn’t good enough for an audio recording studio? I also edited 4k video on my 2015 iMac and never thought it was too bad. I’m a skeptic on modern computers and the endless need for more. My first studio was a windows 2000 computer and it did digital audio quite well. I think the M4 sounds great. I’m about ready to give in and upgrade the numerous programs I use.

[@DanielDChannel]

lol ,so true I have an i mac 2017 and still running adobe suite , studio one 6 and use them every day. and I can still upgrade to 32gb

[@bavideomaker29]

He would have no videos to make if he admitted this

[@paulhorn24]

He is clickbaiting us. Ask other professionals in your industry, but not KZbinrs or their audience. There are Webforums and Reddit for every industry, you just have to find them with the search engine of your choice.

[@rockets4kids]

I have a 2015 iMac 27" retina and I'm not really wanting for anything either. That said, I'm so tempted to pick one of these up. If I could use my iMac as a target display it would be a no-brainer. The problem is, 27" 5k displays are still *really* expensive and I don't think I could downgrade there.

[@appropriate-channelname3049]

All these online “review channels” are glorified salesmen who just want to to sell you more and more tech you don’t need while also trying to upsell you. Like the bast m4 Mac is pretty much perfect for anyone looking for a computer. Unless your a big gamer it can do anything you want better than any pc in its price range.

[@henryvaldillez6785]

I got my Crucial 2TB Drive at eBay for $120 and the drive works with both my Macpro & Microsolf PC

[@username7763]

How did you make it fit inside? Or is your computer separate pieces with wires in-between them?

[@aaronfox5747]

Thunderbolt!!!

[@RichardServello]

I have the base model with a 2TB NVMe plugged in via tb4 and it’s LEGIT AF!

[@dragon2knight]

Ditto. More than enough for far more than "basic" tasks...way off on that on here!

[@EnglishMike]

@@dragon2knight Yeah, I'm not paying $200 for an extra 256GB of storage when I can pay less for 1TB of equally fast external storage.

[@guycortesi]

Same here - added a 2TB external to the base unit. Got a Western Digital 2TB WD Blue SN580 NVMe Internal Solid State Drive SSD and WAVLINK 40Gbps M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure - total $179 with tax from Amazon. Approx 3000MB/s R/W on the external drive, which is better than the internal storage. This Mac is incredible - fastest I’ve ever owned and probably the least expensive.

[@paulhorn24]

@@guycortesi That can’t be said enough. Base M4 Mac mini with external storage is really really good and fast. All the Hate that Apple gets noted (and deserved), but this machine is a great value for money.

[@naizondj]

@@EnglishMike256gb is slower machine mate!

[@Kloverkill]

A proper and excellent review, with actual metrics and analysis. So many "reviews" out there are just infomercials now, thanks for the great content!

[@johnchang3807]

Just sharing to y'all ... Got the M4 few hours after officially released in oz on Friday and the M4 with 24ram successfully halved Autodesk Maya rendering of M1 with 16ram from 2 hours down to 58 minutes. The basic M4 mac mini is amazing as long as the ram is boosted. Ended up paying aud$1497 instead of over aud$2000 of the pro version . The only gripe is the fan spinning noise ..

[@billphillips7830]

How bad is the fan noise. Thats a deal breaker for podcast type video creation.

[@Sean3614]

amazon is offering the M4 at $579.99 with a $30 coupon or the M4 pro 12 core cpu 16 core gpu $1369.99 with a $20 coupon It's been awhile since I had a mac and the mini looks to be everything I want for a all-round machine

[@VVGRestoration]

I think I shall wait until Black Friday for a larger discount. It is only a couple of weeks away.

[@Indianmotionschool]

As a video editor , i have MacBook air m2 2023 model , i am selling my MacBook to buy mac mini m4 base version and this even got cheaper for me with educational discount ❤

[@iXeo81]

Have fun :)

[@RichardServello]

@@Indianmotionschool You will be very impressed. Just make sure you get fast storage for footage. I have an OWC RAID for my main machine with 12TB of NVMe storage, but I also have a single storage external drive (also OWC) that goes the same speed since TB4 is capped well below what these drives can do-even a single. You can get a pocketable enclosure and 8TB of storage for less than Apple charges for 2TB.

