Last year, Apple launched its self-developed computer chip, and the Mac mini is currently the only desktop computer in the “M1 camp”.
The starting price of the new Mac mini is¥5099, equipped with8GB of memory. If you want to customize it to 16GB, you need topay an extra ¥1500(this is simply robbery!), so we customized a Mac mini with 16GB of memory.
Previously, we reviewed the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air with M1 processors; how does this Mac mini perform?
Today, we will analyze it briefly:
Apple Mac Mini
Swipe left to see the front of the machine
Front of the machine
Its configuration is as follows:
Apple M1 chip
16GB memory
256GB SSD
Length 197mm
Width 197mm
Height 36mm
Weight 1.16kg
Currently priced at ¥6799
Its pros and cons are as follows:
Pros!
1. Compact design, does not take up much space
2. Good performance release, more cooling space than laptops
3. Currently the cheapest M1 computer
Cons!
1. Compared to the previous generation, there are fewer Thunderbolt 3 ports
2. Serious waste of internal space
3. No expandability, and the official upgrade prices are too high
【Upgrade Suggestions】
Disassembling the Mac Mini is not difficult but a bit troublesome. First, remove the black bottom cover fixed with clips, and there is a metal shield underneath, secured with a star screw.
Note that the metal shield is connected to a WIFI antenna fixed with a screw; after removing the screw and disconnecting the antenna, you can see the internal components of the machine.
Further disassembly requires removing the fan and disconnecting the power and ribbon cables, pushing the fins towards the interface direction to take out the motherboard.
Dual-channel 16GB memory can meet the needs of most users, and the memory is onboard and cannot be replaced.
PS: The original memory is 8GB, upgrading requires an extra ¥1500.
The SSD is also onboard, with the low-end version being 256GB. From the speed tests, it is comparable to PCIe3.0x4 NVMe SSDs.
PS: The original hard drive is 256GB, upgrading to 512GB requires an extra ¥1500, and upgrading to 1TB requires an extra ¥3000.
【Purchase Suggestions】
1. No need for a mobile computer
2. Need to fully utilize the performance of the M1 chip
3. Previous Mac users
The Apple Mac mini is equipped with Apple’s self-developed M1 chip, and the biggest visual difference from the previous Intel version is the color, changing from space gray back to the classic silver shell, with no changes in size.
In terms of interfaces, the M1 version has been simplified, with Thunderbolt 3 ports reduced from 4 to 2. Additionally, the M1 Mac mini’s RJ45 network port cannot be selected for 10Gb version, only standard gigabit network(but sufficient for ordinary households).
Regarding noise, its full-load noise level is 45dB, but considering that desktop computers are not used at very close distances like laptops, this noise is almost negligible.
The Apple Mac mini is a relatively niche product within the Mac lineup and is currently the cheapest product among M1 computers.
If you want to experience Apple’s latest self-developed ARM architecture SoC, then this computer is currently the most“affordable”.
However, the cheap price comes with the cost of not including a keyboard and screen, and I speculate that the next generation Mac mini will shrink dramatically, so if you can wait, waiting for the new product while waiting for ARM software adaptation is a win-win situation.
【Final Thoughts from the Author】
The above image is a real shot of the disassembly of the Mac mini, with a single fan paired with a relatively large heat sink, which directly covers the CPU without a heat pipe.
The fan draws air from the bottom and blows it directly onto the heat sink, expelling heat through the openings at the interface.
This motherboard with the M1 chip is very compact, and most of the space in the machine is “wasted”, unlike the current RTX30 series air graphics cards, the M1 Mac Mini is genuinely filled with air inside; Apple may want to save costs by using old molds in preparation for a stronger and smaller Mini in the future.
Room temperature 25℃
Reflectivity 1.00
Under full load, the CPU temperature peaked at 93℃, power consumption at 15W, with the large core frequency at 3.204GHz and the small core frequency at 2.064GHz.
The GPU temperature peaked at 72℃, power consumption at 12.36W, frequency at 1278MHz.
The total power consumption of the M1 chip is 30W, with the highest temperature in the power supply section reaching 101℃.
We conducted a Cinebench R23 loop stress test on the CPU, just for convenience and comparison with previous results; in fact, this cannot squeeze out the maximum power consumption of the M1 CPU.
After switching to another stress testing software, we finally saw the maximum power consumption of the M1 on the Mac Mini —CPU 20.68W, GPU 12.1W, total power consumption 35W.
It is worth mentioning that the maximum power consumption of the M1 chip’s CPU can actually reach 24.2W.
With the improvement of testing methods, the previous conclusion of “M1 TDP being 25W” has also been overturned; as for what the TDP actually is, it is hard to conclude now — who knows if there are more powerful software that can continue to push it further?(No wonder Apple doesn’t mention the TDP of the M1)
The surface temperature is shown in the above image, with the highest surface temperature at 37.1℃ and the average at 33.6℃.
Overall, the Mac mini has good heat dissipation performance; this conclusion is not due to Apple’s design being particularly scientific, but simply because the Mac mini has the best data among the three M1 products.
Currently, the peak power consumption of the M1 is just over 30W, but the adapter still provides 130W output, perhaps for the 100W output of the Thunderbolt port, or perhaps Apple is just using the components from the previous generation.
However, if Apple redesigns the mold, from the current motherboard area,the Mac mini’s size could be reduced by at least 40%, and at that time, the Mac mini would truly be very mini.
In the iMac lineup, the silver iMac can be configured with up to 8 cores for the iMac 5K, while the space gray color is exclusive to the iMac Pro, which starts with 10 cores.
So we have reason to believe that the space gray Mac mini may be reserved for the M1X or even M2 new mini, with a higher positioning.
Regardless, this Mac mini is just an “appetizer,” and the next generation Mac mini will likely surprise us even more. Let’s look forward to it!