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M4 Mac mini RAM

Currently using an M1 Mac mini (16gb/256) purchased Feb 2021


Want to upgrade to M4 base model but I keep flipping between the standard 16gb or spending more for 24gb. Although if I’m being totally honest I feel like I know the answer, maybe it’s just a case of wanting my Mac to be slightly better than everyone else who gets the base model (which I know they’ll be happy with and I’ll more than likely be happy with considering it’s a great deal) I’m leaning towards going for base model 16gb RAM. Besides obviously being cheaper I’m hoping that the improved efficiency of M4 will mean 16gb is suitable for me and that 24gb (although nice to have if one can afford it) is unnecessary.


I plan to keep the new Mac for at least as long as my M1, probably longer if there’s no significant issues. Also am fine to have Apple Intelligence turned off depending on its memory usage.


What I use:

  • FCP to edit a lot of 4k footage (a lot of green screen chroma keying and other effects)
  • Logic for audio plus making music on the side, some plugins here and there and usually a decent number of tracks in each project.
  • Motion alongside FCP nothing too crazy still getting the hang of it but would like to eventually be able to do bigger and better things with it for videos.
  • Also started using OBS for streaming (Currently encoding 1 video stream which is from a 1080p/60hz webcam but would like to add 2nd video stream from 4k camera in future)
  • Also looking to buy a second 27” 4k/60hz monitor and connect using USB-C to HDMI adapter for a dual monitor setup. Not sure if running a second display makes a difference in this regard.


Current issues:

  • On current Mac I will occasionally hit around 15 out of 16gb memory used and sometimes push CPU load. 
  • FCP: Auto rendering is turned off, using the better performance option instead of better quality for clip playback, proxy media when I can, and as many other apps closed as possible while editing - Still have buffering issues.
  • Having FCP open same time as Motion and Logic (which would be helpful) usually slows everything down and inevitably I have to close one of them.


Thanks for reading I appreciate any advice.


P.S

If anyone knows where to get the best deal for trading in my M1 please let me know (Located in Australia) Spoke to local Apple Store and was quoted a potential max value of $455 (not bad) for in store trade in only (online trade in for Mac minis is not available on the Australian Apple site). Obviously this depends on the result of their assessment which I’m yet to do. Not interested in selling privately.

Mac mini (M4)

Posted on Nov 11, 2024 12:39 AM

Reply
4 replies

Nov 11, 2024 5:08 AM in response to SK-72

If you are already seeing slowdowns with 16 GB on an M2 and really want to have these apps open simultaneously, I would actually bump to 32 GB RAM. Running multiple apps starts with having sufficient RAM before CPU usage becomes an issue.


FWIW, I would opt for the M4 Pro Mini base model if I was doing your sort of work. For video work, the more CPU cores the merrier.

Nov 11, 2024 6:25 AM in response to SK-72

If you are editing 4K video, using professional video editing programs like Final Cut Pro, and you are already close to what you can comfortably do with 16 GB of RAM, it doesn't sound like it would be a very good idea to "save money" by purchasing another computer with 16 GB of RAM. You cannot add RAM after purchase to any Apple Silicon Mac, so if you got too little, you might incur the expense of buying another computer sooner than you had planned.


You can order a plain M4 Mac mini with 32 GB of RAM – and the plain M4 chip appears to have the same number of hardware video encoding and decoding engines as the M4 Pro chip. The plain M4 mini also has three Thunderbolt ports (though they are TB4, not TB5) and supports three displays. So even a plain M4 Mac mini with 32 GB of RAM, and enough fast internal and external SSD storage, might make for a nice upgrade.

M4 Mac mini RAM

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