I tried using a separate mini-PC for my video server (Channels), but ended up moving everything on my Mac Mini. Easier to handle everything under one computer, especially since I won't be pushing my Mac Mini M4 all that much.
I liked and Subscribed first and foremost because of the SE/30 and the IIGS in your room! 🤩 …oh, and love this video. As someone who has run and tested Plex Server on every generation of Mac I was intrigued to see your results. 👍
@@jansix4287 Nah, too much hassle. Only if I was a poor student would I go and sell it. I keep all my old hardware for collection, donate it to a good cause or recycle for scrap.
I bought the MacMini M4Pro this week. It's my first Mac, although not the first one I've played with. So far, I like it, ignoring some apple quirks like the mouse wheel scrolling in the opposite direction from Windows and Linux lol and the keyboard differences. I've never been happy with the transcoding capabilities of my Synology DS920+ that I had now since Nov of 2020. That has limited how I can share my movies with friends when I am a guest at their homes. But the GMKTec Mini you presented here as gotten me interested given it performs just as well as the Mac for this specific use case, so I placed an order last night. Most of my plex library is 4K Dolby Vision films, so even if I can share one stream or two, it may be worth it. If it doesn't pan out, I can probably still use it as a high speed Open Sense router. I do have a couple of usb to 2.5 ethernet dongles in the home to add the second ethernet port and I don't know if this will work, but perhaps I can use the Windows 11 Pro license on UTM on the mac? will the license key work for the ARM64 Edition of Win11Pro?
I'd love to see Lon use his approachable and accessible style to explain how to configure file and folder permissions in Linux for Plex media. A lot of us with mini PCs end up attaching external USB drives which tend to be a nightmare for permissions. It's the main thing holding me back from jumping to a more efficient Linux box.
I have an N5105 as Plex server, too bad that after upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS the hw transcoding is not working anymore :( Otherwise they are great mini PCs
I just picked up a Mac mini based on your review and was hoping you would cover this topic. I'm using an 8th gen Intel NUC as a Plex server and it gets the job done but it can really strain the i3 on that PC if I multitask.
Had Windows on my mini and found that it was running too hot. So I installed Linux and the fan is now very quiet and it is no longer running hot. Linux has a lot less processes and services running in the background. Its not even close.
Coincidentally, I have both of these computers (I got the mini a week ago). I'm not planning on using either as a Plex server but your video was interesting nonetheless.
Eh, maybe I'll use my M1 mac mini for it if I buy the new one. I don't really see any reason to upgrade though so until there is something I want from the M4 I'll hold off. Then again when I retire a computer I usually give it to my Mom. She's running Linux right now, do not want to retrain her to use MacOS.
I use a M1 Mac mini and the nvidia shield for plex and have been dissatisfied with their performance when away from home. Looks like the M4 has better performance but I’ve already been burned on using macs for a plex server. The Linux mini pc looks good and has an intel chip with quick sync but I dread the work getting my video ported.
I have a N100 GMKtec running Linux and it works great for the cost $130. I added more ram and a larger nvme and it's impressive. I was looking a the new Raspberry Pi 5, but it costs about the same as the N100 and not nearly as fast.
exactly. you also gotta remember that the N100 runs a tad faster than an i5-9500 CPU. That's a 9th Gen i5. It really is impressive. And it is exactly why I skipped the RPi for an N100.
I'm actually more interested and curious as to how the M4 Mac Mini performs with PLEX as it relates to playing back 4K HDR rips that include lossless audio, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. If it doesn't handle it properly then I'll stick with the Nvidia Shield TV. The Apple TV box is great for streaming paid content, but lags in comparison to the Nvidia Shield for personal libraries of movies and music. Highest quality streaming is important, but not as important as getting the best possible viewing and listening experience when I want to play something in my personal library. The same for Windows with respect to HDR and Dolby Vision. BTW, I know there are "better" alternatives to the Nvidia Shield for playback of files in one's person library, but I'm not convinced the difference in quality is sufficient to warrant the huge price increase for these products. At least the Apple TV box and Nvidia Shield are similar in price.
Power consumption on the Mac M4 maxes out at 40 watts, the N100 around 22 give or take. Power consumption for both was covered in their individual reviews and mentioned here. In this exercise they probably consume roughly the same amount of power depending on what else is running.
