M4 Mac Mini vs Pro: I Picked the Wrong One! 🤦🏽

[@ozbassplayer8596]

Wow. The first tech video that I've watched end to end (and replayed quite a bit too) for a long time. I needed to make a decision since the lease on my current equipment has come to an end. Since I usually do my leases over a longer period, I decided to go with the Pro with the greater cores and 48Gb RAM. I know that T5 isn't as popular at the moment, but in a little while it will catch up so I'll be ready. For the record, your content is relentlessly on point and your explanations technically solid and in-depth but still understandable for non-geeks. Your manner is friendly, your delivery fluent, and you don't have that condescending "Listen to me-I'm the expert" approach that so many others do. I subscribed the moment the video ended. BTW I do like the wider aspect ratio, and since I've subscribed, I can sift through the rest of your content and not rely on the rel=1. Thank you for making the last 20 minutes absolutely valuable!

[@AlexGTech]

Thank you so, so much for this comment! Wow, it’s a gloomy day here-bad weather, back to work tomorrow, and honestly, working on a Sunday when I’m not feeling 100%. But reading this? It gave me a real boost of positivity 🥹 I’m genuinely so glad the video helped you make a decision, and I really appreciate your kind words about the content and delivery-it truly means a lot! Congrats on going with the Pro-sounds like a future-proof setup that’ll serve you well. And welcome aboard the channel! Hope you find more content here that’s just as valuable. Have an amazing week ahead! 🚀 And noted on the aspect ratio too. It's tricky to do it for every video as YT sort of punishes us for that and removes links to other videos, but I will continue to use for some projects.

[@lmacfa0]

Wow. I’ve watched too many hours of M4 Mini content. How is Alex only now showing up in my feed? I appreciate the breadth of use cases, and the narrative that feels objective and rooted in every-day workflows and budget constraints.

[@AlexGTech]

Thank you KZbin algorithm 🤣 I’m glad it found you, even though it took some time! Thanks so much, hope you enjoy the ride 😊

[@jeanlucmeloni3068]

I bought the base model, 24Go Ram + 512Go. I added a 1To nvme 990pro. I run Windows 11 with parallels. This machine is just insanely efficient.Thank you for all your advices that brought me to buy Apple again after 10 years of PC :-)

[@AlexGTech]

That is a perfect way to save money, and invest it on decent storage! I will share this comment with Tim Cook, maybe he will invite me to Cupertino in 2025 😅

[@jacksteal5991]

how does virtualized Win 11 run? what's your use case?

[@sop1311]

which ssd? I thought the SSD had encryption.

[@SebastianPeitsch]

@@sop1311 external via Thunderbolt 4 you get read/write speeds of 40Gbit = 5Gbyte per second max so the limiting factor is the SSD. You don't need to have the drive internal.

[@MARZILLI]

Earned my sub with this one.

[@PaulWhite-zn9xx]

I went for the Mini M4 Pro 14/20/16 with 24gb UM and 512gb storage. I’ve coupled this with a 2tb Crucial 3 Plus nvme ssd in a Ugreen enclosure as “working storage” the contents of which will eventually be transferred to external HD’s for archiving. My main interest is photography running Lightroom, Photoshop, and Luminar Neo. I use a Fuji GFX 100 medium format camera that creates huge files and the Mini handles these with ease. The base Mini is obviously great value but, bearing in mind the difficulty of upgrading Apple products post purchase, I wanted a set up at the outset that would probably last me for the rest of my computing days (I’m an old man!) and that could probably handle future advances in the software I use. The Mini cost me £1599 (£1399 plus £200 for the upgrade) which for my purposes was the “sweet spot” in the price range. I couldn’t be more pleased with my purchase. I’ve told my wife that although it cost £1599 it will probably suffice for ten years so on that basis it’s slightly less than £160 per year or about £3 per week!

[@AlexGTech]

Amazing! That a great point about longevity. And based on my tests using a lower spec’d mini,I’d imagine yours will cut through those RAW images like butter! Have fun, and feel free to share your work if you put it up somewhere 👊🏼

[@billykellum]

I got the M4 Pro for almost the same reason but from the Audio world. I run a lot of tracks with VST3 plugins and demand a lot of resources. This beast should do the trick. 👍

[@veritas932]

money down the drain. You don't need a computer to last 10 years, that's crazy. With the technological advancements today, you need to upgrade your computer every 3 years, max. There will be a new and better AI chips, new cpu with more efficient (ie. less heat) processing and faster processing, faster IO transfer speeds, faster memory architecture and the whole thing will be half the size of today's M4. Future photoediting applications will require more advanced AI chips, which you won't have it now. Also future apps will be better optimized for the later cpu chip. Just get the cheapest model now and ugprade every 3 years. It's not just about having sufficient RAM and storage capacity. In 3 years time, we will have influencers singing high praises for the M6 base model configuration, but not because of it's increased memory and storage size, but because of the more powerful and efficient chip. If you want to future proof your computer, get a Windows desktop with an AMD chip and a dedicated high end nvidia graphics card. It will not be as small but you can easily upgrade the system memory and storage capacity and the graphics card over the next 10 years. Unless you require portability, then the M4 makes sense, otherwise, just put the desktop on the floor and you will have lots of desk space without having to compromise on performance.

[@PaulWhite-zn9xx]

@@veritas932Thank you for your interesting viewpoint. Of course, if you always go for the cheapest model I can well see that you would want to upgrade every three years to a better specification. By always going for the “cheapest” you are never going to get the “best” specification and therefore performance available at the time so you are already starting the race at the back of the grid. Published tests have shown that the base model Mini M4 256gb is outperformed by the 512gb version which in turn is outperformed by the M4 Pro version. So logically by buying the cheapest Mac Mini now you are buying the worst performing Mac Mini presently available. Indeed, following your argument you should not wait three years, but you should immediately upgrade your base Mac Mini because there’s a better model presently available. I’m confident that for my purposes my upgraded Mini Pro will probably match the performance of the next M5 and M6 base Mini when/if they are ever released. I have been a Windows user for over 30 years and I’ve had enough of that operating system, thank you.

