Is it worth upgrading from a Mac mini with M4 to the new model? Here's a complete comparison

Apple refreshed the Mac mini after almost two years, and from the outside, nothing has changed. The differences are hidden inside – and there are more of them than one would expect from a typical generational upgrade. We’ve reviewed both models side-by-side and summarize what exactly the new Mac mini can do extra.

M6 vs. M4: Two More Cores and a Double Neural Engine

The base model transitions from the M4 chip to the M6, Apple’s first processor manufactured with a two-nanometer process. Both the CPU and GPU now have twelve cores instead of ten, with the two added cores being so-called super cores, which are responsible for maximum single-threaded performance.

However, the most significant change concerns artificial intelligence computations. The M6 received a double sixteen-core Neural Engine, doubling the number of cores compared to the previous generation. Apple also adds up to twice as fast storage and speaks of four times the performance in AI tasks, double the graphics performance, and a forty percent increase in CPU performance. All these figures come from the manufacturer and relate to the M4.

M5 Pro vs. M4 Pro: Three More Cores

The more expensive variant replaced the M4 Pro with the M5 Pro. The processor starts with fifteen cores instead of twelve and offers eighteen for an extra charge, including six super cores and twelve performance cores. The graphics can be boosted up to twenty cores.

Apple states up to four times faster prompt processing in the LM Studio application compared to the M4 Pro, 40% faster ray tracing rendering in Blender, and fifty percent faster image processing in Affinity.

Memory: Higher Ceiling and Throughput

Memory throughput for the M6 model increased from 120 to 170 GB/s, and for the M5 Pro, from 273 to 307 GB/s. The maximum capacity also increased: the base model can handle 32 GB instead of the previous 24 GB, and the more expensive model 64 GB instead of 48 GB.

However, one clarification is needed here. M4 models once offered comparable maximum configurations, but Apple removed them from the configurator this year due to the memory market situation. So, the new Mac mini is partly just bringing back what was available before.

Connectivity: Wi-Fi 7, Faster Ethernet, and Genlock

The Mac mini received the N1 wireless chip for the first time, which you know from the iPhone 17. It brings Wi-Fi 7 instead of Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 6 instead of version 5.3. Ethernet now starts at 2.5 Gbps, whereas before you chose between gigabit and a ten-gigabit option for an extra charge.

Also new is support for genlock via USB-C, meaning precise synchronization of the monitor with the camera, including the iPhone 17 Pro. Both versions reportedly have newly optimized cooling, but more specific information is still missing.

Is the double Neural Engine a reason for you to upgrade, or is the M4 perfectly sufficient?