The Mac mini M4 Pro: This Is the Computer Most Creatives Should Buy

Apple’s little silver sq. has all the time been a find out about in contrasts: tiny but formidable, quiet but tough, easy but strangely adaptable. The newest fashion—powered through the brand new M4 circle of relatives—raises the bar once more. 

I parked the M4 Pro configuration (14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 48 GB unified reminiscence, 1 TB SSD, not obligatory 10 Gb Ethernet) on my table, stressed up a couple of 4K shows, and threw my whole combined workload at it: 4K Premiere initiatives, 1000’s of raws in Lightroom Classic, multi-gigabyte information units, and the type of multithreaded code compiles that in most cases make laptops sweat.

If the M3-era MacEbook Pro felt like Apple’s declaration that desktops may well be cell, the Mac mini M4 Pro looks like the corporate’s reminder that desktop shape elements nonetheless subject—particularly after they disappear beneath your show however outperform workstations ten occasions their dimension. Grab a drink, as a result of Apple’s smallest laptop now lands some very large punches.

Specifications

• Chips: M4 (10C/10G) or M4 Pro (12C/16G or 14C/20G)
  • Our unit: 14-core CPU (10 efficiency plus 4 potency), 20-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine, 273 GB/s reminiscence bandwidth
• Memory choices: 16, 24, 32 GB on decrease chips; 48 GB or 64 GB in this most sensible M4 Pro trim
• Storage: 256, 512 GB, 1, 2, 4, or 8 TB PCIe 4.0 SSD (ours is 1 TB)
• Front I/O: 2 × USB-C (USB 3, as much as 10 Gb/s) + 3.5 mm headphone jack
• Rear I/O (M4 Pro): 3 × Thunderbolt 5 (as much as 120 Gb/s), HDMI 2.1, RJ45 (1 Gb/s configurable to 10 GbE), AC-in
• Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3
• Display enhance (M4 Pro): Up to 3 6K at 60 Hz monitors or one 8K at 60 Hz and one 4K at 240 Hz combo
• Dimensions and weight: 5 × 5 × 2 in (12.7 × 12.7 × 5 cm); 1.6 lb / 0.73 kg
• Acoustics: 5 dBA at idle (mainly silent)

Design

Apple hasn’t ever attempted to cover that the Mac mini is a extra conventional laptop: you provide the peripherals, it provides uncooked processing. What’s modified is how few compromises stay. Pop the 2024 fashion subsequent to a 2018 mini and the 2 machines do not even percentage a silhouette anymore, as a result of it is so compact. The whole chassis is CNC-milled recycled aluminium and nonetheless cool to touch even after a forty-minute export. The base stays a round vent; with a rubber backside lifting the unit simply excessive sufficient for airflow.

Front USB-C ports subject, complete forestall. My card reader now lives at the table as an alternative of dangling from a hub, and I’ve every other loose to simply attach peripherals as wanted with no need to do gymnastics in the back of my table. Around again, 3 Thunderbolt 5 jacks free up 120 Gb/s of bandwidth—at hand whilst you notice a unmarried 40 Gb/s enclosure now not scares the bus.

At simply 1.6 kilos, the mini is lighter than any complete body lens I personal, but the enclosure feels cast as will also be. You can simply disguise it anyplace you wish to have and create an overly minimalist, blank table.

The best grievance I’ve with the design is the facility button, which is situated beneath the pc. Granted, it is infrequent at the present time that I complete close down a pc; reasonably, they fall asleep more often than not once I step away, however whilst you do wish to flip at the laptop from a completely powered down state, it is a bit traumatic.

Chip, RAM, and Real-World Performance

The Numbers

Geekbench 6 posts a 3,822 single-core and 22,340 multi-core CPU rating, plus a 110,104 Metal GPU quantity for this 14C/20G variant . For reference, that’s about 50% quicker multi-core than a 2023 M2 Pro mini. Apple is making spectacular development with every new technology. That’s much more glaring whilst you imagine the truth that the M4 Pro Mac mini boasts higher ratings than my pace demon M1 Ultra Mac Studio.

