Mac mini M4 vs. M1 Max MacBook Pro - SURPRISING!

[@DavidLewisTech]

While I wait for M4 Pro Mac mini to arrive, I went out and bought this - the M4 Mac mini with 512GB SSD and 24GB unified memory. What specs have you chosen and how will you be using yours?

[@TechwithTonyUK]

Personally went for the base Model, I will be using mine mainly as a media device, for streaming and recording video feeds for my Channel. I Went out to curry’s today and got myself a little dock for £29 with 2 USB-A ports, SD card slot, microSD slot, HDMI and 2 USB-C ports. Works a treat! So far I have done a few initial benchmarks and ran Davinci resolve and OBS recording 3 4k video feeds and Audio and the Mini didn’t go over 45 degrees, and ran silent! Keep up the great work, I personally would like to reach 25 subscribers by the end of the year haha :)

[@filipr6070]

Thanks for the video. My sister was going to upgrade to upgrade from a M1 to M4, but I heard webbrowsing and Office isn't faster. An upgrade only for basic stuff isn't worth it. Is that right?

[@tomm1-c9e]

@@filipr6070 A potato can manage webbrowsing and Office. For basic tasks M4 is overkill. It's a good buy if you have a very old computer or don't have computer at all. M1 is still a beast. Don't upgrade.

[@DavidLewisTech]

@@TechwithTonyUK well, you have just gained a sub from me! 👌🏻Yup, these M4 minis are pretty faultless!

[@DavidLewisTech]

@@filipr6070 M1 to M4 is a worthwhile upgrade 👌🏻

[@sko3225]

My mini M4 Pro base model showed up today at around noon, and it is a rocket. You're going to love yours.

[@DavidLewisTech]

I mean - just how much better CAN it be! This thing is flying!! Got notification today that my Pro arrives next Tuesday

[@williamsmith306]

I purchased an i7 Mac mini in 2019, and then the M1 came out in 2020, I was tempted, but I stuck with the intel which honestly served me well all this time. When the M4 was rumored to be coming I decided I would finally upgrade. Boy Howdy is this thing a joy. The intel is still in use as a music server in my workshop replacing a 2012 mini doing that job. My mini sits beside me in the living room and feeds a 65" 4K tv across the room, the same used on the i7 before it. The new M4 mini has corrected all the outstanding issues I had previously with the i7, HDMI now reconnects each morning when I turn the TV on, and my Keychron K14 keyboard works reliably using bluetooth. The stars have aligned.

[@DavidLewisTech]

and I can feel your happiness from here! Enjoy William!

[@brettseventytwo]

I picked mine up last weekend (in Tokyo) and the staff told me that I was lucky to preorder because they also were already sold out! Finally replaced my 2019 intel iMac and set it up last night.

[@graxxor]

Yen sucks balls though right now. 100k for the base model is a joke.

[@DavidLewisTech]

welcome to a fan-free life my friend!! I bet the smile on your face right now is HUGE!

[@wadewilliams1892]

Do you think the people buying are new buyers / students / people selling older Mac’s?

[@DavidLewisTech]

I think Apple is going to find these minis appeal to a lot of fresh new faces!

[@kamertonaudiophileplayer847]

Does it have a sleep mode? So it should be turned off by itself, and then turning back on when you start using a keyboard. No needs of the power button.

[@graxxor]

Name a computer made in the last two decades that doesn’t have sleep/hibernate. Of course with Windows it’s 50/50 whether it wakes up again. Mac sleep / hibernate is actually usable.

[@DavidLewisTech]

I often use my watch to turn on my Macs these days...

[@GadgetReviewVideos]

I would be curious on the time of that video export semi-base unit M4 mini VS your iPad Pro M4? Different operating systems (sort of) but could show the power of the M4 in both units.

[@DavidLewisTech]

oooh!! Good shout. I will make a note of that and work it into a future video! Cheers 🤛🏼

[@markhjones100]

Thanks again David! Looking forward to your thoughts on the pro version.

[@DavidLewisTech]

and here it is Mark! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJPal6d3r7KjqKs

[@mpetrides]

Your enthusiasm is infectious, David! Thanks. I knew the new Mac mini was well received by KZbinrs, but the other videos I've watched did not highlight how much enthusiasm it is generating among average users. I'm tempted by the new mini. However, I have an M1 Max Mac Studio that meets my current needs. Soooooo… I'm really eager to see your comparison video when you get your M4 Pro Mac mini. Is the new Mac mini a worthwhile upgrade for someone like me? Hopefully you'll provide useful data wrt that very question.😊

[@DavidLewisTech]

thank you, thank you..... I just got notified today that my Mac mini Pro will be with me next Tuesday! I can't wait!