@ Thanks! I was hoping for power consumption on different tasks; such as idle, transcoding, playing .etc to compare with NAS devices too but this is good to know nonetheless
Thanks for all your work. Now, I'd like someone showing how M4 Mac Minis could be used to replace my Ubuntu Home Server. I'm using Nextcloud, Plex, VPNs, Home Assistant and many other WebApps I built. But I'd like to have a M4 Mac Mini instead so that I can use its power to also have my local LLM. I'd be using it as Assist in Home Assistant to control my devices + ask all kinds of things (code or images/illustrations, sent by mail) ? Directly published on Github ? Only imagination is the limit here, I think). For now, I'm using Google Generative addon. I want to know if using all this in Dockers on OS X would be viable ? Is headless working, or do we need a dummy hdmi plug ? Could we even run as dual boot Asahi ? I want to know all this ! Do I have to buy the Mac and do the video myself ? Am I alone ? What's life ? Well thanks for answering :)
How to the clients run from these servers? So like navigation, search, video thumbnails, etc? And how well do these servers handle all of the Plex background processes, like the thumbnail processing, intro/credits, audio processing, etc.?
fun fact a 8845hs mini pc on aliexpress with 32 gb ram (upgradable) and a 1 tb ssd (upgradable) if only 469$, the ryzen 7 is comparable to the m4, I still got the m4 mac mini because i need xcode for flutter developement, but if you don't need that, I would say the ryzen 7 mini pc is a better price to performance option.
I bought the GMKTec......Now what version of linux did you load.......or are you running it off the usb drive in the video.....details please....thanx.....
Mine runs really well on the M1 mini.. been up for years with no issues. Stable as can be. Would easily transcode 4k and fast as well. I did upgrade to the M4 because I wanted more RAM and SSD space then the M1 base model. While it runs great with about 8 people watching different things with some direct and some transcoding I just felt the need to upgrade and not deal with the crappy 256gb my M1 has.
Feel like tue comparison is a bit unfair considering Mac Mini M4 would probably makes sense to go against intel 125H Ultra mini pcs as they would match the performance and price of the mac mini. Also wish you had showed the maximum amount of transcoded streams on both devices
I run Plex on Windows 11 on the GMKtec and it runs great. Been using it for about a month. It streams video files from my mediocre NAS over a WiFi 5 network.
Well no, Windows is a resource hog, Linux will handily outperform it. However, it'll likely be good enough, and you could always throw some more RAM onboard for not much expense.
It runs a little too hot on Windows, so I installed Linux Mint OS Cinnamon version. So much better for streaming also, no worries about virus like on Windows.
isnt an M4 a bit overkill for a plex server? My old M1 mac is becoming a Jellyfin server as we speak. Btw, Im moving from plex to jellyfin as I originally went with plex so I had a media server when the internet was down and I wanted something without monthly fees... plex REALLY wants an internet connection and a monthly fee these days so its going bye bye.
I just recently switched my Intel N100 for a Mac Mini M4 Plex Server and im just going to say that so far it is a great device that can do more than just Plex. Im using it for productivity and have a plex server running 24/7 in the background i find MacOs easier to use and it gives you many options that otherwise you wouldn't have with Linux. Overall would recommended it despite the performance hit compared to Linux. I think it maxes out at transcoding 4K remotely at 2 devices for me which is more than enough for my use case. For strictly a plex server go with the N100 if you want to other tasks/work in addition to plex Mac MIni M4.
@zestplays - I'm considering just that and you've answered my questions thank you! I've been looking to move my Plex and Sonarr Apps off my old Synology Nas and the M4 mini ticks all my boxes. I'm in the ecosystem, don't know linux and the mini gives me so many more options. The other box the M4 ticks is for playback of BlueRay rips with DTS X etc. using something like Infuse that runs on the Mac as well. Thanks for your feedback.
Yeah, puts into perspective all the fanboys saying the $600 Mac Mini is "killer value" and nothing in the PC space can compete. That depends so much on what you're doing with it. This PC is less than a quarter of the money and readily outperforms the Mini for this particular workload. And you can actually fit some movies on it. Hell, you could load it with 4TB nvme storage without having to sell a kidney. For people than need more than 16GB RAM (a minority I guess) and more than 256GB storage (everyone) there are more cost effective options. GEEKOM XT13 Pro Mini PC 13th Gen Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, £600. That'll go toe to toe with the M4 mini base model in many workloads. Equivalent Mac mini M4 (32GB/1TB) is £1,400. Yes, M4 is obviously better, but it is also over double the cost. And the GEEKOM comes with a keyboard and mouse and 2.5G ethernet. Don't get me wrong, I want an M4 mini, but I'm an enthusiast. It's a good product. Just don't tell me it's great value.