[@EnglishMike]

The base Mac Mini m4 is such good value it's the first time I have every seriously considered buying an Apple device after being a PC user for over 30 years. Happy to let those who want to pay through the nose for upgrading the memory and/or storage pay the Apple tax for me!

[@miguelalcides6475]

Same, it's the best value for your money that Apple has ever had since the MBA M1 which I bought 3 years ago and it's still my main driver, now this Mac Mini M4 is making me reconsider upgrading my desktop PC.

[@timleahezra]

The 256gb is going to be a poke in the eye way too fast, and installing the OS on an external doesn't appeal to me. OS, apps and some scratch and it will be hurting for space.

[@nuggyfresh6430]

@@timleahezra what are you talking about? You put the OS on the main drive and then put on an SSD for file storage. Why are you saying that you would install the OS on an external? You’re just making stuff up to justify spending more.

[@VVGRestoration]

@@nuggyfresh6430 Exactly. For example, I spend most of my time editing videos in FCP or photos in Lightroom. So, the OS and applications are on the internal SSD while the Lightroom and FCP libraries are on an external 1TB SSD. That 1TB external SSD cost half of what Apple charges for an extra 256GB.

[@godsinbox]

mark my words, you will regret cheaping out!

[@billwehrman3484]

Two questions for this really helpful video: 1. My Macmini M4 (base model) just arrived. I do some 4k video editing with few special effects, so just basic. Should I put my editiing software on the computer itself or an external SSD along with the project files? 2. Your video is sharp on my screen. Is it HD or ultra HD (4k), and can you describe what hardware and software you used? The quality is excllent!

[@clicks59]

Great review. Your segment regarding internal storage hit the nail on the head. Thanks

[@glaucyaoliveira974]

For a photographer that uses a lot of photoshop BUT also uses external forms of storage - do you think mac mini would be just enough? Or should i consider the PRO version?

[@actualskyler]

you will be absolutely fine with the base m4

[@iXeo81]

Just order it and find it out. If it does not fit return it. M4 has the same CPU power as an M3 Pro. Maybe it works for you. I think it will fit. Of course how much RAM and storage you need... how many multiple files do you have open and so on.

[@BrentSmithline]

Have owned Mac mini's in the past. Moved to a Apple MacBook Air M1 chip with 8‑core CPU, 7‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine, 16GB unified memory, 2TB SSD storage attached to 27-inch 5K LG display for content consumption. Now have two displays I can use. Can use my MacBook remotely. As a normal more than likely, I'm not going to replace my current Mac for a number of years. When I do, I will do some looking around, however, I feel I still replace it with another MacBook.

[@paulhorn24]

Yes. True. And for those who invested in an expensive keyboard, e.g. an ergonomic one or a split keyboard and/or expensive mouse or additional Trackpad etc. etc. the base Mac mini 2024 is an excellent choice to continue to use their external input devices again and for years to come. All those choices are great.

[@griefingcloud4391]

i'm planning to buy one with 10Gbps Ethernet option added for back to school promotion in south korea, which starts less than a month! for personal usage, i think asahi linux running on m4 mac is fascinating to hear in terms of its functionality and performance as a home server. self-hosted email/website/cloud storage and media server etc.

[@m.hreels9822]

Thank you for your honest review! ❤ You're always genuine, very much appreciated! I noticed people were reviewing the pro version and not the original version.

[@paullebon323]

Mine was well over $2000... and that was before I started buying Thunderbolt 5 NVMe m.2 enclosures, Thunderbolt 5 docks, and 8TB NVMe m.2 SSDs.

[@mytubeview]

Power efficiency of m4 is great, for my whole day normal office work, it used only 50w in total! My old PC used 1.3kw to 1.7kw normally!

[@BenRichards7]

Watts is 'instantaneous power'. If you mean that in one working day, M4 mini absorbed 50 Watt-hours and the PC 1300 to 1700 W.h then that, although not totally unexpected, is astonishing.

