Which Apple Mac M4 to buy for Software Development?

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Hello, here I wanted to tell you which Mac I would select from the new range of equipment that came out on the market, that is, the update to the M4 chip, presented a week ago (at the time of recording this video).

Basically, the equipment that was renewed were: the Mac Mini, the MacBook Pro laptops, the iMac, and also the MacBook Air —although the latter seems like it has not yet been officially renewed, I will still take it into consideration.

The first thing I'm going to take into account is the price.

And before continuing, I want to clarify that these are just my personal perspectives, that is, the considerations I would take when choosing one of these computers.

Remember also that my profile is a developer, so my decisions are based on that context.

I hope my viewpoints serve as a guide for you to adapt the choice to your own needs.
That being said, let's get started!

Discarding Options: the MacBooks

The first thing to discard, at least for me, are the laptops, be it the MacBook Pro or the MacBook Air (which hasn't even been renewed at the time of recording this video).

The price factor is key: we all want to spend as little as possible and get maximum performance. For example, a MacBook Pro costs around 

$1,700, while a Mac Mini with the same M4 chip is around $579.

The difference is about $700 or $800, and considering that laptop chips usually have less performance, the balance easily tips towards the Mac Mini... unless, of course, you need a portable computer for mobility reasons.

Better Combination: Mac Mini + Windows Laptop

Personally, I would opt for a Mac Mini and, in addition, a Windows laptop.
That way you have two computers instead of one, covering both stationary and portable work.

For example, an interesting option would be the ASUS TUF Gaming FX607JV-N3149, which can be acquired (when available) for around $850:

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Even with the price difference compared to a MacBook, you could buy a Mac Mini and a laptop without exceeding what a single MacBook Pro would cost.
I currently have this exact model and it works perfectly, without any issues.

So, in summary, you gain two computers for the price of one, which seems like a much smarter decision —unless you really need an Apple laptop.

Therefore you would be gaining two computers instead of one, so again, unless it is necessary

Monitor + Mac Mini: Better Than an iMac

In the case of the iMac, I wouldn't choose it either.
If you don't have a monitor, keyboard, or mouse, you can simply buy a Mac Mini and add an external monitor.
That way, you can also use it with other devices, something you can't do with the iMac (as far as I know).

Furthermore, Apple's keyboards and mice are, in my opinion, one of the few things that don't convince me about the brand: not very ergonomic and expensive.
I prefer to buy peripherals separately.

For all this, my ideal combination would be:
Mac Mini + Windows Laptop + External Monitor.

Evaluating the Mac Mini

As I mentioned before, my profile is a developer, so storage is a critical point.
The base model of the Mac Mini M4 comes with 256 GB, and that can become insufficient very quickly.

For example, my current machine is a Mac Mini Pro with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, and half the space is already occupied just by my development tools:
Docker, Node, PHP, Visual Studio Code, browsers, Unreal Engine, Flutter and other programs.
I don't store local files —everything goes to external drives— and yet the storage fills up easily.

Therefore, if you work in software development, video games, or 3D design, 256 GB will be insufficient.
In that case, it is advisable to invest in the 512 GB model.

Mac Mini M4                                            https://amzn.to/3UN8Bbt

Recommendation, Increase the RAM and Drive of the Base Model but It Almost Doubles Its Initial Value

The good news is that you can opt for the 512 GB model, which costs around $200 more.
Taking advantage of offers, you can get it for $999, although the price may vary slightly.

Furthermore, I recommend increasing the RAM.

Currently, 16 GB is the new base standard, and considering the growth in resource consumption (especially with the integration of Apple Intelligence), it is wise to invest a little more here.

Of course, keep in mind that, by increasing the RAM and storage, the price practically doubles compared to the base model.

When comparing the base model with the Mac Mini M4 Pro (with an approximate price of $1,369), although the investment is significantly higher, the advantages in terms of performance and base specifications make it the best option.

