They have to balance the supply chain with both old (existing) and new (in production) inventory. MacBooks outsell desktops, even more so when factoring the same price points. Even more so, iPads outsell all Macs. The M4 iPad Pro launched last spring just in time for graduating students. While the updated iPad mini launched in time for the holiday shopping season.
They should heavily discount, or withdraw from sale, the M2 Studio until the M4 is released. Because anyone buying it now is basically being ripped off. But I guess that's Apple's entire business philosophy...i.e. to rip people off wherever possible. Yes, I am still bitter about paying £50 for a 10cm thunderbolt cable in 2015.
@@Rareos I say it’s a mistake, because it makes current stock of new M2 Mac Studios unsellable. Yeah, it’s great hype for the M4 chip in the Mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro. But the Mac Studio line are oversized (and overpriced) paperweights until they get the M4 bump.
@@erickleefeld4883 The vast majority of mac studios are made to order, the ones sitting in stores are already paid for. Stores will sit on some stock until they eventually discount and sell but it's relatively few and irrelevant to Apple. Studio orders will drop significantly but Mini orders will skyrocket, once the Studio is updated in 2025 many people who waited will buy one or finally decide to just get a mini, the result is nice steady (or steadily increasing) revenue stream shared between 2024 and 2025 fiscal year.
Apple likely already has crazy fast M4 variants available for the Mac Pro and the Studio. I think Apple's current strategy is to grow Mac OS marketshare. IMO, Creative Pros are already pretty happy with the performance of the current high-end offerings. Instead Apple is going to be gunning for the mass market, pushing M4 Minis and iMacs over the holidays....then a yet unannounced M4 budget but screaming base iPad in early 2025. While Apple dominates in Phones, tablets and wearables, at a 10% Computer OS market share world-wide....there is a lot of room in that space to grow. It wouldn't surprise me if Apple has some interesting ads coming for the Holiday buying season...directly targeting Windows.
I have multiple Apple devices watch, air pods, phone, iPad (2), TV, and a Macbook Pro, however, IMO the $600 base Mac Mini 4 does not deserve the hype. It only has 256GB of storage which is what you would find in a 2005 computer. You can easily buy a MiniPC from multiple manufacturers with a comparable Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, 1TB of storage and 32GB of memory for $650. Many MiniPC's support Occulink, have a display port, a 2.5GB LAN, plus a few USB 3.2 ports.
Apple's outrageous upgrade costs keeps me on Windows/Linux. I may buy the base mini just to reacquaint myself with MAC considering I haven't messed with the OS since the early 2000s. But man, I'd love to have one to do more than basic tasks, but $400 for mediocre memory or SSD upgrade is insane. Just like back in the day of Intel MACs, I can build a windows PC for a fraction of the cost if the Apple had the same specs.
I thinking about the same configuration or mac studio m2 max 64gb ram 1tb storage or..... lots of ideas. Are you happy with your decision, is it really noisy under heavy load or normal usage. I want to use it for software development.
@ order still being processed. I guess custom orders take a bit to ship. Ordered 11/8, status now is “preparing to ship” on 11/13. I wish I’d went with 10 gb Ethernet also. But I probably will never use it.
@@cobratom666 I really want to do the same thing. Highly considering pulling the trigger on an M2 Max 64gb ram and 1tb storage. I'm coming from a 2015 27" iMac intel so any upgrade will be miles ahead of what I'm working with now. I just don't know if it's a mistake getting the M2 Max now or if i should wait for the M4 Max studio next year
@@shreddykrueger9171 In my country M2 Max 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD costs 3375$, Mac mini M4 Pro 64GB RAM 1TB costs 3125$, M2 Max 32GB RAM, 512 SSD costs 2375$, but you can get M1 Max 32 GB RAM, 512 SSD for 1625$. So definetly I will not pay 3375$ for mac studio M2 Max so I try to find such mac on sale for max 2500$ if not I will wait for Max Studio M4 Max becasue probably price will be the same but performance a lot better
@@andresbarriga5305 I don't. Mostly simple video and image editing without heavy effects. My M1 MacBook Air is holing on, but struggling more and more with some higher resolution videos. Mac Mini looks to be perfect!
There are more techincal reviews comparing performance of Lightroom, Photoshop, Final Cut, DaVinchi Resolve on different Macs. Even current M2 Max is much faster than M4 Pro for photography. Also with M2 Max you can have up to 96GB or RAM. With M2 Ultra - up to 192GB. It'd better to wait until new Studio with M4 Max / Ultra is released. For machine learing / AI applications M4 Max would be better also. Just find more techincal reviews for your use case.
Why does nobody mention that the Mac Mini doesn't support display scaling? I guess it's because not many people know about this issue. The display is either super small or super large, or you have to use it in low resolution... If you can deal with this limitation, go ahead and buy a Mac Mini.
Wow M4 base chip is only 4% slower than the M2 ultra chip That is crazy. To think that Apple put this chip in the iPad Pro and Mac mini and made those device thinner while M2 Ultra chip is only available in a very big desktops.
I've got an M1 Max Studio and just got the base model M4 Mini. The Studio still has more grunt. I'm using them simultaneously with side-by-side-by-side displays. Total of 8TB external storage. The Studio mostly has music production apps running and the Mini is strictly web browsing and security cameras. Basically, the Mini took some of the workload off of the Studio. This is probably more than good enough until M5+ Studio is released. That doesn't mean an M4 Studio won't be tempting. :)
Like with cars, if you start adding options - go to the higher trim level. Once you’ve got the Mini at an M4 Pro, 48GB RAM and 1TB- you’re almost at the base Studio price. Wait til the Spring for the M4 Studio.
Indeed, I am worried about the thermals not keeping up with all of that M4 Pro power in such a small case. I have the budget for the M4 Pro and would like to use it for DaVinci Resolve 4K@60fps video editing and cannot decide to go for the M4 base model with 24GB/512GB or the M4 Pro model with 24GB/512GB. The M4 Pro model has the Thunderbolt 5 but I am bit afraid that the fan noise of the M4 Pro model is going to drive me insane.
I was actually saving up for the Mac Studio, but I decided to wait on the M4 Mac Mini Pro. I upgraded the processor to the max and the SSD to 1tb. I’m very happy with my choice. I use it for everyday use and to play WoW.
