All right, so here's the deal. I thought I was making a smart decision when I first picked up the base M1 Mac mini. On paper, it looked like a great choice. It's compact, affordable, and packs some impressive specs for $599. But as the

weeks went by, I started realizing I might have made a mistake, especially for the type of work that I do. Of course, some intensive video editing, some 3D modeling, a bit of simple coding, and multitasking with a bunch of Chrome tabs open—all of the things I rely on my

computer for—just weren't as smooth as I hoped. Now, before you guys come at me in the comments, don't get me wrong, the base Mac mini is still a phenomenal machine. In fact, for 90% of you guys watching, it's probably all you'll ever need. But for

someone who demands more power, the M1 Pro Mac mini is the one that I should have gone [Music] with. Hey everyone, my name is RJ, and we are so close to 50,000 subscribers. Your support means a lot to me, so if you guys

find value in this video, drop a like and subscribe to the channel. A lot more tech reviews just like this one are coming, including a stress test on the M1 Pro Mac mini versus the base M1 Mac mini. That should be a good one. Now, let's

rewind back to the moment I first unboxed the base Mac mini. This thing was my first ever Mac mini, and I was blown away by just how small it was. I mean, seriously, this thing is tiny. It's smaller than my PS5 controller. That is

just insane and at 1.6 lb it's lighter than most laptops. The design is classic Apple; Apple has always been the master of nailing the details. The M4 Mac Mini is no exception. The full aluminum body feels premium, solid, and sturdy, but if

you flip it over, you'll notice something a little bit unexpected: a plastic bottom with a raised circular ring. At first glance, it might seem like a minor design choice, something you'd probably overlook if you weren't paying close attention, but this raised ring is doing a lot more

than you think. You see, Apple's engineers designed this raised ring to create a small gap between the Mac Mini and whatever surface it's sitting on. That gap allows for cool air to flow in from underneath and all around the base, keeping the internals at optimal

temperatures, and I think it's pure genius. Most people would never even think about something like this, but Apple, they're like, 'What if we could make this thing breathe better without adding bulky vents or fans?' It's subtle, but it works. And to have all of this power in

this portable package is kind of wild. You could quite literally throw this thing into a backpack, carry it anywhere, and it wouldn't feel like you're lugging around a desktop computer. Imagine walking into a coffee shop, setting this thing up, and just casually saying, 'Oh yeah, I brought my desktop with me.' But

let's go back to my regrets with the base Mac Mini. At first, I thought, 'This is perfect. It's small, it's quiet, and seems powerful enough for what I need.' And for the first few days, that was true. The base Mac Mini handled simple tasks

effortlessly web browsing, editing Lightroom, running lightweight apps, no problem, but the moment I started pushing it with quote-unquote real work, the cracks started to show. For example, when I opened a 4K timeline in Final Cut Pro, don't get me wrong, the playback was

still smooth, but when it came time to render, the export times were, let's just say, longer than expected. A 10-minute 4K video render took nearly 5 minutes, and apps like Blender run fine, but if you're really pushing complex models, it will

struggle a little bit. Rendering a detailed 3D model took over 3 minutes. Now, for context, the M4 Pro Mac Mini handled the same render in under a minute. That is a massive difference if you're doing this kind of work daily. Now,

let's talk about the ports because here's where Apple gave the base Mac Mini finally some love. On the back, you've got three Thunderbolt 4 ports for high-speed peripherals like SSDs and monitors, one HDMI port for easy display connections, ethernet for reliable wired

internet, and on the front, Apple did something that makes so much sense. They added two USB-C ports and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The front ports are such a small detail, but they make a huge quality of life improvement, whether you're plugging in an external drive,

charging your accessories, or connecting headphones. Having those ports right up front makes everything a lot easier. And I didn't expect this from Apple. They've been known to hide all their ports on the back for years, so seeing front ports on the base Mac Mini, that's a win. It

finally feels like they listen to it now this next part isn't really that important but I thought you guys should know about it anyways both the Mac Mini models with the M2 and the M2 Pro chip support up to three external displays but their configurations differ the base

model supports up to three displays two displays up to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display up to 5K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt the Mac Mini with the M2 chip supports up to three displays three displays up

to 6K resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI so while both models do support up to three external displays the M2 Pro variant offers more flexibility especially for higher resolution setups which may or may not really matter to you so after a few days

of contemplating I finally decided to upgrade to the M2 Pro Mac Mini and let me tell you it's been a GameChanger the 14 core CPU and the 20 core GPU in the M2 Pro obliterates anything that I throw at it video editing 3D modeling coding

everything just flies and I mean it's not even close I edited a 10-minute 4K video and the render time was under a minute and 30 seconds that is ridiculous over on blender rendering a complex 3D model now takes 49 seconds it's like

going from a Prius to a Tesla Model S PL this thing is fast here's where things get interesting comparing the M2 Mac Mini Pro to the base M2 MacBook Pro the M2 Mac Mini Pro features the M2 chip with up to 14 cores 10 performance cores

and four efficiency cores and up to 20 GPU cores. It also offers enhanced performance suitable for demanding tasks like video editing and 3D rendering. The M4 Mac Mini Pro supports up to 64 GB of Unified memory with a memory bandwidth of 273 GB per second, facilitating

smoother multitasking and handling large data sets. The base M4 MacBook Pro supports up to 32 GB of unified memory with a memory bandwidth of 120 GB per second, which is adequate for general use and less intensive professional applications. Now, benchmark scores indicate that the M4 Pro chip in the Mac