[@tonybloomfield5635]

Great comment. The advice on how you *_'sold it to your wife'_* is 24K GOLD.

[@SomeDumUsrName-b3e]

MAN......fanTASTIC video. Best I've seen on this unit and I've watched a BUNCH. Mine just came in yesterday (Black Friday special at $529.00) and I LOVE it. That and the other Black Friday special (34" Ultrawide Curved 1440p) and my FCP 11 and external 2TB NVME SSD benched on the M4 at 2800MBps and my new 60TB OWC Raid for my 32TB of footage and, um..... OH YES.......I think I'm off and RUNNIN'.

[@AlexGTech]

DAYUM!! that’s a setup and half you got there!! And thanks so much for the compliment, honestly made my day!

[@ValleyOfWillows]

@@AlexGTech The "-b3e" in the username + membership since beginning november 2024 makes me think this is a fake account.

[@SomeDumUsrName-b3e]

@@ValleyOfWillows nope....not fake. -b3e just the little tag KZbin put on my name for some reason.

[@AlexGTech]

Can't get enough of the Mac Minis, but despite the base model being so capable, I think I should have just picked the beefier Pro for my use here in the studio! Which one did you go for or are you still considering one? I love the base model, whilst I have my MacBook Pro but I can see me moving to Team Pro sometime soon...#BaseModelGang

[@DeborahCarlston]

First, thank you for your thorough exploration of both products. It is really helping me decide if I want the Mini as my next computer for my upcoming KZbin channel, plus all my office work. I was hoping to get by with the base model, but I'm not used to using external storage. And I'd have to buy that storage. So I may just end up with the Pro model. I really appreciate the work you've put into these videos. Please keep them coming. You do a fantastic job.

[@benpit2762]

@@AlexGTech I am waiting for the Mac Studio M4… although the higher end Mac Mini Pro M4 may be a viable option but I am not in a hurry for now

[@fencerroy8117]

Went with the pro for the extra ram and future proofing. The base is awesome but the pro does in fact scream.

[@chrischambless]

Is the Pro you tested the one with 16 GPU cores or the 20 GPU core upgraded model?

[@howardfoot4655]

I am going to go with the base model of the macmini but add a bit of ram (24 instead of 16). Looking forward to some LLM videos as I get into AI this year.

[@williamburkholder769]

very well done... I'm still enjoying a 2020 M1 MacBook Air. Maybe when M5 or M6 comes out, I'll want to upgrade! This M1 has been the sweetest computer I've used, simply because of its flexibility and portability. If I needed another Mac right now. It would be an M4 Mac mini. As you said, it's rather mind-blowing for the price.

[@_Allan.N_]

You are amazing, man. I'm a Brazilian English student. I watch your Portuguese channel and I started following you here. It's great to study English while watching a friendly face. The only problem is that I need watch at 0.75 speed to be understand you. You speak fast! hahaha Congratulations, friend!

[@AlexGTech]

Haha that’s awesome!! So good that my videos are helping! Really appreciate you following both channels! I need to find more time for the Brazilian channel, it has lots of potential! 😊

[@dianakim298]

I was losing my mind trying to find a good laptop or PC for my 14 year old to do all her work and play games. She just started gaming and it’s so laggy! This made me want to buy the Mac mini. Thank you. It’s somewhat portable so she can take it to her friends house and plug it in and also work as a desktop. I subscribed right after this video. I am a disabled combat veteran so working with a budget is and buying quality items that’ll last that’s somewhat affordable is a struggle. This video helped so much!

[@JWDigitalArchiving]

Save your money the M4 Mini is great! If I were you just grab a base model and wait for the new M4 Max Studio.

[@AlexGTech]

That will be an insane machine too

[@sonuniigam]

I watched your mac mini m4 video last month and having mac mini m4 24gb RAM and 512gb SSD since 25 days and its a super mini computer.

[@shubhampalange]

Does it manage all your work smooth?

[@AlexGTech]

Incredible! I am so glad it's working well for you. Honestly, Apple may have just released the best value for money computer right now.

[@sonuniigam]

Yes it is! But if u need more future proofing buy m4 pro version.

[@suvidhvirmani6745]

I have ordered the same . Hoping the same as yours

[@Mozi2380]

Im waiting for my m4 also 512Gb but with 32GB Ram, it should serve me for many years 😅

[@bryans8656]

Thanks for the balanced comparison. I've had the base M4 mini for four weeks now with no regrets, it perfectly meets my modest needs. I do have a 2TB NVME external drive hooked up for storage, a smaller one for Time Machine, a USB A hub for my older peripherals, and a 4K monitor, but I already had those from a prior setup so no extra money had to be spent.

[@AlexGTech]

Nice! What NVMe are you using, do you use an enclosure or one of those 'all in one' drives? I can see the mini 'replicating' itself here in the studio and at home soon 😅So many uses for it!

[@bryans8656]

@@AlexGTech I purchased two Orico enclosures with USB A connectivity when I got the NVME drives. At the time I didn't anticipate getting the new mini so my read/write speeds with the enclosures are ~900 Mb/s. That's enough for my needs but I'm sure you'll want a faster enclosure.

[@AlexGTech]

Oh yeah, Orico is decent!

[@jayheha007]

What is Time Machine? And what it’s used for?

