11-26-2024, 02:59 PM
They will make a Thunderbolt 4 version next year.
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M4 Macs
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12-04-2024, 02:13 PM
My Mini has shipped. 5 days of waiting commences. I better get Marathon ready - I hope the M4 chip can handle it!
Gave beans:
 
12-12-2024, 04:44 PM
I had swapped to an M1 Pro MBP (from an M1 Mini) after i got into a bad car accident and couldnt sit at my desk for a few months…
Im better now and the urge to sell the MBP and get the M4 Mini is strong. Not that the M1 pro doesn’t still crush everything i do on a Mac these days.
12-12-2024, 07:21 PM
(12-12-2024, 04:44 PM)Tetsuya Wrote: the urge to sell the MBP and get the M4 Mini is strong.Have you tried Baldurs Gate 3? We have it on reliable authority that it is a pig. :-) Seriously, I know what you mean. I'm planning to upgrade next year, and in the meantime I'm planning to take up some projects that will "justify" the upgrade. Such as: * reinstall Total Warhammer 2, remind myself how slowly it runs at end of each turn * reinstall XPlane 11,or better yet buy XPlane 12 * write a brute force solver for my old puzzle game Pawns, which isn't even for sale any more Note how low priority all these tasks actually are.. But I would like to game on my Mac more. Buying a current generation console for the first time since Wii has been great, but I miss gaming on my Mac, and I prefer mouse to controller for many things. (12-12-2024, 07:21 PM)Matt Diamond Wrote:(12-12-2024, 04:44 PM)Tetsuya Wrote: the urge to sell the MBP and get the M4 Mini is strong.Have you tried Baldurs Gate 3? We have it on reliable authority that it is a pig. :-) Nah, i have a gaming PC. (13600K + RTX 4080) I have a two-system setup. Daily drive the Mac, game on the PC. Also, having the Mac side by side with the PC makes things like VOIP, video chat, and looking things up in general while gaming much easier, as multi-monitor support + fullscreen gaming is still this weird dumpster fire of "sometimes great, sometimes crashes your game!" on Windows (and it messes with VRR/Gsync badly) I use Discord/et al on my Mac while gaming. Thats why the M4 Mini is totally uncessary; the M1 Pro MBP obliterates daily driving and what little "work" i do that requires any horsepower. Still kinda want it though. Especially since i can probably sell the MBP for more than the base Mini costs, (likely ~700$) and could easily justify throwing down the extra hundred for the 24GB of RAM.
12-22-2024, 03:10 AM
This looks fun
https://boingboing.net/2024/12/21/mac-pro-style-case-for-mac-mini-m4.html
12-22-2024, 04:43 PM
I'm quite impressed by the encoding capabilities of my M4 Pro. At least, compared to my 2011 i7 iMac.. The latter usually took around 6-12 hours to encode a movie using x264 in Handbrake. The M4 Pro does it in 20-35 minutes, with AV1 10bit encoding.
03-06-2025, 12:07 AM
I have ordered the newly announced M4 Max Mac Studio. Aside from the speed, I'm looking forward to replacing my old Intel Mac Mini and eGPU and external HD, with a single quieter unit. Switching from DisplayPort to HDMI will also allow me to retire a headphone jack audio switch as well, eliminating 3 more wires.
I don't plan to run specific benchmarks scientifically but I will put it through its paces after it arrives in a couple weeks. I'll try it on BOINC tasks, Xplane, Subnautica, Borderlands 3, and other demanding games I can't currently run on high settings. Plus I already have some Silicon-only games in my backlog, due to having poor impulse control last year. 
03-06-2025, 09:35 PM
I priced out a Mini that satisfied my needs, but then looked into a Studio that's slightly beefier for the same price: $2600! Seems worthwhile for getting more ports.
2025 Mac mini M4 Pro 14-core GPU 20-core 48GB RAM 2TB SSD 2025 Mac Studio M4 Max 16-Core GPU 32-Core 48GB RAM 2TB SSD
Gave beans:
03-07-2025, 03:42 PM
(03-06-2025, 09:35 PM)ehuelga Wrote: I priced out a Mini that satisfied my needs, but then looked into a Studio that's slightly beefier for the same price: $2600! Seems worthwhile for getting more ports. I was very tempted by the Mac Mini, especially when refurbs first went on sale. But I thought I'd be waiting until summer for the M4 Studio, so I'm glad I talked myself out of that. There are definitely Mini configurations that don't seem to be good value vs the Studio, unless you really want the smaller form factor.
