Summary
Looking for a compact office machine, media center, file, and media server, or even something on which to play a few games and edit some video? Look no further than Apple’s Mac Mini.
A Lot of Computer for the Money
Starting at $599, few Windows or Linux mini PCs can rival the Mac Mini’s raw performance at this price point. For your money, you’ll get anM4 Apple silicon chipwith an 10-coreCPU, 10-coreGPU, 16GB ofunified RAM, and a 256GB solid-state drive. Alternatively, you can go for the M4 Pro version with up to a 14-core CPU and 20-core GPU, 512GB of storage at the low end, and 64GB of RAM if you have deep pockets.
To keep costs down, the Mac Mini doesn’t come with any peripherals (you cangrab some USB-C Magic accessories, or gothe mechanical keyboard routeinstead). You also don’t get a monitor.
The Mac Mini is ideal for the majority of everyday computing tasks. For context, a $599 Mac Mini is comparable to a 14-inch base spec $1,599 M4 MacBook Pro (though the MacBook has an extra 256GB of storage). If you don’t need the laptop form factor, have a display you can use (particularly since Apple has slim pickings in this regard), and can BYO peripherals, the Mac Mini a great way to save money on a performant pocket-sized PC rival.
Apple Mac Mini (M4)
Powered by an impressive M4 chip, the redesigned Mac Mini starts with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD, a 10-core CPU, and a 10-core GPU.
Just remember that you can’t upgrade the internal drive (or anything else), so it’s important tobuy enough storageand RAM up-front.
Upgrading to 512GB of storage or adding another 16GB of RAM adds $200 to the purchase price. While the value proposition isn’t quite so good when you start customizing things, a souped-up M4 Pro Mac Mini with a 14-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage will set you back $1,799 can fly through more demanding tasks.
The Mac Mini is the cheapest Mac, period. That also makes it a good jumping-on point for anyone who wants to give macOS a shot withoutdropping MacBook levels of money. you may save even more money byopting for a last-gen M1 or M2 Mac Mini.
Does (Almost) Everything You Want It To
With Apple’s M4 chip (or better) at the helm, the Mac Mini (even the older model) is a force to be reckoned with in most common tasks. It’s plenty powerful enough for browsing the web, word processing and other office tasks, some web and app development, and even more demanding tasks like photo and video editing.
Apple has included dedicated video encode and decode engines since the M2, withAV1 decode now a featurein the new chips. Hardware-accelerated H.264,HEVC,ProRes, and ProResRAWplayback means Apple has dedicated space on the chip to handle these tasks for better performance.
If you’re going to be doing a lot of video editing, you might want to spring for an M4 Pro Mac Mini over an Apple Studio which uses the older M2 architecture. The Mac Mini makes for a highly capable media center PC, chewing through high-bitrate 4K HDR video and remaining quiet while doing so. The Neural Engine helps withmachine learning tasksand even the older M1 and M2 models arecompatible with Apple Intelligence.
While it’s hard to recommend a Mac if gaming is your number one priority, Apple specifically called out ray tracing performance in the M4 announcement (now all we need are some games). Fortunately,Apple Silicon processors are emulation powerhousesthat can comfortably emulate relatively modern systems likethe Xbox, Wii, and PlayStation 3as well as arcade classics and early home consoles.
You can alsorun Steam and 64-bit Mac-native games,play classic source ports, andApple Arcadetitles.
The Case for Using macOS
If you’re thinking “but I don’t use macOS,” that’s a valid concern. But consider that Apple’s operating system might not be the nightmare you’re envisioning, and you might even prefer it. The most important thing to remember is that macOS and Apple’s Mac lineup aren’t locked down in the same way that mobile platforms like the iPhone and iPad are.
macOS is a proper desktop operating system. Initially based on NeXT, the UNIX base at its core delivers Linux levels of stability in an arguably more user-friendly package than Windows. you’re able to still get your hands dirty if you know what you’re doing. Terminal is there forusing the command-line, Automator lets youbuild complex workflows, and Shortcuts can doall sorts of things if you’re willing to learn,
iCloud for Windowssuite can help sync data between devices, including saved credentials forApple’s standalone password manager. Windows mainstays like Office, Edge, and most popular third-party apps likeDiscordandSpotifyhave Mac versions available. There are also heaps of Mac apps that you might fall in love with includingeveryday must-haves, apps toimprove productivity, apps designedwith a single-purpose in mind, andsome of the best Adobe-alternatives.
macOS is indeed a little more restrictive thanks to features likeSystem Integrity Protection, but this also improves security.Mac malware still exists, but youprobably don’t need an antivirus.
