For a long time, Apple computers have seemed almost unattainable. Although the starting prices for the Mac Mini and MacBook look reasonable, the standard 8GB memory forces users to spend more for the 16GB or even higher memory versions, and the same goes for the SSD.
The price of Mac’s memory is as valuable as gold, making the upgraded versions seem less appealing. Especially after the introduction of the M series chips, the soldered memory and SSD make it nearly impossible to replace them on your own. If you want to upgrade storage at a low cost, you either have to pay someone to do it, losing your warranty in the process.
However, after the release of the Mac Mini M4 this year, things have changed. Apple has finally abandoned the 8GB base memory that it had insisted on for over a decade and embraced 16GB. Of course, this isn’t because Apple has suddenly become benevolent, but rather because the demands of AI have made 8GB insufficient, necessitating the switch to 16GB. So who says AI is useless? (Trying not to laugh). Although the SSD still starts at 256GB, as a stationary Mac host, having three Thunderbolt 4 ports for external connections solves that problem! I also took advantage of a national subsidy, ordering it for 3565 yuan, and it looks stunning on my desk! This is also my first Mac, so let me share my experience after receiving it.
The packaging upon arrival was made of kraft paper, a traditional Apple touch, just like the iPhone.
Pulling the arrow-marked tab opens the box easily. This packaging method is something other manufacturers should learn from.
The outer packaging is nothing special, pure white. However, I was surprised to see an energy label on a mini computer.
The bottom features a pull tab similar to that of the iPhone packaging, along with various information about the machine.
The packaging method is the same as the iPhone, and opening it reveals the main unit.
The accessories are quite simple; there isn’t even an HDMI cable, just an 8-shaped power cable made of braided material.
The main unit is very small, even smaller than the UM890Pro I unboxed previously, just slightly larger than the Apple TV. The back has a circle of ventilation holes for both intake and exhaust, and the bottom has that peculiar power button.
On the front, there are two USB-C ports and a headphone jack, but these are not Thunderbolt 4, so don’t get them confused.
The main ports are concentrated at the back, including the power port, gigabit ethernet port, HDMI 2.1 port, and three Thunderbolt 4 ports. If you purchased the M4 Pro version, it would have Thunderbolt 5.
Next to the headphone jack is a power LED, white and quite simple.
After turning it on and setting it up, I was able to enter the system. I bought the 256GB version, as the national subsidy did not allow for configuration options. I won’t test the performance; there’s plenty of information online. The experience with Apple products isn’t about CPU performance; after all, the M1’s performance is already far behind the M4, yet it remains very smooth.
For display, I connected it to a MSI 4K 160Hz monitor, the MSI MAG 274URFW, which is quite compatible with Mac and also has a Type-C port. After connecting it to the Mac, there was a corresponding color profile. The default resolution is 1920×1080, but although the display resolution is this, it actually works at 4K with HiDPI, resulting in a very sharp effect. Of course, to display more content, I recommend choosing 2K.
All installed software will be in the applications folder; these are not just icons but the entire program data.
Using the information viewer software, I checked the usage; 16GB is quite sufficient for daily tasks.
Of course, as a member of the Apple ecosystem, sharing albums, clipboard, messages, etc. with iOS is a basic operation, and notifications are also shared.
The app store has not only Mac apps but also many iPad and iPhone apps that can run on the Mac Mini.
For users with NAS, the must-have local media application Infuse Pro can sync data directly from iCloud without needing to set it up yourself.
Now that Xiaomi phones have upgraded to the Surge 2, software can also sync data with the Mac, and even mirror the Xiaomi phone’s operations on the Mac, which is a joy for users of both Xiaomi and iPhone.
As part of the ecosystem, all devices connected via iCloud on my iPhone can seamlessly transition to the Mac Mini without manual operation, which is incredibly convenient. Although domestic manufacturers are also trying to improve this experience, the Windows system isn’t their own, making it difficult to achieve such integration. One can only hope that Huawei’s HarmonyOS PC will deliver a similar experience.
This notification settings interface has a strong iOS style. With this upgrade to macOS 15, Apple has truly unified the UI.
Using disk testing tools, I measured the built-in SSD, and the speeds are as follows.
If you plan to use it long-term, 256GB of storage will definitely not be enough. I’ve only installed a few things, and it has already consumed 70GB of space. To enjoy the experience with the base version, you will need to expand the SSD.
Buying Apple’s original storage is definitely not cost-effective; with this capacity, the price is more expensive than gold. If you have a 10G NAS, I still recommend adding the cost for the 10G network card, as video materials can be directly shared with the Mac from the 10G NAS without any latency during editing. Of course, there’s no way to upgrade the memory.
