Apple Mac Mini M4 Mini PC Review&Teardown - The Most Powerful Single-Core Performance Mini PCs
As someone new to the Mac ecosystem, I decided to try this seemingly cost-effective model. I opted for the 16GB+256GB version, which retails at 4,499 CNY but was purchased for 3,749 CNY with an educational discount. Sadly, Guangdong's home appliance subsidy program had ended by then—otherwise, it would have dropped to 3,599 CNY!
Unboxing, review, and teardown video: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1vmF6eAEyg/
I placed my order on Apple's official website on December 18, 2024. It shipped on December 30 and arrived the next day via SF Express Priority (impressive cross-province next-day delivery!). Apple's shipping process felt sluggish, though.
The Apple M4 chip reportedly boasts the strongest single-core performance currently available, even surpassing the Intel i9-14900 in benchmarks. Perfect for hosting Minecraft Java Edition servers!
Beyond its exceptional value, the M4 Mac mini breaks away from its 14-year-old design legacy. Its compact, single-hand-friendly size has sparked widespread buzz.
Side-by-side with its predecessor, the 2024 Mac mini retains rounded edges but shrinks dramatically to 12.7 x 12.7 cm—down from 20 x 20 cm. It's now just slightly larger than an Apple TV.
The smaller footprint means less internal space for passive cooling. Apple's solution? A redesigned thermal system: the fan sits near the front, exhaust vents are positioned at the rear, and air is drawn in from the bottom, circulated internally, then expelled.
Official thermal airflow demo GIF:
Supporting Power Delivery (PD) charging would make it even more appealing—imagine pairing it with a 100W PD power bank, portable screen, and compact keyboard/mouse for a makeshift MacBook! Sadly, PD support is missing.
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Specifications
2024 Mac mini
- SoC: Apple M4 chip with 10-core CPU (4 performance cores + 6 efficiency cores), 10-core GPU, and 16-core NPU
- Memory: 16GB (configurable to 24GB or 32GB; 120GB/s memory bandwidth. M4 Pro models support up to 64GB)
- Storage: 256GB SSD (configurable to 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB—upgrading to 2TB costs an extra 5,550 CNY...)
- Wireless: Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
- Ports:
- 2 × USB-C (10Gbps)
- 3 × USB-C (40Gbps, Thunderbolt 4/USB4/DP)
- HDMI
- Gigabit Ethernet (optional 10Gb upgrade)
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Dimensions: 12.7 × 12.7 × 4.97 cm
- Weight (M4 model): 0.67 kg
- Voltage: 100–240V AC
- Max Sustained Power: 155W
- OS: macOS
Multi-Display Support
- Up to three displays:
- Two 6K (60Hz) monitors via Thunderbolt ports
- One additional 5K (60Hz) monitor via Thunderbolt or one 4K (60Hz) monitor via HDMI
- Up to two displays:
- One 5K (60Hz) monitor via Thunderbolt
- One 8K (60Hz) or 4K (240Hz) monitor via Thunderbolt/HDMI
- Native DisplayPort 1.4 output via USB-C
Video Playback
- Supported formats: HEVC, H.264, AV1, ProRes
- HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10+/HDR10, HLG
Official Apple Mac mini Product Page: https://url.zeruns.com/mac-mini
Purchase Links:
- JD.com: https://u.jd.com/zaOF4x2
- Taobao: https://s.click.taobao.com/Wy2vXts
- Pinduoduo: https://p.pinduoduo.com/SX5VWglK
- National Subsidy Program: https://u.jd.com/zrG94rU
- M4 Mac mini SSD Expansion Board: https://s.click.taobao.com/TUMZKss
Unboxing
The Mac mini arrived in a cleverly designed cardboard outer box. Simply pull the arrow-marked tab to open it.
Inside lies a vibrant color box.
The color box's side displays an energy efficiency label: Class 1 rating, typical consumption of 10.8kWh, and Type D product classification.
The bottom of the color box also uses the signature Apple pull-tab design—reminiscent of iPhone packaging.
Lifting the lid reveals the Mac mini itself.
Underneath the device lies the accessories compartment.
The Mac mini is wrapped in protective paper—peel it off to unveil the sleek aluminum chassis.
Included accessories: a power cable and documentation.
Front view: Two 10Gbps USB-C ports (left), power indicator, and 3.5mm headphone jack (right), topped with the iconic Apple logo.
Rear view: From left to right—8-shaped AC power port, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI, and three 40Gbps Thunderbolt/USB4 ports.
Bottom: Circular ventilation grilles (serving dual intake/exhaust roles) and a discreetly placed power button. (Admittedly, while rarely used, the button's location feels oddly inconvenient...)
Performance Testing
Powering Up
Connect power, display, and peripherals, then press the power button to begin setup.
In Finder, installed apps reside in the "Applications" directory—here, each icon represents the full application bundle, not just a shortcut.
The Mac App Store offers not just macOS apps but also a growing selection of iPad/iPhone apps compatible with Mac mini.
Storage Speed Test
Test conditions: Internal SSD at >50% capacity.
Using Blackmagic Disk Speed Test:
- Write: 1907 MB/s
- Read: 2844.1 MB/s
Using AmorphousDiskMark:
- Sequential Write: 2083.96 MB/s
- Sequential Read: 2986.62 MB/s
- Single-thread 4K Random Read: 59.22 MB/s
- Single-thread 4K Random Write: 26.6 MB/s
Thermal Imaging
After running the CPU at full load (mining XMR) for half an hour, here's the front thermal image. The highest temperature recorded was 36.4℃ (with an ambient temperature of 21℃). The case feels pleasantly warm to the touch, not hot at all – a very impressive performance.