[@filipr6070]

Thanks for the video. My sister was going to upgrade to upgrade from a M1 to M4, but I heard webbrowsing and Office isn't faster. Is that right?

[@DavidLewisTech]

I've been using the mini all day long, and all I can tell you is this thing feels as fast as heck at anything I throw at it! This M4 is a decent upgrade without a doubt

[@KosherCoder]

Good video. I liked the interview. Looking forward to the M4Pro review.

[@DavidLewisTech]

thanks, man! I got a notification today that it's gonna be delivered next Tuesday!

[@done-ManJustLivingLife]

This is exactly what I ordered.

[@mdex1]

Just ordered mine, M4 pro fully loaded (just 1tb ssd though 😂)

[@graxxor]

So.. not fully loaded then.

[@mdex1]

@@graxxor yeh whatever 🤣🤣

[@DavidLewisTech]

I have just found out my Pro will be with me a week from today. Having seen how good this base model is, I can't wait to get my hands on the Pro now. This Mac mini is stunning!

[@DavidLewisTech]

still great specs he's ordered

[@ravuslupus]

The base model was in stock in Belfast today for about 45 minutes, the sales figures for the m4 mini are going to be insane. I may have caved and ordered one to play with- my first mac since my mid 2009 13 inch macbook pro (which I still have, and still works, albeit with linux).

[@DavidLewisTech]

WOW - your first Mac in over a decade! If you did weaken, by now I bet you are in 7th heaven! Yup, these Macs are flying out of the door!

[@20windfisch11]

I originally planned to buy either the 64GB M4 Pro model or an M4 Max MacBook Pro with 128GB. I want to run local LLMs and make my own AI apps with them. However yesterday I discovered Exo which allows to cluster multiple machines to share the work, so I am thinking of getting multiple M4 Pro almost base models with24GB (because of Thunderbolt 5), the main one with an additional external SSD and a shared folder for the models. From what you show, the 24GB is capable of all everyday tasks and the others then kick in when the AI models are needed. Could maybe even run a Docker swarm on that.

[@DavidLewisTech]

this 'little' mini ha blown my mind and raised the bar! It's another level of efficiency

[@Realist-m9c]

Apple have been over charging for upgrades from day one, it's not new. Having said that, they are incredibly reliable. Just yesterday I fired up my 2010 MacPro to access a licenced version of After Effects 5.5. I only use that machine about 3 days per year, but it's still going, albeit heavily modified from original.

[@DavidLewisTech]

yup - agreed! Most Macs are pretty bullet proof and seem to last for ever!

[@GurmukhSinghBahra]

This is the review I’ve been waiting for, almost got the exact same spec, but upgraded further to 1TB SSD

[@DavidLewisTech]

I think if this was my only Mac I too would have upgraded to 1TB. Have you started using yours yet? Damn - this thing is flying!! 💪🏼

[@GurmukhSinghBahra]

@ I’m expecting for it to arrive in a week! Really excited to use it as it’s my first Mac since I purchased the MacBook back in 2010 😃

[@DavidLewisTech]

Oh man - you are in for such a treat! No matter what you've read or watched, in reality, these M4 Mac minis are just amazing! I feel so happy for you!

[@NeilLavitt]

Good discussions; I think you're right about these machines blowing out to 8 years. The M1 Macbook Pro I have still feels as great today as it did when I bought it and I definitely see no reason to upgrade to an M4 model right now. The 16/512 Mini is perfect for what it need to do right now and so far it has passed with flying colours. dod a lot of web app work and the browsing performance is outstanding in Safari and Chrome. One thing I have noticed with the Vision Pro is that the enhanced foveated rendering that has been introduced as part of the upgrades to the Vision Pro Mac Virtual display works so well on the M4 that the 7680 by 2160 (2 X 4K displays are pin sharp) in the ultrawide, instantly, anytime you look at them. On the M1 Pro, they still work well, but there is a noticeable minor lag in refocusing the screen as you quickly move your head around. It is not nauseating but just perceptible. That enhanced speed and perhaps some other chip optimisations that help the rendering really make a difference. Basically, now, the Vision Pro and an M4 Mac is better than any physical widescreen setup. I put on the Quest 3 I have and went to do a virtual screen share and the difference is extreme.

[@DavidLewisTech]

Hi there Neil - wow...you have the Vision Pro too then! Do you use them much? When I went for my demo I was mind blown! As for the M4 minis - they have nailed it as far as I'm concerned!! What a machine this is. It's damned near faultless!