[@bryans8656]

@@jayheha007 Time Machine is the backup utility built into Macs. It takes a system snapshot every hour that can be use to restore the Mac or set up a new one.

[@legoseanland1760]

I bought the base model, I didn’t have any specific purpose for it but my old pc is a boat anchor. I’m very impressed. I bought a 1.5T external storage for like $50. For the stuff i use it for it’s much more than adequate. I’m using it more as an entertainment center

[@AlexGTech]

Amazing, 1.5TB!!! That's awesome man, and such a great idea to use it as an entertainment setup

[@legoseanland1760]

@@AlexGTechit looks great on my 4k tv, and I play old games anyway which it handles easily

[@AlexGTech]

Brilliant!

[@techhubwiltsuk]

Excellent video buddy. I went for the standard M4 Mac mini with 24 GB of RAM and I could not be happier with it. It keeps up if not beats my old M1 max mac studio.

[@darkzerk7]

It is faster than an M3 Pro which retails in other Apple devices for a minimum of 1600 dollars or equivalent currency. It is crazy value for that price.

[@pauljennings1466]

I picked up a base model with 24GB straight away, timing was great for me. I'm just a 'normal' user and do some photo editing - the thing is blazing fast, silent, tiny, works faultlessly and cost less than any comparable PC alternative. Very happy. Your reviews helped be pull the trigger - thanks!

[@AlexGTech]

Amazing!! Yeah 24GB is a sweet spot I think, great to hear my videos are helping 👊🏼

[@kyleright7346]

The apple ladder got me. Paying extra for 24gb of ram rushed me to get the pro over the base.

[@EyesOfByes]

Instead of upgrading SSD, buy a 4TB NVMe drive and put in a USB4 enclosure

[@AlexGTech]

100% this is the best way to improve this machine

[@REALQDTV]

What is the difference between buying a seagate ssd? Or any plug and play ssd

[@AlexGTech]

Speed mainly…

[@AlexGTech]

I’ve done a ‘best SSDs’ video a few months ago, going through the different types. Worth a look: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npiVcomeoK9gq9ksi=ypyKsWQF2o-MRNEq

[@themarcosaguila1]

@@REALQDTV1000GBps read and write speeds vs 7000GBps (theoretical)

[@JeffreyMcMahon]

Been using an Acer gamer laptop for 6 years as a desktop replacement & thought I'd get a PC or Apple Mini but the Apple's lower wattage and lower heat makes it my next desktop. Thanks for the excellent presentation.

[@billykellum]

I was just gifted the M4 Pro Mac Mini so I’m thrilled. I work on a ton of multitrack audio and video work so looking forward to using this little beast. I’m coming from the PC world so this is my first introduction to the Mac world. I do love my iPad M1 Pro and iPhone 13 Max Pro so I’m hoping the transition is smooth enough.

[@AlexGTech]

Wow! What a great gift!! What DAW / editing app will you use for your audio and video editing?

[@ShaunKarr]

Weighing MacBook Pro purchase against the M4 Mac mini- this review really helped me determine what to buy. You're the man big dogg.

[@AlexGTech]

Thank you so much! These videos were gruelling to make but so happy to hear they’re helping! Have a great new year!

[@ythackedofficial]

Nice work bro keep reviewing ​@@AlexGTech

[@LeoSchuldiner23]

Thank you so much for considering using Logic Pro in your review. Honestly, almost nobody considers music production for device-tests and reviews. Cheers from Chile, Southamerica. You earned a new follower!!

[@Austin.zumBrunnen]

Considering this bad boy for the ultimate retro game setup paired with my new 4:3 monitor. Thanks for the wholesome and educational video!

[@RichardServello]

I've done base model and I do a lot of LRC...there is some slowdown in loading raw images (Biggest shoot load was 600 images, but a normal shot is closer to 200), but once it's loaded it's really fast and smooth. Been very impressed.

[@sulogno]

Could be silly to ask.. did you load the images onto your external drive ? Were you drawing the images onto LR installed onto your macminis internal ssd ? Reason im asking is because I'm v new to the idea of working with external drives for editing photos

[@sxyjay]

The smile on your face says everything mate, I saw someone playing resident evil 4 remastered on the base model and it absolutely blew my mind how well it was performing.

[@AlexGTech]

Such a great value machine!! Loving it

[@DavidMartin-eg5fg]

What display are you using? How is it connected?

[@pfh777]

I appreciate your review of the M4 Mac Mini - it's been a silent powerhouse in the past couple of months since it was release. Like your advice, I bought the base model plus a bit more SSD space to keep all apps and working storage there. Large files and storage on a separate SSD - this works really well. Keep your videos coming - though hopefully they're not keeping you up until 1am too often.

[@AlexGTech]

Awesome, yes SSDs are so fast these days! And absolutely, taking it a little easy now in the festive period. Important to spend some time with family 🥰

[@ronnieuk2]

The base with extra RAM and an external ssd is surprisingly powerful for music production. For most doing music, this is all you need.

[@AlexGTech]

Right?! I am not a music producer but I was amazed at how much I could do in Logic

[@ronnieuk2]

@AlexGTech Absolutely. The m4 mac mini opens the door of music creativity to the wider consumer market due to the lowered price barrier for entry. Enjoy people..

[@D1Calderon]

Serato DJ, base or upgrade the ram? Thanks

[@spazman0565]

Hi Alex, wanted to congratulate you on your style and content presentation. And more than anything. The time you spend not just on making quality content. But, the immense time to respond to most everyone’s comments which is a continual learning process. Getting good information from good questions we all benefit from. I liked and subscribed to your channel and not even a tech person due to your passion for your channel. Aloha David

[@AlexGTech]

Thank you so much David! And apologies for the delay in responding 🥰 Welcome aboard and I can't wait to share what's to come!