Gave beans:
03-07-2025, 06:40 PM
(03-06-2025, 12:07 AM)Matt Diamond Wrote: Switching from DisplayPort to HDMI will also allow me to retire a headphone jack audio switch as well, eliminating 3 more wires. If you were using a high refresh rate monitor, you'll suddenly be capped at 60Hz because of Apple's HDMI implementation, unless you use a flashed usb-c to hdmi adaptor (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08MSWMXT4?ref_=pe_63343992_578737612_fed_asin_title&th=1).
Gave beans:
03-09-2025, 01:14 PM
(03-07-2025, 06:40 PM)DrSal Wrote: If you were using a high refresh rate monitor, you'll suddenly be capped at 60Hz because of Apple's HDMI implementation, unless you use a flashed usb-c to hdmi adaptor (https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B08MSWMXT4?ref_=pe_63343992_578737612_fed_asin_title&th=1). Ooh good tip! I've been using 60Hz across the board, but in theory my monitor, HDMI cables, and switch are all rated for higher. Even my Xbox can go higher. So that will be fun to play with. Thanks for saving me some potential frustration!
03-11-2025, 01:45 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-11-2025, 01:46 PM by Matt Diamond.)
Reviews of the M4 Studio are trickling in. Tom's Guide is the only one I read so far that went into any detail about gaming.
Quote:I don't yet have the full slate of video game benchmarks for you yet. But stay tuned, because I'll be running more tests throughout the week and updating this review with more numbers as I get them! FWIW the PC game that ran circles around the Mini was TW:WH3. We may seem something similar when Cyberpunk comes out, but since Apple may have been involved with that port I think the Studio might close that gap a bit. 
03-11-2025, 04:23 PM
My 14" MBP with the M4 Pro chip runs Baldur's Gate 3 at 3840x1600 at what I believe are the highest settings (although I do have the MetalFX thing on, but at highest quality) really well. Often at 144 FPS, it does dip sometimes and can occasionally be a little jerky, but doesn't really matter for this game. If it was an FPS I definitely would ramp down the resolution/quality to get it smoother, but still, I would say it does pretty well.
Gave beans:
03-17-2025, 01:53 PM
(This post was last modified: 03-17-2025, 01:55 PM by Matt Diamond.)
Well I got my Mac Studio M4 Max a few days ago, and I have run some games on it. (Recall that my previous setup was an Intel Mac Mini with eGPU Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB). Some quick impressions, mostly running at 3440x1440:
* Borderlands 3 definitely runs better. Instead of running decently on Low, it now runs decently.. on Medium.  Though to be fair the resolution was also higher. Not entirely unexpected, given the port's reputation. * X-Plane 11 ran very smoothly with graphics cranked up to the highest settings. (Now I'm tempted to drop some coin on X-Plane 12, since it has visual improvements. But I don't "fly" all that often.) * Subnautica always ran pretty well, now I can do it on the highest resolution and settings. I will try the Windows version under Crossover too, since it has water effects that were never ported to Mac. * Total War: Warhammer II runs great at high settings. More importantly, I don't have to wait 15-30 seconds between each turn; its more like 5 seconds now. * Portal 2 under Crossover 25: runs great at highest settings. (No surprise.) It bugged me that there never was a native 64-bit Mac version so it felt good to get it running again. As you can see I wasn't running anything recent. Just older games I had already played. Soon I'll pick a new game to actually play through, which will likely be Stray, Death Stranding, or No Man's Sky. (Also planning to load up my old Unity projects to see if they build, and how fast)
Gave beans:
03-31-2025, 01:49 AM
Hokay... so, weird problem that someone might know the answer to.