I don't watch videos when i'm away from home and when I'm at home, I don't use garbage devices, so I never use transcoding. At home transcoding makes no sense. just get a decent set-top box and play the file directly.
@@paulwoodward8265 I agree. I'm now running three Plex servers on Beelink n100 mini PCs and they really work well. I haven't tried them on Linux yet, which looks like it may work even better. One of my next projects, though.
If you are simply "streaming" content, you don't need a "beast" of a CPU/GPU to do this and don't even need a 'fast" internet connection over 300Mb speeds either. Even "streaming" 4K content, you don't need a blazing fast setup to do this smoothly. If you are trying "future-proof" then yes a top-O-line sever will last you awhile, but mini PC's are SO cheap anymore it just doesn't make sense to waste the CASH to do things like a media streamer box with a "high-end" option. Even an Intel N100 mini-PC will stream ALL DAY and not drop frames at 4K with 16GB of RAM if that's all your doing on it and these N100 setups can be had pretty cheap today. I'm using a Fire Cube 3rd gen with my NAS, and it NEVER skips a beat at $109 with WiFi 6 and NO cords, and I get the added benefit of complete voice control with Alexa to control my smart home devices with a voice control remote to control my audio/video components to switch them on/off and switch inputs on my TV.
I was surprised. A few months ago I bought a 2014 Mac Mini to see how Plex ran, and it actually works. We even do multiple devices streaming. We generally watch 1080p content. Just threw it in my closet, and add files to it over my local network. I am guessing either on of the devices shown here is overkill for Plex at least today.
@@destructodisk9074 Yes! Sporting events only "stream" at 720p so you've over-bought at this point. And a 300Mp internet service is PLENTY to "steam" content of this nature even at 4K.
depends on how much content you have. having a "server" type of setup be it a tower PC build or rack makes much more sense when you have larger libraries. Who wants to have a row of external HDDs for your content when you can have it all in one box? your initial statement makes a lot of sense for sure for someone that doesn't take the hobby seriously.
I've been using Mac OS since they switched things over to the unix-like OS in 2003. It is incredibly stable and well maintained. I have a number of Macs that have been in use for 8-10 years and never needed a reset, reformat, etc. Most rarely even rebooted. That said as the video demonstrates the Mac has a good chunk of its ram already reserved for various things (icloud syncing, photos, etc. etc). So the Linux PC is definitely more memory efficient.
I use Plex (hosted on Synology). I struggle to understand why one is streaming their library of high quality ripped Blurays over to their cellphone. I stream from Plex to my high end video rig with no transcoding required nor desired.
I got a M1 16GB 1TB Mac mini back in the day for little over $1000 and I have tried to make it my desktop, but I can't get myself to like MacOS, I clearly prefer Windows. So I now have a Ryzen Mini PC as my main device. Instead of selling the M1 on the cheap I decided to turn it into a silent plex server. I know it's a bit wasted. Maybe with Apple intellingence I can get more use out of it...
I have multiple Apple devices - Apple watch (3), air pods, phone (2), iPad (2), TV, and a Macbook Pro, however, IMO the $600 base Mac Mini 4 does not deserve the hype. It only has 256GB of storage which is what you would find in a 2005 computer. You can easily buy a MiniPC from multiple manufacturers with a comparable Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, 1TB of storage and 32GB of memory for $650. Many MiniPC's support Occulink, have a display port, a 2.5GB LAN, plus a few USB 3.2 ports.
The M4 Mac mini is an excellent value if you want/need macOS…it’s horrible if you don’t. That’s why comparing the mini to anything else is waste of time.
Disagree with yalls comments. It is really hard to find anything in a box like this for $600 that competes. It does have the storage shortcoming, but it isn’t a laptop so adding extra storage to the Thunderbolt port is easy and cheap and most of us even have an extra stick or drive laying around already. The M4 isn’t beating the N100 as a Plex server, but it absolutely crushes the N100 in everything else. Heck it crushes most full desktop tower CPUs that are loud, pull massive watts, and need gigantic coolers. The GPU portion is equally powered to the GPU portion of AMDs 8700G desktop APU, which is the most powerful integrated graphics you can get on an x86 system. The memory is industry leading in speed. The CPU core performance is chart topping. Expect to pay $1000+ on an x86 mini PC that is loud, made of plastic, and probably still losses out in most performance tasks. The M4 Mini is essentially tower PC performance in a mini PC shell.
