M4 Mac mini vs Mac Studio - DON’T BE FOOLED!

Apple just announced the new M4 Pro Mac mini and while I thought it would be a great value computer, I didn't realize that in a lot of situations it would also be more powerful than Apple's Mac Studio, but is there any reason why you should still buy a Mac Studio in 2024?

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[kinocchio]

I don’t understand why Apple doesn’t update the Mac Studio at the same time as all the other macs.

[IndyRockStar]

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.

[BW_Maher]

If you're not sure if you need a Mac Studio than you probably don't.

[erickleefeld]

Apple’s mistake here is not simultaneously coming out with M4 Max/Ultra chips for the Mac Studio.

[martyk]

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. :)

[DennisvanAarssen]

Literally the comparison I was waiting for! Was looking to get a Mac Studio, but now I've changed my mind. Thanks!

[EvLoutonian]

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!

[Aviation_tech]

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.

[MikeLikesChannel]

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.

[joelhidalgo]

I recently found your channel and your video reviews are great. Thank you.

[SeanSeesMedia]

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

[CreativeMindsAudio]

I ordered a maxed out (minus storage) Mac mini m4 pro and I’m upgrading from a maxed out Intel MacBook Pro from 2020 with the same amount of storage. It should arrive next week, it’s tests like these that get me really excited about it. I really wanted to wait until i heard about the new Mac Studio, but i don’t think I’ll need that extra GPU power for video editing workflows or streaming. And the CPU stats are nuts! 90% of the work i do is audio/music related and is very CPU and ram intensive.

[patrickmolloy]

power isn't a key for me, but as a photographer use storage. I followed advice, got a mini pro with 1Tb and an external 4Tb ssd. Then spent a week making my data. things got so hot I bought a fan! Retrned the mini...was going to get another with more storage, but heard rumours of new studio this June.So I’m waiting...

[itravelers]

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.

[weekendhomeprojects]

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.

[patricksmith]

I think that apple will start to put a lot more energy in to the mini macs. I remember in 2011, when their latest imac all in ones came out, everyone was buying those. With the new widescreen and multi screen becoming way more popular it would seem logical that a small independent computer is the way to go. I have noticed minimacs are becoming the thing to have and the all in ones with the smaller screens are more for office work.

[darylfortney]

In my opinion the studio advantage is in having more ports and usb-a

[idis]

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.

[davidallen]

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.

[kel-au]

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.