I managed to sell my M1 Pro MBP for ~750, and Micro Center in the US had the 24GB/512GB M4 Mini on sale for 850... so i pulled the trigger on the deal and upgraded for a 100$ outlay. So far so good. Got her home, did the Migration Assistant thing.. plugged everything in... The Mini wont run a 4k External Display at 60hz over USB4 if ANYTHING is plugged into the HDMI port. I use two monitors - A Samsung 4k display for my primary (31") and an older Dell 24" 1440p monitor in portrait to the right. On the Macbook Pro (M1 Pro), i ran the 1440p display off of the HDMI port, and ran the Samsung 4k display directly off of a Thunderbolt/USB-C port via a USB-4 cable. Both ran at 60hz, no problems, no tinkering, nothing. Plugged the Mini in... Plugged the 1440p display directly into the HDMI port, plugged the 4k display into one of the rear Thunderbolt/USB4 ports... 1440p display runs at 60hz. 4k Display runs at 30hz. Will not show an option to run at 60hz. Unplug the HDMI cable... can immediately select 60hz for the 4k display. If i run the 1440p monitor through a USB-C to HDMI adapter, using a second rear USB4/TB port... Both will run at 60hz. Plugged them both back into the MBP (not selling her until tomorrow..) and they both work at 60hz with no adapters or weirdness. What the crap did Apple do here?
03-31-2025, 11:39 AM
(03-31-2025, 01:49 AM)Tetsuya Wrote: Unplug the HDMI cable... can immediately select 60hz for the 4k display. Bizarre. If you are running at 60hz and then plug the HDMI cable in, does it immediately drop to 30hz? The Mini specs officially support it of course: Quote:Up to two displays: One display with up to {5K (plain M4) / 6K (M4 Pro)} resolution at 60Hz over Thunderbolt and one display with up to 8K resolution at 60Hz or 4K resolution at 240Hz over Thunderbolt or HDMI I did a search, didn't find anyone having the exact same problem as you. Most of the accounts I read are people having trouble running at 60hz, period. The answer was almost always to get a better cable, or change the settings of their monitor (usually LG) to enable the higher rate. For more than one person, the "solution" was to unplug and replug the monitor to get the missing resolution back. Could it be a cable? Apple is notorious for sticking closely to published specs and being intolerant of variances. I could see those tolerances changing with different models. If you have other cables to try it might be worth doing-- I expect that's what Applecare would ask you to do. It's so weird I would even try different ports of the Mini. I'm sorry you are having the issue. Getting a new machine should be exciting, not frustrating like this. (03-31-2025, 11:39 AM)Matt Diamond Wrote:(03-31-2025, 01:49 AM)Tetsuya Wrote: Unplug the HDMI cable... can immediately select 60hz for the 4k display. Bizarre. If you are running at 60hz and then plug the HDMI cable in, does it immediately drop to 30hz? [/quote] Haven't tried that. Might later. Quote:The Mini specs officially support it of course: [/quote] Yeah, that absolutely didnt work. Plugged and unplugged multiple times (i thought maybe not ALL of the rear ports were actually Thunderbolt/USB4 so i tried them all) Quote:Could it be a cable? If so, it would have to be 4 of them. The one i was/am using is a Sabrent USB-4 (40Gbps) certified cable with 100W PD, i tried the spare i have on my desk, which is a jCreate certified USB-4 cable (40Gbps + 240W PD), and i tried the one i keep on my workbench and the one i keep in my tech go bag (both Cable Matters certified 40Gbps). None are Chinesium junk brands. It seems like (im just guessing here) it just forces the HDMI to primary or something? I haven't wanted to mess with it, and try plugging in the 4K display via HDMI to see if that somehow does something. Its just weird that given Apple's specs, it cant support a 60hz 4k display over USB-C and a 1440p display over HDMI at the same time. Like.. what software routing/glitch is causing that since the chipset is OBVIOUSLY capable of supporting it? Quote: Apple is notorious for sticking closely to published specs and being intolerant of variances. I could see those tolerances changing with different models. If you have other cables to try it might be worth doing-- I expect that's what Applecare would ask you to do. I mean, i got it working by just running them both off the USB-C/TB ports with the USB-C to HDMI adapter, so its working. (4k is USB-C to C, 1440p is USB-C to HDMI Adapter to HDMI) Its just really, really weird that using the HDMI port causes the USB-C ports to drop to 30hz at 4k. (If i set the 4k display to 1080p, itll run at 60hz). ESPECIALLY since the M1 Pro MBP *doesnt* behave that way. It just works.[/quote]
04-01-2025, 01:56 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-01-2025, 01:57 AM by Thain Esh Kelch.)
The M4s are weird when it comes to external displays. There are looong discussions on Macrumors on that topic. A major issue is that not all HiDPI resolutions are supported, despite them being it on the M1-M3. With one single exception, the 120hz 5k2k LG IPS display on the market does support it. It is so weird. Apple borked up somewhere, and doesn't seem inclined to fix it.
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