I like the in-depth reviews here but I still can’t fathom the usefulness of plex in today’s age. Most legal content has gone the streaming way. Illegal content has things like debrids. So what’s the use case of plex?
Some people still rip their own media and Plex gives high quality playback options. Not to mention the ability to stream to basically any device at various settings, customizable interfaces and access, plug-ins, etc. And the ability to stream OTA channels when using an HDHomerun. That's just a handful of reasons.
Plex and similar software is about self hosting. This is good for people with existing large disc collections or a preference for physical media(without all the fiddling around with it). Some people don't like or want subscriptions and data collection. It may not happen too often, but if there's an internet outage, those that self host media servers can still access them. Last I heard, image quality on 4K blu rays was considerably better than 4K streaming, so for those that care about that sort of thing, a media server may also be preferable.
@@ravagingwolverine I guess it is similar to people buying books. First decide on the content, buy it, keep it and possibly rewatch it. Very different from today's consumption model where you discover new content from a variety of sources, sample them. continue watching if you like it, if not move on.
I outsmarted them i have 2TB External NVME SSD in a drive enclosure running as my internal ssd storing all my files and everything for a additional $300 CAD or around 215 USD.
That n100 is very impressive, I think that for a plex server is a much better option. Cheaper and upgradable.
It would have been interesting to see the power consumption during transcoding - and during idle.
I run plex on an n100 gmtek and it crushes it. A Mac mini is overkill for just a plex server. That’s not why you get it. $119 shipped is a steal.
I use this m4 mac mini for 3D rendering (CAD etc..) it's stunning and very efficient in all ways.
I tried using a separate mini-PC for my video server (Channels), but ended up moving everything on my Mac Mini. Easier to handle everything under one computer, especially since I won't be pushing my Mac Mini M4 all that much.
I liked and Subscribed first and foremost because of the SE/30 and the IIGS in your room! 🤩 …oh, and love this video. As someone who has run and tested Plex Server on every generation of Mac I was intrigued to see your results. 👍
If both are performing the same then the gmktek is the winner since that is only $138
That's pretty much what Lon said.
It’s almost like he said that. Idiot
Wrong. A Mini can be sold for $300-400 even many years later. So if you bought with a student discount, you’re $38 cheaper.
@@jansix4287 Nah, too much hassle. Only if I was a poor student would I go and sell it. I keep all my old hardware for collection, donate it to a good cause or recycle for scrap.
@@ariessilva Even better, if you never sell, it’s lifetime cost will shrink fast to a few cents per day. It’s basically free.
Great video. I would have liked to see info on power consumption as well.
I bought the MacMini M4Pro this week. It's my first Mac, although not the first one I've played with. So far, I like it, ignoring some apple quirks like the mouse wheel scrolling in the opposite direction from Windows and Linux lol and the keyboard differences. I've never been happy with the transcoding capabilities of my Synology DS920+ that I had now since Nov of 2020. That has limited how I can share my movies with friends when I am a guest at their homes. But the GMKTec Mini you presented here as gotten me interested given it performs just as well as the Mac for this specific use case, so I placed an order last night. Most of my plex library is 4K Dolby Vision films, so even if I can share one stream or two, it may be worth it. If it doesn't pan out, I can probably still use it as a high speed Open Sense router. I do have a couple of usb to 2.5 ethernet dongles in the home to add the second ethernet port and I don't know if this will work, but perhaps I can use the Windows 11 Pro license on UTM on the mac? will the license key work for the ARM64 Edition of Win11Pro?
If you're not happy with "natural scrolling", there's an option to change it in settings.
What would be interesting to see is power consumption during transcoding 👀
I bought that green box on the right (GMKTEC N100) and it kicks butt as a Plex server. It replaced my QNAP NAS Plex server, and an old laptop.
good test.
I have a N100 server running Tuxedo OS and its really efficient running Plex.
I'd love to see Lon use his approachable and accessible style to explain how to configure file and folder permissions in Linux for Plex media. A lot of us with mini PCs end up attaching external USB drives which tend to be a nightmare for permissions. It's the main thing holding me back from jumping to a more efficient Linux box.
