It really doesn't. You're moving the goalposts. The only time that sort of comparison makes sense is when you have infinite available work. That is approximated by people playing long videogame sessions, or doing very large renders/transcodes (maybe)/AIstuff/etc. It's certainly not relevant to home theaters, normal use, or even (in most cases) audio engineering.
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First review about sound... fan noise
- Thread starter Cape Dave
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Since when did anyone use a computer for what it was supposed to be used for?
The principal thing is mostly “how cheap can I go” and “how can I not change this thing”. I’ve seen some horrible things in the field still limping along. In fact a fairly well known band runs all their own editing stack off a circa 2003 compaq workstation running XP and ProTools with a DSP card in it. That was as of 2023. I am not sure what necromancy went into it and didn’t ask as I didn’t want to get asked to “fix it” one day.
Not everyone has influencer level of polish and studios. It’s all dirty and organic.
At that point in the conversation, I have to add that I really do want the Mini to work. And I’m pretty sure that audio (be it engineering, creation or both) is not the most demanding, taxing workflow.
I’m here to get info on how this wonderbox is behaving for my usage. Silly question, I know. But still. Worth the try.
Having such a powerful machine being noisy is either a compromise (possible), bad engineering (highly doubt it, the feat is impressive) or just wrong statement (because of benchmark tests, etc).
And I’m not rich enough to splash 3000+€ without researching first.
I could do without the attitude, for sure. But everyone has valid points and it is quite interesting to read all this. Polarizing at times, it appears. But mainly interesting.
I’ve got really inconsistent infos on this issue.
Two friends of mine sent theirs back. Three others are keeping it. All are M4 Pro Minis.
My associate landed the M4 Max. Tried to max it with a current session : silent af. Maxed it on benchmarks : a plane.
I’m gonna wait and see. But that’s just me.
Cool to see/hear some fresh reviews. Helps in making an educated decision.
More powerful chip (more heat) in a different (smaller) case makes it harder to dissipate the heat. Seems like the combination of both are the cause as opposed to being one or the other.
Im curious, I am on Day 3 with Mac Mini M4 Pro and mine has a slight humming noise as soon as it's ON just slight web browsing. Can't tell if the humming noise knowing it's there will bug me later or if it is common and I put up with it etc.
However, if I put my hand on the top and press down a bit the noise will stop. Is anyone with the new Mac Mini able to comment on theirs? Thanks
However, if I put my hand on the top and press down a bit the noise will stop. Is anyone with the new Mac Mini able to comment on theirs? Thanks
No it’s not. It shows the design is not the same on pro as is on the base. Here is why:
Dota 2 has same settings on both. (All maximum)
Base M4 was silent during gaming but the fps was around 60. Couldn’t really go over much. Perfect enough for this game and silent too.
Now, I take the M4 Pro - same settings and the fan goes nuts and the machine gets loud. Yes, the chip was able to do around 120fps but didn’t behave the same way as the base - ie. Base was silent when achieving its maximum potential whilst Pro wasn’t. There lies the difference.
Same game, same settings - two different outcomes.
Honestly, I’m way more impressed with the base M4 than the Pro. The copper clearly didn’t help that much.
Dota 2 has same settings on both. (All maximum)
Base M4 was silent during gaming but the fps was around 60. Couldn’t really go over much. Perfect enough for this game and silent too.
Now, I take the M4 Pro - same settings and the fan goes nuts and the machine gets loud. Yes, the chip was able to do around 120fps but didn’t behave the same way as the base - ie. Base was silent when achieving its maximum potential whilst Pro wasn’t. There lies the difference.
Same game, same settings - two different outcomes.
Honestly, I’m way more impressed with the base M4 than the Pro. The copper clearly didn’t help that much.
Thank you very much for your impressions, Gloor. This is exactly what I was looking for. Just an individual opinion on the same stress scenario with the same settings on both machines. I hate those Youtube-Expert-"reviews” that don't address the actual effects of the enclosure-redesign, especially as the cooling solution has undergone a major change.
I am very spoiled with the BTO M2 (non-pro) because it's absolutely (!) quiet no matter what I do, so the M4 Pro I was considering as an upgrade seems to be a step down in terms of fan noise. And I absolutely hate fan noise. Well, this purchase would have been an “I want because I can” rather than an “I must because I need to” purchase anyway, so I'll consider keeping what I have or, if the upgrade itch gets too strong, get an BTO M4 (non-pro).
I am very spoiled with the BTO M2 (non-pro) because it's absolutely (!) quiet no matter what I do, so the M4 Pro I was considering as an upgrade seems to be a step down in terms of fan noise. And I absolutely hate fan noise. Well, this purchase would have been an “I want because I can” rather than an “I must because I need to” purchase anyway, so I'll consider keeping what I have or, if the upgrade itch gets too strong, get an BTO M4 (non-pro).
