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Mac Mini M4 upside down? Other methods to power on?

B

Bento.Box

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 10, 2022
246
149
Hello,

I recently bought a mac mini m4 (last one I had was a G4) to replace my aging Raspberry 4 HTPC.

It's really not very ergonomical. It makes more sense to run it upside down, so the power button is actually reachable without crouching down and lifting the device. Is this somehow detrimental to the airflow / cooling?

Are there alternative methods to powering it on?
I have a magic keyboard (bluetooth), so it probably cannot be powered on via keyboard?
WOL is an alternative, but I read that ARM macs somehow still lack a proper implementation of this feature.

Cheers,
Bento
 
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I doubt running it "upside-down" would impede its normal operation in any way. It might even run cooler with the vents exposed.

Or... you could just set it "on its side". Put the headphones jack "down", closest to the table -- then the power button will be on the left side towards the rear. There are a number of folks selling stands that are designed to hold the new Minis this way, but again, it will sit there by itself just fine.

I just happened to visit the local Apple Store yesterday, and tried tipping the Mini there onto its side. No problems, it seemed stable that way. I'm thinking something like a Caldigit thunderbolt dock would look very good right beside it (also mounted "vertically") ...
 
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It’s not meant to be an ergonomic solution anymore as I am sure Apple intended them to be kept running, like the majority of all Apple devices are used these days.
I doubt the machine suffers much from running 24/7 OR upside down, but maybe just get an extended warranty for it and for peace of mind.
 
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turbineseaplane said:
Just out of curiosity, why are you powering it off?

These things just absolutely sip power at idle/sleep
Click to expand...
I turn everything off I don't need.
There is no benefit to leave it running. It's a HTPC, not a server.

Now it sits upside down next to my Wii U above the Onkyo Amp. Both of which have the power button in front for easier access.

russell_314 said:
This. The obvious solution is to leave it powered on. The exception would be if your power grid was unstable.
Click to expand...
In what world is this a solution?
 
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Bento.Box said:
Hello,

I recently bought a mac mini m4 (last one I had was a G4) to replace my aging Raspberry 4 HTPC.

It's really not very ergonomical. It makes more sense to run it upside down, so the power button is actually reachable without crouching down and lifting the device. Is this somehow detrimental to the airflow / cooling?

Are there alternative methods to powering it on?
I have a magic keyboard (bluetooth), so it probably cannot be powered on via keyboard?
WOL is an alternative, but I read that ARM macs somehow still lack a proper implementation of this feature.

Cheers,
Bento
Click to expand...
Sorry but I totally disagree with your original premise. Pushing the power button on the bottom would be no big deal even done a few times a day. In my world such a button will get pushed about once a month, if that.

IMO considering turning the box upside down to access the power button is just silly.
 
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Bento.Box said:
I turn everything off I don't need.
There is no benefit to leave it running. It's a HTPC, not a server.

Now it sits upside down next to my Wii U above the Onkyo Amp. Both of which have the power button in front for easier access.


In what world is this a solution?
Click to expand...
This is how laptops are handled. Nobody or at least very few ever turns them off and since the mini use same CPU I don’t see any reason why you can not put it in standby mode via the system menu or let itself go into standby mode after certain time of inactivety. In this way you also shorten the startup time just by pressing a keybord button or the mouse.
 
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I currently use a 2012 Mac Mini which is probably used around 2-3 times a month. So I switch it off and unplug from the mains when it not being used. As I do for all other electrical devices in the house. I Am contemplating upgrading to the 2024 model though the power switch and lack of usb A ports are 2 of the sticking points to think about.
 
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Chuckeee said:
I wonder if running the mini upside down would improve Bluetooth and WiFi performance (range in particular).
Click to expand...

The previous model it did help because the antennas were in the foot. I haven’t looked at tear downs for the current model that closely to see where the antennas are now but I’d assume they are still in the foot, especially since the power supply is on the top of the sandwich.
 
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Bento.Box said:
Hello,

I recently bought a mac mini m4 (last one I had was a G4) to replace my aging Raspberry 4 HTPC.

It's really not very ergonomical. It makes more sense to run it upside down, so the power button is actually reachable without crouching down and lifting the device. Is this somehow detrimental to the airflow / cooling?

Are there alternative methods to powering it on?
I have a magic keyboard (bluetooth), so it probably cannot be powered on via keyboard?
WOL is an alternative, but I read that ARM macs somehow still lack a proper implementation of this feature.

Cheers,
Bento
Click to expand...

If you’re pressing that power button more then once or twice per month, you’re doing something wrong.

Put it to sleep, wake it up from sleep with a keyboard or a mouse/trackpad. These Macs spend so little power in sleep, you’re probably spending the same amount of power during a cold boot anyway. They are designed to go to sleep each night, as that also allows them to do maintenance and background tasks with their extremely efficient low power cpus.

Modern TVs, phones, Macs, etc. are designed to never be fully turned off.
 
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Bento.Box said:
I turn everything off I don't need.
There is no benefit to leave it running. It's a HTPC, not a server.

Now it sits upside down next to my Wii U above the Onkyo Amp. Both of which have the power button in front for easier access.


In what world is this a solution?
Click to expand...
No benefit in turning it off unless you are trying to conserve power but I’d be shocked if this thing uses as much power as a night light when it’s sleeping…
 
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Sowelu said:
The M4 Mac mini has taught me that people unnecessarily turn off their Apple Silicon Macs. One has to wonder if they power down their iPhones and iPads before going to sleep. Same, same.
Click to expand...
I always turn off my iPad overnight, partly as the battery Barely lasts 24 hours these days (it is a 2014 mini) and the WiFi on the router turns itself off overnight anyway so the iPad wouldn’t connect to anything
 
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Sowelu said:
The M4 Mac mini has taught me that people unnecessarily turn off their Apple Silicon Macs. One has to wonder if they power down their iPhones and iPads before going to sleep. Same, same.
Click to expand...
I know some one who puts their devices in a gadget safe every night. Turns off the devices after use but wonders if the life of the device is reduced by frequent turning on and off. After a while, life is controlled by devices in the guise of taking care.
 
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twin wrote:
"This is how laptops are handled. Nobody or at least very few ever turns them off"

I'm "one of the select few" who turns off my MacBook Pro 14" (typing on it now) each and every night.

Same with my "desktop" (2018 Mini). That one is plugged into a surge suppressor along with all the other peripherals upstairs. I turn it off every night as well, and sometimes during the day as well if I'm going to be out of the house. Then I reach down and flip off the surge suppressor.

The house is old and so is the wiring (ancient knob-and-tube with fuses). I endeavour to keep a good deal of my electronics disconnected from it at night or when I'm gone...
 
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