turbineseaplane
Contributor
Of course, we added RayCue hubs w/ nVME SSDs installed just for Time Machine use.
Do you have those already?
10 G or 40 G version?
Would love to hear your thoughts on the experience so far if you already have them
Review: Apple's M4 Mac Mini is the Best Desktop Mac
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Do you have those already?
10 G or 40 G version?
Would love to hear your thoughts on the experience so far if you already have them
You can move your entire home directory to the external drive if you wish.
Zdigital2015
macrumors 601
There are those people who turn their computers on and off every day (weird, I know) that for them, this whole power button on the bottom is like the end of civilization or something. I don’t get it myself. I put my iMac 5K to sleep and only turn it off if for some reason I won’t be using it for an extended period of time or the weather outside tells me it should be unplugged, even though I have plenty of surge suppressors hooked up.
Matz
macrumors 65816
Thanks. I've heard that, and it may be what I wind up doing. My understanding is that there are some tradeoffs for doing that; hence the research.
Trade offs with everything but lots of people do it, Apple wouldn’t allow it if it created big issues.
Edouard Perreault
macrumors member
The Mac mini M4 (base model) is definitely one of the best value for money Apple computers released in a long time, and probably even among the competition, this year. Personally, I bought one a month ago (base model), and I have never felt so much pleasure in using a machine that obeys you so much, that offers lightning performance in all the usual tasks (and even for substantial video editing in 4K and photo editing) and all that in PERFECT silence!
On the other hand, in terms of heat, it sometimes becomes quite hot to the touch, during big demanding tasks that use the GPU like video games; but probably not a problem considering the thermal architecture that has been completely revised by Apple for its miniature size. And the processor temperature indicator, it always indicates reasonable figures (only once did I manage to exceed 90 degrees with a Cinnebench test).
For me, the power button does not represent the great madness on the part of Apple contrary to what many say because deep down, (and we can never repeat it enough) today in 2025, we no longer need to turn off our Mac! It is best to leave it on standby and at worst, if you enjoy turning it off, just lift it slightly to start it (it weighs only 0.67 kg) and presto, that's it! We agree that in an ideal world, having the button within easy reach on the front or back of the machine would probably be best, but given its size, I think we should be understanding towards Apple which has already achieved a technological feat on all other aspects of this real racing beast.
For a long time, I was a Windows user, but with this Mac mini M4, macOS definitely won me over! We renew the little eternal request to Apple: reduce the costs of storage and RAM!! After that, Apple, you are the king. 😎😎😎💖👍
On the other hand, in terms of heat, it sometimes becomes quite hot to the touch, during big demanding tasks that use the GPU like video games; but probably not a problem considering the thermal architecture that has been completely revised by Apple for its miniature size. And the processor temperature indicator, it always indicates reasonable figures (only once did I manage to exceed 90 degrees with a Cinnebench test).
For me, the power button does not represent the great madness on the part of Apple contrary to what many say because deep down, (and we can never repeat it enough) today in 2025, we no longer need to turn off our Mac! It is best to leave it on standby and at worst, if you enjoy turning it off, just lift it slightly to start it (it weighs only 0.67 kg) and presto, that's it! We agree that in an ideal world, having the button within easy reach on the front or back of the machine would probably be best, but given its size, I think we should be understanding towards Apple which has already achieved a technological feat on all other aspects of this real racing beast.
For a long time, I was a Windows user, but with this Mac mini M4, macOS definitely won me over! We renew the little eternal request to Apple: reduce the costs of storage and RAM!! After that, Apple, you are the king. 😎😎😎💖👍
I think most of what you're feeling is the heat coming off the power supply, since that is what is at the top of the sandwich.
From what I recall off-hand, the main thing is automatic iCloud backups. Since I don't use those, I haven't seen any effects, other than 99% of my personal config is plug and play to a different system if I want it to.
turbineseaplane
Contributor
Edouard Perreault
macrumors member
Indeed, after the reign of the 27'' iMac (2009-2020) Apple apparently wants to abandon it with its Apple Silicon chips. Its official statement: 'There has never been a 27" iMac equipped with an Apple Silicon chip and there will not be one'.