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It seems the consensus is the new Mini is hotter and louder. My M2 just became more amazing.
You don’t actually know that the case has an effect. It’s not just smaller but a different design.
For all you know the old case would be worse then the knew one.
Also don’t know if the fan curves are the same.
Yeah, I definitely need the Pro, as I'm doing large projects in Logic Pro with lots of plugins and software instruments. Also, the processing power requirements tend to increase over time with newer plugins, so some extra headroom is necessary IMO when buying an expensive computer that needs to last at least 6-7 years.
I was about to order the unbinned M4 Pro version, but definitely on the fence now. Will still wait for a few more reviews, before making up my mind.
I've been using a hot and loud 2018 i7 Mac Mini since 2020, and the last thing I want to do is replace it with something that's going to be almost equally annoying.
This is just typical Apple. They flubbed the previous Mac Pro and MacBook Pro design (among others), and you would've thought they had learned by now...
Totally agree. I almost find Marques Brownlee the most offensive, because he has such a huge channel, and should do better than just be a glorified Apple-salesman at this point.
I think Max Tech is one of the better youtube channels. They're not perfect, but are honest and specific with their tests and comparisons, including temperature, throttling and fan noise - and call out Apple on their BS when needed.
Yeah makes sense. I’m interested in the base M4 Mini, but with 512 storage. Reading the reviews I’m holding fire for now - my M1 does the job fine, I just wanted a separate device for music making since I’m using the day-job computer.
I might go for a refurb M2 Mini, or even an M2 MacBook instead if I can find a 16/512 spec at a decent price, though the new M4 prices are pretty good value in comparison.
I'm considering buying the M4 Pro Mac Mini, but have concerns about the sound level of the fans. My questions are for people who have already tried this model:
1. Are there any times when the fan is not running?
2. If on all the time, what is the slowest speed at which it runs?
2. Does it run when the Mac Mini is asleep?
3. Has anyone checked decibel levels at various fan speeds?
1. Are there any times when the fan is not running?
2. If on all the time, what is the slowest speed at which it runs?
2. Does it run when the Mac Mini is asleep?
3. Has anyone checked decibel levels at various fan speeds?
what are you reading in the reviews that would make you less interested in buying arguably the best value Mac that apple has ever sold?
I wish I could justify buying one but I need a laptop so got a 16" MacBook Pro. But for the price I paid I could have gotten a nearly maxed out mini
you can buy a refurb m2 right now CDN$779 (8GB 512GB)
but why would you do that when for only CDN$20 more you can get the m4 with 2 more much faster cpu cores and twice the ram
They're all bloody awful. Influencers. Mind-*******s.
I expect the claims by a vendor to be measurable. Therefore I run my own benchmarks and tests within the return window. I write the test criteria before I buy the thing to keep it objective. And I'll call Apple out on any BS.
The M4 mini is uneventfully decent though.
The last thing that got taken back was the 2018 MBP with butterfly keyboard.
Funny, I feel self-indulgent replacing my modest 2018 base Mini that I got for $599 from Apple refurb store in 2020, but I'm sentimental about the Mini's, and wanted a new toy that would inspire a workspace overhaul for approaching winter. It has a prominent spot instead of a hidden shelf, and I finally have a use for the spiral cable that came with my Audio Technica headphones.
If I had an M1 that was doing a fine job, I'd probably trade it in, and have the same excuse. 😁
As I threw benchmarks, games and encoding jobs at the Mac mini, I was constantly impressed by how much it could tackle without making any discernible fan noise. But Apple can’t escape heat. The Mac mini has a large intake fan along its bottom that sucks in cool air and spreads it out throughout the entire system. However, when I started running Cinebench's multithreaded benchmark, the fan kicked into high gear and the Mac mini sounded like it was getting ready to take off.
It's not an unpleasant sound — it's more like a calming white noise machine than the obnoxiously loud Mac fans of yore — but it's certainly noticeable. If you're typically wearing headphones or blasting music, it may not be an issue, but it could make the Mac mini very annoying in a shared office setting. If you're planning to constantly throw heavy workloads at it in high power mode, you might be better off with the larger Mac Studio, which can better handle heat.
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"That's a computer?!" My daughter just couldn't believe her eyes when I pulled the new Mac mini out of its box. It measures just five-inches by five-inches across, and it sits a mere two inches tall. The Mac mini is an adorable box that resembles an oversized Apple TV. But what's more impressive...www.msn.com