After running the CPU at full load (mining XMR) for half an hour, here's the thermal image of the bottom. The exhaust reached a maximum temperature of 62.3℃ (ambient temperature at 21℃). From the thermal images, you can clearly see that the design features air intake from three sides and exhaust from one side.
Power Consumption Testing
The testing device used was the ATORCH Power Energy Treasure: https://s.click.taobao.com/4gHJGts
Once the MacMini has booted into the system, the idle power consumption (after reaching the desktop with no other apps open, with CPU usage below 5%, and with a 2.5G USB network adapter attached) is under 5W. The standby power performance is excellent.
When the CPU is under full load (mining XMR), the power consumption is around 30W – a commendable energy performance.
When both the CPU is fully loaded (mining XMR) and the GPU is maxed out (GFXBench benchmark), the power draw is around 53W.
Performance Testing
CINEBENCH R23 CPU Scores: Single-core 2247 points, Multi-core 13177 points (for reference, my desktop i5-14600K scores 1896 points in single-core and 21480 points in multi-core tests).
Geekbench6 CPU Scores: Single-core 3656 points, Multi-core 13756 points (for comparison, my desktop i5-14600K scores 2674 points in single-core and 13302 points in multi-core tests).
Full test report: https://url.zeruns.com/M4_Geekbench6
Geekbench6 GPU Score: 35106 points (for comparison, my desktop RTX3070 scores 94068).
Full test report: https://url.zeruns.com/M4_Geekbench6GPU
GFXBench GPU Score: 1440p Manhattan Offscreen test scores 17291.8 Frames / 221.043 FPS (for reference, my desktop RTX3070 scores 30784.6 Frames / 496.525 FPS).
The GPU performance of the Apple M4 SOC is roughly comparable to a GTX1070 – not bad at all.
Network Speed Testing
With a 2.5G USB network adapter (RTL8156) connected, running an internal network speed test showed download speeds of 2473 Mbps and upload speeds of 2458 Mbps.
For WiFi testing, using an IK-X9 AP from iKuai (https://blog.zeruns.com/archives/846.html), with the MacMini placed about 3 meters away from the AP (separated by a table and some devices, as the MacMini was placed under the table), an internal network speed test yielded download speeds of 876 Mbps and upload speeds of 258 Mbps.
Teardown
Using a suction cup, lift the bottom cover (I didn't have one, so I used a screwdriver inserted into the vent to pry it up). Then, carefully work along the seam to release the clips (be careful to avoid the power button), and the bottom cover comes off.
Once the bottom cover is removed, gently pry off the power button connector.
The Power Button
After taking off the bottom cover, you'll find another layer of a cover plate. In the center is the BIOS battery, and around the edges, there are three protrusions that serve as the WiFi and Bluetooth antennas.
Remove the screws securing the cover plate and carefully lift it off. A ribbon cable connects the cover plate to the motherboard – the wireless card is integrated into this cover plate. It's right in the middle. Once you remove the four screws in the center, you can gently disconnect the ribbon cable.
The MacMini's Wireless Card Module
Next comes the cooling fan.
The fan is made by Nidec, model EC320K01B, rated for 5V and 5W.
After removing the fan, you can see the motherboard. The storage is on a separate SSD board (the interface isn't the standard M.2 type; it's a custom design by Apple). It appears that the board doesn't have an integrated controller – it's just the flash memory chips. You can purchase a separate SSD board for an upgrade, or you can remove the board and desolder the chips to replace them with higher capacity ones. There are already standalone boards available, as well as services for chip reballing for capacity upgrades. So, it makes more sense to buy the base version rather than a high-capacity model.
Here are images of the SSD board, front and back. The model number on the flash chips is K5A3RG8773CA12424.
The following images are courtesy of Bilibili UP owner: 微机分WekiHome
Back of the Motherboard
M4 Chip and Memory Chips: The memory is Micron LPDDR5X, with the memory and the core packaged together on a single board.
On the back of the motherboard, there's a pad reserved for a 10Gb Ethernet chip – for an additional 750 CNY, you can opt for 10Gb support.
Chips on the Front of the Motherboard:
- SoC: Apple M4 APL1206
- Unified Memory: Micron LPDDR5X
- Power Management Chips: Apple APL1066 and APL1067
- Thunderbolt 4 Controller: U0PNY8-Y3
- 8MB Flash Memory: Winbond Q64NEXGIG (likely used to store the firmware for the Thunderbolt 4 controller)
Chips on the Back of the Motherboard:
- USB 3.1 Gen2 Hub Controller: Chuangwei Technology GL3590
- USB Type-C Controller: Texas Instruments SN26A23
- Gigabit Ethernet Controller: Broadcom BCM57762
- DisplayPort-to-HDMI Protocol Converter: PureTech PS190
- Multi-phase Controller: Renesas 501CR17
- Power Management Chip: Apple APL1068
- 8MB Flash Memory: Winbond Q64NEXGIG (likely used for storing the BIOS firmware)
- Audio Codec: Lingyun Logic 42L84A
Beneath the motherboard lies the power board. The transformer is a flat design, and the other inductors and capacitors are laid horizontally, maximizing space efficiency.
The power board's maximum output is 155W, with an output of 12.6V / 12.3A.
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