Deciding on a Mac Studio or Mac Mini is harder than ever.

[AdmiralKirk]

I pulled the trigger on a new M4 Pro MacBook Pro last November for over £3k and got cold feet and returned it. It was going to spend 90%+ of its time docked to my dual 4k 27 inch screens so it made more sense for me to get a desktop.

For me, I prioritise silent running, I have grown to HATE computer noise and I want it like my iPhone, to just get out of the way and let me use it. I need the computer to last at least 5 years without feeling like it can’t do what I need during that 5 years. I also need it for Microsoft 365, AI development with the ChatGPT and Claude API, although not really local LLM’s unless it becomes technically possible for non-extreme specs. Wordpress development, light gaming like Civilisation 7. Light coding. Making podcasts. Making training videos.

The problem is that all the YouTube reviews of the Mac Mini M4 Pro all say it can do all this with ease, although opinions differ as to how silent and hot it runs doing some of those.

I’d prefer the Mac Studio obviously, but my preferred configuration of the M4 Max 16/40, 64gb ram 2TB of storage runs at £3399, which although seems to be the sweet spot for the studio, is a LOT of money and will wipe out my savings. I’m fine with that as long as I’m buying the right computer and it’s an investment in me using it to make a lot more money. But if I’m senselessly overbuying guilt will eat at me at some point.

Can anyone here help me with any thoughts that might help me with this decision?

Thanks for any and all help! 😊

 

[apostolosdt]

I'm in favour of Studio, but that's my opinion. I have owned practically all Mini models--2012, 2014, 2018, and now a base M4; they've served me well but within their computational limits.

I also own Max M1 and M2 Studios, both being impressive machines. Anyway, I've come to avoid direct criticism on any of the above and, instead, prefer a more naïve and practical approach: Ultra is for pro video and music production, Max is for pro photography, Mini is for anything 'lighter'.

My [new] two cents.

 

[Pressure]

Perhaps you don't need the absolute newest to accomplish those tasks and ruin yourself financially. The bottleneck is likely to be the one in front of the computer monitor any way.

I'm sure you can find a sweet deal on an older Mac Studio with the M2 Max.

 

[JSRinUK]

If cost is an issue, I’d ask if you absolutely need the 2TB (maybe you do for your video work).

I went for a Studio 128GB but limited myself to 1TB. For my use-case, RAM was my priority and that’s what I was prepared to pay for.

I have three external Crucial X9Pro SSDs (4TB total) for holding things like my LLMs. Yes, I could have pushed for 2TB internal but that would still have required me to have external SSDs anyway (my downloaded LLMs alone take up over 1TB already).

With my MacBook Pro, more internal space would have been handy (I got 1TB there, too) because dangling SSDs from the USB ports of a mobile device is no fun. But, for the Studio sitting on a desk, it’s fine. I know, one day, I’ll have TB5 drives.

I now use the Studio for my heavy lifting and have a lighter version of my workflow for my MacBook.

 

[streetfunk]

I’d prefer the Mac Studio obviously, but my preferred configuration of the M4 Max 16/40, 64gb ram 2TB of storage runs at £3399, which although seems to be the sweet spot for the studio,

i run the same. Sweetspot vs. finances would have been for me the 1TB.
But my installations take that much space.....no clue why tht is. Anyway ( not the point here)

I had since November 24: a M4mini-pro, a M4mini-non-pro, now sayed studio.
i´ve seen them in action with the very same usage cases.

I totally like the M4-small ! I totally like the M4Studio-max ( your prefered config)
I absolutely don´t like the M4mini-pro, 12c. I gave that one back. lucky me.

Heat build up, and how the P-cores are loaded vs. my ever same singlethreaded app i use, was on all completly different. In my opinion is something wrong with the M4mini-por. Its not a good construct in my opinion.
Yet, i would guess, things will be fine for most folks under most usecases.

To whoever needs the cPU speed of the mini-pro AND would upgrade the RAM to above 24GB, that should be a nobrainer decission in my opinion. Anyway vs. the 14core model / 10 P-cores !
The M4mini-pro is just not made for that load. and i would guess many who take a Mini-pro could also live with a M4mini-small.