[@TonyToscano]

The Logic test is good however I don't see any plug ins on most of those tracks. Most of the plug ins are part of the MIDI instrument channel and not third party cpu heavy plug ins. So, I'm just curious how it would do if say 100 or 80 of those tracks had 5 or 6 third party plug ins running as well.

[@AlexGTech]

If you look at the video where I tested Logic, I am using quite a few plugins, including 3rd party ones: I also found a weird behaviour on the CPU / GPU on that video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXyZqqlplqaKmaM

[@maestroteague]

Thanks for the video. Just ordered a base model yesterday and it's coming tomorrow. Looking forward to getting into it and learning some new stuff.

[@AlexGTech]

Amazing! Such a fun little device, Apple really did a great job here in terms of value for money

[@Netjez]

Ordered a M4 16GB/1TB and decided to cancel and go for the M4 Pro 24GB/1TB Mac Mini. This setup appears to be a bit more future proof for the next three years. Love the minimalist design and went for the 1TB as it keeps the overall setup clean and uncluttered. Already have a studio display to use with the mini.

[@AlexGTech]

That’s an insane package you built there!! 👏🏼

[@drew---]

I was going to go this route too, however, doing the math and my needs, I could just buy a new Mac mini in 3 years for less than the cost of upgrading to pro now. Either option is amazing though.

[@Flo-ge9db]

great decision, bought the same but with 64GB, want to do some KI stuff. Came from MacBook Pro M1. Hope this will be my setup for the next 3 Years.

[@PaulReitman-x5j]

I just got the M4 base model, and I also bought the base M1 mini in 2022, and thought then and now... did they make a mistake? Ha! No, they just gave us a break on pricing.

[@MrNjal]

I really enjoyed this video. I'm not a tech user for professional purposes but I love tech. I'm always after the next best thing on a reasonable budget with the best bang for the buck. Thank you.

[@whomadethatsaltysoup]

Excellent review. I'm looking to upgrade my 2016 HP laptop. I'm no longer tied to Microsoft, as I use Affinity Photo, having dumped Photoshop. I was considering a Macbook, but the meagre spec, and the eye-watering price with almost no storage, and very limited base memory have always put me off. The mini sounds like a real option. Thank you for taking the time to share.

[@richardlong1567]

Base Model Gang. Nice review..... thanks Alex. Auck, NZ .

[@justindirose]

This is one of the clearest takes on the value of the base model I’ve seen in my research. I assumed the M4 Pro was the right model for me but I was wrong!

[@AlexGTech]

Such a great value computer. Apple nailed it

[@TRUMP_WQN]

Hell yeah, I'm about to be a member of the Base Model Gang in a few days. The 2TB ssd I wanted was out of stock, so I ended up ordering a 4TB instead. I plan on running this thing as a home server hopefully for the next 10 years or so.

[@KeithHowells]

Excellent update! I’m planning for M4 PRO 64GB/1TB to replace my 2020 M1 512/16GB configuration and grab external SSD’s for additional needs, etc.

[@AlexGTech]

Whoa!! That’s a beast!

[@zachwarner7164]

I was considering the same thing, then realized the 600 machine is basically the same

[@joelv4495]

​@@zachwarner7164 not at all. Base is 4p/6e, and pro is 8p/4e. Double the performance cores.

[@zachwarner7164]

@@joelv4495 i bought both lol unless this is your only machine, they are the same

[@zachwarner7164]

@@joelv4495 i get it, i bought both. if this is your only machine then you may notice, but i have the same 3 monitors plugged in, doing the same workflow, and not losing really any time at all on the 600. Please tell me, what is the max boost clock for both of the models? If you are doing single core workloads the 600 is a better machine as it has higher single core clock speeds. Also, what is the cost per watt? also peak power draw?

[@lagautmd]

I learned a lot here, Thank you! Make sure to recognize the much lower power draw. That the Mx line of processors is so danged power efficient is part of the jawdropping capabilities of these computers. Quiet efficiency is the best efficiency. (Naturally, because noise and heat are wasted energy in the total power draw.)

[@fiftyoneeight]

Fantastic video! Question: Are either of them noisy, or is there more fan noise on the Pro? I've had a 2020 M1 Mini since it came out and it is completely silent, my only hesitation on the smaller form factor for the M4s is concern over fan whine.

[@jul8803]

Thanks for putting so much efforts in trying candidly and learning new things to be able to share first-hand impressions on these amazing and honestly quite tempting tiny machines.

[@AlexGTech]

My pleasure! I really enjoy making videos and when they are directly answering questions from my community it’s even more satisfying 👊🏼

[@JayzBeerz]

I got the base model for $499.99. Such a great value.

[@SIGJNF]

Great video as always! I'm very happy with my base M4, sold my gaming laptop to buy it and I never looked back.

[@Robert-ze4hd]

What keyboard was that on the train shot?

[@AlexGTech]

It's the Keychron K3 Max. geni.us/KeychronKeyboard Apple used that very same on their website 😉 I also talk about it a bit more on the video where I used the Mac Mini in the wild: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gom9mIqpabCjd68

[@dottoregiuseppe]

Thank you, Alex. For me this is by far the worthiest comparison video I've seen - and I've seen quite a few these days as I find it so hard to decide... I don't play games and I don't do video editing nor 3d rendering. I'm a graphic designer working (on vector stuff mostly) with Affinity, and the Adobe Suite. Besides I occasionally work on smaller DAW projects, with rarely more than 30 tracks. So from what I've seen here, I think I'll go with the base model, just upgrading to 32 GB of RAM. Do you or anyone around here think this would be the right decision? Thanks again, Alex, keep up the brilliant work. :)

[@michaelharmon5502]

I really appreciate that you tested Logic Pro on the M4 Pro version of the mac Mini. Even more so, I appreciate that you tested it with the base memory of 24GB. It seems every other reviewer tested one with upgraded memory, which seems to me like an unfair test to me. I really needed to know how it would handle large music production sessions with lots of tracks and lots of thirsty plugins. Thank you!!!