[@MikeLikesChannel]

As with cars, if you start spec’ing up the Mini, you might as well get a base Studio when it becomes an M4 Max or M5 Max next Spring. Once you’ve got 48GB of RAM and 1TB of storage? You’re very nearly at the Studio’s base price. But wait for the Studio to get an M4 chip.

[@joelv4495]

Or 10GbE which the studio comes with by default

[@AverageAspie]

I’d only go for a studio if they can shrink that down a bit like with the mini. It already takes up a lot of space

[@MichaelGGarry]

Yep, if the base M4 mini is good for you get it, if you want the Pro wait for the Studio which has always been better value than the Pro Mini.

[@paulhorn24]

But as bad as Apples pricing policy is, isn’t there a risk that Apple will just ignore the Mac Studio for some time as they have done with the Mac Pro or the iMac Pro or the 27-inch iMac ? The last two are even ignored until today and not in the Leaks or pipeline anytime soon? I don’t want it, but I fear Apple just waits the Mac Studio until M5 System on a chip with maybe an Ultra option again, soldering two M5 Max together again.

[@Inkling777]

I agree about a base Studio often being a better deal than a loaded up Mac mini given what Apple charges for upgrades. In the days of M1 chips, I got my refurb M1 Studio (with more ports) for what I would have paid for a comparable mini.

[@cmtetaboaco]

M4 base model is more than enough for 99.9% of the population

[@1234luf]

Couple things to add. The Pro version has a net loss of a port as the M2 pro mac mini M2 had 4 thunderbolt 4 ports. The graphics is also roughly 75% faster, not 55% as stated (using math and your own metal graphs). This translate into even better real life performance as it literally doubled Tombraider and Resident Evil frame rates.

[@Maikelswe1985]

I just put togethter a 98003XD Gaming system, but I will get one of these Macs with M4 to replace my work desktop, I have NEVER owned an apple device before this is how impressed I am with the "basic" m4 mini. I work as a Network Engineer and this is without a doubt the most bang for your buck PC in history, and I will take this chance to get familiar with the Apple ecosystem in my line of work it makes good sense,

[@Gurenn83]

To be honest, this is the only Apple device that is the best bang for your buck. All other of their devices are still overpriced especially when you decide to get upgrades. Oh and the absurd repair charges too.

[@amill1563]

So get this one? No get the other one, no, get the other one.

[@GregsGadgets]

Yes

[@k.vn.k]

Get everything. I regretted i purchased the new iMac now. But i love their monitor, with mini i have to buy a good monitor again.

[@amill1563]

@@k.vn.k Yeah Mini with a good monitor would be awesome!

[@mrjoanferre]

I’m getting both

[@Pifagorass]

​@@amill1563 checkout dark matter monitors - amazing value/price. The most important thing for me is the monitor ❤

[@alexanderberiom3660]

I'm just waiting for them to make it flatter, with a portable battery, and a screen.

[@ashishkulkarni2520]

😂 Underrated comment

[@ifiwantyoutofeel]

I could literally take this with me and a portable charger 😂

[@BodyMechaniX101]

They already made that a long time ago. It’s called a MacBook!

[@user-hl9jq8iz4i]

Who would buy their MacBook then its not gonna happen

[@JuanJacinto]

@@BodyMechaniX101 I don't think you got the irony

[@niklassilen4313]

The M4 Pro Mac Mini is NOT more than double the price IF you take into consideration the bump up in storage and memory! It's well worth pointing that out. If you spec the regular M4 with 512gb ssd and the next step of RAM, it comes much closer in terms of price.

[@wakeywarrior]

Unless you are gaming even the M1 edits 4K 4:2:2 120 fps 10 bit footage no probs. This plays with it.

[@thewheelieguy]

^^this comment deserves to be read

[@creemail]

What is cool is that the M5 will provide the same performance as the M4 Pro if a 2025 launch takes place. Thunderbolt 5 may stay exclusive to M-Pro Series chips and higher. Outstanding review!

[@fatgrouch]

Instant subscribe after watching this video, nice work !!! I'm sure some people are designing a dock for this Mac Mini design. For a fast SD card slot or even CFexpress will be cool !