[@techwithbenefits]

Like I needed to see more reasons why I should buy one 😅

[@nauscakes1868]

There's a speaker on that thing? This is the first time I've ever even heard of that

[@alexdoyleguitar]

The problem is you just can't keep up. I think it's better to go wild and then have one computer for 3/4 /5 years. I bought the MacBook Pro 16 m3 only 7/8 months ago and already this seems to make it feel old and obsolete

[@DavidLewisTech]

Yup - there will always be something new just around the corner

[@markshirley01]

Hi at the beginning of the video you said the MacBook Pro exported the 1080p video faster than the mini, is that correct. I have a 2020 8gb 256gn MacBook Pro I was going to trade in for a base M4 Mini. But I'm not sure now.

[@DavidLewisTech]

Hi ya - yes, that's right. But my MBP is highly spec'd (4TB SSD/32GB RAM/M1 Max). But the fact that a base mini was only 1 minute slower amazed me. And it was an hour-long file too. I'll be getting the M4 Pro mini next week, so you may want to watch that video...honestly, I have nothing but praise for this mini

[@markshirley01]

@DavidLewisTech do you reckon the base mini would be an upgrade from my MacBook Pro

[@DavidLewisTech]

yeah - those 8GB will be holding you back. Don't forget, these come with 16GB minimum now!

Apple upgrades were very expensive even when they were using Intel processors. So it is not expensive because of Apple silicon.

[@DavidLewisTech]

Good enough point - except back then at least you often had the option to upgrade yourself. with Apple silicon they have you locked in!

@@DavidLewisTech I bought my first MB Pro in 2016 and even then you did not have an option to upgrade it by yourself later. I know that before 2016 it was partially possible, but you know. It's been almost 10 years back 🙂So yes, you could do that before but not since 2016.

[@conalhendry]

Love this video, really sheds light on it. Still not for me. I like the idea of a MacBook for portability for me. It was good to see a Samsung/Windows users point of view too. Finally watching on my heavily delayed 16 pro max too!

[@DavidLewisTech]

Now that sounds like one big badass!! The 16" Max MacBook Po! Oof!

[@conalhendry]

@ yes, that'd be the one. Ideal for all kids of productivity and media consumption. They seem I dare say reasonably priced too!

[@DavidLewisTech]

@@conalhendry still using and loving my 2021 M1 Max MBP!

[@conalhendry]

@@DavidLewisTech I expect I'll have it for years to come. They're very well optimized

[@atdiana77]

Size and price will induce migration from Windows OS

[@DavidLewisTech]

agreed

[@phillblake6829]

The old macs before apple silicone lasted 10 years too most people kept them for ages

[@DavidLewisTech]

yeah - when I've made videos about the iMacs, so many people have told me they still using 10-12 year old iMacs!

[@utube9487]

Warning for everyone wanting to see a base Mac Mini M4 review. Skip the video, he is reviewing the 512Gb SSD / 24GB Ram 'base model'.

[@graxxor]

So the $1000 unit. Damn. The value drops off a cliff them moment you hit the “upgrade” button. 8gb ram and 256gb of flash memory for $400. In what universe is that considered good value?

[@mickeysmoove4562]

@@graxxor16gb ram is the lowest available

[@edwardkenworthy7013]

@@mickeysmoove4562 He's writing about the upgrade costs: adding 8GB to RAM and adding 256GB to the SSD.

[@rebs4jezus]

@@graxxor 8gb of ram? you living in 2021?

[@DavidLewisTech]

It is the base chip - not the Pro chip, so my video is accurate. I mentioned early on that the 16GB/256GB model was sold out. I never clickbait

[@techwithbenefits]

So tempting

[@DavidLewisTech]

@@techwithbenefits go on….you’ve already got the monitor!

[@atdiana77]

M4 Mac mini is like a portable desktop❤ ; hooked me

[@DavidLewisTech]

I'm actually going to make that point in my next video - it's easier to move around than my MBP!

[@perrinunderbough7779]

your friend looks like a young, plumper Steve Jobs!!

[@maxgraham2030]

It's uncanny!

[@DavidLewisTech]

Ha!! Yeah, he's been told that a few times!! 😊

[@andrewskivington6453]

I've been looking at a mini PC for game emulation (I have Macs for my work)... but this is only $500 for Black Friday in the US at Costco and Amazon! Sold.

[@misterdutch2853]

Just exporting video tests are almost useless. Working on the timeline, multiple videos on top of each other, applying effects, that says something but we don't get to see it.

[@DavidLewisTech]

I turned this entire video around in one 16-hour day to help folks who are looking to buy a mini! Exporting an hour-long 1080p video is a pretty decent reference point I'd say

[@maxgraham2030]

Anyone else think the guest here looks like a young Steve Jobs?

