M4 Mac mini vs M2 MacBook Air Real World Performance Test - Video Export - Should You Upgrade?

[@5GRobo]

KZbinrs always think video editing is a common task for the average user, but in reality, most people never edit a video.

[@craigneidel]

Yes but it can be used to show differences in performance.

[@rorywalters1614]

Years of using my MacBook Pro 2016 made me decide to go all in on Mac minis for personal use. What I learnt was on MacBooks, the screen backlight cables could fail, the keyboard could fail, the battery will eventually need replacements, and it’s bad using it in desktop mode. So I decided to keep using my MacBook Pro 2016 as long as possible for work, and get an Mac mini M4 next year, then I’ll use my current mini 2014 as a Thunderbolt Bridge server, or get an mini 2012 as an headless server for all my devices.

[@craigneidel]

Sounds like a good idea. Thanks for watching the channel.

[@GmasterCrafter]

But is the reliability just way better now considering how long people tend to keep their MacBooks?

[@BrettMifsud]

3:55 M2 and 7:42 M4- super helpful information for anyone trying to work out how much ram is used vs how much they may need

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching

[@paulcaskey]

I have an M1 MacBook Air 16 GB Ram, 512. They offered me $300.00 trade in. I'm just going to keep it and get some version of the Mini as well. Might bump up to the Pro just for future proofing as I keep my computers for a long time.

[@craigneidel]

The M4 standard mini is a huge update vs. the M1 Air but get what makes the most sense for you and good luck with everything.

[@photoned]

Thanks for this video Man! To the point no BS vid

[@craigneidel]

Thank you.

[@dendennis3053]

Can you possibly do a video comparing the M4 mac mini (base model) vs your 2017 5k iMac for video editing? E.g how do they compare editing basic 4k and how do they compare editing 1080p, but with lots of effects or transitions etc. I basically want to know if they have the power to produce short film in 1080p, but with lots of audio and dialogue tracks, transtions etc just like a short film (e.g 10-15 minutes) or modern music video etc. Thanks.

[@craigneidel]

I'll see what I can do in the future. I actually have a 5K imac that is 2017 so maybe in the future. I normally do 4k edits though.

[@timparker9174]

Thanks for the vid. My request : m4 pro mini v. m2 air. Cheers!

[@craigneidel]

Yes, I don't have the M4 pro yet but if I do I can do a video later.

[@Vinay-pk9qs]

I’m really fond of the MacBook Air Skin. Could you please suggest a place where I can purchase these skins?

[@craigneidel]

Fyshskins

[@kevinchris5642]

fantastic comparison

[@craigneidel]

Thanks...

[@prsearls]

Thanks for the comparison, Craig. Don't beat yourself up; you've got al least 25 watts. I'm still running on a candle. Seriously, I really enjoy your channel and your information. Santa is bring me a new Mini for Christmas. I'll order it in a couple weeks. My OWC TB4 enclosure has been shipped plus a 2TB SSD for it. I'm looking forward to a modern MacOS so I can run the latest LRC and PS versions.

[@craigneidel]

Nice and the OWC with 4 TB is a nice external setup. Thanks and good luck.

[@henrygabriel700]

hi Boss, I just bought mac mini m4, however I already have a mac mini m2 setup with external nmve ssd drive as my main drive. Do you have a video of how to move my external SSD main drive to the new mac mini m4 from a mac mini m2? tysm for your time and assistiance:)

[@craigneidel]

I don't but there are a number of videos out there if you search KZbin on that. Good luck with everything.

[@brothermunkdrums]

Great video. Gotta say the M4 Pro is nice, im an audio engineer so i mainly got it for the thunderbolt 5 and the extra performance cores, a lot of bandwidth for my external gear once i can get a thunderbolt 5 hub, thunderbolt 4 is great but having double the bandwidth will be awesome. Good for future proofing to, well in my case

[@craigneidel]

Yes, for some users they should for sure get the M4 Pro. In my opinion most won't need Thunderbolt 5 or anything faster than 3100 MB/s on external drives but there are some use cases where that makes sense. Thanks for watching.

