Apple's New Mac Mini and Mac Studio Boost AI Performance, but Prices Jump

According to reviews published by The Verge, Engadget, 9to5Mac, and others, the new Mac mini retains its 5-by-5-inch chassis but upgrades connectivity with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and standard 2.5Gb Ethernet. The M6 chip is Apple's first 2-nanometer processor for the Mac, featuring a 12-core CPU with a new core mix—two "super" cores, four performance cores, and six efficiency cores—and a 12-core GPU. It supports up to 32GB of unified memory with 170GB/s bandwidth. The M5 Pro model, aimed at professionals, offers up to an 18-core CPU, 20-core GPU, 64GB of memory, and 307GB/s bandwidth.

Benchmark tests show the M6 Mac mini is roughly 24% faster than the M4 in single-core CPU performance, 48% faster in multi-core, and 71% faster in GPU tasks. Storage speeds have doubled to around 6,000-6,400 MB/s. In real-world tests, a 4K Premiere export took 2 minutes 34 seconds on the M6, compared to 1 minute 51 seconds on the M5 Pro. The M5 Pro is about 40-50% faster than the M6 in multi-threaded CPU and GPU benchmarks.

Apple is positioning the new Mac mini as a machine for running AI agents around the clock. The company claims the M6 delivers up to 4x faster AI performance than the M4. Reviewers found that a 48GB M5 Pro Mac mini can comfortably run local large language models with 20-30 billion parameters, but struggles with 70B models, which run at just 0.05 tokens per second. The Mac mini has become popular for AI development, with enterprises like Haidilao deploying clusters for AI monitoring, and OpenAI reportedly purchasing tens of thousands of units.

The Mac Studio with M5 Ultra is Apple's most powerful desktop, featuring a 36-core CPU, 80-core GPU, and support for up to 512GB of unified memory. Engadget's review found it up to 30% faster than the previous M3 Ultra model in CPU and GPU tasks, with storage speeds reaching 14GB/s. However, the M5 Ultra's AI performance is only about 10% faster than the M5 Max in some tests, and its $11,299 review configuration costs over 50% more than a comparable M3 Ultra from last year. The Verge called it a machine for AI developers and high-end visual effects studios, not typical content creators.

The price increases stem largely from soaring memory and storage costs, a situation dubbed "RAMageddon" by Engadget. Apple discontinued the $599 256GB M4 Mac mini earlier this year due to supply constraints, partly driven by demand for AI workloads. The new M6 model with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage is technically only $100 more than the last available M4 mini, but $300 above the original base price. Reviewers note that while the Mac mini remains the best compact desktop available, it is no longer the bargain it once was.

In China, the M6 Mac mini starts at 6,999 yuan, a 2,500 yuan increase over the previous generation. Reviewers from 爱范儿 and 少数派 noted that a well-configured M6 model with 24GB RAM and 512GB storage costs 9,999 yuan, making it less accessible for casual buyers. Still, they argue its small size, low power consumption, and ability to run 24/7 make it an ideal AI agent server or home hub. The Mac Studio M5 Ultra is available now, with 512GB memory configurations coming next month.