New Mac MIni M4: 12 core CPU/16 core GPU or 14/20 for Photoshop?

Question

I'm ripe for a new desktop to replace my 2020 Mac Mini. The new Mini offerings by Apple look perfect.

Is the upgraded CPU/GPU chip worth it (at $200)? I will almost surely go for the 48 GB unified memory and probably a 2TB SSD. I'm driving a single 27" Apple Studio Display

I use the latest Photoshop Beta (26.1.0), and frequently use Topaz AI. AI demands are slowing my current machine down a bit.

Go for it, or save the $200 to put toward a Thunderbolt 5 hub? Other thoughts?

D Fosse · Answer

"Unified memory" just means that the GPU uses shared system memory. The GPU can use a lot, so the rule of thumb is to double the amount you would normally need. 48 will probably work, but I'd say 64 is minimum.

2 TB system drive is also bare minimum. OS and applications will only take up 100-130 GB, but you need ample free space for the Photoshop scratch disk; anywhere from 250 GB to 1 TB depending. In addition, the user account tends to bloat over time with stuff put there by all your installed applications (until you clean it up).

Finally, be aware that you should never save directly to an external drive - and you will need that sooner or later if you can't add more internal drives. Saving directly to external storage has a high risk of corruption and other problems, in addition to being slow. The recommended procedure is to save locally, then copy over. So you should factor in a "temporary" folder for working files.

The CPU isn't a bottleneck in Photoshop. The GPU is much more critical.

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