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Mac mini vs Mac Studio: MacDiff CPU/GPU comparison
Mac mini and Mac Studio both sit on desks, but their MacDiff chip bins diverge sharply. This guide is index-first (M1 Air = 100), not a ports essay.
Latest Mac mini in the catalog is the Mac mini (2024), base config M4 (10-CPU/10-GPU) — CPU 167 / GPU 192. Latest matching Mac Studio is the Mac Studio (2025), base config M3 Ultra (28-CPU/60-GPU) — CPU 300 / GPU 737.
On the M1 Air = 100 scale the Mac mini base is ×1.67 CPU and ×1.92 GPU; the Mac Studio base is ×3.00 CPU and ×7.37 GPU. Pro/Max bins on the Pro or Studio side pull GPU much further ahead than CPU.
Start with mini M4 if your needs sit near 167/192; step to mini M4 Pro when CPU toward 230–255 matters more than Ultra GPU; jump to Studio when you need GPU bins above ~500.
Bottom line
Choose Mac mini for compact footprint and MacDiff value at M4 167/192 or M4 Pro when you need more CPU without Ultra GPU. Choose Mac Studio when GPU bins matter — M4 Max already clears 500+ GPU index, and M3 Ultra 80-core is the MacDiff GPU leader.
Representative configs
| Side | Config | Chip | CPU | GPU | Mem | Storage | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mac mini | M4 (10-CPU/10-GPU), 16GB, 256 | M4 (10-CPU/10-GPU) | 167 | 192 | 16 GB | 256 GB | $599 |
| Mac mini | M4 Pro (14-CPU/20-GPU), 24GB, 512 | M4 Pro (14-CPU/20-GPU) | 255 | 375 | 24 GB | 512 GB | $1599 |
| Mac Studio | M4 Max (14-CPU/32-GPU), 36GB, 512 | M4 Max (14-CPU/32-GPU) | 255 | 513 | 36 GB | 512 GB | $1999 |
| Mac Studio | M4 Max (16-CPU/40-GPU), 48GB, 512 | M4 Max (16-CPU/40-GPU) | 293 | 623 | 48 GB | 512 GB | — |
| Mac Studio | M3 Ultra (28-CPU/60-GPU), 96GB, 1TB | M3 Ultra (28-CPU/60-GPU) | 300 | 737 | 96 GB | 1 TB | $3999 |
| Mac Studio | M3 Ultra (32-CPU/80-GPU), 96GB, 1TB | M3 Ultra (32-CPU/80-GPU) | 325 | 885 | 96 GB | 1 TB | $4999 |
Related hubs
FAQ
Same CPU 255 on mini M4 Pro 14c and Studio M4 Max 14c?
Yes on MacDiff CPU — GPU diverges (375 vs 513).
Is mini “slower” than Air with the same bin?
Same bin → same MacDiff indices; chassis differs.