I am not into heavy video or photo editing. I do, however, wonder if it makes sense to go m4 pro mini based on future proofing. If I am set on getting 24gb of ram either way (do a lot of research and zoom conferencing and such so the multitasking piece), is it worth it to go pro or stay with standard M4?
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Justify M4 Pro Mac mini over M4 Purely for Future Proofing?
- Thread starter sidgriffey
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I feel that often 'future-proofing' is basically just a pretext to spend more money than you need to.
Bearing in mind that even a base model MacBook Air can, for instance, edit 4K video perfectly capably, is it really that likely that you'll suddenly be given a task in the next few years that only be done on an M4 Pro, not a M4? The tasks you mention doing now can be comfortably accomplished on any current Mac.
A better form of 'future-proofing' might be to save some money on this purchase, and put it aside in a savings account for a new machine in 3-6 years. At this point, you'll know what you're actual needs are, and won't have to guess.
That being said, for many on this forum (myself included) powerful computers are a hobby and something to enjoy in their own right. If having a beefy computer brings you joy, go for it! It's fine to spend your money on your hobbies and be honest with yourself about the purpose of doing so.
Bearing in mind that even a base model MacBook Air can, for instance, edit 4K video perfectly capably, is it really that likely that you'll suddenly be given a task in the next few years that only be done on an M4 Pro, not a M4? The tasks you mention doing now can be comfortably accomplished on any current Mac.
A better form of 'future-proofing' might be to save some money on this purchase, and put it aside in a savings account for a new machine in 3-6 years. At this point, you'll know what you're actual needs are, and won't have to guess.
That being said, for many on this forum (myself included) powerful computers are a hobby and something to enjoy in their own right. If having a beefy computer brings you joy, go for it! It's fine to spend your money on your hobbies and be honest with yourself about the purpose of doing so.
My other option is to go cheap with m4 mini and upgrade my M2 Air to a M4 MBP. My workflow is what I already described, but I really struggle with the display quality of the Air compared with the pro motion Mini led. If I could get $690 for my 15” M2 Air, would it be worth upgrading to the base m4 mbp?
There is no such thing as “future proofing.“ In a few years, we will see another Mac Mini that is superior in every respect. And a few years after that, we will see yet another that is superior in every respect to that one. Buy something that you’ll be happy with based on what you do (or want to do) with your computer now, in full recognition that there will an immensely superior version in 2-4 years (which you may or may not need to do whatever it is you want to do at that time).
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I wish I had future proofed my bank account by purchasing $3500 of Apple Stock instead of a PowerBook G4
Future proofing can only protect you against too little performance in some areas over time, but new features are more likely to be the reason for upgrading if the lower spec had been bought.
Selling old hardware while it still has good value to allow more regular upgrades is probably the best way to keep up your available performance over the long term, and likely at a lower cost than "future proofing".
Selling old hardware while it still has good value to allow more regular upgrades is probably the best way to keep up your available performance over the long term, and likely at a lower cost than "future proofing".
Sounds like alot of your use case would be single core performance so the M4 Pro would not make a difference over the standard M4. Save your money and buy the M4 with a view to upgrading when the M7/M8 makes sense.
These posts keep popping up every hour I should just start copying and pasting my answer...
Base M4 with 16 gigabytes of ram would likely last you 10+ years I have friends that still use 2012 Mac Minis... Researching aka surfing google, and zoom meeting are noting.
Base M4 with 16 gigabytes of ram would likely last you 10+ years I have friends that still use 2012 Mac Minis... Researching aka surfing google, and zoom meeting are noting.
When technology moves as fast as it is with Apple Silicon Future-proofing becomes a waste of money, buy what you need today and save the extra money you would have spent future-proofing to put towards a new Mac in 5-7 years. Apple tends to cut OS Upgrades after 8 years so most people will want to upgrade by then.
I "future proofed" my 2012 Mac Mini with the most RAM it could use and a big SSD. It served me well for 12 years. I could still be using it, except I got tired of being stuck on Catalina and wanted apple silicon
If you are that concerned about future proofing, the best you can do is get more RAM. Don’t worry about pro chip or SSD.
There's no need to future proof.
The Apple M1 from 2020 with 16GB can work until it physically breaks down. M4 will work even longer, until it physically breaks down.
The Apple M1 from 2020 with 16GB can work until it physically breaks down. M4 will work even longer, until it physically breaks down.
My 2¢ is this -- don't bother future proofing when purchasing inexpensive machines like the Mac mini where the cost of upgrades is like 50+% of the total cost. Buy the base M4 mini, then replace it when its time, instead of spending 2x or more the price to keep it a year or two longer. You'll get all the newest features for less money than you would have spent upgrading the original M4 purchase.
When looking at more expensive machines where the upgrades are a much smaller percentage of the total cost, it's a different situation.
There is no "Future Proofing"
I think this is a good perspective. I "future proofed" my last iMac due wanting to make the monitor last as long as possible, and I've been able to make it work for 7 years now. But even the base mini is far faster than my 2017 iMac at this point. The real cost in going to the mini is the monitor replacement. It makes sense to get the base mini but spend on the monitor, then just replace the mini two to three generations down the road (if apple keeps that price point). All that said, the jump to Thunderbolt 5 in the M4 pro model does give me pause when upgrading.
