M4 Mac mini evaluation: Pace, Efficiency, redesign, price

I’ve owned a Mac mini for the reason that very first G4 mannequin. In an period of cumbersome towers and a G4 Dice simply years earlier than that impressed however did not ship, the little field introduced Apple energy to a small desktop package deal, and I used to be enthused.

And since then, I’ve had one in service 24/7 consistently. Even now with a Mac Studio on my desk, there’s one upstairs in use with a member of the family, one within the different room silently buzzing away performing as my community hooked up storage and take a look at platform, and some extra on my shelf that I’ve hoarded through the years, simply ready for an software.

Past devotee pleasure, it has additionally been essentially the most accessible possibility for switchers. The low worth made it an excellent first Mac for PC customers interested in altering their computing ecosystem.

It is had the identical footprint since inception, and held roughly the identical aluminum design for 15 years or so. Optical drives have gone, and the upgradeability has different considerably through the years, however the footprint has remained the identical.

That’s, till 2024. That is the primary main exterior design change in years. So, let’s discuss it.

The earlier exterior enclosure for the Mac mini had a rounded-off sq. footprint at 7.75 inches lengthy and huge, together with the heigh of 1.41 inches.

To a degree, you possibly can say that the brand new Mac mini follows the same path. From above, it is nonetheless a rounded sq., nevertheless it’s loads smaller at 5 inches throughout and deep.

M4 Mac mini evaluation – It is obtained a a lot smaller footprint than current equipment

Shrinking the footprint does pressure Apple into making compromises, and the primary one is the peak. It’s taller at 2 inches, nevertheless it’s probably not that a lot greater than the final one.

It is nonetheless a sq. aluminum puck with an Apple brand on the highest. It is simply extra svelte when trying top-down than earlier than.

One other compromise is one that truly works out to be a profit to finish customers. There’s not sufficient house for the entire ports to exist on the rear.

M4 Mac mini evaluation – Not all ports are across the again

What that has finished is pressure Apple to relocate some parts, with a couple of making their technique to the entrance of the physique. Apple took this strategy with the Mac Studio in 2022, and apparently they really feel that this was a great transfer. I believe so too.

However let’s discuss that energy button. It has been shifted beneath the enclosure, beneath one of many corners.

The place of the ability button could pressure you to raise up the Mac mini to succeed in it, nevertheless it’s not going to be one thing customers will do that always.

M4 Mac mini evaluation – The ability button’s new location

It is nonetheless not fabulous, on condition that Apple has stripped auto power-on and power-off timings out of the Settings menu and is forcing customers maybe model new to Mac to determine the Terminal to do it. We’re positive equipment are going to come out that may take care of this.

All instructed, this is not a present stopper. It is simply annoying.

USB-A is gone. We have been saying for years that USB-C is finest embraced, and Apple is making it clear with the brand new Mac mini that it is time to shift.

It is not an enormous deal now, and it wasn’t 9 years in the past when the 12-inch MacBook shipped with USB-C solely. We do not suggest adapters, as that is only one extra connection that may be problematic.

As a substitute, when you’ve obtained a non-USB-C peripheral, simply get the cable you want, which might be a USB-C to USB-B cable. They’re plentiful and low cost.

Anyway, within the older Mac mini design, there have been a pair of USB-A ports, HDMI, Gigabit Ethernet, a headphone jack, and two Thunderbolt 4 ports on the M2 non-Professional Mac mini.

M4 Mac mini evaluation – Two USB-C ports and the headphone port on the entrance

For the M4, Apple’s restricted house meant it needed to rethink what the again of the Mac mini appears to be like like. HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet is accessible as ordinary across the again. Extra on monitor assist in a bit, however when you want bleeding-edge networking, you may nonetheless improve the Ethernet to a 10-gig model.

Like I stated, there isn’t any extra USB-A. Additionally round again with the HDMI and ethernet, Apple determined to supply a trio of Thunderbolt 4 ports as a substitute.

