Choice of Mini M4

[Olliesgrandad]

I'm in the market for a new computer. Both my windows desktop and laptop are not Windows 11 compliant and now to add to the problems my PC hard drive is full (despite having all my photos on an external ssd) and all my other work on the cloud in Microsoft 365.
My problem stems from lightroom. Yesterday I processed just over a 1000 RAW files from a mornings work. Currently I'm using a computer with 32gb ram, a 256gb hd ,Xeon E-1225 v5 3.30ghz processor with a NVIIA Quadro K620 display adapter . It was incrdibly slow and I got a critical 'out of space' warning from lightroom which was only helped by removing a program from the hd.
The question is do I go for the standard M4 with 24gb ram and a 512gb hard drive or a 1tb hard drive. Alternatively would I be better off with the M4 pro with 512gb drive. I don't want to spend a fortune at this time but do need to upgrade.
Useage wise Lightroom classic is the demanding app, but I may wish to use photoshop at some point (it is currently removed form my hd to save space. The rest of the time my work involves having multiple browser tabs open and the use of MS office.
All thoughts gratefully received!

 

[Ray2]

I think 256 gb is a non-starter and 512 is a budget driven approach for experienced Mac users who use drive space in a frugal manner. I’d opt for the standard, 16gb is sufficient for LR Classic, 24 is safe if you may start using PS, 1 tb internal.

Art is Right on YT is a good source for photographers. He puts Macs through a consistent set of LRC tests. You’ll see the Pro is materially quicker, for a material bump in cost.

If you’re not there already, leave some funding for a 40 Gbps/USB4 drive. It will make having your images on an external pretty close to seamless.

 

[blufrog]

Cross-posting. I agree with @Ray2 - Mini M4 Pro 12/16 actually out-performed the MBP 16" M4 Pro 14/20 so it seems the hardware is more than capable, and thermals are the limiting factor.

From what I can tell so far, the M4 Pro 14/20 works out about 15% faster than the M4 Pro 12/16.

24 GB seems to be adequate for photo-editing. There was one or two instances where more memory helped, but you need to check your use-case if this applies to you frequently enough to matter.

Definitely get 1 TB internal, and buy a nice TB4 external. OWC do a great M.2 enclosure that you can put an M.2 drive in for high speed storage/working drive (mine should be arriving today). Regular 2.5" SATA SSD enclosures/drives are cheaper for general storage and will enable you to offload your system of user-files to ensure you have working space.

 

[Fishrrman]

M4pro.
48gb RAM.
1tb SSD.

 

[Olliesgrandad]

Thanks for all the informative replies. I've now ordered a standard M4 mini with 24gb memory and 1tb hard drive. I've already got a 4tb 40 gbs external hard drive so I'm looking forward to it's arrival. Thanks again.

 

[Phish311]

Could use a little help myself on which way to go between M4 and M4Pro. I use my computer for work, which involves lots of Zoom meetings and mutli-tasking as i'm on them (i work in finance), and generally have 20+tabs open on browers while running excel/word and so on.

I also run my 8TB harddrive which is full of movies and music (i have a large collection), and those stream to AppleTVs throughout the house. Other uses are minor photography and music editing.

I appreciate any advice!

 

[MrGimper]

Could use a little help myself on which way to go between M4 and M4Pro. I use my computer for work, which involves lots of Zoom meetings and mutli-tasking as i'm on them (i work in finance), and generally have 20+tabs open on browers while running excel/word and so on.

I also run my 8TB harddrive which is full of movies and music (i have a large collection), and those stream to AppleTVs throughout the house. Other uses are minor photography and music editing.

I appreciate any advice!

I can't tell you if my configuration is overkill, but I use it for a similar set of tasks including tinkering with logic, final cut etc. I also run Citrix sessions to various clients at high resolution. Doesn't skip a beat. I have the standard M4 with 32GB RAM and 1TB SSD. Nothing has suggested I need the 32GB RAM but I got it anyway and I'm sticking with it

 

[Phonzoxd]

Cross-posting. I agree with @Ray2 - Mini M4 Pro 12/16 actually out-performed the MBP 16" M4 Pro 14/20 so it seems the hardware is more than capable, and thermals are the limiting factor.

From what I can tell so far, the M4 Pro 14/20 works out about 15% faster than the M4 Pro 12/16.

24 GB seems to be adequate for photo-editing. There was one or two instances where more memory helped, but you need to check your use-case if this applies to you frequently enough to matter.

Definitely get 1 TB internal, and buy a nice TB4 external. OWC do a great M.2 enclosure that you can put an M.2 drive in for high speed storage/working drive (mine should be arriving today). Regular 2.5" SATA SSD enclosures/drives are cheaper for general storage and will enable you to offload your system of user-files to ensure you have working space.

Where can i find vid or article of 12core m4 pro in mac mini performing better than 14core m4 pro in macbook pro?