Apple would sell a lot more units if they were more reasonable with their upgrade component prices. You'd have more adoption of Apple products as well.
Agreed , upgrades cost a premium with apple , ive considered some apple products with base specs that needed up speccing , and by the time you get the specs you want , the whole cost of the device has doubled , and in some cases even tripled which just makes it unviable.
@@madhuson-o9u Righttt, that's why Apple has all those endless combination of options to choose from. Surely they love massively inflating their production complexity just to appease to 10% of users lol.
i love apple. but the way they treat memory is criminal. Memory both RAM and Hard drives is dirt cheap. they are raping us. I agree that if they were to stop this nonsense more people would go mac and the just the shear numbers would make up for the profits they think they are making off of their memory. It should be law that we the consumers can upgrade the RAM and Hard drives if we want too. Now that they soildered it in... only the most tech and skilled can do it. i still have macbook pro 2012.. maxed the RAM out put a 2 TB SSD in it. It runs awesome.
I think Apple price upgrades so high because they don't actually want people to buy them. They'd rather just ship standardised units. I'd be interested to know exactly how many storage upgrades they sell considering you can get a 1TB external drive for more than half the price. I would only every pay for extra storage if I was loaded AND has severe OCD.
Good review- thanks! I'm glad you mentioned the sound factor, as for music production and recording, of course that becomes a pretty significant factor. Interesting to see what comes next!
I've had a base model Mac Studio M2 Max since day one. Despite all the "numbers" about the CPU, it's still a very fast and powerful computer. I have to admit, though, that the Mac Mini M4, both the M4 and the M4 Pro, are a pretty impressive deal.
I think many, if not all, of your ratios comparing how much better one system is vs another are just plain wrong. For example at 7:22, you have a chart that the M2 Ultra 76 core metal GPU score is 221,854 and the M4 Pro 20 core score is 110,556 - more than twice as good but you call it only 66.9% better -- how are you coming up with these ratio's??? Maybe math isn't your forte?? Anyway, think you need to have someone check your math. This is not the only article you've written that has math issues - your reveiw of the M4 Mac Mini has similar issues. Thanks for doing all this work to compare and inform us, but please do a better job at giving us the correct information. Thanks...
I’m getting one of these 2 machines as my first computer as an adult. I’m going to use it for editing videos for a UA-cam channel. Thank you for making this video. My price range is $2400 to $2800. I have been studiying for a month and am now between these 2 machines.
@@redesignedlife777 the 2 he showed. M4 pro Mac mini or M2 Max Mac Studio. I would upgrade both to 64 gb. But the m4 mini I would get 1tb of storage as well as upgrade to 14 core cpu and 20 core gpu.
Hi, JP viewer here!! The Japanese AI voice audio is pretty shit makes me feel like I'm listening to those annying bot spammers who constantly call you on your phone ruining your day. Is this a builtin feature from UA-cam or are you uploading it additionally? If so I highly recommend using subtitles for the default translation because its beyond unpleasant!! Cheers!!
Hey Greg, your deep dive on the M4 Mac mini vs. Mac Studio was fantastic! You really get into the details that help viewers make an informed choice - especially important with all the hype around these devices. Curious if you’re open to brand partnerships that let you keep up the great content with less hassle. Let me know!
Yeah if you really wanna avoid fan noise: go for Mac Studio! And I agree on waiting for Mac Studio M4 Max if possible. If you wanna wait for M4 Max but need a Mac Studio so bad now. ASAP. Then you can buy one today and use it for some months, buy M4 Max, clone the old to the new, erase the M2 when you know that the clone (M4) is perfect and then sell your M2. It will cost a bit more but you will have a great Mac while waiting for an even greater!
Great video. I think its worth to upgrade from my Mac Studio M1 Max to The new M4 pro Mini. Do you think the extra 2 cores are worthy to upgrade? For heavy music production..
Better to wait until Mac Studio with M4 Max is released. It depends on your use case, but Mac Mini is for home users and Mac Studio is for professionals. Those are completely different computers.
@@FirstLast-nr6gf well im considering the smaller size as well and portability for travel. Right now, my Studio M1 Max can handle my work fine (sometimes CPU goes full but that can be solved by "Freezing" some Tracks in Logic Pro). I assume the M4 Pro will do a much better job. The cooling system mainly im not sure about though.
Highly considering pulling the trigger on an Mac Studio M2 Max 64gb ram and 1tb storage for video editing. I'm coming from a 2015 27" iMac intel so any upgrade will be miles ahead of what I'm working with now. I just don't know if it's a mistake getting the M2 Max now or if i should wait for the M4 Max studio next year. I really can't wait that long
Same thoughts here. I kinda wonder if the price point of the studio will stay the same when they get the new chips. Also I'd probably just get e refurbished one from apple and then that's not possible.
I think waiting for m4 studio will give more performance to price ratio. Even I am considering M4 Ultra Studio maxes out, so that it is major upgrade and also time proof for my video editing workflow for lot longer years to come
By the time you add the cost of a Studio Display to both, the actual % cost difference for a full setup is a lot less. So, Studio still makes more sense for GPU intensive workflow.
We should at least acknowledge that core for core, the GPU performance per core is much higher than the M2 Ultra. If the M4 Pro had a 76 core GPU, its score would be close to 420,000, which is astronomical.
So, people that spent an inordinate amount of money for the Mac Studio M2 basically got screwed. I want to move to Mac, but this kind of crap really makes me hesitant.
I pulled the trigger on Mac Mini Pro M4 64gb, 2TB, and more cores. My Macbook Pro M1 Max has been great but the Mac Mini M4 base model I picked up from Best Buy outperforms my M1. It's too good a deal to pass up.
difference between similar spec (64GB ram, 4TB SSD, 10Gbe network) Mac Mini and Mac Studio is only about 100 $, for that price you get just slightly different I/O
You failed to mention about memory bandwidth. Mac mini 120GB/s, the studio is 400GB/s for the Max, 800GB/s Ultra. This is important for memory intensive applications. I say wait for the new Mac studio. Don’t buy the hype, and buy the Mac NUC (err Mini) if you need memory performance.
its really hard to justify the Max and Ultra for most workloads these days. I'm sure the M4 Ultra will be amazing in performance, but most professionals (outside of some hardcore video editing or maybe rendering) really don't need all that CPU. I'd much prefer more GPU cores over more CPU cores. But unless you are in an industry that can use those, the only real reason to go with more GPU is gaming... and...well...hmm, there just aren't any mac games I want.... I'm looking at swapping out my M1 Max MacBookPro, and possibly going for the Mac Mini M4 Pro or Mac Studio M4 Max as I'm tired of having a laptop taking up my desk when its always plugged in and I use an ultrawide monitor anyways... and then swapping my seldom used MacBook Air M1 for a MacBook Air M4 when they come out and using it as my only mobile device.
