Great things come in small packages. With the Apple Mac Mini, running on the new M4 chip, it is is a powerhouse of performance that never gets in the way of real creative work.
“Getting in the way” is a problem for anyone who has worked on a computer. For example, a slowdown because you are running too many apps (or have too many tabs open in Chrome or Safari). Or, a glitch with an app that can’t quite keep u. And An outright crash because you loaded too many high-res photos into Adobe Lightroom makes you less productive. Been there, done that — many times. While the Apple Mac Mini is small, I never had any of those issues.
For many of us, the reality of computing is that you can’t always rely on your machine of choice, whether it be a Mac, a PC, or a Chromebook. Slowdowns with a computer means slowdowns for you. Yet, in a few weeks of testing the new Mac Mini, I never experienced any issues. And I tend to stress test every computer, starting with a boatload of photos.
Testing photos with the Apple Mac Mini
I first loaded thousands of images into Adobe Lightroom. I’m not exaggerating about that: As a volunteer photographer, I snap hundreds of photos and edit very quickly in Lightroom. I’m used to a larger, beefier desktop or a fast high-performance laptop.
The Mac Mini made quick work of all my photos, allowing me to focus on the work at hand, editing and applying filters. I never had any glitches or felt like the Mac Mini was not able to keep up with my computing chore. On one particularly detailed image, doing some editing work, the Mini just kept flying along.
Small form factor (SFF) computers are handy because they are portable, fit on a smaller desk, and just give you more breathing room in your office. They also run fairly silently. The downside? Some of the SFF machines I’ve tested just couldn’t keep the pace. The Mac Mini not only processed all of those photos with lightning speed, but I built an entire website as well.
Fast performance
The M4 chip is a godsend. It’s ready for the coming revolution of artificial intelligence as well, officially sanctioned by Apple as able to keep up with that revolution. The AI writing tools for apps like Pages help you generate content quickly.
I tested Siri dozens of times and felt like I was using my phone, asking questions about politics and getting directions. The Mac Mini has two front USB-C ports and three on the back, plus a headphone jack on the front where it is easy to find. That was enough for all of my peripherals and then some. I even had a spare cable to charge my Bluetooth mouse. The unit itself is only 5-inches by 5-inches.
A nice bonus was that the Mac Mini doesn’t emit excess heat — it tends to stay nice and cool. It’s also whisper quiet, so during Zoom calls I never heard a peep out of it.
The Apple Mac Mini can drive up to three monitors and supports hardware‑accelerated ray tracing for video games. Overall, the new Mac Mini was a silent running small computer but a powerhouse for all of the apps I use, from Pages to Lightroom. It’s the best small computer I’ve ever tested.