We recently got our hands on the Apple Mac mini, which is currently one of the most cost-effective image processing computers. I believe many of you have already seen a lot of reviews or specifications about this computer. Therefore, we specially posted a dynamic question asking everyone what they wanted to know; this article will present the answers in a Q&A format.
First, we chose the configuration with the M4 Pro chip, along with 24GB (14+20 cores) of memory and 512GB of storage space..
Q1：Just want to see the video editing and photo editing performance, and how to pair it with a monitor?
First, regarding video editing and photo editing performance, because I had previously been using a Windows host with a 3080 graphics card and a 10th generation CPU, photo editing wasn’t a big issue, and it could handle it basically, but the 10th generation CPU has some unsupported video encoding, so during editing, there would occasionally be stuttering or even crashes of the editing software.
However, in the nearly 20 days of using the Mac mini, the preview, smoothness, and export quality during editing have all improved significantly.
Then, regarding how to pair with a monitor, we chose the BenQ SW270C, which is a great choice for image professionals.
Additionally, while using it, we can directly select the Apple-compatible Display-P3 color gamut on the monitor for more precise color adjustments.
Q2：How many 4K timelines can it handle?
We used 4K 60fps 200mbps video shot with Panasonic, dragged it into DaVinci’s 4K 29.97fps timeline, and without color grading or adding any effects, it could handle up to 8 tracks of synchronous playback without stuttering or dropping frames. Adding more would cause stuttering and frame drops.
8 video tracks H.264 4K 60fps 200Mbps
9, 10 video tracks H.264 4K 60fps 200Mbps
Of course, we also tried using video footage shot with Sony CineAltaB at 8.6K 29.97fps X-OCN LT, and it turned out that it could handle a maximum of three tracks of synchronous playback; adding one more track would cause stuttering. However, being able to preview three tracks of X-OCN LT footage simultaneously is enough to prove how powerful this Mac mini is.
3 tracks X-OCN LT 8.6K 30fps 2129Mbps
4 tracks X-OCN LT 8.6K 30fps 2129Mbps
Q3：I am interested in the AI capabilities of Mac platform in software like Ir, Topaz, DXO, will you test this?
Since there is this demand, we will definitely do it. We tested the AI removal feature of LR, as well as the AI denoising feature of DXO, and the computational results were quite good, and the time taken for AI calculations was also very reasonable, basically achieving a seamless operation.
Overall, this Mac mini is definitely one of the most cost-effective products in Apple’s lineup this year, with its powerful hardware capabilities providing us with more creative space in video editing, no longer limited by computer performance.
In addition, the quiet, stable, high-performance, and compact features also make this mini host the best choice for those looking to upgrade their desktop Mac or try out the Mac system. Would you choose a Mac mini as your image processing computer? Feel free to leave a comment and discuss with us in the comment section!
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