M2 Pro vs M4 vs M4 Pro as upgrade from 2018 Intel mini

[jdmc]

I've had my Intel 2018 Mac mini (3GHz 6-core i5, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for almost six years, and I feel it's finally time to upgrade. With the introduction of the M4 and M4 Pro mini, is there any circumstance in which it would make sense to buy a discounted new, or refurbished, M2 Pro mini? Or is the M2 Pro mini completely obsolete at this point, at any price?

For reference, here's a comparison of current pricing:

- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $799 (new from Apple)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $999 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,099 (refurb from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,149 (new from B&H or Amazon)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,199 (new from Apple)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,399 (new from Apple)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,399 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,449 (new from B&H)
- M2 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) = $1,500 (used from eBay)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,599 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,649 (new from B&H)
- M2 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD) = $1,859 (refurb from Apple)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,999 (new from Apple)

And here are some current M2 Pro mini listings on eBay (with 32GB RAM).

Personal notes: All options above support triple 4K60 displays (which I have). The M2 Pro and M4 support Thunderbolt 4, though the M2 Pro has four ports to the M4's three; the M4 Pro supports TB5, but I don't really care about that. The M2 Pro has two 10-Gbit USB-A ports (on the back), whereas the M4 and M4 Pro have two 10-Gbit USB-C ports (on the front) — pretty much a wash. I have no preference as to the case shape. I would prefer a larger SSD capacity because I've spent years banging into the limits of my current 256GB storage, plus external SSDs. All options above have 1Gbit Ethernet, which is fine with me.

— — —

The $1,500 used M2 Pro option shown in bold above is what I went with yesterday. Given the price, did I make the right choice?

Thanks,
~ Justin

 

[FreakinEurekan]

I'm not a fan of buying from eBay - no warranty, lots of scams. Chances are it'll be fine but when it's not, it's a nightmare. Refurbs from Apple are fine though, and carry a full year warranty.

I don't think the M2 Pro is at all obsolete.

 

[Ben J.]

The $1,500 used M2 Pro option shown in bold above is what I went with yesterday. Given the price, did I make the right choice?

I do not think you'll have any regrets. IMO, that's a fantastic machine at a great price. You'll have a hard time trying to find its performance limits. I bought mine new a year ago, 10 cores, 512GB, directly from apple, and I paid a lot more. I'm happy anyway, though. It will last me a few years.

 

[Miles Fu]

I've had my Intel 2018 Mac mini (3GHz 6-core i5, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for almost six years, and I feel it's finally time to upgrade. With the introduction of the M4 and M4 Pro mini, is there any circumstance in which it would make sense to buy a discounted new, or refurbished, M2 Pro mini? Or is the M2 Pro mini completely obsolete at this point, at any price?

For reference, here's a comparison of current pricing:

- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $799 (new from Apple)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $999 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,099 (refurb from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,149 (new from B&H or Amazon)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,199 (new from Apple)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,399 (new from Apple)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,399 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,449 (new from B&H)
- M2 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) = $1,500 (used from eBay)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,599 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,649 (new from B&H)
- M2 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD) = $1,859 (refurb from Apple)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,999 (new from Apple)

And here are some current M2 Pro mini listings on eBay (with 32GB RAM).

Personal notes: All options above support triple 4K60 displays (which I have). The M2 Pro and M4 support Thunderbolt 4, though the M2 Pro has four ports to the M4's three; the M4 Pro supports TB5, but I don't really care about that. The M2 Pro has two 10-Gbit USB-A ports (on the back), whereas the M4 and M4 Pro have two 10-Gbit USB-C ports (on the front) — pretty much a wash. I have no preference as to the case shape. I would prefer a larger SSD capacity because I've spent years banging into the limits of my current 256GB storage, plus external SSDs. All options above have 1Gbit Ethernet, which is fine with me.

— — —

The $1,500 used M2 Pro option shown in bold above is what I went with yesterday. Given the price, did I make the right choice?

Thanks,
~ Justin

Good choice as you need such a big SSD.

 

[ctjack]

If you have 2 4k displays let alone 3, never buy base m4 with 10 gpu cores. It is noticeably slow due to low gpu core count.

 

[iAssimilated]

I purchased a M2 Pro mini (10c, 32GB/2TB) directly from Apple a couple of weeks ago because I wanted the (now) old mini form factor. The machine has been amazing. Outside the GPU, it feels as responsive as my M1 Max Studio (10c, 64GB/1TB). After my 2018 mini had a logic board issue, I try to keep a comparable system on hand in case I have a system failure (which my 2013 Pro achieved at the time).

Long story short, you should be quite happy with your purchase!

 

[haralds]

I just got the Mini M4 Pro 48GB/2TB/10Mbps.This thing is amazing and puts the older systems to shame!
Buy from Apple.
I upgraded after trying the base model.

 

[USMC-0311]

I've had my Intel 2018 Mac mini (3GHz 6-core i5, 32GB RAM, 256GB SSD) for almost six years, and I feel it's finally time to upgrade. With the introduction of the M4 and M4 Pro mini, is there any circumstance in which it would make sense to buy a discounted new, or refurbished, M2 Pro mini? Or is the M2 Pro mini completely obsolete at this point, at any price?