It's not CPU what we need for video editing and 3D modeling, is GPU power. The M4 pro it's just comparable to a RTX 3060 TI (Geekbench score), which is pretty underpowered for professional video editing these days.
Placing the power button on the bottom really isn't not a "design stateement", that is a "design mistake"... I'd love to know under what cicumstances some silver-tongued designer successfully argued for that.
I don't think reviewers are really arguing that it wasn't a mistake, just that it's really a NONISSUE. The Mini is so ridiculously light, that the 2 times per year you actually need to hard reset it you can easily lift it to reach the button.
I think the way it was rolled out was on purpose. There are still the new M4 Ultra / Hidra that might show up in the highest tier Mac Studio and Mac Pro, similar to what we saw in the M2 line up. So Who knows, perhaps the current M4 Pro are binned and there might be even a higher CPU/GPU count Pro coming ? Either way, the fact that they released the current lineup shows that they want to sell them and once people went nuts over them they will release even higher rated machines and CPUs. So in this case, it would make sense why they release a Mac Mini with killer specs.
Everyone keeps talking about an M4 Ultra chip… it isn’t coming. There is no fusion bridge on the M4 Max so no stitching two together. If they release a new Studio it will be a full internal redesign with a new graphics coprocessor or simply a pro/max chip spec and redesigned storage module like that of the mini.
I just want to know which model and setup to get so I have the biggest bang for my buck. For me, more RAM and good processor speed is key. I can always add external storage.
In the Spring of 2025, I will be buying my first Apple "M" series processor system. If buying today, I would get either a used M-2 "mac mini" Pro model, or a M-1 Ultra "Mac Studio" model. For myself, the only thing the smaller new M-4 "mac mini" is good for, is being a laptop replacement because, just by adding a small keyboard and screen, you now have a full portable computer system (smile ... smile).
I'm very happy with my base M2 Studio. I don't do video processing, I don't do heavy workloads.. it's overkill for my use case. I'd love to get a low end mini to use as an email server as my ISP's idea of mail filtering is a joke. However, they won't give me a static IP so that's out. BTW - want to hear a fan run constantly? I had OCLP /Sequoia on my late 2015 MBP and the fan was running constantly. After the recent OLCP issues with 15.1, I just went back to Monterey.
I been hearing rumors about this Mac mini fans being loud a spinning up where the Mac Studio stays really quiet. I kept saying if they made the Mac mini smaller this would happen. Only time will tell after people been using these for audio recording and heavy projects what we will see. Most people can't even use these with their audio interfaces because o the new OS so they have to wait.
Like most UA-camrs, this guy thinks everyone is a video producer. I'm a photographer, so my concern is how it works with Lightroom Classic and occasionally Photoshop. Honestly, I did not see this video as even remotely helpful. The next Studio will be amazing, like every new Apple product is. But coming from an iMac 27" Intel-based computer, I am sure the Mac Mini M4 Pro will be an outstanding improvement and more than enough for me.
Hahaha that is funny. I just need my computer to be able to drive three Samsung 49 inch wide screen monitors for my stock trading rig. The new Mac mini with M4 looks like it will be able to do that. I don't need anything fancy. Base model will work perfect and the trading rig gets nothing else on it but the trading platform. So awesome. The same set up back in the 2010 would have cost you $2500 now only $700 what's not to love !!!
Editing 4k footage including hard to decode codecs and adding a fair bit of color correction/effects, what would be better? I can get a great deal on a 32gb mac studio m2 max, as in a few hundred less than an m4 pro mac mini
Hi. Saw something that didn't make sense. The single core % increase at around the 5:30 marker; Relative to the M4 is ( 3920 - 2777 ) / 3920 = 0.2916 (29.16%) or relative to the M2 is ( 3920 - 2777 ) / 2777= 0.4116 (41.16%). Your chart shows a 34% increase. Just have a look, maybe the chart values are not correct if the % is?
It’s funny because on the Geekbench site, the M4 Pro 14 core is in the 3800 range running at 4500 MHz. The M4 Pro 12 core is 3320, running at 3911 Hz. He shows them as identical.
11:04. The M3 was NOT a "full generation." It's mostly just an over clocked M2. So upgrading from the M2 Max/Ultra is not upgrading two "full generations." It's more upgrading one "full" generation.
The new Mac Mini is great for students, semi-pro video editors, and people who want to utilize Apple Intelligence for work related task at a very reasonable price. For those who want to edit 8k video and want fast rendering you should wait for the Mac Studio M4 Ultra.
I have an M2 Studio right now and really tempted by the mini... but ultimately it would be a waste of money, the Studio is still great and is still a skookum machine. Heck I still have my M1Pro MBP - I'm waiting to see if the M5 MBP comes with a tandem OLED screen before I update it.
Do you think really its worth to choosing m4 max instead of m4 pro ? all i see on the videos its all about seconds for rendering etc. (i am talking for macbook pro)
Depends on what you use your laptop for, if you're saving seconds or a minute here or there it might not sound like a lot, but if you use your laptop everyday for those workloads, it adds up.
@@GregsGadgets i am software developer. i am going to use it with my ipad air m2. i read PDF's on it, compiling code. But, also i am creating courses for udemy and coursera. so i am going to use it for video editing either. if there is going to be only few minutes difference, i think it doesn't worth of paying more. before i forget, i am going to use it for simple 2D animations creation.
@@kern776 You will find the Pro more than sufficient for many many years. Potentially upgrading the Ram might help with multitasking, but otherwise the Max is not necessary for that workflow, since none of it will heavily tax the Gpu.
Calling Thunderbolt 4 a weakness against TB5 will hardly no serious technical equipment available to utilize is a stretch 😂. 40gb speed transfers is nothing to sneeze at over say 10gb which is still the primary market of regular people unlike us Tech Heads.