1. Improved Base Specifications: Mac Mini M4 Pro: the best option

The M4 Pro model offers much superior starting specifications, immediately addressing the RAM and storage needs:

• RAM: 24 GB unified (compared to the M4's 8 GB base configuration).
• Storage: 512 GB SSD.

If we had added this same RAM and storage to the base M4 model, its price would rise to $972. For a difference of only about $400 more, the Pro model offers substantial improvements in the central hardware.

2. ⚡ Processor and Graphics (GPU) Performance

While the M4 Pro CPU's improvement over the base M4 in multi-core tasks is close to 20%, the most significant and decisive change is found in the graphics performance (GPU):

GPU (Graphics): The M4 Pro's GPU drastically improves performance, reaching double or exceeding 80% extra performance compared to the base model.

Benefits for Developers

Given that our profile includes software development and you are getting into 3D development, the M4 Pro's graphical superiority is indispensable:

• 3D Development: Programs like Blender and Unreal Engine intensely rely on the GPU for rendering, modeling, and simulations.
• Mobile Development: When launching emulators (for example, with Flutter), a better GPU also contributes to smoother execution.
• Other Uses: Better performance in video editing, graphic design, and even Gaming (although options on Mac are limited).

3. Memory Bandwidth and Connectivity

The Pro model includes advanced improvements that directly benefit system performance in intensive workloads:

Memory Bandwidth: The M4 Pro handles significantly greater memory bandwidth than the base M4 model.

Definition: Bandwidth is the maximum data transfer capacity that unified memory supports for read and write accesses (communication with the processor).

Impact: Greater bandwidth (which doubles that of the base model in the Pro, which has approximately 120 GB/s) translates into better operating system performance in highly demanding scenarios.

Connectivity: The Pro model usually includes high-speed ports like Thunderbolt 5 (if I recall correctly), which provides greater data transfer speed with external devices.

Conclusion

The Mac Mini M4 Pro is the recommended selection based on the specified criteria. Although the base M4 model can handle operations, the Pro model offers the graphical power, sufficient RAM, and transfer capability needed to develop whatever you want, from software applications to video game or 3D development projects, ensuring better overall performance.

• Mac Mini M4 Pro                                     https://amzn.to/40Z42z1
• Amazon US Mac Mini M4 Pro -  https://www.amazon.com/-/es/dp/B0DLBVHSLD/&tag=acy29-21?th=1

For the price of the Mac Mini M4 Pro, you get a machine with more than enough power to develop, design, or game, with a better GPU, more memory, and better expansion capacity.

Furthermore, it includes Thunderbolt 5, which improves transfer speed, and superior memory bandwidth, which increases the system's overall performance.

In summary:

The Mac Mini M4 Pro is the most balanced option in power, performance, and durability.

Ideal for developers, designers, and demanding users looking for maximum performance without overpaying for a laptop or an iMac.

The Best/Worst/ Price-Quality Mac Mini (And My Choice) M4 vs M4 Pro - Benchmark

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I want to share my viewpoint on the Mac Mini models, as I consider it a topic that offers a lot of debate in the YouTube community.

Best Price/Quality Ratio

Obviously, the option with the best price/quality ratio is the basic M4 model.

For around $600 (plus taxes or if you find a deal), you get the base M4 chip with 16 GB of RAM, a fairly acceptable configuration for software development.

⚠️ Critical Aspects of the Basic Model

The fundamental problem with this configuration is the 256 GB storage.

• Heavy Software: Although it is possible to use an external hard drive to store files (images, videos, etc.), large development software like Xcode (~40-50 GB), Android Studio (~20 GB), and Unreal Engine usually install crucial libraries and core components at the operating system level, consuming the internal drive.
• Instability on External Drives: Installing these programs on an external drive (even if possible) can lead to instability or problems on Mac.
• Conclusion: While this model is number one in price/power ratio, as a developer, the initial saving on storage will be paid for later by constantly having to uninstall or move files, as 256 GB is not enough for a complete development environment.