The M4studio-max is vs. its CPU power vs. Wattage usage vs. connectivity a fanatstic machine !
and the samll M4mini is as well.


folks who come to post in M4-question threads, but refering to old M1s, M2s etc, should start to realise that the M4 SoC works completly different. There are several things just nolonger the same !
You, these poeples views, it´s just not a point.
at least not vs. what i´m doing. That´s audio related work. Mostly on a single threaded app.

the whole CPU load distribution, yes vs. that ST app, and tmeperatures etc, is entirely different on the M4.
it gets warmer, it getts very quick warmer, and with my M4mini-por, would *allways* ALL P-cores get warm or hot ! Taht was totally nuts.
My M4mini-small has just 4 P-cores, so there´s nothing to worry about that. Yet it was never getting same warm. ....you see the pattern here ? .....10 p-cores that would generate heat.....and a housing that was -in my opinion- not built for that.
The studio is perfect, same work, same app, NOT all cores get loaded, everything stays quite a bit cooler.
Wattage consumption is comparable to my M2mini,14core. Mostly slightly less. I´m very fine with that. Feels good to even run a studio for all daily tasks.
It´s not ike sucking 250W, leave out 600 or 700W.

right now, writing this, three pro music apps open ( 2 which do load a Mac, even when parked idle), 13W consumption, 39°C. My M4mini-small would run now probably at 44-48°C. The M4mini-pro, probably at 52°-53°. The mini-small would eat now probably 9W. My M2mini, 14core, would be at 15W


daily use, 16H a day, 13-19W if not heavy loaded, heavy loaded with -my- music makking. Then 35W in my case, for sayed M4studio. I LOVE that machine.....exept for all the Display connection problems. But i managed it on a fisrt.

 

[streetfunk]

No, to me the deccision is not harder than ever. you just need to have all the informations

also, M5 won´t come as desktops.....and won´t be the next good mac interation. just guessworking.
M6 could be a next great machine.
In 4 years the M8.

i would guess wthin that time will we see some changes of focus vs. the mac SoC and IOS development.
I would guess we will also see some things settle. I could imagine that in 4 years, that will be a good time to jump on the next one. I personally do not trust the coming developments with that stupid AI focus going on right now

Now, this seasons M4, thats to me the perfect time to take a pocket-loady one.
M4Studio, 16core, 64GB RAM or more, 2TB SSD....or just 1TB ( which would be the sweetspot machine in my opinion)

 

[Macintosh101]

I actually went from the M4 Mac Mini Pro (24gb Ram) to a M4 Mac Studio (64gb Ram) and for me it has been a significant difference. The studio runs cooler and quieter, the extra thunderbolt ports are very handy, as are the other ports (this has allowed me to get rid of my dock/hub). The studio can handle the local LLMs I need with ease and is better for other specialized things I do, as well as gaming.

I got the 512gb ssd option and still have 400gb free by using an external tb5 enclosure. In my option there is absolutely no need in the age of Thunderbolt 5 to pay Apple for more internal storage. I’ve put the majority of my applications and data on an external 4TB NVME, in a thunderbolt 5 enclosure, which gets faster read and write speeds than the internal drive.

The M4 studio is an absolute beast of a machine, that’s for sure.

Hope this helps.

 

[MacPoulet]

I actually went from the M4 Mac Mini Pro (24gb Ram) to a M4 Mac Studio (64gb Ram) and for me it has been a significant difference. The studio runs cooler and quieter, the extra thunderbolt ports are very handy, as are the other ports (this has allowed me to get rid of my dock/hub). The studio can handle the local LLMs I need with ease and is better for other specialized things I do, as well as gaming.

I got the 512gb ssd option and still have 400gb free by using an external tb5 enclosure. In my option there is absolutely no need in the age of Thunderbolt 5 to pay Apple for more internal storage. I’ve put the majority of my applications and data on an external 4TB NVME, in a thunderbolt 5 enclosure, which gets faster read and write speeds than the internal drive.

The M4 studio is an absolute beast of a machine, that’s for sure.

Hope this helps.

Which enclosure did you get? I’m looking for a moderately priced enclosure for my nvme drive but they’re practically unobtanium in Canada.