Mac Mini - Get the M4 Pro Just for TB5 for a Potential Future Pro Display XDR 2?

[dengkai]

Hey MacRumors,

Last week I traded in my 14" M1 MBP to buy a M4 Mac Mini (24/512) mainly for productivity and photography use cases. It currently drives a Pro Display XDR via TB and 13" M4 iPad Pro via Sidecar.

I don't need the M4 Pro chip from a compute/GPU perspective, but with all the rumors the last few weeks about potential refreshed Apple displays in the future, do I return it and get a M4 Pro Mac Mini purely for TB5 to future proof it?

Or do I wait to see if an Apple 6K 120hz monitor actually materializes and trade in/upgrade to a M5/M6 Mac Mini in the future for TB5 support?

 

[mcnallym]

Never buy on “might be coming”

If the M4 Mini does what need then keep that and current monitor until the monitor released and then see what need to drive it.

There will always be something out there coming and with the apple silicon being fixed then future proofing is a bit of a misnomer.
With the upgrade price from M4 to M4 Pro then not far off an M4 Mini so may as well save the money and then get the M5/M6 whihc likely about as powerful as the M4 Pro anyway or not far off and at a lower price most likely then the M4 Pro costs.

 

[G5isAlive]

Hey MacRumors,

Last week I traded in my 14" M1 MBP to buy a M4 Mac Mini (24/512) mainly for productivity and photography use cases. It currently drives a Pro Display XDR via TB and 13" M4 iPad Pro via Sidecar.

I don't need the M4 Pro chip from a compute/GPU perspective, but with all the rumors the last few weeks about potential refreshed Apple displays in the future, do I return it and get a M4 Pro Mac Mini purely for TB5 to future proof it?

Or do I wait to see if an Apple 6K 120hz monitor actually materializes and trade in/upgrade to a M5/M6 Mac Mini in the future for TB5 support?

You have a $5000 monitor and $1300 iPad Pro as a second monitor and you have questions about $400 more for a MacMini Pro over the M4 Mac mini (24/512)? Interesting. I would make the argument that you might expand your photography horizons to video and enjoy the extra GPU power as well as the TB5 the MacMini M4Pro provides. Lightroom and Photoshop with all the extra AI features will also benefit.

 

[Riot Nrrrd]

Considering as how the display capabilities of the M4 Pro Mac mini exceed the base M4 Mac mini and you are talking about a 6K display, personally I think you’d be nuts to not go with the M4 Pro.