The Mac mini has finally become a viral sensation.
Since its release, public interest in this new Apple desktop has mainly focused on several aspects:
- Its compact size and light weight are reshaping our traditional perception of desktop computers
- Debates about the power button placement have intensified, becoming like a puzzle Apple has set for users to solve creatively
- “How to buy the new model for just over ¥3,000 using education discounts and national subsidy vouchers?” has become a hot topic across social media platforms
The Mac mini’s appearance and price seem to have overshadowed its other key strength — performance. Apple bears some responsibility for this, as traditionally, whenever words like “gaming,” “compatibility,” or “rendering” come up, many users automatically disassociate them from Apple products.
However, we remained curious about the M4 series chip’s performance, and many readers were eager to learn about this compact powerhouse’s rendering capabilities. So, following our “unboxing experience” and “USB-C power supply special test,” we conducted additional rendering tests on the new mini. Here are our findings and conclusions:
- The M4 Pro’s 3D rendering performance generally surpasses the M2 Pro, with the upgrade trend more evident in the MacBook Pro’s M4 Pro, completing rendering tasks in half or even one-third of the time
- Despite sharing the same M4 Pro chip and similar configurations, with benchmark scores varying within reasonable ranges, our MacBook Pro significantly outperformed the new Mac mini in practical tests, showing that identical chips in different devices need proper software-hardware integration to achieve optimal performance
- During CPU rendering, cooling fans on all three devices ran at nearly full speed, reminiscent of old-style fans on high settings — unusual for Mac devices known for quiet cooling
- In the final CPU rendering test, the Mac mini M4 Pro took significantly longer than the MacBook Pro M4 Pro, even exceeding the Mac mini M2 Pro’s rendering time by a minute. After confirming identical project files and output parameters, we ran two additional tests with similar results. This could be a system and software optimization issue, which we’ll continue to verify with future updates.
Leading from the Start with Benchmark Scores
Apple began heavily promoting M chip’s graphics processing capabilities with the M3 series.
Last year, with M3 series chips, Mac gained hardware-accelerated ray tracing capabilities for the first time, significantly improving graphics processing power. The M3, with 25 billion transistors, offers 65% better graphics performance than the M1. The M3 Pro features 37 billion transistors and an 18-core graphics processor, delivering 40% faster graphics processing than the M1 Pro.
[The article continues with detailed benchmark testing results using Geekbench 6, Cinebench 2024, and Blender Benchmark, followed by practical rendering tests…]
Practical Tests Brought Both Pleasant and Unpleasant Surprises
For professional rendering tests, we chose Blender, a widely-used open-source 3D graphics software in the industry.
We conducted three rounds of tests, adjusting rendering output parameters and using different rendering chips for comparison.
▲ Project file source: Bilibili creator @YUEMU_
Like this controversial new product itself, the test results brought both surprises and concerns, but none of this diminishes Apple’s efforts in miniaturizing desktop computers.
Based on benchmark and practical test results, this small machine indeed packs significant power. Achieving high performance in a chassis 1/10 the size of traditional desktops and 40% smaller than its predecessor is impressive in itself.
However, we should note that the device’s popularity and positive reception from users largely stem from its sub-¥4,000 price point. The Mac mini M4 Pro we tested starts at ¥10,999, with the 48GB+1TB configuration costing ¥15,499.
So when the price enters the range of new iMacs and MacBook Pros, exceeding ¥10,000, the Mac mini loses its value proposition and becomes just “mini” — plus you need to buy a separate display. Would you still pay for this miniature desktop and its M4 Pro chip?