[@innout3x3]

My M1 Mac Mini was good enough for my needs. I did make the jump to the M4. Not the best position for a power button, but not a deal breaker.

[@steftrando]

Subscribed purely because of how you don’t do constantly jump cuts and you don’t sounds like an annoying KZbin voice. Plus the good content is a bonus

[@JoeEbitDa]

Thanks for this clear and honest review, I was wondering how the base model actually performs. I saw another review that made it look like the base model could handle 4 x 4k video streams which is definitely not the case.

[@Painsoreal]

That is exactly what I am thinking about. We need a $599 review

[@screamstation]

Basic tasks can also be done on the M1. The question is, can you edit 4K ProRes video files at up to 400 Mbps bitrate and add effects in real-time without stuttering?

[@exactspace]

I'm eyeballing the new Mac Mini's but the lack of storage space on the base model is baffling. Using an external drive would be no problem for me, except that a lot of applications require that you install and run it on the system drive. It doesn't take long to fill what you have left on that drive with applications.

[@stjlyoda]

I wish reviewers wouldn’t act like you only have the choice between the base Mac mini and the pro Mac mini, period. There are a lot of choices for upgrades in between. I’d like a review of the Mac mini with 512 GB storage and 16 or 24 GB memory to see how powerful they are. It’s not just about two different versions, and a lot of reviewers are saying that the 256 GB doesn’t get you much, so let’s have a review of the other in-between models, please.

[@ferraphotography9448]

Very good video, which Mac mini do you recommend? I take large format photos with a high resolution camera. Which Mac mini do you recommend?

[@demirhankzlky]

If money doesnt problem, which one should be choosen? Im a software developer and it will be my first mac. Can we compare both for time, money and future tech. It ll be use like at least 5+ years. Is it worth paying twice the price for the M4 pro?

[@deanopatoni]

I never regretted just getting the base build on the M2 a year ago, ignoring the temptation then to go for the Pro model. Now, a year later, I am getting the equivalent, but better, at a £100 cheaper price. Win-win! Come on #400000

[@infographie]

Excellent video, as always.

[@adamghering]

dont get the more storage, its a waste of money, the 200 dollars will go towards a much better external at same or faster speed, dont worry about it, windows likes to clog the main drive but on apple you can put all of your software etc on whatever drive you want , even the external

[@timleahezra]

It's like all McDonalds meals come with small fries, but upping to medium doubles the cost...

[@Larry77777]

Hey Greg: I especially liked your desktop logic/advice regarding storage: get 512 internal (use external for more). Whereas, on my MacBook Air laptop I painfully paid the Apple tax to get 2TB internal to "permanently" avoid the impracticalities of continuously carrying around external.

[@djnes2k7]

There are plenty tb4 external enclosures. And 2tb pci 4 nvme drives are around $150 for 990 pros and sn850s

[@Studeep]

Bruh imagine what the M10 could be capable of.. in 4 iterations Apple has moved the needle ridiculously far.. Exciting times!

[@onigiri16]

Thank you for calling out those pro only reviews but tell you to just trust them and buy the basic one when they seem to not have tested it for themselves 😂. Also on letting us see how much storage would be left with only 256gb is great. Thank you so much.

[@fredkawabata2306]

You did not mention memory size. Storage is easy to add but memory size must be selected at time of purchase

[@paulchapman112]

great review! no sensational comments.

[@Carlos_Lenz]

Honestly if the M4 is enough for someone today I’d say buy the M4 now and an M8 in 4 years and you’d be paying less than an M4 pro now. 😅

[@paulhorn24]

Very good idea for all those, for whom a base model is more than powerful enough!

[@iXeo81]

I did. But i then would upgrade in 7 years again. if I need a new mac for XCode. Maybe Apple also supports macOS main versions updates longer on Apple Silicon devices as 7 years. We will see.

[@starwf07]

Can we start more forcefully calling out Apple on their memory pricing scheme? Memory is sooooo cheap now. Having 256GB as the base model is stupid. Obviously they do this to get people to spend $200 for an amount of storage that retails for probably $20. And there's no way they're losing money on the base model and subsidizing profits with the top models (like a Costco rotisserie chicken). The $599 base model should have 1TB storage as the entry, and then the more expensive models should go up from there (2TB, 4TB, etc.). But no, they gotta hit it with the Cripple Hammer so people upgrade (or even go for the Studio).

