Apple released a series of press updates during the last week of October 2024 to introduce their entire Mac lineup to the M4 chip. One of these additions was the new Mac Mini. As a longtime Windows user, I have been using the base model of the Mac Mini M4 as my go-to desktop for the past three weeks, and I must admit, I am impressed with the performance of this machine. The base Mac Mini M4, with its combination of performance, efficiency, and value, I believe it is one of the most incredible deals in tech right now. Let's explore how.

Design: a tiny marvel

The number one thing about the Apple Mac Mini M4 is that it's incredibly tiny. Apple has gone through and redesigned all its computers except this one until now. As such, the Mac Mini was due a design update as well. The new design is minimalist, sporting a clean aluminium finish that gives it a premium feel. The device also looks a little bit more like a shrunken Mac Studio than a shrunken old Mac Mini. It is now a five-inch by five-inch footprint and two inches tall, making it smaller than my iPhone 7. 

Regarding ports, there are three Thunderbolt ports on the back, which will be either Thunderbolt 4 or Thunderbolt 5, depending on the chip you choose. Gigabit ethernet is set by default, and a full-size HDMI is still there. Additionally, there are two USB-C 3 ports on the front, along with a headphone jack, but sorry, no USB-A and SD card readers, so the alternative is to get a dongle instead, particularly if you are transitioning from older systems or relying on peripherals that still use these connections. Apple has also improved the built-in speaker, but there is no built-in microphone, so you will need a webcam or another audio input device for voice calls and other communications.

The thermal design has been revamped and seems to be working as promised. The updated thermal design also keeps the device quiet during typical use, although the single fan becomes audible under resource-intensive tasks. But other times, you will barely hear a sound from the fan.

Power meets efficiency

This year, the Mac Mini has jumped from M2 chip to all the way M4. The device is now available with either the M4 or the M4 Pro chip, both of which are incredibly fast. Four generations into Apple silicon, the performance gains are starting to stack up significantly compared to the M1. The difference from the Intel chips is well-known and can be felt when using this device. 

The base M4 chip is super solid and power efficient, featuring a 10-core CPU that delivers 1.8 times faster performance than the M1 chip. The 10-core GPU features Dynamic Caching, hardware-accelerated Mesh shading, and Ray tracing, to the Mini for the first time. So, graphics-intensive tasks are now 2.2 times faster compared to M1, with the 16-core Neural Engine being over 3 times faster. Basically, the Mac Mini M4 can handle most tasks without breaking a sweat. 

M4 Pro: performance for professionals

The M4 Pro raises the bar even more for professionals and power users. Featuring a 14-core CPU, it offers up to 1.9 times faster multithreaded performance than the M1 Pro, making it ideal for workloads like video editing, 3D rendering, and software development. Its 20-core GPU, with twice the power of the base M4's GPU, shines in graphics-intensive tasks, particularly with the improved hardware-accelerated ray tracing engine. The 16-core Neural Engine also ensures blazing-fast performance for machine learning and AI workflows, achieving speeds over three times faster than the M1 Pro.

RAM and ROM: partial blessings

This year, Apple finally introduced 16 GB of RAM as the standard—a much-needed upgrade from the previous 8 GB. The unified memory architecture makes 16 GB feel seamless, even when compared to the 32 GB RAM on my Windows system. The M4 has 120 Gb/s memory bandwidth, which is further elevated with the M4 Pro's 273 Gb/s, a massive 75% increase over the M3 Pro. 

However, storage remains a pain point. One can only hope that Apple will feel the same regarding the storage as they did for RAM. With that being said, you have two options: pay Apple's ridiculous upgrade price for extra storage, or provide your own storage via an external drive. The 256 GB SSD is usually enough to install your apps, and you can just then move your folders and files to an external SSD. However, it should also be mentioned that, according to iFixit teardowns, the SSD drive inside the M4 and M4 Pro Mac Mini is removable, so it can technically be replaced or upgraded in the future.

So, base M4 or M4 Pro?

There are some straightforward reasons why you should consider paying extra for the M4 Pro. The base M4 Pro comes with 8 GB of additional RAM and twice the storage capacity of than M4. It also has two additional CPU performance cores and six additional GPU cores, which is a 60% increase in performance over the M4. This significant leap in processing power translates into substantial gains for CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks, such as video editing, 3D rendering, and machine-learning workflows.

The M4 Pro also gets you Thunderbolt 5 ports instead of Thunderbolt 4. While Thunderbolt 5 offers significantly higher bandwidth, its real-world utility is mostly limited to display. And if you are one of the few people in the world who own a Thunderbolt 5 accessory, you will eventually benefit from it, especially with Apple Display featuring 6K resolution and a 120 Hz refresh rate.

For most users, the base Mac Mini M4 offers the perfect balance between performance and value. But any upgrade to this configuration seriously reduces the overall value of your purchase, especially considering Apple tax. The base Mac Mini M4 already provides connectivity for external displays, except the Thunderbolt 5. However, the only upgrade I recommend is the 10G Ethernet, but only if you plan on using wired networking.

I think most people should never even look at the Pro chip unless they know their workflow demands. The base M4 is more than capable for everyday use and even many professional tasks. However, if you are still wondering, let your RAM and storage requirements guide your decision, whether it's a Mac Mini or even in the case of Mac Studio.

Whether you choose the M4 or M4 Pro, Apple has delivered an awesome system this year. Job well done, Apple!