Apple has unveiled the new Mac Mini, the latest version of its small computer, which features a new chassis and impressive specifications. The team in Cupertino is focusing on Apple Intelligence, so they have equipped this model with a powerful processor that includes an advanced neural engine. The 2024 Mac Mini will be one of the first to feature the M4 Pro chip.
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It’s no secret that some users see the Mac Mini as a great option for small studio setups. Apple is aware of this, which is why it released a variant with the M2 Pro in January 2023. As time has passed, hardware requirements have become more demanding with the rise of AI, prompting the technology company to announce the arrival of a new processor.
Overall, the M4 Pro features up to a 14-core CPU (10 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores), up to a 20-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Apple claims that its new chip offers ultra-fast single-thread performance, which it calls the “world’s fastest,” along with significantly better multi-thread performance compared to the M3 Pro.
The most powerful configuration of the M4 Pro includes a GPU that is up to twice as strong as the one in the M4. Both chips support hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which we’ve never seen before on the Mac Mini. Although the Mac has not traditionally been known as a gaming platform, having such a powerful GPU with ray tracing could provide a great reason to install compatible games.
How powerful is the new M4 Pro in the Mac Mini?
Unlike the M4, Apple did not provide a full spec presentation for the M4 Pro. Instead, it offered a real-world performance comparison, which makes this announcement different from typical processor reveals.
When compared to an Intel Core i7-based Mac Mini, the performance of the M4 Pro is light-years ahead. According to Apple, the new chip performs calculations in Excel up to four times faster, completes edit cut detection in Premiere Pro up to 9.4 times faster, and transcribes speech to text with AI in MacWhisper up to 20 times faster.
On the other hand, if you have a Mac Mini with the M2 Pro and are considering an upgrade, you will notice significant performance improvements. Apple states that the M4 Pro can apply audio effects in Logic Pro up to 1.8 times faster and render motion graphics in RAM at twice the speed in Motion. If you use Blender, you’ll see that a 3D scene can be rendered up to 2.9 times faster.
The M4 Pro supports up to 64GB of unified memory with a bandwidth of up to 273GB/s. It also features Thunderbolt 5 support, which doubles the speed of Thunderbolt 4 and can achieve maximum data transfer speeds of up to 120Gb/s.
The Mac Mini with the M4 Pro processor is available in two configurations. The first includes a 12-core CPU, a 16-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine, while the more powerful option has a 14-core CPU, a 20-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine. Users can choose from three unified memory options (24GB, 48GB, and 64GB), as well as storage options of up to 8TB.