Mini delivers superior performance compared to the standard M4 chip in the MacBook Pro. For example, in Geekbench 6 multi-core test, the M4 Pro scores approximately 22,997, while the M4 scores around 15,139, highlighting a significant performance

boost with the M4 Pro. So, if your workflow involves intensive tasks such as high-resolution video editing, 3D modeling, or complex computational processes, the M4 Mac Mini Pro offers enhanced performance capabilities all while being $200 cheaper. One of the

stand-out features of the M4 Pro Mac Mini is the Thunderbolt 5 ports. These ports are insanely fast, delivering up to 120 GB per second of total bandwidth thanks to Thunderbolt 5. I can connect multiple high-speed peripherals like SSDs, external GPUs, and monitors, and

everything just runs flawlessly. It feels like you're using the internal drive. So, if you're dealing with large files regularly, Thunderbolt 5 alone makes the upgrade worth it. Now, the M4 Pro Mac Mini is a sleeper powerhouse for gaming. The base model is fine with the 10 core GPU

but the base model takes it up a notch with 20 GPU cores, double the power, smoother frame rates and way better handling of demanding games. On top of that, add hardware accelerated ray tracing for lifelike lighting and reflections. They jumped to 273 GB per

second memory bandwidth for faster performance and the ability to run Metal optimized games buttery smooth at higher settings. This thing, I would say, is a legit gaming box. It's small, it's quiet and now it's surprisingly ready to game. Now, the memory bandwidth refers to

the speed at which the M4 Mac Mini chip can transfer data between its unified memory RAM and the CPU or the GPU. It's a measure of how quickly large amounts of data can move around inside the system, which is crucial for performance in tasks like gaming, video editing or 3D

rendering. The thing about Apple silicon is the memory is shared across the CPU, GPU and the neural engine, eliminating the need for separate memory pools. This makes the high bandwidth critical for smooth performance. So why does this matter? Well, when it comes to gaming, the high memory

bandwidth allows the system to process textures, shaders and frame data more efficiently, resulting of course in smoother gameplay and higher frame rates. For video editing or 3D work, it speeds up the rendering and processing of high resolution files. The M4 Pro's 273 GB per

second is more than double the 120 GB per second on the base M4 Mac Mini, which means it can handle much heavier workloads without bottlenecking and it also means that this thing is futureproof. Now, let's talk about the pricing. The base M4 Mac Mini starts at

$599, it's perfect for the everyday user who needs a reliable machine for web browsing, streaming, office work, light video editing, and coding. Let me reiterate: for 90% of you watching, the base model is all you'll ever need. It's affordable, it's compact, and it offers

amazing performance for the price. But for someone like me, someone who needs more power, faster transfer speeds, and a device that's going to be future-proof, the M1 Pro Mac Mini at $1,199 is worth every penny. Think about it: you're not

just buying a computer, you're buying time - faster render times, better multitasking, and fewer bottlenecks, meaning that you can get done more in less time. And in my line of work, getting videos out faster is everything. That said, I don't want to unsell the base Mac

Mini for tasks like coding, editing photos on Lightroom, or scriptwriting. It's a joy to use; macOS Sierra runs smoothly and apps open instantly. And let's be real: most people aren't rendering 4K videos or running Blender models daily. If you're doing just

regular stuff, the base Mac Mini feels blazing fast. But if you're a content creator watching this, like a video editor or 3D artist, the M1 Pro Mac Mini is the way to go. For the everyday user who just needs a reliable computer for

casual tasks, the base Mac Mini is perfect. It's all about choosing the right tool for the job. If you don't need that extra power, save your money. But if you're like me and you demand more from your machine, the M1 Pro Mac Mini is so

worth it so here's the bottom line I regret choosing the base Mac Mini not because it's bad but because it wasn't the right fit for my workflow for everyday tasks it's phenomenal but for professional workloads the M1 Pro Mac Mini is in a league of its own but if

you're someone who needs that extra power don't make the same mistake I did go straight for the M1 Pro you will not regret it that's it for this one let me know down in the comments below are you team base Mac Mini or team M1 Pro

everything you guys saw in this video is linked in the description including the external SSDs that I recommend the Samsung monitor that you guys all seem to love is on sale I think it's around $300 off for Black Friday that's also linked for you guys in the description

below and of course if you made it to the end of this video drop a dolphin Emoji down in the comments below I would love to know who my true supporters are as always thank you so much for watching and don't forget to flex with your M1

M4 Pro Mac Mini 2 Weeks Later - Why I REGRET Buying the $599 Base Mac Mini..(HONEST REVIEW)

M4 Pro Mac Mini 2 Weeks Later - Why I REGRET Buying the $599 Base Mac Mini..(HONEST REVIEW)