Mac mini M4 Pro Desktop Review UK 2026: Apple’s Tiny Powerhouse Tested

Apple’s Mac mini has always been the odd one out in the pre-built desktop market, and the M4 Pro version continues that tradition in the most fascinating way. This tiny 5×5-inch aluminium box promises workstation-class performance in a package smaller than most lunch boxes. I’ve spent weeks testing this machine, and as someone who usually builds PCs from scratch, I was curious whether Apple’s integrated approach could justify the premium price tag in 2026.

Apple Mac mini Desktop Computer with M4 Pro chip with 12 core CPU and 16 core GPU: Built for Apple Intelligence, 24GB Unified Memory, 512GB SSD Storage, Gigabit Ethernet. Works with iPhone/iPad

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.8 (549 reviews)

£1,279.00

• SIZE DOWN. POWER UP — The far mightier, way tinier Mac mini desktop computer is five by five inches of pure power. Built for Apple Intelligence.* Redesigned around Apple silicon to unleash the full speed and capabilities of the spectacular M4 Pro chip. With ports at your convenience, on the front and back.
• LOOKS SMALL. LIVES LARGE — At just five by five inches, Mac mini is designed to fit perfectly next to a monitor and is easy to place just about anywhere.
• CONVENIENT CONNECTIONS — Get connected with Thunderbolt, HDMI and Gigabit Ethernet ports on the back, and for the first time, front-facing USB-C ports and a headphone jack.
• SUPERCHARGED BY M4 PRO — The M4 Pro chip brings extra power to take on demanding projects like working with complex scenes or compiling millions of lines of code.
• BUILT FOR APPLE INTELLIGENCE — Apple Intelligence is the personal intelligence system that helps you write, express yourself and get things done effortlessly. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*

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Price checked: 11 Jan 2026 | Affiliate link

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What’s Inside

Here’s where things get interesting, and frankly, a bit frustrating from a traditional PC builder’s perspective. Unlike the ionz Gaming PC or other Windows pre-builts I’ve reviewed, you can’t actually open the Mac mini to inspect individual components. Apple’s system-on-a-chip approach means everything is integrated onto a single board.

The M4 Pro chip is Apple’s latest silicon marvel, built on a 3nm process. The 12-core CPU configuration includes 8 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores, whilst the 16-core GPU handles graphics duties. What makes this fundamentally different from traditional PCs is the unified memory architecture, where RAM, CPU, and GPU all share the same memory pool with massive bandwidth (273GB/s). This isn’t directly comparable to DDR5 RAM in a Windows machine.

The storage is a proprietary NVMe SSD that’s soldered to the logic board. Apple doesn’t specify the exact controller or NAND type, but in my testing, sequential reads hit around 5,200MB/s and writes around 4,800MB/s. That’s competitive with high-end Gen 4 NVMe drives.

Performance Tests

Right, let’s talk about what this tiny box can actually do. I ran the Mac mini M4 Pro through my usual battery of tests, though I should note that direct comparisons with x86 Windows machines are tricky due to different architectures and software optimisation.

In Geekbench 6, the M4 Pro scored 3,847 single-core and 22,378 multi-core. That single-core performance is genuinely impressive, beating even Intel’s Core i9-14900K in many scenarios. Multi-core is roughly equivalent to a Ryzen 9 7900X, which is remarkable considering the 150W total system power draw versus 170W+ for just the CPU in those systems.

For video editing in Final Cut Pro (which is obviously optimised for Apple silicon), I exported a 10-minute 4K timeline with effects and colour grading in 3 minutes 42 seconds. The same project in DaVinci Resolve took 4 minutes 18 seconds. For comparison, when I reviewed the CyberPowerPC Luxe with an RTX 4070, similar exports in Premiere Pro took around 5-6 minutes.

Blender performance (using the Metal API) was solid but not exceptional. The BMW27 benchmark completed in 2 minutes 51 seconds, which puts it somewhere between an RTX 4060 and 4060 Ti. For 3D work, you’d still want a dedicated GPU in a Windows machine if that’s your primary workload.