The headphone jack and a pair of USB-C ports with USB 3’s 10Gb/s speeds stay on the entrance.

No Wi-Fi 7 right here, however that is okay. It should be some time earlier than Wi-Fi 7 in all fairness priced. Wi-Fi speeds are as you’d anticipate, with no notable deviations from regular.

Bluetooth stays at 5.3, which can be not price a lot dialogue. Your AirPods, keyboards, and different Bluetooth peripherals will work simply fantastic. Easy operation is the hallmark of the Mac mini, so this isn’t surprising.

The bottom M4 consists of a ten-core CPU with 4 efficiency and 6 effectivity cores, together with a 10-core GPU. The GPU advantages from hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which may also help video games that use it look even higher.

There’s nonetheless the 16-core Neural Engine, which is primed and prepared for Apple Intelligence. There’s additionally the Media Engine, returning to deal with hardware-accelerated video encoding and decoding duties.

Clearly, the massive factor listed here are the efficiency enhancements. They’re beefy.

Geekbench single-core benchmarks

Most duties depend on a single-core. For many customers, the single-core M4 generational enhance would be the most impactful velocity enchancment.

Geekbench multi-core benchmarks

Geekbench 6.3 multicore: 15,012 – about the identical as M2 Professional.

Geekbench Steel benchmarks

And, in advertising, Apple needs to name the M4 Macs gaming machines. We have seen sizzling takes that the brand new Mac mini is an efficient alternative for the brand new PlayStation or Xbox, given the inclusion of ray tracing.

We cannot go that far. Regardless of there being some benefit to the idea total given the efficiency of the machine, the Mac gaming panorama stays horrible.

That panorama is the largest obstacle to the entire “Mac mini as gaming console” idea. Till that is mounted, it isn’t a great alternative for a console, or an Intel or AMD-based gaming PC.

Certain, there are big-name titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, No Man’s Sky, and the forthcoming Civilization 7 that may work fantastic. Do not anticipate to play Future 2, or many of the AAA titles in the marketplace.

And even when you do, do not get them from the Mac App Retailer. Get them from Steam as a substitute.

So far as storage goes, as we have stated earlier than, Apple has chosen to make use of slotted SSDs for the M4 Mac mini. At current, that is extra so Apple would not have to have a number of SKUs for motherboards, and might simply slot in SSDs at meeting time.

The restore professionals at iFixit have swapped out the 256GB SSD with a 512GB module from a donor unit, with the assistance of Apple Configurator. So, upgrades are potential. We’ll see with time.

There stays a pretty big distinction between the 256GB module and better storage capacities. Utilizing BlackMagic Disk Pace take a look at, we noticed about 2 gigabytes per second write, and three gigabytes per second learn on the 256GB capability.

The M4 1TB model has symmetrical learn and write speeds at about 3 gigabytes per second. It is a notable velocity distinction, however not as notable because the M1 mini demonstrated between the low capability and excessive capability fashions.

We’ll be discussing this extra in a future evaluation, however the M4 Professional Mac mini delivers about 6 gigabytes per second learn velocity max, and 5 gigabytes per second write.

As at all times, you recognize what you are getting when you purchase the $599 config. Extra velocity prices extra money.

And, we aren’t followers of Apple’s SSD pricing. Exterior storage is sort of at all times a greater and vastly more cost effective possibility for desktops.

At full retail, upgrading the 256GB mannequin to 512GB prices an extra $200. Going to 1TB boosts that to $400.

M4 Mac mini evaluation – Extra highly effective than the Mac Professional it is leaning on

And, throughout Thunderbolt, these drives will solely be very barely slower than an upgraded storage Mac mini. They’re going to be considerably sooner than the 256GB capability.

As I nearly at all times have, I like to recommend exterior native storage, or community hooked up storage as a substitute of paying Apple’s exorbitant SSD costs. Perhaps do what I do, and use a Mac mini a technology or two outdated as a server linked to your tv, with a large quantity of arduous drives.