Hands-on Workload Testing

What does that imply in observe? It’s speedy. I’ve been running on an intense multi-core Python venture for a number of months. Each run of this system calls for spatial interpolation and research of just about 1,000,000 issues. Once they are aligned, this system conducts a large seek of a number of million combos of issues to look which fulfill standards, then plays a 3-dimensional research of those who cross the filter out. It’s an especially challenging workflow that usually takes a minute or two to run and sends cooling enthusiasts operating to leaf blower ranges. Running program with my check information, I spotted it ran particularly extra briefly than on my M1 Max, which already did an excellent activity with it, and the M4 Pro is a lower-tier chip with a decrease energy draw. That’s spectacular.

Memory Ceiling

Unified reminiscence stays Apple’s joker. Its deep integration with the SOC approach its very speedy, and that’s the reason vital for somebody running on huge information units or huge Photoshop information.

Storage

Does 1 TB really feel cramped in 2025? If you shoot photograph and video, sure—however Thunderbolt 5 has made “internal versus external” virtually moot. That being stated, you might want to have no less than 512 GB for your inside force for the OS and apps. And the interior garage is speedy; I usually get about 6,000 MB/s learn and 5,000 MB/s write speeds. That’s a large deal when you are an inventive steadily coping with huge information; everyone knows how traumatic it may be ready on gradual copies and transfers.

Cooling and Acoustics

The whole thermal tale suits in a single line of the spec sheet: 5 dBA idle. Because the mini sits additional out of your ears than a pc keyboard, perceived quantity is less than the MacEbook Pro even if RPM is the same. During maximum paintings, you can by no means pay attention it. When the fan does spin up, it is reasonably quiet. It would possibly not trouble you.

Ports and Connectivity

• Thunderbolt 5 (3×): 120 Gb/s. These are probably the most flexible ports, able to maintaining with the quickest exterior SSDs or riding high-resolution shows.

• HDMI 2.1: Up to 8K decision at 60 Hz or 4K decision at 240 Hz

• 10 Gb Ethernet: This is superb to have if in case you have the wiring in your home or place of business. I sadly do not, however with Wi-Fi 6E, I will be able to get 9.6 Gbps speeds.

• Front USB-C: rated for 10 Gb/s, which is over a gigabyte a 2d, making them lots speedy and handy sufficient for offloading information from a shoot.

Missing items? An SD slot would have made the entrance I/O best possible. Apple obviously desires the mini to really feel common, now not photo-specific.

Audio

The mini keeps a unmarried down-firing driving force for device beeps—not anything you’d play track on—however the 3.5 mm jack helps high-impedance cans. HDMI 2.1 passes 24-bit Dolby Atmos to my soundbar with out handshake problems.

The Value Proposition

Starting at $549, it is laborious to argue the price proposition of the Mac Mini. That being stated, if I needed to suggest a candy spot configuration for photographers and videographers, it will be the M4 fashion with 32 GB of unified reminiscence, a 1 TB SSD, and Gigabit Ethernet for $1,399. You more than likely do not want 10 Gb Ethernet except you are running off a big NAS (and Wi-Fi 6E is helping that), 32 GB of reminiscence can care for maximum duties, and 1 TB will depart you numerous room for the OS and any apps you wish to have. Remember that the garage and unified reminiscence don’t seem to be upgradeable, so you’ll want to get what you wish to have.

What I Liked

• Desktop-class pace in a 5-inch sq..

• 48 GB unified reminiscence that is very speedy.

• Thunderbolt 5 × 3 feels correctly future-proof.

• Front-facing USB-C—small exchange, huge day-to-day comfort.

• Whisper-quiet, even mid-render.

• Energy frugal.

• Environmentally ahead: recycled aluminium, copper, gold, rare-earths, ENERGY STAR qualified.

What I Didn’t Like

• No SD slot.

• Power button location.

Conclusion

The Mac mini is a pc that has no proper to be this small, this quiet, and this speedy on the similar time. Apple’s silicon trajectory as soon as once more redefines what “entry desktop” approach: the mini fits a lot better computer systems in media duties, fits or surpasses ultimate technology’s Mac Studio in many professional workloads, and sips energy whilst doing it. If you organize huge photograph libraries, edit multi-camera 4K pictures, or run million-line compiles and already personal respectable peripherals, that is the unmarried best-value Mac you’ll purchase.

It received’t change a pc on location; it doesn’t check out. Instead, it guarantees that whilst you’re again on the table, the bottleneck will probably be your creativeness, now not your {hardware}. Plug it in, omit it’s there, and watch your renders end ahead of the espresso will get chilly. That, to me, is without equal ingenious device: unfussy, unshowy, unstoppable.