[@viajandosemlimites5678]

But you have to think about $599 for such an amazing machine is too cheap compared to other PCs in the market. So, $799 for a mini with 512 GB is still great value for money when you think about the whole set up.

[@RonVining]

Thanks Greg! Based on my experience with the M2 MBA with 16GB Ram, I’d upgrade to 24GB Ram and stick with the faster 256GB (in contrast with M2 models) paired to an external SSD. As each upgrade is $200, anything beyond 1, the entry-level device, is no longer a bargain, IMO.

[@OutlandishWayZ]

One of the best and honest reviews of the base M4 Mac Mini. Thanks for such a great review.

[@gtretroworld]

Probably not worth talking about in the real world but the read/write speeds of the 256gb vs 512gb Mac mini M4 differ significantly.

[@007adlibitum]

Which one is faster?

[@gtretroworld]

@ Apparently the 512gb uses faster SSD from the Pro but i can’t confirm this. All i can say is i have been using the 512gb for a few days and it has really exceeded my expectations.

[@inpurgatory]

Not missing the USB type A ports at all, running 2x displayport over usb-C monitors, each has a USB hun with 4 ports each so no shortage of USB :D

[@patb5266]

I have a 2010 Mac Mini, I was able to get aftermarket upgrade to 16Gb memory. It's stuck at High Sierra 10.13.6 but it is all I need for my tasks. This M4 looks great though, thanks!!

[@franciscodiaz5778]

For how many years Apple gave you OS Support? Thanks

[@N556ND]

My M1 still holds its own! Disappointing that World of Warships won’t release a version for Mac.

[@JarradShaw]

YES!!! They are please 🙏. Dave’s review made wonder when he showed how intense the mini pro was pushing. I want to use my iphone cameras and my iPad Pro to record.

[@ZebaArmstrong]

I’m sure it’s a broken record at this point. But going to be on davinci resolve a lot for KZbin videos and affinity trio for artwork. Still suggest base model? 😊

[@jacquesdupontd]

I don't know if you've noticed, but now it's possible to unplug the SSD. It was time because being obliged to throw away your Mac because your SSD is dead was inconceivable from at least an ecologic standpoint. Of course, it is as proprietary as it gets but, I have good hopes that it gets retro-engineered and that soon we'll see some other brands selling way cheaper SSDs for these Macs. What do you think ? Also, I think I'm gonna buy one to replace my home server (Nextcloud, VPN, Plex, Torrents downloading, Home Assitant, Homemade Web Apps and more that are running on a Lenovo Tiny I3-8100t) with this base M4 Mac Mini. Place under my TV with remote keyboard and mouse when needed. I'm pretty sure I can migrate everything I'm running on my server with Docker. Gotta check if it can run headless first, otherwise I'll buy a dummy.

[@cpaek72]

Yeah, the base model does not mean basic tasks. This machine is a full desktop with a slightly gimped hd. It's pretty insane for 600.

[@username7763]

It does not have any pcie card slots or any expansion slots at all. There are a lot of great uses for small form-factor PCs but they can never be desktop replacements.

[@Jewellerybybarrie]

I'm still using a mid 2010 27in iMac and its still great 14 years later. However I could never justify upgrading as the monitor on this thing is still in great condition. Ok I have an external drive running the OS. I think I will be finally getting the M4 Mini. Then I wont mind spending a couple of hundred on turning the old iMac into a monitor. Good video by the way.

[@drfrancintosh]

I bought a tricked-out MacMini-M4-Pro and am selling my M1 Mac Studio to pay for it. Great value. (And how cool is it that Jerry O'Connell is doing Apple reviews?) Yes! I also use external storage and NAS for storage. I got the 1TB drive for local apps, but use my 16TB NAS for Plex server and file storage. Great review!