[@5GRobo]

Audio production doesn't benefit from the high bandwidth.

[@hms350]

Do you have a recommended Mac mini configuration for Da Coach Ditka? I got my Mac mini Pro last week, much earlier than the projected and so far so good. I nerded and upgraded the RAM and storage. Paid the ridiculous storage premium tax to simplify my life and have my working FCPX libraries local. I do have 4TB external SandDisk Professional for backup and archive video. I do use iDrive for offsite backup outside of iCloud for Apple Photos.

[@craigneidel]

Funny, not for the coach as he would most likely want the Ultra. Yeah, the cost of the SSD space is crazy but it does make life easier in the long run. Thanks.

[@David_Best]

I find it hard to relate to these particular benchmark tests. My interest is not in video processing, but in 3D CAD modeling performance. I just took delivery of my new Mac Mini with the M4 Pro, 64GB, and 2TB SSD. Whopping $2,800. This week I stress tested it using Fusion 360 against my M2 Macbook Air (24GB, 2TB SSD), and my 2020 iMac with Intel i9 8-core processor, 64GB RAM, Radeon Pro 580X with 8GB of GDDR5. Here are the results for a Fusion 360 complex Sweep (min:sec). iMac i9: 27:47 , M2 Macbook Air 16:46 , M4 Pro Mini. 12:47. Not as much of a difference as I expected.

[@craigneidel]

I would say that 3d Cad modeling is maybe performed by 1% of the general population if that so that is actually a very specific test. But it's nice to see the numbers here and thanks for posting them as it helps people watching the video understand the differences better.

[@David_Best]

@@craigneidel 1%? Incorrect. In 2023, ~27% of desktop & laptop sales were into S.T.E.M. markets/appications where the kind of performance comparisons I posted are directly applicable, and video processing speed is totally irrelevant.

[@David_Best]

In case you didn't know, STEM = Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Your "Real World" is just another niche part of the computing ecosystem.

[@craigneidel]

@David_Best yeah I know. I have a masters and worked for 26 years in the technology field. I just like to do this for fun.

[@David_Best]

I've got another 25 years in the computer industry on ya, but who's counting? 🙂

[@greccoox]

oh man is getting close.... close to the comparison that nobody did so far and in my mind makes sense since day 1... MM M2Pro vs MM M4 base model. In europe M2pro MM was 1099euros and M4 base 699euros. I mean, why nobody did it 😢

[@craigneidel]

I don't have my hands on a M2 Pro yet otherwise I would do it but good luck. I'll let you know if I do.

[@greccoox]

@@craigneidel yes yes, I mean i said in general youtubers did not cover it or maybe me overthinking this comparison lol, but your work showing real world tasks and products is just amazing, congrats for the work!

[@craigneidel]

@greccoox thank you appreciate that for sure

[@digitalmarketinghumans]

I use Capcut and use the Pro version. I was on Premiere for a while and I loved it, even Davinci, but I have to say Capcut is not only less expensive than Premiere but it's also way easier to get the job done. I don't do anything intensive for my video editing. It's WELL worth it! I also still have Final Cut Pro but barely use it.

[@craigneidel]

Yes, I found it was so early to get videos done quickly and since I do it all myself I needed something like that. Thanks for watching the video.

[@GmasterCrafter]

I’m just not sure which to go for M4 Mac Mini or M4 MacBooks Air when it comes out or even an older version, what’s your reccomendation?? In terms of value is difficult and longevity too.

[@craigneidel]

It comes down to if you need a laptop or not.