[@nicklowp]

Me too, but isn't this with the base 16gb ram model?

[@michaelharmon5502]

@@nicklowpIn this video he discusses both “base” models; the base M4 (4Pc,4Ec,16,256), and the base M4-Pro (8Pc,4Ec,24,512).

[@michaelharmon5502]

@@nicklowp When I said “base” I meant the base M4Pro, not the base M4.

[@lifethruJesus]

Replaced my older M1 Mac mini with latest m4/24GB-RAM Mac mini version. I use audio editing tools - cubase, Logic Pro and video editing tools like CAPCUT, CANVA. All of them opened at the same time and still works like a charm without any RAM constraints.. I think 16GB RAM is sufficient in normal situations. Better to have atleast 24GB RAM if you do live streamings with DAWs.

[@torrquemado1980]

I do love the wider aspect ratio! I’m sure KZbin will come around eventually on the next video issue

[@markteboe4757]

Thanks Alex, I appreciate your video. Keep 'em coming!

[@econ3000]

I ordered the base model with 32 GB RAM so I can run image to video AI models with comfyUI. Now you have me concerned about prompt adherence...

[@BorderTerrier-yk2hw]

My new kit includes a Mac Mini M4, with 24 Gb of RAM, a small hard drive, and a Samsung 995 Pro 2TB SSD, in an Acasis container. Using the 'Apple Support' instructions, I now have all my o/s on my external SSD, and my internal 256 Drive is 'empty'. My transfer speeds are c. 2800mb/s. Everything works, it's per Apple instructions: sorted.

[@melanieatkinson410]

Love the video! What do you think about iMac vs Mac mini?

[@AlexGTech]

Interesting use case I think, the iMac will be better if you want an even simpler setup but the mini gives you more flexibility

[@baimun]

Going to use the one I ordered for Music Production so I got the M4 Pro 14/20 with 64gig of ram and 1Tb of OS storage knowing a) I'm going to use several multi-terabyte external storage devices for recording and sample libraries and b) Even though those upgrades raise the price pretty quickly, I don't plan on replacing this device for a while so an extra couple hundred bucks now can save a recording from failing and keep the hardware useful for much longer. (But it's still almost half what that performance would have cost from a Mac Studio a year ago!) ☮💜🎶

[@AlexGTech]

Makes sense for a long term use, for sure! What do you use for music production? Asking because I noticed Logic Pro doesn't seem to use all the cores for some reason. I understand other DAWs may be more efficient in how they use all the cores

[@baimun]

@@AlexGTech I bought Logic Pro to learn.... but I had been running Ableton on a PC, so I'll install that to compare... and I can also multi-track record directly in my Allen & Heath SQ-6, so the computer can be used for mix down/ remastering.

[@KavinMuthuKumarS]

​@@AlexGTechTo utilise all the prf cores, Try using DAW like Cubase!!

[@AlexGTech]

Heard good things about Cubase!

[@TYLERBALLADS]

@@AlexGTechhi I use Protools and Cubase pro 14 Cubase is the best by far!

[@semperfi69]

Ordered the mini m4 Pro with the max cores option, 48gb and 512 gb. Got an aluminum 40gbps dock in which i will place a nvme ssd and use my thunderbolt 5 ports to have an extended storage. Might be future proof !

[@AlexGTech]

whoa!! that's a setup and a half you got there! May I ask, what NVMe enclosure are you using right now?

[@EasyyokeFilms]

Hi, at 2:50 you seem to be confusing what an heavy file is for video editing. ProRes is one of the easiest format for any system to handle. H265 is one of the hardest because it is extremely compressed. Just thought to correct that as you seem to think Prores 422 should be hard to edit because of the large file size. It is the other way round. The more compressed a video file is from the camera, the harder it is for a system to decode and edit. The less compressed, the easier it is

[@AlexGTech]

True. But I did use a variety of clips, LOG footage mostly, with 3 LUTs being applied to each clip, mixed with clips from smartphone too, and plenty of VFX, transitions, and multiple layers of 4K.

[@AndrejsZavadskis]

do you try to make a stock from two mac mini to have more power ?

[@AlexGTech]

I've been reading about that yeah, particularly for AI workloads. I might try EXO.

[@Äpple-pie-5k]

The aspect ratio. It's better on iPhone for sure, but a downgrade on other smaller displays like smaller Macbooks, and iPads. iPads always have this problem no matter what and you can "crop a little" of content near the frame to go full screen, but the cropping takes out quite a lot more under this aspect ratio. It's really a tough call though because the smallest screen of all is an iPhone, where it performs better. So I don't know ...

[@MoobyWiz]

I plan on getting the base Mini M4 with 24gb of ram. I’m hoping for faster encoding with Handbrake and using it for a Plex server

[@Faith-yh7xd]

I'm a developer working with LLMs at work and wish to start working with LLMs at home. Your videos helped me a lot to inform me.

[@AlexGTech]

Great to hear! I’m still learning the world of LLMs but glad it’s been helpful!