2. The Worst Price/Quality Ratio: Intermediate Configurations

In my opinion, the worst price/quality ratio is the intermediate configuration of the base M4 chip (for example, with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage).

• Price Factor: For these specifications, the price amounts to about $1,000.
• The Problem: You are paying almost double the basic model simply to double the storage and increase the RAM, without getting any improvement in the main chip. This configuration is the worst option because its price gets too close to the Pro model without offering the performance improvement that justifies the extra investment.

3. The Best Purchase Option (After the Basic One): Mac Mini M4 Pro

The second best option —and the one I selected— is the Mac Mini M4 Pro, which has a price of around $1,369.

Base Specifications: This model already comes with 24 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, which is the minimum I recommend.

Justification for the Difference: For a price difference of about $400 compared to the $972 M4 configuration, you get an M4 Pro chip that offers substantial improvements across the entire system.

4 Performance Comparison - CPU/GPU/Drive Benchmark M4 vs M4 Pro

In this case, I recommend that you at least just look at the images from this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y_jkfMuH48&t=4s

Which I found here on the internet is spoken in English, therefore if you don't handle it very well, then I recommend you at least look at the images since that tells us a lot, but here it is doing a Benchmark, that is, a comparison between what is the basic M4 model that we have here with the M4 Pro.

The Multi-Core gain is useful, but the GPU improvement is the decisive factor. The M4 Pro offers practically double the graphical processing, crucial if you work with 3D development software, video editing, or graphic design.

Storage and Bandwidth

Drive Speed: The M4 Pro has an SSD with read and write speeds twice as fast as the basic model.

Memory Bandwidth: The Pro model has greater memory bandwidth (superior to the 120 GB/s of the base model). Greater bandwidth (the maximum data transfer capacity of the memory) provides better operating system performance.

CPU Benchmark

In Single Core you can see the comparison here, what interests us would be multicore which would be this other one we have here. Here you can see what I mentioned in the previous video is about 20% a little more, these are 15 points and these are 22, it's a little more than 20% difference in the Core, there is not such a big difference, for us developers we are not really going to see a huge gain.

GPU Benchmark

Drive Benchmark

Apart from this, the read and write part also appears here, let me see if I can find it, which is also twice as fast, which I was also mentioning in the previous video, which was 120 GB per second, if memory serves me correctly.

256GB Mac Storage Problem: You Must Have TRIPLE the Available Space

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The low storage on base model Mac Minis or MacBooks (256 GB) is a serious challenge, especially for developers and professionals who use heavy software (like graphic designers) or me, for example, who use Unreal Engine, Xcode, Android Studio, local AIs…

XCode, Apple’s development tool, is one of the heaviest pieces of software. Estimates of its size vary, but generally range between 11 GB and 15 GB for the full installation (including internal libraries and the simulator), not just the basic editor which might weigh 3 GB.

It is crucial to understand that the 256 GB space is never fully usable:

• Initial Loss: Due to how storage operates, the actual available space is less (approximately 230 GB).
• Operating System (macOS): The space occupied by the operating system must be subtracted.
• Reserve Space: The operating system needs a certain amount of free space to function properly (swap memory, temporary files, etc.).

The "Triple Space" Rule for Updates

The main problem with reduced storage occurs when updating large software like XCode or Unreal Engine.

To successfully update a program, you must have three (3) times the size of the program in disk space.

Personal Experience: This was especially problematic in older models with 128 GB. The lack of space during the installation phase caused constant failures that were only solved by freeing up more and more available space until the required threshold was reached.

Summary of the Choice

Although the M4 Pro and the M4 Base look physically similar, the internal improvements (more RAM, more storage, double the GPU, double the drive speed, and greater bandwidth) make the M4 Pro the ideal machine to develop whatever you want, from software to video game or 3D projects. For all the work I do, this is the model I choose.

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Mac Mini M4                                            https://amzn.to/3UN8Bbt
Mac Mini M4 Pro                                     https://amzn.to/40Z42z1