Every time I glance over at the new Mac Mini on my desk, it feels like the Mini's ideal form. The redesigned enclosure makes the most of Apple Silicon's small footprint, and with Apple's M4 chip and an ample selection of ports, the 2024 Mini should remain a zippy, reliable computer for years to come. It's never been more mighty. Well, except for the much pricier M4 Pro version. Stay tuned for more on that soon.
Regardless of which configuration you choose, the Mac Mini continues its reputation as a great tiny desktop computer, especially for folks who are more choosy with their peripherals. The same problem remains: There's no way to upgrade the hardware down the road. Unlike traditional desktop PCs, you can't just swap out the CPU or add more RAM when you need it. You're probably going to keep this Mac Mini for a while, so kit it out accordingly.
If you're just looking for a basic and adorably small Mac desktop, the $599 Mac mini will likely be all you need. And if you're looking to do a bit more serious work, and can't justify the $1,999 Mac Studio, the $1,399 model is a decent value compared to PC workstations. Just be prepared to stomach Apple's upgrade prices: You'll have to spend an additional $400 just to get 32GB of RAM on the base Mini, and another $400 to get a 1TB SSD. That's wildly out of step with prices outside of the Apple ecosystem, where you can easily find a decent 1TB NVMe SSD under $100. (That said, unlike a laptop, connecting a cheap but capacious external drive to the mini is a more viable option.) Apple's gonna Apple when it comes to upgrade pricing, but at least you can finally buy a $599 Mac mini with 16GB of RAM. That alone is reason to celebrate. The fact that it's cute enough to impress my kid is a nice bonus.
There's little that's inherently bad about the machine (the power button is more annoying than bad), but it's not entirely clear where it stands in the Apple desktop lineup, with the Studio and iMac flanking it on either side. I can't tell you for sure how large that segment of the market is at present, but I suspect the system is most purchased in the enterprise. It's easy to image companies buying these up in bulk. For consumers who are on the fence, consider whether a MacBook or iMac makes more sense for your setup and pocketbook.
If you're looking for a home office computer, a home entertainment machine or a system for live streaming, podcasting or other content creation, the M4 Mac Mini can do all that. You'll get the best of what MacOS Sequoia and Apple Intelligence have to offer in a tiny box and at a reasonable starting price. The price ratchets up quickly from there, though. The good news is the M4 seems like it can handle quite a bit (we're still wrapping up our benchmark testing of it), so definitely consider just upping the amount of memory before rushing to the $1,399 M4 Pro, unless you need extra graphics performance and better display support. Also, for students and families, I would recommend the M4 iMac because the all-in-one design is easier to manage.
The M4 and M4 Pro Mac minis are the best ones Apple has ever made because they're good mini workstations and good entry-level PCs. The M4 combined with 16GB of RAM means the $599 mini can handle basic browsing and office use; casual photo, audio, and video editing; and high-resolution multi-monitor setups. The M4 Pro version of the mini is an excellent replacement for any power user's aging Intel iMac, with a level of CPU performance, display capabilities, and RAM capacity that required an expensive M1 Ultra Mac Studio just a couple of years ago.
Sinds Apple zijn eigen weg is ingeslagen met Apple Silicon en daarmee de x86-architectuur de rug toegedraaid heeft, zijn de prestaties van zijn eigen socs in rap tempo gestegen. Dat is ook het geval met de nieuwe Mac mini's met de M4 aan boord. De prestaties zijn wellicht wat lastig een-op-een te vergelijken, zoals we dat graag met ipc-tests bij processorgeneraties doen, omdat we geen controle over de kloksnelheden hebben. Kijken we echter naar de singlethreaded performance in een benchmark als Cinebench 23, waar we een enkele core van de M1, M2, M3 en M4 naast elkaar kunnen zetten, dan is het duidelijk dat Apple met de M4 een sprong gemaakt heeft. Waar voorgaande generaties nog prestatiewinst in de enkele cijfers lieten zien, is dat met de overgang naar M4 met overtuiging in de dubbele cijfers.
Gast