I am confused between Mac Studio M2 Max having 12c/30c and Mac mini M4 Pro having 14c/20c both with 64GB Ram and 1TB HDD. My workload is 150+ browser tabs opened simultaneously on different browsers daily, 20 small reels to 3-4 medium video edits a week and 1 or 2 blender edits a month. Attached to a single 5k monitor, no memory card or ethernet required. Both costs exactly INR 2,49,900 here in INDIA. I fear mac mini m4 pro with 14/20 will get louder fans and might thermal throttle. Please, suggest to me what's best? Thank you in Advance.
With regard to pricing the M4 Max Studio next year, nobody seems to consider that when it is released, it is likely to be subject to tariffs of 45% or higher as an import per the incoming President's plans.
Just bought it. Using it with my existing dual monitor setup of 24 inches 1440p and 1080p res. The text is blurry and unable to scale. I didnt know it has such a big problem with scaling and i would need to buy an expensive monitor as well to use it. Windows does it flawlessly with any monitor thrown at it. Regret buying it :(
yo! great and refreshing video. I really need your help. I am a pro retoucher and I use Photoshop. thats it. my skill set is fully photoshop and other than that its google chrome. What would you recommend to a heavy photoshop user? like when i say heavy I mean like smart objects and opening 25 2/3GB files in one go. batching, exporting. Working with at times 10k px files. Up until now Ive had a hackintosh with 128GB 2666 Mhz DDR4 Ram , 3.8 GBz 8 Core Intel Core i7, and a AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8 GB. It has been my workhorse and I ride it hard. But id love to get on one of these new M4 chips and wondering if my current set up can be outshined by these little joke looking mac minis or even a Mac studio. How would you compare my current 128GB ram to whats available on a mac mini even if I spec'd up. I know rams work differently and I shouldnt compare like for like. If anyone else had any thoughts id love some help! E
Seeing as I currently have a 2013 iMac, my bigger concern is buying the Studio Display...it is very expensive and does not seem to have received any updates since launch. Knowing my luck, as soon as I buy it, they will release a new monitor. What do you guys think? Is this likely, or do you think the Studio Display in it's current form is here to stay for a long time?
I'm in the same boat. I am still using 2013/14 iMac which had the highest specs available then, plus I installed 32 gb of ram. I was pretty set on the Mac mini as a great upgrade, but when you add the cost of the studio display plus all of these adaptors for USB-A, I'm wondering whether an M4 iMac might just do the job.Just need it for Logic really.
Well, this is getting interesting. So full disclosure: I hate apple, and have never used a mac (Yes, I don't pretend to be rational....). I have a blunt spoon in the other room to gouge out my left eyeball before EVER considering getting a Mac. BUT, with NVIDEA charging through the nose for GPUs, and it's very likely to only get worse with the 5000 series, these macs are totally stacking up for workstation use. And a top end Ryzen CPU (16 core) isn't cheap either. Against that backdrop, these computers start to look halfway compelling.
I don’t understand why Apple doesn’t update the Mac Studio at the same time as all the other macs.
Sadly they have to wait for the ultra chip to be ready, I think they should just update the lower end with the max when it comes out
They have to balance the supply chain with both old (existing) and new (in production) inventory. MacBooks outsell desktops, even more so when factoring the same price points.
Even more so, iPads outsell all Macs. The M4 iPad Pro launched last spring just in time for graduating students. While the updated iPad mini launched in time for the holiday shopping season.
@@GregsGadgetsSee, that would be a sensible solution in the meantime!
They should heavily discount, or withdraw from sale, the M2 Studio until the M4 is released. Because anyone buying it now is basically being ripped off. But I guess that's Apple's entire business philosophy...i.e. to rip people off wherever possible. Yes, I am still bitter about paying £50 for a 10cm thunderbolt cable in 2015.
I have the Mac Studio for may recording studio. Love it. It's the reason I bought Mac mini M4 for my office. I got the 10 core / 16GB / 512GB version.
Apple’s mistake here is not simultaneously coming out with M4 Max/Ultra chips for the Mac Studio.
that's a strategy not a mistake.
@@Rareos I say it’s a mistake, because it makes current stock of new M2 Mac Studios unsellable. Yeah, it’s great hype for the M4 chip in the Mini, iMac, and MacBook Pro. But the Mac Studio line are oversized (and overpriced) paperweights until they get the M4 bump.
@@erickleefeld4883it’s not oversized when you compare it to the 2012 mac pros…..
@@erickleefeld4883 The vast majority of mac studios are made to order, the ones sitting in stores are already paid for. Stores will sit on some stock until they eventually discount and sell but it's relatively few and irrelevant to Apple. Studio orders will drop significantly but Mini orders will skyrocket, once the Studio is updated in 2025 many people who waited will buy one or finally decide to just get a mini, the result is nice steady (or steadily increasing) revenue stream shared between 2024 and 2025 fiscal year.
Apple likely already has crazy fast M4 variants available for the Mac Pro and the Studio. I think Apple's current strategy is to grow Mac OS marketshare. IMO, Creative Pros are already pretty happy with the performance of the current high-end offerings. Instead Apple is going to be gunning for the mass market, pushing M4 Minis and iMacs over the holidays....then a yet unannounced M4 budget but screaming base iPad in early 2025. While Apple dominates in Phones, tablets and wearables, at a 10% Computer OS market share world-wide....there is a lot of room in that space to grow. It wouldn't surprise me if Apple has some interesting ads coming for the Holiday buying season...directly targeting Windows.
I have multiple Apple devices watch, air pods, phone, iPad (2), TV, and a Macbook Pro, however, IMO the $600 base Mac Mini 4 does not deserve the hype. It only has 256GB of storage which is what you would find in a 2005 computer. You can easily buy a MiniPC from multiple manufacturers with a comparable Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, 1TB of storage and 32GB of memory for $650. Many MiniPC's support Occulink, have a display port, a 2.5GB LAN, plus a few USB 3.2 ports.
Apple's outrageous upgrade costs keeps me on Windows/Linux. I may buy the base mini just to reacquaint myself with MAC considering I haven't messed with the OS since the early 2000s. But man, I'd love to have one to do more than basic tasks, but $400 for mediocre memory or SSD upgrade is insane. Just like back in the day of Intel MACs, I can build a windows PC for a fraction of the cost if the Apple had the same specs.
I went a bit hard in the paint and got the Mini M4 Pro...64gb ram...1tb storage....and Applecare. May Steve have mercy on my soul.