If the M4 meets your needs you’re likely not going to gain much by future proofing. More storage or ram may be a better choice if you want to future proof than an M4 pro, IMHO.
Displays, IMHO, generally last longer than the computer itself. A mini plus a nice display makes for a good machine. And one could replace the base mini with a new base mini every year for only a few hundred dollars (sell or trade in the old one, get the new one, and replace it annually). The display itself would last many more years.
Granted, this works well if the base (or near base) models work for you. If you need high-end machines, the economics are less forgiving, in which case buying a top-end machine and keeping it as long as possible probably makes more sense.
I generally have to split the difference. I needed a mid-to-upper end machine (since I need to drive three external displays), so I went with the "base" M3 Max MBP. Not something I'd replace annually, but I didn't add to the price with upgrades in anticipation of keeping the machine for an extended duration. I'll keep it 2-3 years and replace it with the next similar-level machine when the time comes.
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That's what I keep considering as well. Will I miss out on a new monitor option that can take advantage of TB5 and then won't have it with the base M4. ...
Future-proofing made sense back in the 90s when the leap in performance was astronomical from year to year but I wouldn't spend the extra money personally.
Buy what you need now, but don't waste extra on future-proofing. By the time what you buy now no longer serves you something that'll beat your future-proofed model will be out.
Buy what you need now, but don't waste extra on future-proofing. By the time what you buy now no longer serves you something that'll beat your future-proofed model will be out.
Based on your intended use, it makes sense to forgo the M4 Pro.
Better put the difference of $400 or $600 aside on a savings account and spend it on your next computer down the road.
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An earlier replacement purchase will most likely future-proof you much better than the Pro configuration today.
Assuming you're set on a 512GB/24GB configuration, the price difference between the non-Pro and the Pro M4 is $400 - with the Pro configuration being 40% more expensive. If you were to replace your machine in recurring intervals, that's the equivalent of buying a new machine every 3.57 years instead of every 5 years (both alternatives costing the same over the long run). Probably somewhat bigger a difference, if you factor in the resale at the end of your usage period, I assume lower-end configurations are likely to depreciate relatively less than higher-end ones.
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Yea, I'm leaning to the base M4 Pro mini and using it with two older Apple Cinema Displays that I have lying around the house. Then I'll take my time looking for a good 27 inch monitor deal that I would want to keep for the long term. I would need at least the M4 w/ 24 gb and 512 gb SSD anyway, so it's not a huge leap from there to the pro. But, any more money than that and I think you'll be dissapointed when you see the new Mac Studios next year. That base model will be a much better balance of price and performance than any upgraded mini.That's what I keep considering as well. Will I miss out on a new monitor option that can take advantage of TB5 and then won't have it with the base M4. ...
You could buy the base M4 mini now, in two years, trade it in on the next base mini, and two years later trade that in on the next base mini for about the same price as a new mini Pro today. With the advances in AI and some other chip technology, I would not bother trying to future proof right now. Buy what you need for the next 2-3 years. I have thought about the Pro myself as I could probably take advantage of some of the extra performance but decided to go for the base model.
Future proofing is only a good idea if you really need the extra performance. It seems you really do not.
On Geekbench the 10 core M4 gets 15,300 Geekbench. The pro version is around 18000. Single core is the same. 70 percent of the time or more you will be using the single core only.
I always get the mid range regular model, in this case it's the 10 core M4 with 16/512gb ssd. I have a brand new 1TB Samsung 990 pro in a TB 4 enclosure. About the same speeds as the internal drive. Everytwo years or when the new Mini drops I trade my old one in for a new one. I pay $300-$400 out of pocket every two years to upgrade. That is 150-200 a year. Not bad to have the latest Mini Hardware. While you are future-proofing and still have your M4 Pro in two hears I will be on a M6 mini that outperforms your M4 Pro in every-way for very little cost of my own.
I was thinking the same thing: Should I go for the M4 Pro over the M4 to be more future proof, for example if I want to game something. I now ordered the normal M4 mini for these two main reasons:
- I am a web developer. I don't need a Pro chip. If I ever need to use the mini for my professional work the base M4 is more than enough.
- Apple is gatekeeping the M4 Pro behind their expensive upgrades. You cant buy the base mini and add the Pro chip. You can only get the M4 Pro when you buy the Mac mini variant that also comes with 24GB Ram and 512 SSD. That's 500 euros more for upgrades I don't need.
If Apple would have offered the base 16/256 Mac mini with M4 Pro for 999 I might've gotten that onw, but 1.699 was too expensive for me.
- I am a web developer. I don't need a Pro chip. If I ever need to use the mini for my professional work the base M4 is more than enough.
- Apple is gatekeeping the M4 Pro behind their expensive upgrades. You cant buy the base mini and add the Pro chip. You can only get the M4 Pro when you buy the Mac mini variant that also comes with 24GB Ram and 512 SSD. That's 500 euros more for upgrades I don't need.
If Apple would have offered the base 16/256 Mac mini with M4 Pro for 999 I might've gotten that onw, but 1.699 was too expensive for me.