[@5GRobo]

It never hurts to have a portable laptop unless you need active cooling or all the extra ports of the Mini

[@GmasterCrafter]

@@craigneidel They both offer such different packages for the value which makes it difficult. I don’t want to be regretting not getting an air to miss out on the portability and package, as well as that if I should get an m3 MacBook Air even if it’s worth it even though the m4 version will come out soon. I don’t want to intend to keep it a long time and so the battery possible degrading more due to its fanless design is also a question, though I have never had a MacBook before.

[@craigneidel]

@GmasterCrafter just get what works best for you and don't stress over it. It's just a computer.

[@5GRobo]

@@GmasterCrafter what do you intend to do with this Mac?

[@paulorodrigues46sabe]

Im on doubt if I should get the 24GB ram as Im planning to edit videos that I record on Iphone for example, nothing complex on this moment

[@craigneidel]

It's nice to have if you have the budget but not needed.

[@386vwade]

Does the updated MacBook Air M2 16gb 2024 base model still suffer with the slower read and write speeds????? Thanks

[@craigneidel]

No that was fixed on that model

[@386vwade]

@ is there any videos on this??? Thanks 🙏

[@craigneidel]

I'm sure if you look it up there are a few out there.

[@386vwade]

@ ended up getting Mac Mini M4 👍🔥

[@craigneidel]

Nice.

[@pauledgar2325]

I’d been asking myself the exact same question that you put forward except that I have an M1 MacBook Air with 16gb RAM. Although it still works perfectly for everything I need to do, the hype surrounding the new Mac Mini makes it a very tempting machine. At the end of the day I realise that the new machine wouldn’t make my life (or even my workflow) any better. Thanks for a great video and for helping to put things into perspective!

[@craigneidel]

Thanks and yeah after the new car smell wears off it's just a Mac. Wait until you need one is my advise but they are great machines and will be here in a few months should you change your mind.

[@5GRobo]

Just wait for the M4 Air and meanwhile save up to upgrade the RAM on it when it comes out.

[@bryans8656]

For those who can afford it having both a desktop and a laptop is a nice luxury, especially if you travel a lot.

[@craigneidel]

Yes, for sure. I only have so many because of my channel but I may have had a Laptop and desktop even if I didn't have the channel.

[@paulharrison8379]

You are not comparing the M4 Mac Mini performance with the performance of the M2 Mac model that most people will buy. Unfortunately most people bought M2 Macs with 8 Gb of RAM and a very slow 256 Gb SSD. The most ethical move that Apple has made this year is to increase 8 Gb of RAM in all of their base models to 16 Gb. Now it is impossible to buy a crippled Apple Silicon Mac.

[@craigneidel]

Yes, but mine shows you the speed increase of the CPU more or less. It's just one data point.

[@gringochueco3886]

I upgraded my M2 MacBook Air 16 gigs of ram and a 1 terabyte hard drive to a M4 Pro with the base M4 chip with 32 gigs of RAM and a 1 terabyte hard drive. My MacBook Air I believe would’ve worked fine for me for the next couple of years. My concern is the possibility of supply and trade disruptions over the next 4 to 5 years. I wanted to get a new computer that would last me through the next four or five years comfortably so that I don’t have to worry about it in the future. Not sure that was a rational choice but that’s the one I made.

[@craigneidel]

Yeah, not sure about any trade issues on the horizon but at least you future proofed yourself which is fine.

[@808ExpeditionsAdventureTravel]

For my middle school kids I set up my old M2 Air base model in clamshell mode paired with a nice/cheap Best Buy monitor. love that thing and will last a long time. Anyone have ideas on what to do with my old M1 Air? I'd rather not sell it or trade it in - but I'm having trouble finding a reason to keep it around. Id like to find a creative way to integrate the laptop for productivity or storage/server purposes. any suggestions appreciated:

[@craigneidel]

Thanks for watching. I would just sell the M1 Air if not in use and put that toward a new Mac maybe in a few years.

[@5GRobo]

Sell it and buy a raspberry Pi if you want to tinker around.

[@craigneidel]

That's one option