I thinking about the same configuration or mac studio m2 max 64gb ram 1tb storage or..... lots of ideas. Are you happy with your decision, is it really noisy under heavy load or normal usage. I want to use it for software development.
@ order still being processed. I guess custom orders take a bit to ship. Ordered 11/8, status now is “preparing to ship” on 11/13. I wish I’d went with 10 gb Ethernet also. But I probably will never use it.
@@cobratom666 I really want to do the same thing. Highly considering pulling the trigger on an M2 Max 64gb ram and 1tb storage. I'm coming from a 2015 27" iMac intel so any upgrade will be miles ahead of what I'm working with now. I just don't know if it's a mistake getting the M2 Max now or if i should wait for the M4 Max studio next year
@@shreddykrueger9171 In my country M2 Max 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD costs 3375$, Mac mini M4 Pro 64GB RAM 1TB costs 3125$, M2 Max 32GB RAM, 512 SSD costs 2375$, but you can get M1 Max 32 GB RAM, 512 SSD for 1625$. So definetly I will not pay 3375$ for mac studio M2 Max so I try to find such mac on sale for max 2500$ if not I will wait for Max Studio M4 Max becasue probably price will be the same but performance a lot better
Literally the comparison I was waiting for! Was looking to get a Mac Studio, but now I've changed my mind. Thanks!
If you plan to make serious graphic and video work, I prompt you to get the studio.
@@andresbarriga5305 I don't. Mostly simple video and image editing without heavy effects. My M1 MacBook Air is holing on, but struggling more and more with some higher resolution videos. Mac Mini looks to be perfect!
There are more techincal reviews comparing performance of Lightroom, Photoshop, Final Cut, DaVinchi Resolve on different Macs. Even current M2 Max is much faster than M4 Pro for photography. Also with M2 Max you can have up to 96GB or RAM. With M2 Ultra - up to 192GB. It'd better to wait until new Studio with M4 Max / Ultra is released. For machine learing / AI applications M4 Max would be better also. Just find more techincal reviews for your use case.
Why does nobody mention that the Mac Mini doesn't support display scaling? I guess it's because not many people know about this issue. The display is either super small or super large, or you have to use it in low resolution... If you can deal with this limitation, go ahead and buy a Mac Mini.
In my opinion the studio advantage is in having more ports and usb-a
but in fairness to the mini, it has thunderbolt 5 which you can attach a USB hub to distribute it's power to multiple ports, including USB A.
@ hopefully the studio comes with the ultra chip
Wow
M4 base chip is only 4% slower than the M2 ultra chip
That is crazy.
To think that Apple put this chip in the iPad Pro and Mac mini and made those device thinner while M2 Ultra chip is only available in a very big desktops.
THIS lol
I've got an M1 Max Studio and just got the base model M4 Mini. The Studio still has more grunt. I'm using them simultaneously with side-by-side-by-side displays. Total of 8TB external storage. The Studio mostly has music production apps running and the Mini is strictly web browsing and security cameras. Basically, the Mini took some of the workload off of the Studio. This is probably more than good enough until M5+ Studio is released. That doesn't mean an M4 Studio won't be tempting. :)
Like with cars, if you start adding options - go to the higher trim level. Once you’ve got the Mini at an M4 Pro, 48GB RAM and 1TB- you’re almost at the base Studio price. Wait til the Spring for the M4 Studio.
The mini is still smaller and more powerful in many workloads
@@chidorirasenganzCorrect. Until the Studio gets an M4 Max/Ultra.
@ the performance difference yes but it’s still a bulkier machine
@@chidorirasenganzYeah no argument there. That being said I was used to Power Mac G5/Mac Pro towers, so the Studio is petite by my standards 😆
Indeed, I am worried about the thermals not keeping up with all of that M4 Pro power in such a small case. I have the budget for the M4 Pro and would like to use it for DaVinci Resolve 4K@60fps video editing and cannot decide to go for the M4 base model with 24GB/512GB or the M4 Pro model with 24GB/512GB. The M4 Pro model has the Thunderbolt 5 but I am bit afraid that the fan noise of the M4 Pro model is going to drive me insane.
I’m getting the Mac mini base and looking forward to it!
I was actually saving up for the Mac Studio, but I decided to wait on the M4 Mac Mini Pro. I upgraded the processor to the max and the SSD to 1tb. I’m very happy with my choice. I use it for everyday use and to play WoW.
It's a killer value, good choice!
this is exactly my senario.
How is the WoW play? And how much ram did you get?
@davidallen3158, May I know your machine's full configuration along with RAM, does the fan spin a lot?
Apple would sell a lot more units if they were more reasonable with their upgrade component prices. You'd have more adoption of Apple products as well.
Agreed , upgrades cost a premium with apple , ive considered some apple products with base specs that needed up speccing , and by the time you get the specs you want , the whole cost of the device has doubled , and in some cases even tripled which just makes it unviable.
90% of people will never update any component of their computer. This is just wrong.
@@madhuson-o9u Righttt, that's why Apple has all those endless combination of options to choose from. Surely they love massively inflating their production complexity just to appease to 10% of users lol.
i love apple. but the way they treat memory is criminal. Memory both RAM and Hard drives is dirt cheap. they are raping us. I agree that if they were to stop this nonsense more people would go mac and the just the shear numbers would make up for the profits they think they are making off of their memory. It should be law that we the consumers can upgrade the RAM and Hard drives if we want too. Now that they soildered it in... only the most tech and skilled can do it. i still have macbook pro 2012.. maxed the RAM out put a 2 TB SSD in it. It runs awesome.
I think Apple price upgrades so high because they don't actually want people to buy them. They'd rather just ship standardised units. I'd be interested to know exactly how many storage upgrades they sell considering you can get a 1TB external drive for more than half the price. I would only every pay for extra storage if I was loaded AND has severe OCD.
It would actually be super cool if you could just stack 2 minis and they operated together as one system with twice the memory and cores and ports.
Good review- thanks!
I'm glad you mentioned the sound factor, as for music production and recording, of course that becomes a pretty significant factor.
Interesting to see what comes next!
I've had a base model Mac Studio M2 Max since day one. Despite all the "numbers" about the CPU, it's still a very fast and powerful computer. I have to admit, though, that the Mac Mini M4, both the M4 and the M4 Pro, are a pretty impressive deal.
