Mac Mini M4 or wait for the M5/6

[Achillias]

I’m on the verge of retiring my Windows PC after 13 years of loyal service. With RAM and storage prices becoming increasingly unreasonable, I’ve started looking at a Mac Mini M4 with 512GB of storage for €890.

I’m wondering whether this is still a smart purchase now that Apple has raised its prices and third-party retailers will likely follow with price increases of their own.

My main hesitation is timing. It feels like I’m buying quite late in the M4 lifecycle, while the M5 Mac Mini could potentially arrive within the next few months. Part of me thinks I should wait, but another part says that the current deal is already attractive considering Apple’s pricing strategy.

Some arguments in favour of buying now are:

• €890 for the 512GB model seems like a decent value, especially considering how expensive Apple’s storage upgrades have become.
• The M4 is already far more powerful than what I need for everyday tasks such as browsing, office work, media consumption, and light editing.
• Coming from a 13-year-old Windows PC, the jump in performance will be massive regardless of whether it’s an M4 or an M5.
• First-generation pricing for new Apple products is often higher, so waiting for the M5 could mean paying significantly more for relatively modest gains.
• The M4 will likely remain supported with software updates for many years.

On the other hand, waiting does have some appeal:

• The M5 may bring better efficiency and slightly improved performance.
• Buying the newest model always gives you a longer product cycle and better resale value.
• Psychologically, I know I’d enjoy owning the latest Mac Mini rather than feeling like I bought the outgoing model just before a refresh.

What would be the smarter decision here: wait for the M5, or go ahead and buy the M4 now? And realistically, would I even notice the performance difference between the two? I can’t help feeling that it would be a shame not to have the newest Mac Mini available.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Buy the Mini now.

Prices of Mac mini will go up again in the next 6-12 months. Even if you buy an M4 and want to upgrade in a few months, you will be able to sell it for more than you bought it. This is because stock availability and lead times are loooooong and prices will increase.

Two months ago I contemplated waiting for the M5 Mac mini. However I rationalised the above and bought an M4 Pro 64GB RAM Mac mini. One month later are after placing an order, Apple removed the 64GB option and prices have gone up as well.

 

[eSaF-Eddie]

I’m on the verge of retiring my Windows PC after 13 years of loyal service. With RAM and storage prices becoming increasingly unreasonable, I’ve started looking at a Mac Mini M4 with 512GB of storage for €890.

Hi, I also faced that ordeal as well being a Windows user for many years. I must admit my journey into the macOS world was started by turning the Windows machine into a Hackintosh, dual booting both Windows and macOS but spending far more time over on the Mac side.

When it was announced that Tahoe is the last OS on an Intel machine, I decided to purchase the model spec Mini you mentioned for just under £800.00. I must say, I was very pleased with the performance which was up to par to my very high spec Windows desktop or even better in some tasks plus regaining the space taken up by a full ATX tower.

I would also advise to purchase the M4 now as it is still unclear when the M5 will become available. You can always trade up at anytime in the future as I am also planning to do when the M5 is released. Bite the bullet go M4 and enjoy proper computing, you won't regret it. Good luck on whatever decision you make.

 

[Achillias]

Hi, I also faced that ordeal as well being a Windows user for many years. I must admit my journey into the macOS world was started by turning the Windows machine into a Hackintosh, dual booting both Windows and macOS but spending far more time over on the Mac side.

When it was announced that Tahoe is the last OS on an Intel machine, I decided to purchase the model spec Mini you mentioned for just under £800.00. I must say, I was very pleased with the performance which was up to par to my very high spec Windows desktop or even better in some tasks plus regaining the space taken up by a full ATX tower.

I would also advise to purchase the M4 now as it is still unclear when the M5 will become available. You can always trade up at anytime in the future as I am also planning to do when the M5 is released. Bite the bullet go M4 and enjoy proper computing, you won't regret it. Good luck on whatever decision you make.

I finally decided to buy it: the 512GB model for €899. I ordered it today, and it should arrive next Tuesday. The PC market is in a rough spot right now because of AI demand and the excessively high RAM and storage prices. I’m happy with the purchase, though.

 

[deaglecat]

I honestly don't think that we are at the end of the price increases (and indeed some are predicting quite dire scenarios)

https://twitter.com/x/status/2068895341706109191

I don't think prices are ever going to revert. This is the new normal... and it might even get worse.

Also, macOS and the new Siri have a lot more AI functionality. Some of it local and some provided by Data Centres. The Data Center part (compute, storage and memory) needs to be funded - unless Apple aggressively paywalls that functionality.

So... I would buy now. Indeed I did... my M4 mini just arrived.

 

[maflynn]

Ram prices will not be decreasing in the near future. If you need something now, buy it now, but if you wait, be prepared to pay more.

The Mini is a great small computer but once you move into the Pro varient of the M processor, it largely struggles to keep the machine cool. I'm saying this because the M5 is a hotter running processor, and the possible increases in performance may be hampered by that.

 

[Fishrrman]

512gb for a Mini (or any Mac) is what I'd consider to be "absolute minimum" these days.
I'd recommend 1tb -- much more "longevity".

Same with RAM:
24gb -- absolute minimum
32gb -- good for now, and retains "extra room" for future growth (of the OS, etc.). This is all-but inevitable.

If you're doing well enough at the moment on the PC, you might "hold out" for the upcoming m5 Mini.
I'm going to GUESS that it will be release sometime between Oct (this year) and Feb (next).

 

[eSaF-Eddie]

512gb for a Mini (or any Mac) is what I'd consider to be "absolute minimum" these days.
I'd recommend 1tb -- much more "longevity".

Same with RAM:
24gb -- absolute minimum
32gb -- good for now, and retains "extra room" for future growth (of the OS, etc.). This is all-but inevitable.

If you're doing well enough at the moment on the PC, you might "hold out" for the upcoming m5 Mini.
I'm going to GUESS that it will be release sometime between Oct (this year) and Feb (next).

There is nothing wrong with the specs you recommended, but at the end of the day it all depends on what the OP use his machine for. It is nice to have plenty of gas in the tank, so to speak, but it can also be over kill and unnecessary expense as well.

Talking about extra storage, I removed the 512GB disk and replaced it with a 2TB Drive I bought through Amazon and fitted it myself. The Drive worked perfectly with faster speeds as stated by the manufacturer. Unfortunately it worked just fine for just under 4 months and then refused to boot.

Although it was well past the Amazon Return Window period, but under a year old, I sent it back and was reimbursed the full £312.00 plus postage as it was supplied via Amazon from a third party Company in America.
I replaced the original 512GB Drive and all was well again.

It would be interesting to find out if machines are still running trouble free after upgrading the Apple 256GB/512GB Drive to a bigger non Apple one as my journey on a 2TB Drive was short lived.
Cheers.

 

[rwcooper]

I don't think there will be an M5 Mac Mini.