Base Mac Mini M4 Pro to Base Mac Studio M4 Max upgrade worth it?

About this Video

• Video Title: Base Mac Mini M4 Pro to Base Mac Studio M4 Max upgrade worth it?
• Channel: ArtIsRight
• Speakers: ArtistRight
• Duration: 00:26:58

Introduction

This video compares the performance of a base model Mac mini with the M4 Pro chip and a base model Mac Studio with the M4 Max chip in professional photo and video workflows. The creator, ArtistRight, conducts various tests to determine if the upgrade from the Mac mini to the Mac Studio is worthwhile, considering the price difference.

Key Takeaways

• Price Difference: The price difference between the base Mac mini M4 Pro and the base Mac Studio M4 Max is significant, but sales can reduce this gap considerably.
• Memory Upgradeability: The Mac mini allows for RAM upgrades after purchase, while the Mac Studio's RAM is fixed at purchase.
• GPU Performance: Applications heavily utilizing the GPU (like video editing and some photo editing tasks) show a substantial performance advantage for the Mac Studio M4 Max due to its superior GPU capabilities.
• CPU Performance: CPU-intensive tasks show less of a performance difference between the two machines, often with minimal gains for the Mac Studio.
• Upgrade Recommendation: The best upgrade path prioritizes RAM, then storage, and finally the chip itself. The upgrade from the base M4 Pro Mac mini to the base M4 Max Mac Studio is more compelling if the Mac Studio is discounted, given the performance gains in GPU-heavy tasks.