I think many, if not all, of your ratios comparing how much better one system is vs another are just plain wrong. For example at 7:22, you have a chart that the M2 Ultra 76 core metal GPU score is 221,854 and the M4 Pro 20 core score is 110,556 - more than twice as good but you call it only 66.9% better -- how are you coming up with these ratio's??? Maybe math isn't your forte?? Anyway, think you need to have someone check your math. This is not the only article you've written that has math issues - your reveiw of the M4 Mac Mini has similar issues. Thanks for doing all this work to compare and inform us, but please do a better job at giving us the correct information. Thanks...
Super excited to get my hands on an M4 Studio in a few months.
I’m getting one of these 2 machines as my first computer as an adult. I’m going to use it for editing videos for a UA-cam channel. Thank you for making this video. My price range is $2400 to $2800. I have been studiying for a month and am now between these 2 machines.
I think the mini is a great choice
You didnt tell us what machines you were considering
@@redesignedlife777 the 2 he showed. M4 pro Mac mini or M2 Max Mac Studio. I would upgrade both to 64 gb. But the m4 mini I would get 1tb of storage as well as upgrade to 14 core cpu and 20 core gpu.
I would get an m4 studio but I’m not waiting, I’m getting something this month.
Hi, JP viewer here!!
The Japanese AI voice audio is pretty shit makes me feel like I'm listening to those annying bot spammers who constantly call you on your phone ruining your day.
Is this a builtin feature from UA-cam or are you uploading it additionally? If so I highly recommend using subtitles for the default translation because its beyond unpleasant!!
Cheers!!
Hey Greg, your deep dive on the M4 Mac mini vs. Mac Studio was fantastic! You really get into the details that help viewers make an informed choice - especially important with all the hype around these devices. Curious if you’re open to brand partnerships that let you keep up the great content with less hassle. Let me know!
Yeah if you really wanna avoid fan noise: go for Mac Studio!
And I agree on waiting for Mac Studio M4 Max if possible.
If you wanna wait for M4 Max but need a Mac Studio so bad now. ASAP. Then you can buy one today and use it for some months, buy M4 Max, clone the old to the new, erase the M2 when you know that the clone (M4) is perfect and then sell your M2. It will cost a bit more but you will have a great Mac while waiting for an even greater!
Great breakdown as always!
Great video. I think its worth to upgrade from my Mac Studio M1 Max to The new M4 pro Mini.
Do you think the extra 2 cores are worthy to upgrade? For heavy music production..
Better to wait until Mac Studio with M4 Max is released. It depends on your use case, but Mac Mini is for home users and Mac Studio is for professionals. Those are completely different computers.
@@FirstLast-nr6gf well im considering the smaller size as well and portability for travel. Right now, my Studio M1 Max can handle my work fine (sometimes CPU goes full but that can be solved by "Freezing" some Tracks in Logic Pro). I assume the M4 Pro will do a much better job. The cooling system mainly im not sure about though.
Apple may start to discount the current Studio in order to get rid of stock before offering the new M4 Max (or Ultra) Studio in Spring 2025.
Does the M4 Mac mini have Thunderbolt 5 as well as the M4 Pro version?
No only the pro version have TB 5.
Yes, but only one port.
@@dorucreo not even only one port TB5 in standard M4 mac mini
@@hasansahin7965 aw ok
Highly considering pulling the trigger on an Mac Studio M2 Max 64gb ram and 1tb storage for video editing. I'm coming from a 2015 27" iMac intel so any upgrade will be miles ahead of what I'm working with now. I just don't know if it's a mistake getting the M2 Max now or if i should wait for the M4 Max studio next year. I really can't wait that long
Same thoughts here. I kinda wonder if the price point of the studio will stay the same when they get the new chips. Also I'd probably just get e refurbished one from apple and then that's not possible.
I think waiting for m4 studio will give more performance to price ratio. Even I am considering M4 Ultra Studio maxes out, so that it is major upgrade and also time proof for my video editing workflow for lot longer years to come
By the time you add the cost of a Studio Display to both, the actual % cost difference for a full setup is a lot less. So, Studio still makes more sense for GPU intensive workflow.
We should at least acknowledge that core for core, the GPU performance per core is much higher than the M2 Ultra. If the M4 Pro had a 76 core GPU, its score would be close to 420,000, which is astronomical.
So, people that spent an inordinate amount of money for the Mac Studio M2 basically got screwed. I want to move to Mac, but this kind of crap really makes me hesitant.
I pulled the trigger on Mac Mini Pro M4 64gb, 2TB, and more cores. My Macbook Pro M1 Max has been great but the Mac Mini M4 base model I picked up from Best Buy outperforms my M1. It's too good a deal to pass up.
difference between similar spec (64GB ram, 4TB SSD, 10Gbe network) Mac Mini and Mac Studio is only about 100 $, for that price you get just slightly different I/O
3:50 Damn, now I wanna have this coat!!! 😂😂😂 You can sell ice to Eskimos, man!
im waiting for m4 max macstudio
I waiting for the M4 Mac Studio Ultra
@@peteherrera1502 Who buys nowadays the Sudio M2 Max and Ultra is stupid, so I also wait for the M4 Ultra next year. Like you two.
I waited for the M4 Mini Pro and… bought the heavily discounted M1 Max Studio for a little less :)
The mini with m4 pro is the current “mini pro”. Anyway it is worth to buy the base modells and upgrade after every 2-3 generations.
You failed to mention about memory bandwidth. Mac mini 120GB/s, the studio is 400GB/s for the Max, 800GB/s Ultra. This is important for memory intensive applications.
I say wait for the new Mac studio. Don’t buy the hype, and buy the Mac NUC (err Mini) if you need memory performance.
I guess an M4 Ultra will come in the studio and blow us all away
I will probably get the M4 Max Studio when it releases. 40 GPU / 48GB / 1TB.
its really hard to justify the Max and Ultra for most workloads these days. I'm sure the M4 Ultra will be amazing in performance, but most professionals (outside of some hardcore video editing or maybe rendering) really don't need all that CPU. I'd much prefer more GPU cores over more CPU cores. But unless you are in an industry that can use those, the only real reason to go with more GPU is gaming... and...well...hmm, there just aren't any mac games I want....
