Apple announces new Mac Mini, First Mac to feature M6
After the M4 Mac Mini became extinct earlier this year due to RAM shortages, Apple introduces its new Mac Mini which is skipping the base M5 and introducing the M6 chip. You are also able to get an even more powerful version of the Mac Mini with M5 Pro.
The M6 Mac Mini will deliver up to 4x faster AI performance, 2x storage and graphics, and 40 percent fast CPU performance; according to Apple. The Power increase will come from a 12-core CPU which is up 2 cores from previous and 12-core GPU also up 2 cores which will help with video editing, creative work and AI workflows.
Mac mini with M6 delivers:
Up to 13.5x faster LLM prompt processing in LM Studio when compared to Mac mini with M1, and up to 4.8x faster than M4.
Up to 2.3x faster spreadsheet calculations in Microsoft Excel when compared to Mac mini with M1, and up to 1.5x faster than M4.
Up to 2x faster gaming performance with ray tracing in Cyberpunk 2077: Ultimate Edition when compared to Mac mini with M4.
The M5 Pro Mac Mini is a weird one as this is a more powerful Mac Mini but its using the previous chip system which can get confusing to buyers. The M5 Pro now goes up to an 18-core CPU and 20-core GPU with tons of Memory and Storage upgrade options. Both models feature a 2.5 Gigabit Ethernet and the M5 Pro getting Thunderbolt 5 connectivity.
Mac mini with M5 Pro delivers:
Up to 8.5x faster LLM prompt processing performance5 in LM Studio when compared to Mac mini with M2 Pro, and up to 4x faster than M4 Pro.2
Up to 4.5x faster rendering performance5 with ray tracing in Blender when compared to Mac mini with M2 Pro, and up to 1.4x faster than M4 Pro.2
Up to 2.1x faster image processing5 in Affinity when compared to Mac mini with M2 Pro, and up to 1.5x faster than M4 Pro.
The M6 Mac Mini starts at a much higher price of $899, or $799 with Education Discount, upping its price by at least $300 from previous models. The M5 Pro Mac Mini starts at $1,699, or $15,99 with Education Discount. The price increases are tough to swallow and while the Mac Mini has been the best bang for your buck computer, it’s hard to justify a base 16GB/256GB at a higher price than before.
