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Mac mini 2023 (M2 Pro) vs Mac mini 2024 (M4)

ciarals

ciarals

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 26, 2010
92
10
Italy
Hello everyone, I have the following Mac mini 2023:

Apple M2 Pro chip
10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
16-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
512GB SSD

I'm usually changing my Mac every 5-7 years but this time Apple is teasing me a lot with this new design that would be very helpful in my desktop. The configuration I would go with would be the following:

Apple M4 chip
10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
10-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
120GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
512GB SSD

Have in mind that I use the Mac mini for just very common tasks and sometimes (1-5 times a YEAR) I use Final Cut Pro for some videoclips or short movies. It's not my job, so it's just a hobby.

I would change the Mac now because I could still get some good money with the trade-in here in Italy, so what I would like to know is if there is a REAL signifcant power increase or decrease between the 2 configurations. And for "REAL" I mean that I can notice it: I can read the numbers of the tech specs of course, but would I ever notice it or not? Will I ever notice (good or bad talking) that I have changed the M2 Pro with M4?

Thank you for your help!
 
To be honest - I doubt you will notice a difference. Maybe you video will render a few minutes faster.

I was also tempted, but I also own a very good M2 Pro Mini and really cannot justify it at all. I will wait until the next iteration and then decide what to do.
 
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iSuzan said:
To be honest - I doubt you will notice a difference. Maybe you video will render a few minutes faster.

I was also tempted, but I also own a very good M2 Pro Mini and really cannot justify it at all. I will wait until the next iteration and then decide what to do.
Click to expand...
This is exactly what I was thinking... I doubt I will notice any difference, a part from the technical specs numbers...
 
ciarals said:
Hello everyone, I have the following Mac mini 2023:

Apple M2 Pro chip
10-core CPU with 6 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
16-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
200GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
512GB SSD

I'm usually changing my Mac every 5-7 years but this time Apple is teasing me a lot with this new design that would be very helpful in my desktop. The configuration I would go with would be the following:

Apple M4 chip
10-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 6 efficiency cores
10-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine
120GB/s memory bandwidth
16GB unified memory
512GB SSD

Have in mind that I use the Mac mini for just very common tasks and sometimes (1-5 times a YEAR) I use Final Cut Pro for some videoclips or short movies. It's not my job, so it's just a hobby.

I would change the Mac now because I could still get some good money with the trade-in here in Italy, so what I would like to know is if there is a REAL signifcant power increase or decrease between the 2 configurations. And for "REAL" I mean that I can notice it: I can read the numbers of the tech specs of course, but would I ever notice it or not? Will I ever notice (good or bad talking) that I have changed the M2 Pro with M4?

Thank you for your help!
Click to expand...
If you look at the specs, M4 base is NOT an upgrade over M2 Pro. In order to see an 'upgrade' you would have to go M4 Pro. You lose 2 performance cores with M4 base over M2 Pro. With M4 you get better single-core performance while also gaining Ray-Tracing and AV1 decoding. But multi-core is very similar (M4 is faster by a few hundred only). Memory bandwidth on M2 Pro is way faster and also the GPU performance of M2 Pro blows away M4 base.
Unless you really want the smaller form factor, it's better to wait until M5 or possibly M6 for an 'upgrade'.
I'm in the same boat, I bought an M2 Pro a year ago and I love the new look of the new mini but I'm not willing to pay an extra $100 for the new M4 Pro since it got a price increase and I did the research of M2 Pro vs M4 and at the end of the day M2 Pro is a better chip than M4 base.
The M series chips are NOT a big performance bump year over year. And if you notice they are comparing M4 to Intel & M1. And the M2 Pro Mac mini is only 1 year old, it came out last year in 2023.
 
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vbctv said:
If you look at the specs, M4 base is NOT an upgrade over M2 Pro. In order to see an 'upgrade' you would have to go M4 Pro. You lose 2 performance cores with M4 base over M2 Pro. With M4 you get better single-core performance while also gaining Ray-Tracing and AV1 decoding. But multi-core is very similar (M4 is faster by a few hundred only). Memory bandwidth on M2 Pro is way faster and also the GPU performance of M2 Pro blows away M4 base.
Unless you really want the smaller form factor, it's better to wait until M5 or possibly M6 for an 'upgrade'.
I'm in the same boat, I bought an M2 Pro a year ago and I love the new look of the new mini but I'm not willing to pay an extra $100 for the new M4 Pro since it got a price increase and I did the research of M2 Pro vs M4 and at the end of the day M2 Pro is a better chip than M4 base.
The M series chips are NOT a big performance bump year over year. And if you notice they are comparing M4 to Intel & M1. And the M2 Pro Mac mini is only 1 year old, it came out last year in 2023.
Click to expand...
I quote everything and I know all the tech specs that you have shared (single core, memory bandwith, GPU, etc.). All is very clear and on the tech sheets M4 base is NOT an upgrade over M2 Pro, as you're saying. But, practically speaking, with the usage I have, will I ever notice this? Wouldn't it be better to upgrade now that my M2 Pro Mac mini still has some very good value and buy the M4 Mac mini without nearly spending any money thanks to the trade-in value?
 