I'm looking at swapping out my M1 Max MacBookPro, and possibly going for the Mac Mini M4 Pro or Mac Studio M4 Max as I'm tired of having a laptop taking up my desk when its always plugged in and I use an ultrawide monitor anyways... and then swapping my seldom used MacBook Air M1 for a MacBook Air M4 when they come out and using it as my only mobile device.
And how do you know what professionals need?
It's not CPU what we need for video editing and 3D modeling, is GPU power. The M4 pro it's just comparable to a RTX 3060 TI (Geekbench score), which is pretty underpowered for professional video editing these days.
I just need blender benchmarks. Seems everyone has ignored those on this Mac mini. Not sure why but the scale and cpu are getting the limelight.
Placing the power button on the bottom really isn't not a "design stateement", that is a "design mistake"... I'd love to know under what cicumstances some silver-tongued designer successfully argued for that.
I don't think reviewers are really arguing that it wasn't a mistake, just that it's really a NONISSUE. The Mini is so ridiculously light, that the 2 times per year you actually need to hard reset it you can easily lift it to reach the button.
Easy decision....photographers and videographers get the Mac Studio. Web surfers get the Mac Mini.
Mac mini m4 may end up as the 1080ti for mac minis.. great value for its price to performance
I think the way it was rolled out was on purpose. There are still the new M4 Ultra / Hidra that might show up in the highest tier Mac Studio and Mac Pro, similar to what we saw in the M2 line up. So Who knows, perhaps the current M4 Pro are binned and there might be even a higher CPU/GPU count Pro coming ? Either way, the fact that they released the current lineup shows that they want to sell them and once people went nuts over them they will release even higher rated machines and CPUs. So in this case, it would make sense why they release a Mac Mini with killer specs.
Everyone keeps talking about an M4 Ultra chip… it isn’t coming.
There is no fusion bridge on the M4 Max so no stitching two together.
If they release a new Studio it will be a full internal redesign with a new graphics coprocessor or simply a pro/max chip spec and redesigned storage module like that of the mini.
Impressive! The M4 Max and Ultra Max Studios are coming out in March, 2025 and not June.
All the rumors are pointing to June (a little before or after the WWDC that happens at the beginning of June each year)
I would like to see a comparison when they are built up to the same price
I just want to know which model and setup to get so I have the biggest bang for my buck. For me, more RAM and good processor speed is key. I can always add external storage.
Would say for today yes M4 Apple Mac mini Pro if you had to purchase it now. My hope the next Mac Studio, and Mac Pro come with a M5 SOC.
with all the extra cores on the studio and the GPU cores what is going to be better for video work?
In the Spring of 2025, I will be buying my first Apple "M" series processor system. If buying today, I would get either a used M-2 "mac mini" Pro model, or a M-1 Ultra "Mac Studio" model. For myself, the only thing the smaller new M-4 "mac mini" is good for, is being a laptop replacement because, just by adding a small keyboard and screen, you now have a full portable computer system (smile ... smile).
I'm very happy with my base M2 Studio. I don't do video processing, I don't do heavy workloads.. it's overkill for my use case. I'd love to get a low end mini to use as an email server as my ISP's idea of mail filtering is a joke. However, they won't give me a static IP so that's out. BTW - want to hear a fan run constantly? I had OCLP /Sequoia on my late 2015 MBP and the fan was running constantly. After the recent OLCP issues with 15.1, I just went back to Monterey.
I’m surprised apple didn’t add the m4 in the studio at the same time as the mini. Really odd decision.
I been hearing rumors about this Mac mini fans being loud a spinning up where the Mac Studio stays really quiet. I kept saying if they made the Mac mini smaller this would happen. Only time will tell after people been using these for audio recording and heavy projects what we will see. Most people can't even use these with their audio interfaces because o the new OS so they have to wait.
maybe leave the graphics on screen for 10 seconds so we dont have to keep pausing the video?
Prophecy: The new 2025 Mac Studio, with a M5 chip, will debut next year.🧑🏽🎓🫤
Can;t wait for the M4 studio. Super excited about it
Like most UA-camrs, this guy thinks everyone is a video producer. I'm a photographer, so my concern is how it works with Lightroom Classic and occasionally Photoshop. Honestly, I did not see this video as even remotely helpful. The next Studio will be amazing, like every new Apple product is. But coming from an iMac 27" Intel-based computer, I am sure the Mac Mini M4 Pro will be an outstanding improvement and more than enough for me.
Hahaha that is funny. I just need my computer to be able to drive three Samsung 49 inch wide screen monitors for my stock trading rig. The new Mac mini with M4 looks like it will be able to do that. I don't need anything fancy. Base model will work perfect and the trading rig gets nothing else on it but the trading platform. So awesome. The same set up back in the 2010 would have cost you $2500 now only $700 what's not to love !!!
I just need my Apple Mac to watch porn, so the base model will be sufficient.
Add affiliate links to your camera and mics you use to record
Don't forget the power button placement...
Editing 4k footage including hard to decode codecs and adding a fair bit of color correction/effects, what would be better? I can get a great deal on a 32gb mac studio m2 max, as in a few hundred less than an m4 pro mac mini
Hi. Saw something that didn't make sense. The single core % increase at around the 5:30 marker; Relative to the M4 is ( 3920 - 2777 ) / 3920 = 0.2916 (29.16%) or relative to the M2 is ( 3920 - 2777 ) / 2777= 0.4116 (41.16%). Your chart shows a 34% increase. Just have a look, maybe the chart values are not correct if the % is?
It’s funny because on the Geekbench site, the M4 Pro 14 core is in the 3800 range running at 4500 MHz. The M4 Pro 12 core is 3320, running at 3911 Hz.
He shows them as identical.
Thanks for the advice!
This UA-camr is definitely Apple sponsored
I wish
11:04. The M3 was NOT a "full generation." It's mostly just an over clocked M2. So upgrading from the M2 Max/Ultra is not upgrading two "full generations." It's more upgrading one "full" generation.
The new Mac Mini is great for students, semi-pro video editors, and people who want to utilize Apple Intelligence for work related task at a very reasonable price. For those who want to edit 8k video and want fast rendering you should wait for the Mac Studio M4 Ultra.
I have an M2 Studio right now and really tempted by the mini... but ultimately it would be a waste of money, the Studio is still great and is still a skookum machine. Heck I still have my M1Pro MBP - I'm waiting to see if the M5 MBP comes with a tandem OLED screen before I update it.
