The use of TSMC’s second-generation 3nm process for the M4 series has made Apple’s latest chipsets more thermally efficient, but that does not mean that a capable cooling solution should be ignored from the rest of the hardware configuration. In fact, depending on how robust that solution is, we can actually get more performance from the M4, as demonstrated in the latest Premiere Pro 4K Export test, where the redesigned Mac mini is faster than Apple’s updated 14-inch MacBook Pro. However, one other hardware ends up taking the crown, and we will discuss why this is happening.
The 24-inch M4 iMac ended up being the fastest, likely due to having more room for cooling the chipset
The M4 used in the three machines feature the same 10-core CPU and 10-core GPU, which means that the only limiting factor determining the SoC’s performance will be thermals. On this occasion, The Verge ran a series of tests on all three machines to see which one could deliver better performance. Adobe’s Premiere Pro 4K Export test taxes both the CPU and GPU, making it an excellent choice not just to test the M4’s capabilities but also if the varying cooling solutions will aid in keeping the Apple Silicon’s temperatures from going beyond an acceptable level.
While the thermals were not mentioned, the comparison shows that the $799 M4 Mac mini with 512GB storage completes the Premiere Pro 4K Export test in 3 minutes and 9 seconds, with the $1,949 M4 MacBook Pro completing the same test in 3 minutes and 14 seconds. Sadly, none of Apple’s latest hardware could overthrow the M4 iMac, which was the fastest out of all of them, as it finished the test in 3 minutes and 4 seconds. Some readers can argue that the Premiere Pro 4K Export results were within the margin of error, but we would like to believe that the improved cooling solution of the iMac made that difference.
Running Geekbench for a few seconds does not provide the complete picture as the chipset’s temperatures barely reach the throttling stage, but throw in something like Premiere Pro 4K Export, and even the fastest chips can be brought to their knees. With that being said, just because the M4 iMac is the fastest of all of them does not mean it will fit your daily use. After all, the unit tested by The Verge costs a whopping $2,299, which is not feasible for everyone.
Given the M4 Mac mini’s starting price of $599, with the compact computer available for $579 on Amazon for the base version and $749 for the 512GB variant, we feel that these two will be the most popular. Then again, some prioritize portability and exceptional battery life over everything else, and given that the base M4 MacBook Pro with 16GB unified RAM and 512GB storage is already $50 cheaper on the online retailer, coming in at $1,549, our guess is that some buyers will favor this model too.
News Source: The Verge