[@DrEmmePhD]

Hi, any chance you can give me some good direction for what machine I should buy to start playing with local llm? Not a pro here, just trying to wet my feet so to say. Thx anyway this goes

[@Faith-yh7xd]

​ @DrEmmePhD So LLMs comes in different sizes. Here he uses a 3B model and an 8B model. There are actually models at 1B/1.5B size (Llama/Qwen). So to summarize, if you're a college student or money is an issue you can do a lot with the base 16GB mac mini by using the 1B models. You can create toy projects as proof of concept because theoretically if you make an application or perform experiments which uses LLMs you can just "hotswap" a larger model. Even though the 1B model is the "smallest", I think it works better than expected. If you have more money to spend, the RAM upgrade will allow you to run larger models which gives better outputs. The M4 Pro chip will allow models to generate or "respond" faster. I think it's useful if you want to use LLMs in "realtime" like to generate blocks of code without "lag" but for my use case I just went for the RAM upgrade on the base M4 chip. To just run a model (make it generate) at "best" accuracy(bfloat16), the estimate I use to determine the amount of GPU memory required is "size" * 2.25. So like he's shown here, even the base model 16GB can run a 3B model out of the box. To run larger models like he did with the 8B model, you'll need to "lower the settings" (quantization) to get it to run but you'll start to lose accuracy. Finetuning a model (improving a model) is hard to answer because the "vanilla" finetuning takes a lot of GPU memory but there are different techniques which uses less memory.​

[@DrEmmePhD]

@@Faith-yh7xd thanks a lot for a prompt and incredible answer! I am a believer in learning as a lifelong activity, but I left my student years a couple decades ago 😉if only I had some friends as expert as you in this I would learn much faster the basis …guess I have to look for discord groups 🤓again THANKS!

[@jasonk9770]

Thank you for the After Effects testing! I know you don't use it too much, but have you had a chance to do more AE projects on the base M4 mini? I use AE for 2d (and light 3d) motion graphics. Are you aware of anyone else who has done real world AE testing on the base model? I might have to buy one and make my own video! Thanks again!

[@offgridyo9194]

I love how you talks about "overpriced" at around 2:10 showing a what looks like a G master lens. No foul.. just funny.

[@elsner78]

Great video. I'm looking at getting either an M4 or M4 pro, specifically for use in a Resolve Replay workflow. The mini will only be running resolve pulling from an Atem Extreme SDI ISO to create instant replays and then playing them back to the extreme. My question is do you think I could get away using the base M4? Its inexpensive enough that I could get plus the Ultrastudio 4k I will need for the price of the PC I was previously thinking about building. Or do I need to go to an M4 pro? I feel like doing upgrades on a M4 itself isn't really worth it value wise and I should go with 1 of the 2 base models. Any thoughts?

[@80sNewWaveMusic]

A correction. There are already two thunderbolt 5 SSD's available and have been since before christmas.

[@stevenpike7857]

I got the Pro 16 GPU core w/ 24 MB Ram and default 512GB hard drive five days ago. It was a great price on a Black Friday deal with BH. I could have spent an extra 200 dollars for the 20 core (and I would have), but they didn't have that in stock and I didn't want to wait. I absolutely love this machine. Upgraded from a 2020 i7 16GB Radeon video card with upgraded 64 GB DDR 4 Ram iMac. I am having so much fun with it. Using it for Blender, and coding on XCode is a dream. It's amazing how fast it is crunching my code compared to the Intel i7 in the old iMac. Love LOVE LOVE it. I currently have an Alienware AW3225QF 4K HDR monitor hooked up to it, and to my surprise runs the monitor at it's native 240 Hertz using a thunderbolt usb-c to DisplayPort cable. 😮🥳.

[@AlexGTech]

Holy!! That’s awesome man… that monitor sounds amazing too!!

[@kallepyoraniemi5552]

Problem with all base models are lifecycles. I think that Pro with full loaded memory will be cheaper in long run.

[@adamnixon5503]

Base model but get 24GB unified memory. You don't need higher than 256GB for apps. Most files can go on a cheap external HD or into the cloud. It's a significant cost saving. Side note: After 24H2 I'm done with MS. I have Linux and I will once again get a Mac.

[@AlexGTech]

I’ve seen so many people moving back to MacOS recently. I wonder if Apple’s aggressive pricing on the mini is a factor…

[@AlexGTech]

Great point on RAM though, that’s usually the only upgrade I recommend, rather than storage

[@JrC123_00]

Yes, 24H2 is a disaster.

[@andersistbesser]

I do need more than 256 for apps. Just speak for yourself

[@adamnixon5503]

@@andersistbesser Where did I say I was speaking for anyone else, dummy? Learn basic comprehension. Then upgrade for less than $50 to get more space. Do you need everything spelled out for you like a child?

[@r2d2romo1]

Hola, ¿qué pensamientos te deja el mac mini vs geekom o cualquier otra mini pc? Principalmente para producción musical. Saludos.

[@AlexGTech]

Hola, la respuesta depende mucho del software DAW que uses. Por ejemplo, aunque Logic Pro no parece aprovechar de manera uniforme los núcleos de performance y eficiencia como lo hace Cubase, sigo pensando que el Mac es más amigable para la producción musical. Eso sí, ten en cuenta que no soy productor musical, solo he experimentado un poco con esto. ¡Saludos!

[@r2d2romo1]

@AlexGTech hola, utilizo Cubase 12. Pero si llego a tener en promedio unas 50 pistas sin contar buses, vca's. Y para instrumentos virtuales, suelo trabajar con vst's instrumentales. Las librerías más demandantes son las de Cremona para cuarteto de cuerdas. En Cubase ¿Cómo te ha resultado en ambas pcs y qué tipo de proyecto has visto mejor librado (con plugins, vsts, muestras de sampleo bajas, medias)?. Saludos :D

[@MyRania]

Great video! Near the end when you mentioned making the mac portable, you came close the question I’m asking myself right now : should I go for the MacBook Pro or a Mac Studio M Ultra?