Hey Lon, how many hardware accelerated streams will the Mac do before switching back to software encoding?
I've been very happy with that N100 running Ubuntu as a Plex server. Worth every penny and has 2.5 ethernet.
I have an N5105 as Plex server, too bad that after upgrading to Ubuntu 24.04 LTS the hw transcoding is not working anymore :( Otherwise they are great mini PCs
I just picked up a Mac mini based on your review and was hoping you would cover this topic. I'm using an 8th gen Intel NUC as a Plex server and it gets the job done but it can really strain the i3 on that PC if I multitask.
Had Windows on my mini and found that it was running too hot. So I installed Linux and the fan is now very quiet and it is no longer running hot. Linux has a lot less processes and services running in the background. Its not even close.
Coincidentally, I have both of these computers (I got the mini a week ago). I'm not planning on using either as a Plex server but your video was interesting nonetheless.
Eh, maybe I'll use my M1 mac mini for it if I buy the new one. I don't really see any reason to upgrade though so until there is something I want from the M4 I'll hold off. Then again when I retire a computer I usually give it to my Mom. She's running Linux right now, do not want to retrain her to use MacOS.
I use a M1 Mac mini and the nvidia shield for plex and have been dissatisfied with their performance when away from home. Looks like the M4 has better performance but I’ve already been burned on using macs for a plex server. The Linux mini pc looks good and has an intel chip with quick sync but I dread the work getting my video ported.
I wonder how the M4 Pro stacks up with the extra GPU cores
I don't think it'll do much better as it mostly relies on encoders not GPU/CPU capacity.
Thanks, great video Lon
I have a N100 GMKtec running Linux and it works great for the cost $130. I added more ram and a larger nvme and it's impressive. I was looking a the new Raspberry Pi 5, but it costs about the same as the N100 and not nearly as fast.
exactly. you also gotta remember that the N100 runs a tad faster than an i5-9500 CPU. That's a 9th Gen i5. It really is impressive. And it is exactly why I skipped the RPi for an N100.
Very nice video idea!
I'm actually more interested and curious as to how the M4 Mac Mini performs with PLEX as it relates to playing back 4K HDR rips that include lossless audio, Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. If it doesn't handle it properly then I'll stick with the Nvidia Shield TV. The Apple TV box is great for streaming paid content, but lags in comparison to the Nvidia Shield for personal libraries of movies and music. Highest quality streaming is important, but not as important as getting the best possible viewing and listening experience when I want to play something in my personal library. The same for Windows with respect to HDR and Dolby Vision. BTW, I know there are "better" alternatives to the Nvidia Shield for playback of files in one's person library, but I'm not convinced the difference in quality is sufficient to warrant the huge price increase for these products. At least the Apple TV box and Nvidia Shield are similar in price.
As stated in my original video I don’t recommend mini PCs as clients including the AppleTV.
Can’t believe you didn’t talk about power consumption when doing these things. Would be curious to know what the difference is
Power consumption on the Mac M4 maxes out at 40 watts, the N100 around 22 give or take. Power consumption for both was covered in their individual reviews and mentioned here. In this exercise they probably consume roughly the same amount of power depending on what else is running.
@ Thanks! I was hoping for power consumption on different tasks; such as idle, transcoding, playing .etc to compare with NAS devices too but this is good to know nonetheless
Thanks for all your work. Now, I'd like someone showing how M4 Mac Minis could be used to replace my Ubuntu Home Server. I'm using Nextcloud, Plex, VPNs, Home Assistant and many other WebApps I built. But I'd like to have a M4 Mac Mini instead so that I can use its power to also have my local LLM. I'd be using it as Assist in Home Assistant to control my devices + ask all kinds of things (code or images/illustrations, sent by mail) ? Directly published on Github ? Only imagination is the limit here, I think). For now, I'm using Google Generative addon. I want to know if using all this in Dockers on OS X would be viable ? Is headless working, or do we need a dummy hdmi plug ? Could we even run as dual boot Asahi ?
I want to know all this ! Do I have to buy the Mac and do the video myself ? Am I alone ? What's life ?
Well thanks for answering :)
How to the clients run from these servers? So like navigation, search, video thumbnails, etc? And how well do these servers handle all of the Plex background processes, like the thumbnail processing, intro/credits, audio processing, etc.?