[@johnno2377]

i have for years now simply used the internal ssd for the MacOs. One only has to add an exterrnal drive and link downloads games and apps etc to it and your internal ssd is fine. My photo library was started in 1999 with A 2,1 MEGAPIXEL CANON. Today it is nov 2024 and my 25 year library is also on my external drive along with my music libray that started out with MP3's in Sound Jam which was purchased by Apple and became itunes. People foget that macs let you can put data wherever you like so don't lose sleep over a tiny internal drive. Just use that for the operating system.

[@BartomiejJabonski]

Do you have access to Mac Pro? Can you open it and check if new Mac Mini fits there ideally?I won't be surprised if this will be a future of Mac Pro. There was a rumor at some point, that Mac Pro's will have SoC expansions.

[@z0bi_]

The base version is almost the ONLY one i would reccomend. The other version overcharge way to much on storage and ram. If you need more power and can spare the space, get another mac.

[@lephotographinc]

Great and concise review… Thank you,

[@LeePuu]

this vid is clutch! ty sir!

[@RobloxianX]

The best $600 computer, period.

[@AvgPerson64]

everything about this mac is perfect. only one thing annoys me, though. the M4 is such a powerful chip, and raising the memory is amazing for the consumer market - but 16gb wont last very long, as most softwares are starting to require at least 16gb. it would last a good 2-3 years (prediction ofc) but then it would have to get upgraded without completely using the full potential of the chip. apple marketing is sneaky, its either you pay for more memory or you have to upgrade to a new mac.

[@RoganRicheart]

I bought the m2 mini pro for a little over 1k and now they have something more powerful for half.

[@misterskippy2u]

I still need my Windows PC for "heavy" gaming, but as more and more applications depend on the web for use, the Mac becomes a viable option. I've always been a PC power-user but have been using an M2 MacBook Air for the past two years for my mobile computing. It's a great computer. This $600 entry price for the Mac Mini has really piqued my interest as a desktop replacement for the Windows PC.

[@paulhorn24]

TB4 and TB5 are also an option for an eGPU for heavy gaming?

[@misterskippy2u]

@@paulhorn24 I thought the official stance from Apple was that Apple silicon does not support the eGPU

[@nicholasdipoalo2215]

He mentioned upgrading to the $512GB SSD for apps. Will apps not download use to an external drive? Would they have to go to the internal SSD, or could they download on the external one?

[@Sumbuddysumwhere]

If you have a 16 gig one it will be enough for most people. Don't expect to play hardcore games on it unless you stream them on the cloud (having a server do the heavy lifting for you like with Nvidia or Xbox Game Pass). Laptops that are 10 years old are enough for most people if they are just browsing or doing basic web development or similar work. Docker containers don't take up much in resources, most of the apps you are planning to run on a system like this will be fine. Don't expect to run insane performance hungry things, be realistic and you will be fine.

[@timleahezra]

Apple's pricing seems so arbitrary. Here in Canada, moving M4 to M4 pro in a mini costs $600, but in a Macbook Pro the move from M4 to M4 Pro chip is only $100. !!??? (same storage and ram) I think USD is similar difference. Meanwhile, storage that has the market value of peanuts anywhere else, is getting way too near $1000/TB. Not only that, but the slower storage in a base model costs more than faster storage in a pro model. Similar story for RAM. Did Tim's 6 year old grandson make up the pricing with a crayon on the back of a napkin?

[@Technically_Techy]

You should compare m1 vs m4 Mac minis. My main thing for upgrading is for obs streaming/recording tho which no one seems to cover.

[@justinphillips1761]

Bought the base model, I am more than happy, don't buy Mac memory do the external option, I agree awesome value

[@juddrizzo]

I just realized… This was their big chance to upgrade the base mini to 16 gigs of ram And a 512 hard drive and sell it for $700 bucks. That would’ve been Able them to raise the price of the base a little bit and give everybody what they wanted at the same time. Nobody would’ve had anything to complain about, and they would’ve sold zillions of them. I’m sure they understand all of this more than I do though. Because… They got me to do what they’re trying to get a lot of people to do which is just go for the M4 Pro at $1400! Once I looked at the fact that yes, you have more ram and more hard drive and that’s great. It was hard to avoid making the decision. However, the really hard thing to avoid. Is that that RAM is it a much much faster speed. (273 rather than 120!!!) And the hard drive goes from 2 chips to 4. Which means the hard drive read/write speeds should be way, Way, Way faster, as well. The older base model M2 hard drive space was on 1 chip and the M2 Pro was on 2 chips. So, ….. any of these machines should be really really impressive compared to what came before.

