M4: a great value buy?

[Tago]

But I find it interesting, my dad usually buys cheap gear, his last PC was a 500 euro HP machine with an AMD Ryzen processor with integrated graphics, and now he is saying, for just 200 euros more I can have a top-of-the-line processor with decent all-around specs and high build quality.

He is not really into benchmarks and things, he looks superficially at Apple’s marketing materials and a few video’s I send him, and he understands that it’s a good deal, that the value proposition has shifted.

If I just may add:

In my opinion the computer - Mini/Studio and the competition is mainly or all about performance and connectivity. The great user experience arises from connecting that Mini to good or great pheripherals the user actually interact by, picked to cover the needs of a specific user case and the preferred ergonomics for that user. Mouse/Pad/keyboard and Monitor choices can make the experience fantastic or rubbish be it a mediocre or great PC/Mac.

Personally, I prefer a clean desk, and use a lift desk (I`m handy and "built it" myself) and a Ergotron (LX arm for low weight 32", HX is better, but for heavier monitors) to get everything positioned the way I prefer. A good (budget) monitor allows me to work for hours and hours, and the desk/arm setup lets me do that without back/neck trouble.

Whatever pc/mac keeps it all running, I always have a good setup otherwise, and with all in place, any upgrade is just about performance/connectivity. Makes it "cheap" to keep the setup relevant.

 

[dmccloud]

I think it’s great that there is this option. It’s not a real bargain-basement product like a 375-450 euro PC, it’s a little more expensive, but it really competes well in the low-price competent computer price bracket. It is an excellent computing experience -- fast, great build quality, all the benefits of having a Mac, enough ram and storage in the base model, and a tremendous value.

If you compare the new Mini to similar sized Intel and AMD-based machines, I believe the competition is over before it truly even began. The comparison between the base M4 and x86 CPUs such as the Intel N95/N100, Ryzen 7 5800U, etc. is laughable, and the M4 will have higher memory bandwidth and SSD transfer speeds than those systems.

 

[Digitalguy]

If you compare the new Mini to similar sized Intel and AMD-based machines, I believe the competition is over before it truly even began. The comparison between the base M4 and x86 CPUs such as the Intel N95/N100, Ryzen 7 5800U, etc. is laughable, and the M4 will have higher memory bandwidth and SSD transfer speeds than those systems.

that is if you need that CPU power. Last year for Black Friday I got a Ryzen 5 6650u Mini PC with 32GB of RAM and 512GB SSD for $299. 1 TB4 port plus HDMI and Disaply port. I can run 3 4k monitors. I added 2 internal SSDs for several TBs of storage. For me that CPU is perfectly fine but I need the RAM (right now I am using 19GB). For the me RAM and storage are more important than the CPU as as it's fast enough (N95/100 probably wouldn't be). I am not considering preferences for Windows or MacOS, although everyone has their preferences.

 

[Bodhitree]

That is if you need that CPU power. Last year for Black Friday I got a Ryzen 5 6650u Mini PC with 32GB of RAM and 512GB SSD for $299.

For me, the M1 was a revelation, not because I *needed* more speed and power than my previous Intel MacBook Air, but because the overall package of CPU power, OS snappiness, and peripheral quality made the whole computing experience on Mac a pleasure for the first time, instead of just utilitarian tinged with frustration as it had been on all previous computers.

The thing is, you shouldn’t have to ‘wrangle’ your computer, it should be a pleasure to use, with high quality hardware, operating system and third-party software. That requires a fast CPU with power to spare, and the base M4 delivers that. That that computing experience is now available for a reasonable price, is a truly great achievement.