Do you think really its worth to choosing m4 max instead of m4 pro ? all i see on the videos its all about seconds for rendering etc. (i am talking for macbook pro)
What kind of work do you do on your machine?
Depends on what you use your laptop for, if you're saving seconds or a minute here or there it might not sound like a lot, but if you use your laptop everyday for those workloads, it adds up.
@@GregsGadgets i am software developer. i am going to use it with my ipad air m2. i read PDF's on it, compiling code. But, also i am creating courses for udemy and coursera. so i am going to use it for video editing either. if there is going to be only few minutes difference, i think it doesn't worth of paying more. before i forget, i am going to use it for simple 2D animations creation.
@@kern776 You will find the Pro more than sufficient for many many years. Potentially upgrading the Ram might help with multitasking, but otherwise the Max is not necessary for that workflow, since none of it will heavily tax the Gpu.
@@ghost-user559 i am using VSCODE - vmvare fusion pro (virtuallation) - and some edit programs.
if you want the Mac Studio. Just wait for the M4 version of that when it comes out.
When the studio gets updated that will be the machine to get
If you need that kind of power and can afford it yes,but for most people the Mac mini is plenty powerful enough and more affordable.
@@davidjacobs6244That’s the thing. If you really need it, you’re not going to give up your M2 Studio until the M4 Studio comes out.
I thought the base Mac Mini was $599, not $1399. Oh he means the base model of the M4 Pro Mac Mini? Might need to correct the title.
The worst part about Mac mini is power button
Calling Thunderbolt 4 a weakness against TB5 will hardly no serious technical equipment available to utilize is a stretch 😂.
40gb speed transfers is nothing to sneeze at over say 10gb which is still the primary market of regular people unlike us Tech Heads.
Subbed cause of the coat
It finally lead to something good
I am confused between Mac Studio M2 Max having 12c/30c and Mac mini M4 Pro having 14c/20c both with 64GB Ram and 1TB HDD.
My workload is 150+ browser tabs opened simultaneously on different browsers daily, 20 small reels to 3-4 medium video edits a week and 1 or 2 blender edits a month. Attached to a single 5k monitor, no memory card or ethernet required. Both costs exactly INR 2,49,900 here in INDIA.
I fear mac mini m4 pro with 14/20 will get louder fans and might thermal throttle.
Please, suggest to me what's best? Thank you in Advance.
M4 Mac Studio will probably release in April or May during Tax Season
The right choice would be to wait for the mac studio M4 Max 😅 but I just got the mac mini M4 pro for now
With regard to pricing the M4 Max Studio next year, nobody seems to consider that when it is released, it is likely to be subject to tariffs of 45% or higher as an import per the incoming President's plans.
3:49 SQUIRREL!
What matters is real world experience bro!
At this point pro's are just waiting for the M4 Studio, another 5-7 months to wait...
If you're not sure if you need a Mac Studio than you probably don't.
M4 Max Studio is what I need. We all need more GPU in these Macs.
Forget it. We benchmarked the Mac mini in Davinci Reaolve vs the Mac Studio and the Mac mini is sooo much slower. Like half the speed.
Which configurations are you comparing though?
Great video ... thank you!
The M4 pro also has a GPU with raytraced cores. It will destroy the M2 ultra archaic cores in blender and raytraced games.
Recommendations for what monitor to get with the Mac mini? I do a lot of Lightroom photo editing, so I need one that has good clear color.
cs2740
The Mac Studio at this point is for environments that need many monitors.
Just bought it. Using it with my existing dual monitor setup of 24 inches 1440p and 1080p res. The text is blurry and unable to scale. I didnt know it has such a big problem with scaling and i would need to buy an expensive monitor as well to use it. Windows does it flawlessly with any monitor thrown at it. Regret buying it :(
Sell it.
@@mikefiftynine That's the plan
@@bunty672744 sounds good!
Greg please to a pretend review of an Apple product 20 years from now. Please be descriptive.
The Mac mini has always been the best value in desktop computing. Now it's even more so.
I agree. I upgraded to a Studio last year from my 2015 Mini... maybe get a little more life out of it.
yo! great and refreshing video. I really need your help. I am a pro retoucher and I use Photoshop. thats it. my skill set is fully photoshop and other than that its google chrome.
What would you recommend to a heavy photoshop user? like when i say heavy I mean like smart objects and opening 25 2/3GB files in one go. batching, exporting. Working with at times 10k px files. Up until now Ive had a hackintosh with 128GB 2666 Mhz DDR4 Ram , 3.8 GBz 8 Core Intel Core i7, and a AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8 GB. It has been my workhorse and I ride it hard. But id love to get on one of these new M4 chips and wondering if my current set up can be outshined by these little joke looking mac minis or even a Mac studio. How would you compare my current 128GB ram to whats available on a mac mini even if I spec'd up. I know rams work differently and I shouldnt compare like for like. If anyone else had any thoughts id love some help!
E
honestly I still want to buy an M1 macstudio.
The studio is insanely good...
Seeing as I currently have a 2013 iMac, my bigger concern is buying the Studio Display...it is very expensive and does not seem to have received any updates since launch. Knowing my luck, as soon as I buy it, they will release a new monitor. What do you guys think? Is this likely, or do you think the Studio Display in it's current form is here to stay for a long time?
I'm in the same boat. I am still using 2013/14 iMac which had the highest specs available then, plus I installed 32 gb of ram. I was pretty set on the Mac mini as a great upgrade, but when you add the cost of the studio display plus all of these adaptors for USB-A, I'm wondering whether an M4 iMac might just do the job.Just need it for Logic really.
@@hilaryburrows9487 iMac is too small for me! Once you get used to 27 inches, it's hard to go down from there!
Well, this is getting interesting. So full disclosure: I hate apple, and have never used a mac (Yes, I don't pretend to be rational....). I have a blunt spoon in the other room to gouge out my left eyeball before EVER considering getting a Mac. BUT, with NVIDEA charging through the nose for GPUs, and it's very likely to only get worse with the 5000 series, these macs are totally stacking up for workstation use. And a top end Ryzen CPU (16 core) isn't cheap either. Against that backdrop, these computers start to look halfway compelling.
LOL. I like Alpaca, nothing wrong it that.
😂
The m4 studio is going to be way diff.