[@naizondj]

So you recommend to go for the pro?

[@iXeo81]

Always think about if you really need this Pro performance. For my workflows I'm already fine with a MBA. And the M4 Mac mini has the CPU power of the M3 Pro. So it's already overpowered for most people. But of course, if you need more RAM and storage...

[@FoxxFire]

I guess I'm the only one with this question since no review has mentioned it that I've seen. It is inevitable that Apple will release a 27" 120hz 5k display or a 32" 120hz 6k display. Does a TB4 port on the regular Mac Mini have enough bandwidth to support such a display, or would a display of one of those resolutions and refresh rates require TB5?

[@paulhorn24]

Very good question!

[@paulwoodward8265]

you’ll need tb5 for 5k and 6k screens above 60hz. Which explains why Pro Display XDR is 60.

[@lamercussion]

If the M4 Storage is upgraded, is it going to be the same speed as the base M4 Pro?

[@gerryfix2589]

I see that the power button is on the bottom. That seems to be quite awkward! Would there be a problem if the mini was placed on the desk in the upside down position?

[@SandanuwanDhanushka]

The best comparison in KZbin ❤

[@zorch7372]

Really interesting video. I am going to buy the M4 Pro mini and wondered whether to pay $200 more for the 14 core. It appears the 12 core is good enough and may even quieter.

[@henryrangel583]

Muchas gracias!!! Saludos desde Venezuela! Gracias por traducir!

[@butwhytho6522]

I like the video of that guy upgrading the base model's storage from 256gb to 1tb for about $200 - of course, not all of us have a reflow workstation. Apple's ongoing price gouging is super apparent with this new model.

[@EnglishMike]

Just buy a USB 4 enclosure and put a 1TB or 2TB NVME drive into it, if you need extra storage. It will cost less than $200 total for the upgrade, perhaps even $150 if you can find the parts on sale over the holidays.

[@paulhorn24]

@@EnglishMike yes, 80 for the enclosure and 120 for the NVME storage is a realistic prediction and you get more and faster storage than the 200 money jump in the Apple Store / Online Shop. (It doesn’t matter if it is 200 $ or 200 £ or 200 € it’s always Apples upselling policy)

[@DavidROliver]

As a Windows user I am finding it hard to stay on this platform because economically Apple have created an extremely compelling option, especially as I don't run my workloads in the Cloud, I avoid local installs to avoid too much device dependency, so this looks like a good option.

[@Brownyman]

The only other thing than storage is WiFi is still 6E, I was hoping the Pro would at least get 7.

[@Wog68]

All external drives I used in my life had short lifetime then every Apple device I used. Add more RAMs and internal drive and it would more tasks easily. For over 90% buyers base model is fine.

[@BlaqViper]

The argument I hear a lot is it’s ok the new Mini doesn’t come with WiFi7 since very few are running a WiFi7 network. Is there some giant list of Thunderbolt 5 peripherals out there some of us don’t know about?

[@MichaelGGarry]

Monitors.

[@paulhorn24]

Yes, good comment. Those, who use Macs for many years more than the average customers who probably upgrade every second or third year, the TB5 vs. TB4 decision is real. Is TB5 so much more advanced than TB4 and when will TB5 products really be available and - more important ! - how much more expensive will TB5 products be compared to TB4 and TB3 ?

[@digitalhen]

But the Mini M4 Pro is basically THREE TIMES AS EXPENSIVE. Literally. It's so much more. The M4 base model is incredible value. And for storage, I can buy an TB3 mini enclosure + 2TB ssd for $200 (vs $750 with Apple).

[@rickmunn6305]

Thank you

[@VicRobey]

Is anyone here old enough to remember when you could edit a feature length film on an IMac with (1) single core chip and 1gb of RAM?