N100 can do all that just fine tbh.
fun fact a 8845hs mini pc on aliexpress with 32 gb ram (upgradable) and a 1 tb ssd (upgradable) if only 469$, the ryzen 7 is comparable to the m4, I still got the m4 mac mini because i need xcode for flutter developement, but if you don't need that, I would say the ryzen 7 mini pc is a better price to performance option.
Can I just use the mac mini as a streaming box for Netflix and stuff. Can it output 4k and all the audio tech?
Can you DO Jellyfin test?
great video!
How is the power consumption?
I bought the GMKTec......Now what version of linux did you load.......or are you running it off the usb drive in the video.....details please....thanx.....
It's running Ubuntu you can see more here: th-cam.com/video/1gat6eYWbgI/w-d-xo.html
@@LonSeidman That you.
Great video thank you so much
Don’t get me wrong, I use both systems. They work ok. But if I need to work on video editing and other projects the Mac can do it all IMO
how does a M1 Mac Mini do? there are lots of cheap M1 mini
@@Mystic.Q I’ve been running mine since 2020, and it’s been wonderful. Not a single issue and it’s been on since (besides updates of course)
Mine runs really well on the M1 mini.. been up for years with no issues. Stable as can be. Would easily transcode 4k and fast as well. I did upgrade to the M4 because I wanted more RAM and SSD space then the M1 base model. While it runs great with about 8 people watching different things with some direct and some transcoding I just felt the need to upgrade and not deal with the crappy 256gb my M1 has.
Feel like tue comparison is a bit unfair considering Mac Mini M4 would probably makes sense to go against intel 125H Ultra mini pcs as they would match the performance and price of the mac mini. Also wish you had showed the maximum amount of transcoded streams on both devices
can you just tell me what synology to get for 4k plex streaming?
Any with an Intel processor
Hi, Lon! I am curious. Will the GMKtec run just as well if I ran Plex on Windows instead of Linux? Thanks in advance.
I run Plex on Windows 11 on the GMKtec and it runs great. Been using it for about a month. It streams video files from my mediocre NAS over a WiFi 5 network.
Well no, Windows is a resource hog, Linux will handily outperform it. However, it'll likely be good enough, and you could always throw some more RAM onboard for not much expense.
@@paulwoodward8265 I was thinking of purchasing the one with more storage and twice the RAM. Thanks for the info. 👍🏾
It runs a little too hot on Windows, so I installed Linux Mint OS Cinnamon version. So much better for streaming also, no worries about virus like on Windows.
Great Video
isnt an M4 a bit overkill for a plex server? My old M1 mac is becoming a Jellyfin server as we speak. Btw, Im moving from plex to jellyfin as I originally went with plex so I had a media server when the internet was down and I wanted something without monthly fees... plex REALLY wants an internet connection and a monthly fee these days so its going bye bye.
I just recently switched my Intel N100 for a Mac Mini M4 Plex Server and im just going to say that so far it is a great device that can do more than just Plex. Im using it for productivity and have a plex server running 24/7 in the background i find MacOs easier to use and it gives you many options that otherwise you wouldn't have with Linux. Overall would recommended it despite the performance hit compared to Linux. I think it maxes out at transcoding 4K remotely at 2 devices for me which is more than enough for my use case. For strictly a plex server go with the N100 if you want to other tasks/work in addition to plex Mac MIni M4.
@zestplays - I'm considering just that and you've answered my questions thank you! I've been looking to move my Plex and Sonarr Apps off my old Synology Nas and the M4 mini ticks all my boxes. I'm in the ecosystem, don't know linux and the mini gives me so many more options. The other box the M4 ticks is for playback of BlueRay rips with DTS X etc. using something like Infuse that runs on the Mac as well. Thanks for your feedback.
Yeah, puts into perspective all the fanboys saying the $600 Mac Mini is "killer value" and nothing in the PC space can compete. That depends so much on what you're doing with it. This PC is less than a quarter of the money and readily outperforms the Mini for this particular workload. And you can actually fit some movies on it. Hell, you could load it with 4TB nvme storage without having to sell a kidney. For people than need more than 16GB RAM (a minority I guess) and more than 256GB storage (everyone) there are more cost effective options. GEEKOM XT13 Pro Mini PC 13th Gen Intel Core i7, 32GB RAM, 1TB storage, £600. That'll go toe to toe with the M4 mini base model in many workloads. Equivalent Mac mini M4 (32GB/1TB) is £1,400. Yes, M4 is obviously better, but it is also over double the cost. And the GEEKOM comes with a keyboard and mouse and 2.5G ethernet. Don't get me wrong, I want an M4 mini, but I'm an enthusiast. It's a good product. Just don't tell me it's great value.
