4 reasons why a maxed-out M4 Mac Mini can’t replace my Mac Studio

First, let’s address the mini-elephant in the room. The new Mac Mini is adorable. It’s like my Mac Studio and one of my Mac Minis got together and had a baby. It’s just so cute!

But I don’t buy my computers for their cuteness factor. I buy computers for their properly balanced price/performance.

Also: The 13 Mac Studio Peripherals I Can’t Live Without—and Why

Don’t get me wrong. A$599 Mac Mini starting with 16GB of RAM is an ideal Mac purchase for casual computer users who already have a keyboard, monitor and mouse. But for me?

Well, it’s close. But no cigar.

My daily driver is an M1 Max Mac Studio running 64GB of RAM and 4TB of internal storage. I’m at 3.46TB now so I better cut down what I have on this machine. As I’ve mentioned before, my Mac Studio has held up well for the past few years, but recently it’s started to hiss under some of the CAD workloads I’ve put it through.

Besides my daily writing, my biggest use of my machine is CAD, 4K video editing and programming (along with virtual machine network simulation for programming).

Also: I bought a Mac Studio: Here are the specs I chose and why

I make my computers sweat.

Still, the M4 Pro Mac Mini is close. As much as I’d love to reclaim some desktop space, it’s not ideal. So let’s look at the four reasons why a maxed-out mini Mac Mini is a mediocre Mac Studio mimic.

1. Missing port for SD card in front

It may seem like a small detail, but I constantly use the SD card port that is now iconic on the front of Mac Studio. When I heard the rumors that the Mac Mini would have front-facing ports, I was hopeful, but the SD card slot is missing.

Also: The Mac Studio feature is preventing me from buying a new M4 Mac Mini this fall

Of course I could use one SD to USB C converter donglebut it’s not nearly as elegant as having a slot at the front of the machine. It is also a two-handed operation, which can be inconvenient at times.

The new Mac Mini adds a headphone jack. Honestly, I’m not convinced it’s a good deal for that SD port, especially given the popularity of the AirPods and how good the AirPods Max are at editing video and audio over Bluetooth.

2. Not enough ports

On the new Mac Mini — as well as my Mac Studio — the two front-facing ports are USB C. On the Mac Studio Ultra, those ports become Thunderbolt ports. That’s a win, except that Ultra pushes Mac Studio to almost exactly double the price I paid for mine. It is a very expensive upgrade.

The Mac Mini’s port selection is quite impressive, especially for the M4 Pro. While there are only three Thunderbolt ports on the Mini vs four on the Studio, if you pony up to the M4 Pro, those Thunderbolt ports jump from Thunderbolt 4 to the twice-fast Thunderbolt 5. Nice.

Unfortunately, you lose the USB A plugs. I can see the appeal for Apple in ditching that form factor, but I use the heck out of my USB A ports.

It’s nice to see an Ethernet port on the back of the machine, which can be upgraded to 10GB for $100. And the HDMI port is always handy.

But here’s the thing. In order to run all 13 devices connected to my Mac Studio from an M4 Mac Mini, I need to add something like CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 dock. That’s another $379.

I also find the headphone jack on the front of the new Mac Mini annoying. I much prefer it to be on the back and not protruding into my personal desk.

3. More CPU cores but fewer GPU cores

The M4 Pro has a total of 12 CPU cores, while the M1 Mac Studio I’m running only has 10. That’s not as big of an advantage for the M4 compared to the M1 Max as you might think (except for the processor’s native speed, which is approx. twice as fast as M1). The two additional cores offered by the M4 Pro Mac Mini are efficiency cores, which are basically low-power workhorses.

The M4 Pro Mac Mini offers hardware-assisted ray tracing, a graphics feature that my Mac Studio does not have. But the ray tracing feature is heavily dependent on gaming and I have a dedicated PC I built for gaming. It’s a feature I’ll never really care about.

Also: How I built the ultimate low-profile Starfield gaming PC for under $1,200

The thing is, the M1 Max in my Mac Studio has 32 GPU cores. That’s twice as many as found in the M4 Pro Mac Mini (although for $200 you can get four extra cores, bringing it up to 20). As an active Final Cut user, I will notice the difference.

4. Not so much for the money

I paid $3,799 for my Mac Studio. It included upgrades to the chip, 64GB of RAM and 4TB of storage. A similarly equipped M4 Pro Mac Mini costs $3,499, just a $300 difference.

Yes, the CPU is faster and Thunderbolt 5 is good, but the price difference is only $300. For the $300 in the Mac Studio, you get an extra Thunderbolt port, two USB A ports, 12 more GPUs, and a front SD card slot. Add the cost of an external dock and the $300 difference is gone. You would actually pay more for the Mac Mini.

I love the form factor of the new Mac Mini, but you just don’t get as much for your money.

Not my new daily driver

I’m skipping replacing my Mac Studio with the M4 Mac Mini, despite how cool it is. It’s entirely possible that – when I replace some of my secondary machines – I’ll pick up one or more M4 Mac Minis, especially given how attractive the entry-level price is now that it comes with 16GB of RAM .

Also: MacBook Pro vs. MacBook Air: How to decide which Apple laptop is best for you

What about you? Planning to get one of these new little beasts? Are you currently running Mac Minis or Mac Studios? Let us know in the comments below.

---

You can follow my daily project updates on social media. Be sure to subscribe my weekly newsletterand follow me on Twitter/X at @DavidGewirtzon Facebook at Facebook.com/DavidGewirtzon Instagram at Instagram.com/DavidGewirtzand on YouTube at YouTube.com/DavidGewirtzTV.