ciarals said:
I quote everything and I know all the tech specs that you have shared (single core, memory bandwith, GPU, etc.). All is very clear and on the tech sheets M4 base is NOT an upgrade over M2 Pro, as you're saying. But, practically speaking, with the usage I have, will I ever notice this? Wouldn't it be better to upgrade now that my M2 Pro Mac mini still has some very good value and buy the M4 Mac mini without nearly spending any money thanks to the trade-in value?
Click to expand...
It's not a smart money-move but ultimately it's up to you based on your wants and needs. Trade-In values are crap already (Apple only giving $390 for M2 Pro model & Best Buy is $575). If you think you can sell it yourself and make at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the money you're gonna spend and feel you are getting value for your money. But spec-wise it's not a good move.
 
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vbctv said:
It's not a smart money-move but ultimately it's up to you based on your wants and needs. Trade-In values are crap already (Apple only giving $390 for M2 Pro model & Best Buy is $575). If you think you can sell it yourself and make at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the money you're gonna spend and feel you are getting value for your money. But spec-wise it's not a good move.
Click to expand...
We have other trade-in private options in Italy: they can buy me the Mac mini for €770 ($836) and I can buy the new one with just €189 ($205). Keep in mind that in Italy that new Mac mini M4 with 512GB SSD is priced €959 ($1042), very different from the US price of $799.
 
vbctv said:
It's not a smart money-move but ultimately it's up to you based on your wants and needs. Trade-In values are crap already (Apple only giving $390 for M2 Pro model & Best Buy is $575). If you think you can sell it yourself and make at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the money you're gonna spend and feel you are getting value for your money. But spec-wise it's not a good move.
Click to expand...
Really nice comparison and discussion. What do you think the value of M2 Pro is if sold privately if specs are like OP?
 
GDF said:
Really nice comparison and discussion. What do you think the value of M2 Pro is if sold privately if specs are like OP?
Click to expand...
It retailed for $1299 and came out in early 2023 so I would say at least $750 minimum to $1000 maximum depending if your selling with AppleCare.
 
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As cool as the new M4/M4 Pro Mac mini is, I do not think I will be upgrading from my M2 Pro Mac mini anytime soon. I have the M2 Pro 16GB, 2TB, 10/16/16 Core and paid full price of $1899 in Feb 2023. More than likely the most I could get would be ~$1300 on eBay then you have to pay all the fees involved. Before I know it, to get the the new M4 Pro mini with 2TB I would be looking at around $750-1000 out of pocket to upgrade from what I have now.

Since my use case is mainly general home use and occasional video editing, I cannot see the value in upgrading from what I have. For others, they may have valid use cases or are simply willing to pay for the new design/features.
 
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from a performance perspective, you may hardly notice the difference in daily use. but if for smaller size and new design, I like M4 Mini much more.
 
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I got the same m2 pro config and I’m upgrading to m4 base 24/512
I’m justifying the upgrade going from 16gb ram to 24gb , plus I like the new design
Right now I’m thinking of canceling my order and getting the m4 pro base instead
 
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ciarals said:
We have other trade-in private options in Italy: they can buy me the Mac mini for €770 ($836) and I can buy the new one with just €189 ($205). Keep in mind that in Italy that new Mac mini M4 with 512GB SSD is priced €959 ($1042), very different from the US price of $799.
Click to expand...
Don't forget that US price is without VAT (22% in Italy?).
 
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tutubibi said:
Don't forget that US price is without VAT (22% in Italy?).
Click to expand...
You’re right, I always forget that in the US the price is always VAT excluded. How much is the Mac mini M4 with 512GB SSD with VAT applied?
 
Geekbench scores roughly

Mini M2 - 2600/9500
Mini M2 pro - 2700/13000
M4 - 3700/14700
M4 pro - 3600/22000

M4 is roughly similar to M2 Pro which I already have. So not much of an upgrade unless you care about form factor or go for the M4 pro?

M2 Pro also has more ports. Mine are maxed out....
 
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ciarals said:
You’re right, I always forget that in the US the price is always VAT excluded. How much is the Mac mini M4 with 512GB SSD with VAT applied?
Click to expand...
Every state and even cities can set their sales tax, it can range from 0% to 15% on top of that $799 price.
 