For reference, here's a comparison of current pricing:

- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $799 (new from Apple)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $999 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,099 (refurb from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,149 (new from B&H or Amazon)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,199 (new from Apple)
- M4 mini (10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,399 (new from Apple)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,399 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD) = $1,449 (new from B&H)
- M2 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 2TB SSD) = $1,500 (used from eBay)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 24GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,599 (new from Apple)
- M2 Pro mini (10-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 32GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,649 (new from B&H)
- M2 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 19-core GPU, 16GB RAM, 2TB SSD) = $1,859 (refurb from Apple)
- M4 Pro mini (12-core CPU, 16-core GPU, 48GB RAM, 1TB SSD) = $1,999 (new from Apple)

And here are some current M2 Pro mini listings on eBay (with 32GB RAM).

Personal notes: All options above support triple 4K60 displays (which I have). The M2 Pro and M4 support Thunderbolt 4, though the M2 Pro has four ports to the M4's three; the M4 Pro supports TB5, but I don't really care about that. The M2 Pro has two 10-Gbit USB-A ports (on the back), whereas the M4 and M4 Pro have two 10-Gbit USB-C ports (on the front) — pretty much a wash. I have no preference as to the case shape. I would prefer a larger SSD capacity because I've spent years banging into the limits of my current 256GB storage, plus external SSDs. All options above have 1Gbit Ethernet, which is fine with me.

— — —

The $1,500 used M2 Pro option shown in bold above is what I went with yesterday. Given the price, did I make the right choice?

Thanks,
~ Justin

Justin,

I would only consider the one you purchased from this list. However, if you can afford it I would return that computer and consider the following spec'd mini considering how long you used your last model: New, M4 Pro 14C 20GPU, 48GB RAM, 1 TB SSD (Use external Thunderport 5 ports for extra storage until aftermarket internal SSDs are available which will be soon).

The cost is $2199.00 unless you're former military and then you'll get a 10% discount making it $1980.00. You may want to consider the $100.00 upgrade for a 10GB Ethernet connection - well worth it. I personally spec'd mine out with the 14 core M4 Pro, 64 GB RAM, 2 TB SSD, 10 Gb Ethernet. I could not be happier. The 10% off really helped me on this purchase and I'd recommend that if you're not military have someone in your family who was make the purchase for you.

 

[sifpilsen]

I would have seriously considered the M4 24GB 1TB. It is really competitive at this price. The remaining 300 you could use for a NVME enclosure that max out the TB4 on the Mac mini, or fast-ish mass storage. Geekbench puts the M2 Pro at 2650/14500 (single/multicore), while an early M4 24Gb scored 3980/20500.

 

[Miles Fu]

I would have seriously considered the M4 24GB 1TB. It is really competitive at this price. The remaining 300 you could use for a NVME enclosure that max out the TB4 on the Mac mini, or fast-ish mass storage. Geekbench puts the M2 Pro at 2650/14500 (single/multicore), while an early M4 24Gb scored 3980/20500.

I prefer M4 24GB+512GB, use externl SSD for more storage

 

[michelg1970]

Ok, so when I consider the 24 Gb / 1 TB / 10 Gbe I should be ok for my use case (remote desktop working, plex server, word-mail-safari-photos, occasional video editing)?

I now have a 16 Gb / 1 TB M2Pro / 1 Gbe doing the same

 

[bzgnyc2]

Ok, so when I consider the 24 Gb / 1 TB / 10 Gbe I should be ok for my use case (remote desktop working, plex server, word-mail-safari-photos, occasional video editing)?

I now have a 16 Gb / 1 TB M2Pro / 1 Gbe doing the same

I am curious why you are looking to upgrade at all? The M4 is faster than an M2 Pro at a lot of things but your M2 Pro should already be more than enough for what you listed. Except for the video editing, I do all those things on my Mac Mini 2018 i3 / 8GB (I really should take advantage of the upgradability of RAM on that model...). Note that an M4 base is also sometimes slower than an M2 Pro.

 

[michelg1970]

I am curious why you are looking to upgrade at all? The M4 is faster than an M2 Pro at a lot of things but your M2 Pro should already be more than enough for what you listed. Except for the video editing, I do all those things on my Mac Mini 2018 i3 / 8GB (I really should take advantage of the upgradability of RAM on that model...). Note that an M4 base is also sometimes slower than an M2 Pro.

Honestly? I want the 10Gbe option. My connection went from broadband 1 Gbe to glass fiber 8 Gbe. The 1 Gbe bottlenecked sometimes. External solutions cost a lot and a port on the MM.

 

[bzgnyc2]

Honestly? I want the 10Gbe option. My connection went from broadband 1 Gbe to glass fiber 8 Gbe. The 1 Gbe bottlenecked sometimes. External solutions cost a lot and a port on the MM.

I'd probably want the 10Gbe option if I had a 8 Gbit internet connection, too. Though I am surprised you feel bottlenecked by your 1 Gbe to the Internet -- you're really uploading and downloading multigigabyte files to the internet frequently? Maybe I'm too premise-based with my usage patterns...

In any case, yeah I think the base Mac Mini M4 you spec'd would more than meet your needs. Nice bump without going crazy. I doubt you would notice at all if someone secretly switched you a M4 for an M4 Pro one day and back again the next.

 

[neomorpheus]

I might be thinking small, but i still dont see or have a justification to pay for a 1 gb connection, nevertheless for 8.

 

[throAU]

M4 base will get similar single core performance to the intel mini you're upgrading from gets in multicore...

I'd go m4 generation, even between m1 and m4 generation cores there is a HUGE noticeable difference in interactive performance because the single thread is so much faster.