The iMac's screen is certainly superb, but the alternatives from other vendors for the new mac mini are numerous, and by searching, it is possible to find equivalents. (And do not forget that the mac mini M4 now supports three monitors).
turbineseaplane
Contributor
You might wanna look again.
There is an absolute plethora of 5K monitors coming out right now/Soon
If I were in the market for such a thing, I would be buying that Acer 5K 32 inch high refresh rate
Motorola68000
macrumors 6502
We really like our consignment of M4 Mac minis, but yesterday we couldn't resist trying a 2TB upgrade kit, which in my opinion means Apple will have to reduce its prices.
To upgrade one base 256gb m4 Mac mini to 2TB, with no soldering to do, was a mere $175. Just swapping out the boards.
To upgrade one base 256gb m4 Mac mini to 2TB, with no soldering to do, was a mere $175. Just swapping out the boards.
Edouard Perreault
macrumors member
However, do not forget that the Apple warranty is immediately voided when opening the mini, and with the delicate design of the interior, mistakes are not impossible.
For example, people report damaging the power button when opening it.
Be sure of what you are doing, that you have the required skills or you risk rendering your mac mini M4 unusable.
Motorola68000
macrumors 6502
we have a complete engineering department and have leased Mac equipment out for many many years. primarily this was an experiment, but it was very easy to do thanks to the new design. I wouldn't suggest users do an upgrade though on machines under warranty, but for me this is more about it being likely to herald a new era in SSD upgrades from Apple, possibly via Apple stores, and which will no doubt dramatically drop SSD prices, as otherwise the temptation will be for users to buy base models and just pay a few hundred dollars for the new 2Tb SSD, and there's no soldering. Again though I'm more interested in the potential of apple now offering much more realistic SSD retrospective upgrades
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darthloser007
macrumors newbie
I’ve own Macs since 1987 with the Mac Plus. Great, great machine. Later versions, especially once they pushed out Jobs were not so good. Once Jobs came back with the bondi blue iMac signaled the return that reset Apple. After owning this Mac mini m4 I feel it has once again reset Apple. The Mac Plus, Bondi Blue iMac and now the Mini M4 are the greatest Mac’s ever
Apple refreshed the Mac mini back in November, adding M4 chips and increasing the base memory. We did a hands-on impressions video at the time, but we thought we'd follow that up with a more in-depth review now that we've had more time to spend with Apple's cheapest desktop machine.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Priced starting at $599, the Mac mini offers the most affordable way to get access to Apple's new M4 chip, plus the machine got a design overhaul with the 2024 refresh. The Mac mini now measures in at 5 inches by 5 inches, and it's more than two inches smaller than the prior-generation model. It takes up much less space on a desk, and while it isn't quite as small as the Apple TV, it offers impressive performance in a super compact package.
With Apple Intelligence and the M4 chip, Apple stopped using 8GB as the base amount of memory that Macs ship with, and upped it to 16GB. The $599 Mac mini has an M4 chip and 16GB of RAM as a result, and it is an excellent deal for a desktop machine. Of course, you're going to need to supply your own display, keyboard, and mouse, but it's so small that you can easily move it between desktop setups at home and work.
The base Mac mini comes with an M4 chip, but there is an option to upgrade to the faster M4 Pro for those who need more power. The M4 models have three Thunderbolt 4 ports, but choosing the M4 Pro nets you three Thunderbolt 5 ports with faster transfer speeds. There are also two USB-C ports with 10Gb/s transfer speeds at the front of each machine. Compared to the prior-generation M2 Mac mini, the M4 models are up to 55 percent faster in terms of CPU speed.
If you're looking for a desktop Mac, the base Mac mini is the best deal that you're going to get. The performance is more than enough for day to day tasks and even gaming, photo editing, and video editing, and that $599 price tag really can't be beat.
Article Link: Review: Apple's M4 Mac Mini is the Best Desktop Mac