There are three paths for expanding storage: the first is the 10G NAS mentioned above, but this cannot run apps and is only suitable for large project files. If you look for third-party expansion, your warranty will undoubtedly be voided, so it’s suitable to look for someone to upgrade after the warranty period. Currently, the price for 2TB varies between 1300 to 1850 yuan, which is still a bit expensive.
As a non-portable Mac computer, I believe the third option is the most cost-effective, which is to use external storage. Not only can you install apps on it, but you can also create a Mac to go, using an external hard drive as the system disk. As long as your box supports it, expanding to 8TB is not impossible. For the box, I chose the ITGZ Thunderbolt 4 box recommended by both Yiwang and Feizai, which cost me 220 yuan. For active cooling, Jiyi’s box is an option, but it’s a bit noisy, so I’m not considering it.
The box comes with a short Thunderbolt 4 data cable, so you don’t need to buy one separately.
Of course, as a heat-generating device running at 3.0×4 speeds, good cooling is essential, so it also comes with several cooling pads.
Thunderbolt 4 and USB4 are compatible and can achieve full 40Gbps interface speeds.
By unscrewing two screws and removing the shell, you can see the internal board, which supports one 2280 SSD.
I randomly found a 1TB Kingston NV3 SSD, which is a 4.0 drive. This is confirmed to be a TLC chip, and the 1TB uses the Phison 5027 controller, which doesn’t generate much heat, making it perfect for use as an external drive.
After testing on Windows, the drive can achieve full 3.0×4 speeds with low heat generation; the maximum temperature during testing was 41°C.
The external performance is as follows; it is certainly lower than directly plugged in with 4.0×4 speeds, but this performance is more than enough for a system disk.
Once connected to the Mac, you can see this drive in Disk Utility. Currently, it is formatted as NTFS for Windows. If you are using it for Mac, I recommend formatting it to APFS for the best experience. Right-click on the drive and select erase.
Select APFS format and click erase to format it.
If you don’t plan to install the system, you can simply drag apps to the SSD, which means installing them on the external SSD. Just drag the icon since the icon represents all the data of the software.
However, considering that many programs will still write data to the default 256GB partition, over time it may still be insufficient. Therefore, I recommend installing a system on an external hard drive, allowing the external drive to act as the system disk for the best experience. Search for macOS Sequoia in the app store and click get to download the latest macOS system image for future installations.
In the app list, find the install macOS option.
Click start to install macOS on the external hard drive.
After clicking continue, select the installation disk as the external SSD and click continue to install.
macOS will ask if you want to copy your current user settings; it doesn’t matter if you choose yes or no, as it will ask again after installation if you want to transfer data from the old system. Of course, if your devices are all Bluetooth, I recommend selecting yes, as it will transfer the Bluetooth pairing data, making the setup easier.
The installation takes about 10 minutes, and once completed, you can choose to restart.
After starting, it will initialize just like a new Mac. Here, choose to transfer data from the old Mac. The Mac will transfer all your old device data, including the apps you installed, so you don’t have to manually set them up again, which is very convenient.
If you want to switch back to the original system, you just need to select the startup disk in the startup disk settings and restart. It’s even easier than with Windows.
Installation completed, the base version 256GB has successfully transformed into a 1TB Mac Mini!
All apps have been transferred, but when opening them, you will still be prompted to reconfigure notification and permission settings, which is easy to do.
Using Disk Utility to test, the speed is even faster than the original hard drive, so there’s no need to worry about performance issues.
You can still manage the built-in and external SSDs in Disk Utility. I must say, this external disk is Apple’s last bit of conscience. The entire experience with the external disk is the same as with the internal one, but the cost of expansion is significantly lower. After all, for 1500 yuan, you can only buy 512GB from Apple, but if you buy it yourself, you can get a 4TB SSD!
This is my desktop with the external SSD connected. Can you tell that I have connected an external disk? The keyboard and mouse connect to the PC via 2.4G, while Bluetooth connects to the Mac. By switching, a single set of keyboard and mouse solves the usage problem for both machines!
Well, that concludes the unboxing experience; now it’s time for a summary.
I must say, the 3500 yuan Mac Mini is undoubtedly the god of mini hosts right now and a great machine for users to experience macOS. Even if you don’t like it, it’s easy to sell second-hand without losing much value. So far, my experience has been very smooth, with virtually no lag, and most daily software is available. It’s a very good office machine.
If you are an iPad or iPhone user, a Mac Mini can provide you with a completely different experience from Windows, whether it’s iPhone mirroring or seamless switching for iCloud sharing, which is something Windows currently struggles to achieve. That’s also why I have come to enjoy this machine.
Of course, for newcomers, the learning curve for this machine is still somewhat steep, whether it’s software pricing or the difficulty of getting started, making it less suitable for novice users. Most people might use it for a couple of days and then sell it. Additionally, storage prices are very high, and upgrading to a higher configuration comes at a great cost. So, if you don’t have an urgent need, I recommend just getting a Mac Mini to play around with.
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