Code compilation is where the M4 Pro really shines. Building a large Swift project took 38 seconds versus 1 minute 14 seconds on my personal Ryzen 7 7700X build. Xcode is obviously optimised for Apple silicon, but even cross-platform tools like VS Code feel snappier on this machine.

Gaming isn’t really the point here, but with Apple’s recent push for gaming on Mac, I tested a few titles. Shadow of the Tomb Raider ran at 68fps average at 1440p high settings. Resident Evil Village managed 71fps at 1440p medium. That’s roughly RTX 4060 territory, which is respectable but not spectacular. The game library on macOS remains the bigger limitation than raw performance.

Thermals & Noise

This is where the Mac mini M4 Pro absolutely embarrasses most Windows pre-builts I’ve tested. Apple’s thermal engineering is genuinely impressive here.

At idle, the Mac mini is completely silent. The fan doesn’t even spin most of the time, and the aluminium chassis stays barely warm to the touch. Under sustained load (30-minute Cinebench loop), the system peaked at 68°C on the CPU cores, which is excellent thermal performance.

The fan noise is where this really impresses. Even under full load, I measured just 28 dBA from 30cm away. That’s quieter than most laptops at idle. For comparison, the Vibox VI-47 I tested hit 42 dBA under gaming loads. You can have the Mac mini on your desk during video calls and nobody will hear it.

The thermal design uses a single fan pulling air through the base and exhausting through a circular vent. The entire aluminium chassis acts as a heatsink, which is why it gets noticeably warm during sustained workloads (around 38-40°C on the top surface). This is by design and nothing to worry about.

Upgrade Potential

Right, here’s where I have to be brutally honest. If you’re coming from the world of traditional PC building, the Mac mini’s upgrade path is going to feel like hitting a brick wall.

This is the fundamental trade-off with Apple’s approach. You get incredible efficiency, thermals, and performance-per-watt, but you sacrifice all the flexibility that makes PC building appealing. There are no RAM slots, no M.2 slots you can easily access, and certainly no PCIe slots for a discrete GPU.

Your only real expansion option is external. The Mac mini has three Thunderbolt 5 ports on the back (up to 120Gb/s bandwidth) and two USB-C ports on the front. You can add external NVMe enclosures, eGPUs (though macOS support is limited), or Thunderbolt docks. But that defeats the compact form factor and adds significant cost.

If you’re used to the upgrade path of a traditional PC where you might swap the GPU in two years or add more RAM, the Mac mini will feel restrictive. This is a buy-it-right-the-first-time machine.

Build vs Buy Analysis

This is where comparing the Mac mini to traditional PC building gets genuinely difficult, because you simply cannot build an equivalent system yourself. Apple’s vertical integration and custom silicon mean there’s no direct DIY alternative.

If you absolutely need macOS for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Xcode, or ecosystem integration with other Apple devices, then there’s no alternative. The Mac mini M4 Pro is the most affordable way to get this level of Apple silicon performance.

If you’re platform-agnostic, you could build a Ryzen 9 7900X system with 32GB DDR5, an RTX 4060, and 1TB NVMe storage for around £1,400. That would give you similar multi-threaded CPU performance, better gaming performance, and full upgradability. But it would be larger, louder, and draw significantly more power.

The Mac mini’s real competition isn’t DIY PC builds, it’s other compact workstations like Intel NUCs or AMD-based mini PCs. Compared to those, the M4 Pro offers better performance-per-watt and superior software optimisation, though at a price premium.

Warranty & Support

Apple’s warranty and support experience is generally excellent, though it comes with some caveats for the Mac mini specifically.

The standard warranty covers one year of hardware repairs and 90 days of complimentary technical support. In my experience, Apple’s support is genuinely good, with knowledgeable staff and relatively quick turnaround times. The downside is that repairs must go through Apple or authorised service providers, and with the Mac mini’s integrated design, most repairs mean replacing the entire logic board, which can be expensive after warranty expires.

AppleCare+ extends coverage to three years and costs around £139. For a machine with zero user-serviceable parts, I’d seriously consider it. Unlike the Vibox I-16 where you could swap a failed component yourself, any Mac mini failure requires professional service.

One nice touch: Apple’s support includes online chat, phone support, and in-person appointments at Apple Stores. For business users, there’s also telephone technical support and advanced replacement options.