[@DavidLewisTech]

...if he had a dollar for every time that had been said to him...✌🏼

[@atdiana77]

Mac Pro has battery 🔋 cycle cost than mac mini m4

[@akin242002]

Even though the regular M4 Mac Mini, it may not be for everyone. Some work software does not run on MacOS, and most games do not run natively on MacOS. For those who don't have those limitations in work software or don't game, it's a great value machine. The missing ports can be compensated for with a $20 dongle, and the storage can be helped with cheap external storage (Samsung T7 or T9).

[@DavidLewisTech]

Yup - I use an Ivanky dock with it and the T7 SSD. These M4 minis are pretty special!

[@wadewilliams1892]

Ps such an aggressive move indicates Apple want a max in every home in a few years. POWERMOVE to blow away pc’s.

[@DavidLewisTech]

this is going to be the Mac for everyone...trust me

[@Youtubeuseritis]

Mac mini is the real deal

[@DavidLewisTech]

I totally agree! They have nailed it!

[@Youtubeuseritis]

@@DavidLewisTech I have the Mac Mini M1 with 16 gb and even that one is awesome. Very hard to believe this is $200 cheaper than my M1 and significantly faster and much smaller.

[@DavidLewisTech]

I've spent the week using it since I made the video and I am in love with it. What an amazing machine...

[@The_Cali_Dude_88]

I want the highest EVERY SINGLE THING ❤

[@DavidLewisTech]

I know that feeling!!

[@ThepurposeofTime]

you look tired and high on coffee bro 😅

[@DavidLewisTech]

...it was a lonnnnngggg day bro!

[@ThepurposeofTime]

@@DavidLewisTech look after yourself!

[@DavidLewisTech]

thanks bro 👊

[@arthurwatts1680]

I'm confident that Russia and China got their money's worth.

[@michaelgourlay1746]

Subscribe...subscribe...subscribe!!! David develops great content and delivers with aplomb!!

[@DavidLewisTech]

Amazing support Michael! Thank you, my friend ✌🏼

[@shameermulji]

M4 / 24GB RAM / 512GB SSD really is the sweet spot for most people.

[@akin242002]

Yep. At 512 GB of internal storage, it has 3000s ish Mb/s read/write speeds. Which is solid on a professional level of programming and video editing. 24 GB of RAM is a great way to future proof your RAM needs. Some of it will be used for AI, but AI can be turned off with a toggle button drag in settings. It isn't even that expensive when you factor in the $100 student discount.

[@alus992]

Most people don't need 24gb ram because none uses that much of it. I just have opened my 10 most used big Excel sheets, 5 big ass word docs, 5 250+ page pdf files, MS Teams and Outlook, Edge and Arc with KZbin and multiple Reddit tabs opened. Usage? 12gb. ANd people in KZbin-Sphere are really overestimating the necessity of 512gb of storage. Most people use cloud for everything and they stream everything especially Apple ecosystem users who are tied to iCloud pretty much

[@shameermulji]

@@akin242002 For sure!

[@Mikeyt2000]

I mean you are saying most people… most people literally work on google docs 😂 most people don’t render or do anything that will even get close to maxing out the 16gb of ram. And you can get a 1-2tb external ssd for way cheaper and the machine doesn’t move around so it’s practical unlike a MacBook

[@shameermulji]

@@Mikeyt2000 Apple Intelligence, over time, will require more RAM. You can bet on that.

[@The_Cali_Dude_88]

Why does everyone want to get the “base” it’s worthless IMHO. So mines going to be the top off the lots with maxed everything but keep the terabyte to two for all the art and pictures to come. I see people running bench tests against the highest M1 but they aren’t doing same with the mini, they base off the lower configurations… why?

[@graxxor]

Opinions are like arseholes. Everybody has one.

[@DavidLewisTech]

Hopefully, you found some interesting points in the video...

[@ordinarygg]

Please, please, fix your sound, it's like 16bit audio record, can't enjoy your videos((((

[@DavidLewisTech]

thats sad - must be your side. Sounds perfect to me and no else has mentioned a problem

[@ordinarygg]

@@DavidLewisTech I listening in Bose QC 35 headphones it's clearly sounding like 16bit( please try in headphones as well

[@ordinarygg]

@@DavidLewisTech or in another case I have some issues with my ears, in both ways I'm losing xD

[@DavidLewisTech]

I master on flat, powered studio monitors and then on the last watch through I listen in closed-backed Beyerdynamic DT700s. Audio has always been in my blood since my radio days. I hope it doesn't interfere too much with your enjoyment of my videos

[@ordinarygg]

@ I think this is the reason) DT700 have a great mid to high frequency output, but avg headphones doesn’t, maybe this could be the reason