You’ll get yearly upgrades to the core operating system, which means you’ll get a new version of macOS each fall. Your Mac will be supported for at least five years, often longer. Failing this you cango your own way and install unsupported versions of macOSregardless of what Apple says.
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that you may never even see the base operating system, depending on what you’re using your computer for. This may be the case if your Mac Mini is powering a media center, stuck in a cupboardrunning a media server like Plexorfree alternative Jellyfin, handling torrent downloads, or running anemulator front-end like RetroArch.
You Can Run Windows and Linux Too
Thanks to Microsoft’s Windows on ARM project, it’s possible to run Windows on your Apple Silicon Mac at near-native speed. Since Microsoft added 64-bit app support to the ARM flavor of Windows, the vast majority of Windows apps run on Apple hardware with an M1 or better processor. The easiest way to do this isusing Parallels Desktop, but there areother ways of running Windows on your Mac.
Virtualization can also be used to run other operating systems including ARM-native versions of Linux likeUbuntu,Fedora, and Kali which can beeasily installed in free virtualization software like UTM. Alternatively, it’s now possible torun Linux natively on Apple Siliconthanks to theAsahi Linux project. Work continues on the product, though at the time of writing there’s no support for M4 chips (since there are no M4 chips in the wild yet).
Native Linux support is possible because Apple allows the booting of unsigned kernels on its Apple Silicon processors. This is not the case on devices like the iPhone and iPad, which are restricted to Apple’s own operating system releases. You don’t need to jailbreak your Mac to run non-Apple operating systems, though there is a fair bit of reverse engineering involved.
It’s possible thatWindows for ARMcould run natively on Apple Silicon, but Microsoft currently only supports two methods:Windows 365 Cloud PC streamingand Parallels Desktop.
Small, Flexible and Efficient
There’s a lot to like about the Mac Mini, right down to the form factor. You can easily mount a Mac Mini on the back of a monitor but it looks so good you might not mind having it sitting on your desk. The M4 refresh measures 5 inches (12.7 cm) by 5 inches, at only 2 inches (5 cm) high. Your input and output (I/O) options are also plentiful, even on the base model.
While the base M4 chip can handle two 6K displays and up to one 5K display, the M4 Pro can drive three 6K displays at 60Hz. The M4 has three Thunderbolt 4 ports (at 40Gb/sec), while the M4 Pro has three Thunderbolt 5 ports (at 120Gb/sec). Both models now have two USB-C ports on the front, an HDMI 2.1 port on the back, and the option of 10Gb Ethernet (with 1Gb included in the price).
Thunderbolt is especially useful for expanding your storage options with hubs or even a dedicated RAID enclosure.
The Mac Mini will work with the vast majority of existing peripherals, including keyboards and mice designed with Windows in mind. Usemost standard game controllersincluding Xbox and PlayStation pads to control emulators or media centers like Kodi.
On top of this, Apple’s ARM-based chips are highly efficient. This makes the Mac Mini cheap to run and ideal as an always-on server for files and media or as a roll-your-own cloud storage solution. In addition to sipping power, heat output is minimal except during intensive operations like exporting video or 3D rendering.
The Best Mini PC Might Not Be a PC at All
The irony of recommending the Mac Mini to most “mini PC” shoppers is that the Mac isn’t considered a PC at all. There are some drawbacks you need to mull over if this is your first Mac, like whether Apple’s operating system (or virtualization) works for you, whether upgradeability is important, and whether you even need all the power of a Mac Mini in the first place.
Take a look at ourbest mini PC roundupfor more information, including budget options, and mini PCs designed with gamers in mind. Still wondering what you’d use a mini PC for? Find outif the mini PC format is for you.