Use your improve cash for further RAM, possibly. Apple’s RAM costs are steep too. In a desktop type issue, that is cash higher spent than inside storage.

Regardless, be aware. The M4 Professional Mac mini is only a rung up the ladder or two, and it is easy to get to that worth level including upgrades.

Talking of that RAM, the Mac mini now ships with 16GB of RAM normal. That is greater than sufficient for many of the goal marketplace for this system, as even 8GB is enough for phrase processing and many of the use {that a} Mac mini sees.

That stated, the savvy AppleInsider reader, for essentially the most half, has been butting up towards the bounds of that default capability for a while. The 16GB is welcome, particularly since Apple Intelligence will chew a little bit of that.

The principle criticism from AppleInsider readers about Apple Silicon has been the lessened monitor assist, versus the final Intel Macs.

The non-Professional fashions of Apple Silicon have been restricted to a pair of shows. This manifested within the portables as the interior display screen and one exterior, and on the Mac mini as one on HDMI, and one on Thunderbolt.

We have spoken about this a bit on this evaluation already within the spec desk above, however Apple has modified that with M4.

In brief, now you can have three displays linked to a base M4 Mac mini, versus two. For 3 displays, you may join two 6K displays at 60Hz, over Thunderbolt, with a 5K 60Hz show over HDMI.

M4 Mac mini evaluation – The brand new mannequin on prime of the outdated one

In case you solely want two displays, The HDMI port might be the place you wish to join your essential monitor. With one 5K60 show linked over Thunderbolt, that HDMI port can assist one 8K 60Hz or 4K 240Hz show over HDMI.

I do not presently have a 8K monitor to check this with, sadly. They’re nonetheless spendier than the funds permits. Ought to I be capable to beg, borrow, or steal one, we’ll replace this.

However, what I can say, is that I used to be capable of swap out my Mac Studio on my desk, and join my essential monitor at 4K120 over HDMI, and two portrait-oriented displays at 4K60 simply fantastic.

Apple has at all times centered on a couple of particular markets for the Mac mini, and it is unfold a bit to others. At its core, the Mac mini was designed present customers with a Mac that will not break the financial institution, and get going with minimal effort.

It is unfold to fans like me who jam them locations the place others would put a Raspberry Pi. Knowledge facilities like MacStadium like them too, they usually have already got a plan for racking up the brand new mannequin.

There was a day the place the Mac was the primary product and the iPhone was the “halo” one which the Mac would draw individuals in the direction of. This hasn’t been the case in a very long time.

As a substitute, the brand new Mac mini stays a whole Mac expertise that at $499 beneath training pricing, is half the price of an iPhone 16 Professional.

We’re all for squeezing each final dime out of a capital funding in computer systems. That stated, when you’re all in favour of efficiency on a budget, the one cause to stay with an Intel Mac mini at this level is Boot Camp.

And there is arguments to be made that the M1 is getting a little bit lengthy within the tooth for folk that learn AppleInsider on the common.

It has been virtually 5 years for the reason that Apple Silicon transition. Practically all of the vital software program is Apple Silicon-native now, and non-native Mac software program is quicker beneath Rosetta than it ever was on an Intel mini.

The exterior design is totally different for the primary time in years. The footprint is now radically modified for the primary time in 20 years. We’re positive that the brand new footprint has confounded accent designers, however we’re additionally positive that they are on the case already.

What hasn’t modified is the truth that Apple’s new M4 Mac mini stays the most effective steadiness of computing energy to price for the computer-as-appliance crowd you could get for the cash.

• M4 has massive velocity positive aspects over M2 within the final mini
• Unchanged $599 retail worth
• New design, for the primary time in years, however…

• The brand new design can be a con for equipment that match the identical footprint
• No USB-A, however this is not main 9 years after Apple first used it
• Actually unusual energy button placement — however this too is not main
• Horrible SSD and RAM improve pricing

Each 2024 Mac mini configuration is on sale in our M4 Mac mini Worth Information, with costs beginning at $549 at press time.

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