The new Mac mini lineup?

[Boil]

We currently have two Mac mini models; the "low-end" M1 Mac mini released in the Fall of 2020, and the "high-end" Intel (8th Gen CPU) Mac mini released in 2018.

Some say there will not be a M1 Pro / M1 Max powered Mac mini. I would say if there were not going to be a "high-end" Mac mini, Apple would have already discontinued the 2018 Intel Mac mini.

Rumors of a thinner (shorter?) Mac mini. I would think this is intended for the M2 SoC, as it needs less space & cooling.

Rumors of the new smaller Mac Pro being "the height of 3x Mac minis". I think this is actually a new design for a Mac mini Pro! A taller chassis for a larger internal PSU, heat sink, & fan. Rumors of these SoCs not having a set TDP, with CPU & GPU frequencies ramping as long as cooling & power are available?

The actual Mac Pro Cube will have the same dimensions as the G4 Cube, 7.7" x 7.7" x 9.8"; as an aside, I feel the reason the Mac mini footprint was changed from the original 6.5" x 6.5" to the newer 7.7" x 7.7" is as an ongoing tribute to Steve Jobs!

 

[Krevnik]

Rumors of the new smaller Mac Pro being "the height of 3x Mac minis". I think this is actually a new design for a Mac mini Pro!

I'm pretty sure the M1 Max would be wasted in a chassis that big. You'd need to step up to the "Jade 2C" before adding volume on the existing Mac mini.

Cooling on the existing Mac mini design would be tight for the M1 Max, but if they can get similar upgrades to what the MBP just got in terms of airflow, it should be fine. I'd be tempted by an M1 Pro in a Mac mini though.

 

[Boil]

I'm pretty sure the M1 Max would be wasted in a chassis that big. You'd need to step up to the "Jade 2C" before adding volume on the existing Mac mini.

Cooling on the existing Mac mini design would be tight for the M1 Max, but if they can get similar upgrades to what the MBP just got in terms of airflow, it should be fine. I'd be tempted by an M1 Pro in a Mac mini though.

If it was a top vent (2019 Mac Pro style holes) with a 180mm fan & a much larger heat sink (with vapor chamber), all that could account for the added height; whether this might also have the cooling capacity for a M1 Max Duo is another question?

And then maybe the Mac Pro Cube (a little more than twice as tall at 9.8" in height, but an inch of that is feet height) can manage both the dual M1 Max & quad M1 Max...?

 

[Boil]

Looking for maximum PPL (Performance Per Liter) from the SFF (Small Form Factor, generally agreed to be 20L or less) Mac / Mac Pro desktop (non-AIOs) line-up!

Mac mini / Mn SoC - 7.7" x 7.7" x 1" (?) - 1 liter in volume

Mac mini Pro / Mn Max SoC (possible dual Mn Max) - 7.7" x 7.7" x 4.2" - 4.2 liters in volume

Mac Pro Cube / dual Mn Max (possible quad Mn Max) - 7.7" x 7.7" x 9.8" - 9.7 liters in volume

Wow, that height & volume match-up is weird? ;^p

Crunching the theoretical numbers, a dual Mn Max powered Mac mini Pro would seem the winner?