[@AlexGTech]

thank you! I think the portability aspect will be quite a niche thing, but definitely workable! (it's my next video, later on this week) It really depends on how you plan to use it. The Mac Studio Ultra will be a beast for a long time too, and the MacBook Pro (assuming the M4 chip?) will still be amazing for a few more years. If I had to pick one for my use case, I think I'd still have to choose the MBP, but the M4 Pro Mini may well replace it soon. My MBP is the M1 Max with 64GB of RAM.

[@TopDogAcademy]

I am trying to get a computer or Macbook for content creation, but I have no idea what to get. I am on a budget so I am thinking of maybe something refurbished off eBay or Amazon, but I really need help. Comment if you have any tips, thank you 🙏.

[@frwiss]

I really enjoyed your genuine enjoyment - and of course the info and content. Just subscribed.

[@AlexGTech]

Welcome aboard! Thanks so much for your comment, hope you’re having a lovely Holidays and wish you a great 2025!

[@honson]

This is such a genuine review. Keep up the great work! :)

[@AlexGTech]

Thank you so much! Will do 🙏🏼 Have a lovely weekend!

[@harrisfogel6992]

Only one a.m.! Photo editors like us are just getting started! Great video. I'd like more RAM and a 512GB drive, but hate being ripped off for such small increases. Even though we have stock in Apple, I hate it when they take advantage of their customers. Just loading the OS and full Adobe Creative suite can eat up so much of the base 256gb drive, that you start to lose space for dynamic memory use. Grrrrr! Still, my M1 is pretty darned fast, but there might be a Mac Mini with education discount in our future! Best deal for the US is to buy at an Apple Store, in a State with no sales tax plus the educational discount. Schwing! You can also go to Costco in those states and often they have a special configuration with more RAM and Storage, and of course, no sales tax!

[@anudeepananth]

Wouldnt it better to wait if you plan to buy Mac Studio M2 Ultra since they are expected to be refreshed soon

[@AlexGTech]

I think it will depend on budget, really.

[@oneeyedphotographer]

I'm a photographer, and I expect that the workload I want will stress computers more than most video workloads. Imagine combining 2.4K 50 megapixels images into one photo. Fake long exposure is one example, but I imagine making several outputs from one input.

[@ghsnyc]

I would love to see a review of after effects with a little more detail and comparison between the 2 machines and the M1 Max you have. You went really fast through the AE part and didn’t get the speed differences. I have an M1 Max and I’m looking to upgrade and possibly save some money.

[@RedoanaSultana]

How did you touch control a macOS window?

[@AlexGTech]

Using espresso displays, full video here just uploaded: M4 Mac mini: Apple Accidentally Created a MacBook Killer! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gom9mIqpabCjd68

[@youcantsiumee]

Can you please help me choose a budget monitor for video editing pair with this macmini? Budget one..

[@AlexGTech]

The LG one I shared in my Black Friday video is a good one (about 450-500 right now)

[@youcantsiumee]

@AlexGTech even cheaper option

[@gerryc3112]

I still have the older Mac Mini M1. While I don't know (yet?) about the M4, one of the things that has impressed me the most is the silence of this computer. I'm wondering if the M4 is as silent. Other than the soft start-up chime, I have literally never heard a sound from it - no fans, no sound, full stop!

[@AlexGTech]

It's super quiet. I tried to record the fans when they were busy (at 3,000 RPM) and I think I managed to record the wind noise rather than the actual fan noise. It's way quieter than my MacBook Pro, that's for sure. It's like a gentle hum

[@gerryc3112]

@@AlexGTech I have been a Machead since the mid 90s and this Mini series is the best thing Apple has ever produced FOR THE PRICE. Now, if we could just get them to leave coloured cursors and Caps Lock icons alone, all would be great in the Mac world again. hahaha

[@charlespiliero4656]

@@AlexGTechwhich MacBook Pro model and config ?

[@brichpmr]

You earned my subscribe! Illuminating review. My M1 Mac Mini with 16gb and 1TB storage is a sweet productivity tool! But, the M4 Mini is very tempting!

[@AlexGTech]

Awesome, thank you so much for the sub! Welcome aboard 🙏🏼 And yes, I still have the 8GB RAM M1 Mac Mini, and still taking care of a few tasks here in the studio. These are awesome value machines!

[@mikelo303]

Great vid. Please tell us abut your portable screen fort your mini.

[@AlexGTech]

It's a 17 inch from espresso display, they do smaller ones too. Very high res and I think could be a decent portable solution for working on the road, where a laptop may not be good enough. Not an affiliate link, I just like them: geni.us/EspressoDisplays hope one day they sponsor the channel 😅

[@cheekster777]

Merry Christmas Alex. 🎄 🎅

[@AlexGTech]

@@cheekster777 Merry Christmas mate! ❤️

[@jeffreynyarko1154]

just wondering if you have heard of the Vivo x200 pro's dominance and if you have a review for it or some camera comparison coming in

[@LazyWarriorV]

Hey Alex, great work on the video! I really enjoyed the format - subscribed! I got myself a maxed out M4 Pro (14 CPU, 20 GPU, 48GB) 16' MBP and looking forward to working with LLMs. When is your AI / LLM video coming out? Thanks!

[@kaikane97]

Great review! Enjoy your happy and humble attitude.You've saved my hundreds today. Thanks!

[@AlexGTech]

@@kaikane97 that’s so kind of you to say 😊 really glad my videos are helping! Have a great new year!

[@ericd7709]

I like the ratio. I'm generally a base model guy. Started looking at iPad pro M4 nanotextured glass, but watching this on Amazon fire max 11 at a 10th of the price. Instructions to install Google play store make it quite nice and viable. I would be interested to see if you use iPad Pro as a monitor for Mac mini with macos sidecar (or remote desktop) instead of the USB monitor. I was also considering using iPad Pro (the best display in the world) as a camera monitor either using camera Wi-Fi or HDMI output captured to USB input.

