The new Mac mini is almost certainly coming

[Populus]

Not sure if I should get 10 GigE or not.

Me neither.

Actually, I’m not sure whether to go with the M4 or M4 Pro. The faster RAM speed is really tempting but I’m not sure 24GB will be plenty for the next 8 years. And upgrading memory from 24 to 48 makes it uncomfortably close to two thousand… and that’s with the binned chip. Meanwhile the M4 can be configured up to 32GB keeping it close to 1.200€ but RAM bandwidth isn’t as good… Damn Apple, you and your price ladder.

 

[grandM]

A new display had been welcome too.

 

[Populus]

About to order a Pro. I'll appreciate the power but biggest reason is DP2.1 over USB-C and TB5.

Undecided if I should get the upgraded chip (+2 CPU cores, +4 GPU cores) for another $180. On the one hand, it's not a lot of money. On the other, it's kind of a lot for just a couple of cores. Opinions?

If you’re going to need raw CPU and/or GPU power, I think it is worth the extra $180. Here, however, it is 230€, so I’m not so sure…

 

[enc0re]

A new display had been welcome too.

I figure they are waiting for the Studio release to update the display(s). DisplayPort 2.1 and TB5 on the mini Pro is not an accident.

 

[grandM]

Given the price difference most people are better off buying the base model. They refresh a lot nowadays. Buy a better one over 2 years.

 

[enc0re]

Screw it! I spent the extra and went for the full fat M4 Pro. Kind of cool that my M1 mini is getting $300 in trade-in credit. Can't wait!

Spoiler

 

[grandM]

I figure they are waiting for the Studio release to update the display(s). DisplayPort 2.1 and TB5 on the mini Pro is not an accident.

When do you figure they will refresh the studio?
Noticed some retailers have over 3 weeks listed for the ASD. Was hoping for a refresh.

 

[grandM]

Screw it! I spent the extra and went for the full fat M4 Pro. Kind of cool that my M1 mini is getting $300 in trade-in credit. Can't wait!

Spoiler

View attachment 2443848

Right you are. 🙂🤗

 

[MacPoulet]

Curious to see how the M4 Pro Mac Mini compares to the base M2 Max Mac Studio.

 

[colinsky]

About to order a Pro. I'll appreciate the power but biggest reason is DP2.1 over USB-C and TB5.

Undecided if I should get the upgraded chip (+2 CPU cores, +4 GPU cores) for another $180. On the one hand, it's not a lot of money. On the other, it's kind of a lot for just a couple of cores. Opinions?

I'd wait until the end of the week to find out if they spring a new m4 Studio on us.

 

[gmanist1000]

Oh man, such a good computer, been waiting for this for a long time!

I got the base model upgraded to 32GB of RAM.

 

[AAPLGeek]

Curious to see how the M4 Pro Mac Mini compares to the base M2 Max Mac Studio.

I'm more curious to see how the base M4 Mini compares to the base M2 Max Mac Studio!

 

[enc0re]

When do you figure they will refresh the studio?
Noticed some retailers have over 3 weeks listed for the ASD. Was hoping for a refresh.

Gurman says next year. So I figure then.

 

[AAPLGeek]

Any estimates as to exactly how much smaller they could go compared to the current version?

The current Mini is 7.75 inches wide, with the M1/M2 logic board being 5.20 inches at its widest. Assuming they're going for a layered PSU and cooling fan assembly like the Mac Studio, we're still looking at something around 5-5.50 inches wide. They could probably miniaturize the M4 logic board even further, but they still need to account for all the ports at the back, PSU and heatsink fan assembly.


View attachment 2442398



View attachment 2442400

I posted this a few pages back and I'm thrilled to see they didn't go overboard with the whole miniaturization thing like a lot of people thought.

Still has internal power brick, active cooling and plethora of ports. Big wins!

 

[grandM]

I posted this a few pages back and I'm thrilled to see they didn't go overboard with the whole miniaturization thing like a lot of people thought.

Still has internal power brick, active cooling and plethora of ports. Big wins!

Did see some gorgeous designs on the internet which were much prettier to be honest. The mini surely could have seen some colors too. Never liked the studio design which reminds me of a Big Mac.

Design wise Apple once made the G4 Cube. Pure art. This thing isn’t good looking.
The colors match the ASD though. Actually found the iMac colors fun. Would have bought one if they had been 27’’. Guess we’re back condemned to grey though.

 

[EugW]

I posted this a few pages back and I'm thrilled to see they didn't go overboard with the whole miniaturization thing like a lot of people thought.

Still has internal power brick, active cooling and plethora of ports. Big wins!

Actually most people here with actual estimates were saying about 5” to 5.75”. I myself said 5”-6”, but probably around 5.5”. So if anything, the estimates were actually a bit larger than what it turned out to be.

P.S. As they are now over 1U, maybe the rack mounted Mac mini market isn’t as important as some claim.

 

[AAPLGeek]

Actually most people here with actual estimates were saying about 5” to 5.75”. I myself said 5”-6”, but probably around 5.5”. So if anything, the estimates were actually a bit larger than what it turned out to be.

That's great. I was mostly referring to all the comments taking "Apple TV sized" comparison literally.

 

[MacPoulet]

I'm more curious to see how the base M4 Mini compares to the base M2 Max Mac Studio!

View attachment 2443865

Why? It seems like the Mac Mini Pro is the one to get Thunderbolt 5, which would be a huge benefit for anyone working with multiple external drives like you would find with a Studio.

 

[AAPLGeek]

Why? It seems like the Mac Mini Pro is the one to get Thunderbolt 5, which would be a huge benefit for anyone working with multiple external drives like you would find with a Studio.

I'm mostly interested in the CPU and GPU comparisons. Working with multiple external drives can be achieved on the base M4 Mini, depending on how fast you need them.

Most workflows won't really benefit from TB5 SSD speeds. Hell, most NMVe drives throttle after a few hundred GBs as their cache fills up making it all a bit pointless.

TB5 is OVERKILL for majority of the users.

 

[Che Castro]

Going from 16gb ram to 24gb ram worth it for $200 ?
I plan to keep this mini for a long time , my last mini lasted 10 years
I had 16gb on the last one , but that was the max

 

[Michael Scrip]

Going from 16gb ram to 24gb ram worth it for $200 ?
I plan to keep this mini for a long time , my last mini lasted 10 years
I had 16gb on the last one , but that was the max

If you plan on keeping this Mini for 10 years... I would say yes... do the upgrade.

You don't want to get to year 7 and say "crap I wish I had 24GB..."

I think we can all agree that Apple's prices for RAM upgrades are insane.

But if you spread that extra $200 over 10 years... it's not so bad.

 

[Populus]

Going from 16gb ram to 24gb ram worth it for $200 ?
I plan to keep this mini for a long time , my last mini lasted 10 years
I had 16gb on the last one , but that was the max

Now the max is 32GB.

I think if you -like me- plan to keep it for the next decade, the upgrade to 24GB is well worth it, and I would even consider 32GB, although at that point, the M4 Pro with its much faster RAM becomes interesting…

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

If you plan on keeping this Mini for 10 years... I would say yes... do the upgrade.

You don't want to get to year 7 and say "crap I wish I had 24GB..."

At least after 7 years, it'll only be a few more years before Apple updates it to 24GB RAM standard!

 

[Che Castro]

Is it finally fanless? couldn't find that spec in Apple's website

I read that it has a fan but that was from another forum member

 

[Gloor]

is that a serious question? Have you not watch the video from Apple?

Is it finally fanless? couldn't find that spec in Apple's website