Old reply but oh well. That’s me. Some old guy late to party as always.

Another way to think about this. Let’s pretend there is no money involved. It’s a direct swap. Based on comments:

1-the M4 base would be the better choice for single core processing.
2-the M2 Pro would be better for multicore processing and a stronger GPU for graphics.
3-the M4 base has a higher clock frequency, ray tracing, and mesh shaders, the M2 Pro doesn’t have any of that.
3-the M2 Pro has faster memory bandwidth 200 GB/s versus 120 which is decent.
4-the M2 Pro has USB-A slots. The M4 base does not.
5-the M4 base has a different chassis form factor.

I don’t have either the M2 Pro or the M4 base Mac mini. And if I were considering either of those two for myself, forgetting about the price, ram and storage space being the same sizes, I would choose the M4 base.

Why? For many reasons. It’s a newer model. Its performance would be nearly as good as the M2 Pro. I would use it only for basic tasks since I’m not a designer of any kind. The M4 runs at a mildly higher clock frequency, and so it would feel snappier. The only thing I would have to deal with would be dongles for the USB-A since I don’t have very many USB-C devices yet. But eventually, I will. The M4 Mac mini is also significantly smaller on the desk. It’s also just plain cute. I’m not real keen on the power button being on the bottom so the M2 pro would be a better choice there but that’s fairly minor. The big deal for me is hardware ray tracing and shaders since I would like playing games a little. Of course my 2017 iMac doesn’t have any of that in the “chip”, but the Radeon card does the gaming. I’m pretty sure Ray tracing is not supported in that Radeon. But shaders are. I suspect the M5 and the M6 and the M series going forward will all have that as standard, so any M1 or M2 variant is not going to be good there in the future. I still have an Intel 2017 iMac. 8 years man ! If I’m gonna move to Apple Silicon, I don’t want it to be missing anything like my Intel box is and clearly the M1 in the M2 are missing some things that the M3, the M4 and future M chips will have.

But to answer your question, if I already had the M2 Pro mini like you, would I upgrade to the base M4 mini now? That answer is clearly no. I’d wait for the M5 or later. I would hold onto the M2 Pro for at least four years before considering any kind of upgrade at any price. If you have to ask, is it worth it? I think you know the answer. To you it is, that’s why you’re asking to see if we will tell you it’s not worth it. That said in your case if I were you, I’d buy the base M4 and call it an upgrade and eat the money, and get the future proofing started, but in my case I would stay with my M2 Pro (which I don’t have) till at around 2030. If you’re thinking about it, it’s because you want it. And if you can afford it, you might as well. And if you can afford to do that, you can give that M2 Pro mini to someone you care about, but I wouldn’t trade it in. It’s worth more than that. Keep it as a second Mac. I have a 2011 MacBook Air that I have is my second computer. Sheesh.

Since I’m coming from Intel Macs, any Apple Silicon computer is going to be better, period, for most tasks in my case so I’ll get the latest one that’s being offered, which is the M4. But if I were going to do that, I would seriously consider investing and get the M4 pro mini for me.

In the end, for any money, you’re getting a less powerful Mac mini in the base M4 than in the M2 Pro overall and no USB-A. You’re thinking about spending extra money on an entry level Mac and replacing a slightly older but Pro level Mac. I wouldn’t do that.

But my case is different as either option is good for me since I’m still “suffering” along with an 8+ year old Intel iMac. On the flip side I can boot natively Windows 10 on my 2017….and run Windows 10 or lesser games on Steam. An M4 can’t do that. How’s that for being old?
 
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What if price is considered? Bestbuy price on an M2 Pro 16/512 is $599, vs Apple's refurb price $999 , vs M4 16/512 $799 ( $699 if you go the education route ) Looking to upgrade from a 2014 mini.
 
dont24 said:
What if price is considered? Bestbuy price on an M2 Pro 16/512 is $599, vs Apple's refurb price $999 , vs M4 16/512 $799 ( $699 if you go the education route ) Looking to upgrade from a 2014 mini.
Click to expand...
I would consider base M4 16/256 during sale $449-$499, purchase 3rd party pre-soldered 2TB chip less than $200, pretty easy to install and faster performance, just did it 2 months ago.

new 2TB.jpg m4.jpg 1TB.pngm4-ssd.jpg
 
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The only advantage of the m4 is that the software support may be longer but if you keep the mini only 5 years that makes no difference for you.
 
Interesting to read all this. I am just a fly on the wall....I've bid on M2 Mac minis on eBay, but haven't won one yet. I assume there are several people trading in the M2 for an M4, because I see a lot for sale and auction.

My "computer budget" is quite limited, so I usually end up buying "last generation" Apple systems.
 
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