[@מנדי]

Hey what monitor do u use it looks clean Also what did u use when traveling to make it touchscreen And can i run both together?

[@AlexGTech]

The monitor is the Alienware AW3423DW, I have a link to it in my description. The display I used on the go is the espresso display: geni.us/EspressoDisplays

[@jdarg4163]

I bought the Mac Mini M4 Pro 12 core as the base model is not powerful enough for my needs

[@zerajera]

I purchased the basic Mac Mini on day one and I'm gobsmacked at its size, performance, efficiency and cost. I bought it to replace my late 2013 Mac Pro 12 core (waste bin) which draws 200W just playing KZbin. Adding an external high spec 2TB SSD via a single Thunderbolt 4 connection plus a Thunderbolt 4 expansion dock to extend I/O etc. The Mac mini only uses just over 20W of power - Incredible. It benchmarks faster that my Intel i9 24 core and my AMD Ryzen 48 core PC's on single core tests!

[@AlexGTech]

Isn’t that insane? 20W of power 🤯 this is a great point which I omitted in my reviews! Will definitely add it in the next one, I’m sure people would like to know that

[@keitto]

Excellent review, mate! I am seriously considering buying the base model now that I am freelancing. It is going to be a huge update from my 2013 Mac Pro, that still can handle motion graphics, but it is limited to Adobe 2023 versions due to mac os updates.

[@AlexGTech]

Oh wow yes this would be a nice jump! And if it makes your work faster/better then it will probably pay for itself very quickly

[@guanxvi]

If you do want to play games on it surely the M4 Pro over the base model is a no brainer?

[@AlexGTech]

Slightly better on native games but not by much to be honest

[@DanCThorpe]

I'm thinking about getting the base model and just selling it in 2 years and upgrading then. If I can get half the price I paid for it. You get a very capable machine for 2 years at a very low cost.

[@AlexGTech]

Indeed, I still think this is a great value machine if you want to stay in the macOS world

[@dionhouston]

Great video! I currently have the original M1 Mac Mini with 16GB. Overall, it works really well, but I hit one of the pain points you did - still photography. For me, stitching panos and 360s routinely runs out of memory, so I'm planning on purchasing an M4 Mac Mini. Prior to my current machine, all my Macs had 32GB. Just curious on your testing - do you think 24 would be sufficient? I'm with you about not giving Apple too much money, but since you can't upgrade later, I'm leaning towards 32...

[@AlexGTech]

That's a great point, I should have tried stitching panos as I know that can be quite heavy as well. Honestly the 24GB (M4 Pro) was able to cope with quite a lot, so it might be worth trying that first and seeing how much resources it takes, and return/exchange it within a week or two, if you can do that. I know it's a hassle and returns may work different where you are, but you could end up saving a few hundred

[@dionhouston]

@@AlexGTech Yeah, I think you're right. I might be overthinking this. My Pentax full-frame RAWs are 50MB (M43 even less), even uncompressed I should be able to bring a good number into an extra 8GB of RAM. 24GB/1TB is a custom configuration in the U.S., so I think I'd have to get it straight from Apple. Hmmm... time to avail of that student discount I think...

[@dionhouston]

Actually, you're making me question whether I even need 1TB SSD... 256 is too little, but maybe 500....

[@CharisPapas]

Can you power it via USB-C and not the ac cable ‽

[@AlexGTech]

@@CharisPapas I haven’t tried it, but it would need to be able to output 140W for the M4 Pro and I think 65w for the base model. Good question though, will give it a go

[@CharisPapas]

@@AlexGTech Great, we are looking forward to your testing on Mac mini

[@thibaultrenson]

not possible !

[@mcdeadcat]

What monitor is that?

[@joetran9743]

Great job, lightning, audio and what video editor are you using?

[@AlexGTech]

Thank you so much! Something I’m still learning with every video, and means a lot when it gets noticed 😊 I use Final Cut Pro and lots of MotionVFX plugins

[@huiAPPOAJ]

Did you experience any thermal throttling while doing the tests on the M4 Pro?

[@AlexGTech]

Not at all, the fans did get up to 3,000 RPM and temperature rose to about 95 but the fans did a great job and most internal components went down to 55-65. I covered that in the stress test videos

[@KennyWagner]

The 1st video from your channel and what a fantastic review video got you a new subscriber :)

[@topicruben]

And yes, I like the aspect ratio. I used to use it some time ago, but went back to 16:9 cause many people seem to watch the videos with the phone vertically

[@AlexGTech]

Thanks Ruben! Yes, tricky one to suit everybody. People watching this on TVs also may prefer 16:9. Considering the end card issues as well, I think I will reserve this for 'special' projects....

[@brubakersflatcakes9755]

I'm a news cutter working in Premier Pro 25 on a 2019 MacBook Pro i9 with 16GB RAM. The vast majority of video is standard HD, nothing too crazy. It's been great until now. It's been flakey lately. I'm assuming it's reaching it's old age. Crazy how fast these things age. At any rate, it seems like the base model M4 Mini with a good external drive would suit my workflow and likely smoke my current setup. Any thoughts or encouragement would be appreciated!

[@AlexGTech]

I had that very same Mac! I did a video (bit of a conspiracy theory really) about how I thought Apple was slowing macs down on purpose. Moving back to the original OS - Catalina I believe - made my i9 as fast as it was when new. Worth checking that out but I can’t recommend the Mac mini enough. It seriously blew my mind

[@copycatz6170]

Which system monitor are you using at 13:04?

[@AlexGTech]

That’s called Sensei, in addition to standard macOS system monitor, viewing GPU and CPU history