It's a killer value for an Apple product. 🙂
They like paying the extra $450 dollars for the Apple Logo LOL
@@Smittron Put an Apple sticker on the GMKTEC and save the money.
How does the watts consumed compare for the two devices?
I think the mini pc maxes out around 20 watts under load or so, the M4 here about 40
I don't watch videos when i'm away from home and when I'm at home, I don't use garbage devices, so I never use transcoding. At home transcoding makes no sense. just get a decent set-top box and play the file directly.
Honestly if u have a M1 macMini not worth it to upgrade if u come from intel macmini or No mac mini yes its a great mac mini
@@cyberlife514 punctuations?
Thanks for the comparison! I found it very interesting and frankly a bit surprising. Good stuff. 👍
Modern Intel CPUs have really good video encoders/decoders, perfect for stuff like Plex.
@@paulwoodward8265 I agree. I'm now running three Plex servers on Beelink n100 mini PCs and they really work well. I haven't tried them on Linux yet, which looks like it may work even better. One of my next projects, though.
Looks like the Mac Mini is just overkill here.
If you are simply "streaming" content, you don't need a "beast" of a CPU/GPU to do this and don't even need a 'fast" internet connection over 300Mb speeds either. Even "streaming" 4K content, you don't need a blazing fast setup to do this smoothly. If you are trying "future-proof" then yes a top-O-line sever will last you awhile, but mini PC's are SO cheap anymore it just doesn't make sense to waste the CASH to do things like a media streamer box with a "high-end" option. Even an Intel N100 mini-PC will stream ALL DAY and not drop frames at 4K with 16GB of RAM if that's all your doing on it and these N100 setups can be had pretty cheap today. I'm using a Fire Cube 3rd gen with my NAS, and it NEVER skips a beat at $109 with WiFi 6 and NO cords, and I get the added benefit of complete voice control with Alexa to control my smart home devices with a voice control remote to control my audio/video components to switch them on/off and switch inputs on my TV.
I was surprised. A few months ago I bought a 2014 Mac Mini to see how Plex ran, and it actually works. We even do multiple devices streaming. We generally watch 1080p content. Just threw it in my closet, and add files to it over my local network. I am guessing either on of the devices shown here is overkill for Plex at least today.
@@destructodisk9074 Yes! Sporting events only "stream" at 720p so you've over-bought at this point. And a 300Mp internet service is PLENTY to "steam" content of this nature even at 4K.
depends on how much content you have. having a "server" type of setup be it a tower PC build or rack makes much more sense when you have larger libraries. Who wants to have a row of external HDDs for your content when you can have it all in one box? your initial statement makes a lot of sense for sure for someone that doesn't take the hobby seriously.
At this point I just block everyone uploading a video about the m4.
been using a m1 mac mini for months, runs perfectly fine. much more stabel than linux that would crash every so often for no reason.
Thank you for the comparison. I was thinking how well it performs in the new Mac mini
Comparing apples to oranges, put Linux on the Mac and it will blow it away, in fact, it blows both AMD and Intel away, the M4 stands on a pedestal.
You do realize the Mac is running Unix right? I mean those are some pretty close apple comparisons.
@ yes, I know it’s Unix.
It’s a match If you run Linux on it.
macOS is such a bloatware though, hard to customize. I would be concerned with the long term stability of the platform.
Eh? macOS is nothing if not stable. It is hard to customise, I agree, and IMHO a bad fit for a media server, not least due to dismal smb performance.
I've been using Mac OS since they switched things over to the unix-like OS in 2003. It is incredibly stable and well maintained. I have a number of Macs that have been in use for 8-10 years and never needed a reset, reformat, etc. Most rarely even rebooted. That said as the video demonstrates the Mac has a good chunk of its ram already reserved for various things (icloud syncing, photos, etc. etc). So the Linux PC is definitely more memory efficient.
To confirm this is the base M4....not M4 Pro right?
Yes base m4
I use Plex (hosted on Synology). I struggle to understand why one is streaming their library of high quality ripped Blurays over to their cellphone. I stream from Plex to my high end video rig with no transcoding required nor desired.
I got a M1 16GB 1TB Mac mini back in the day for little over $1000 and I have tried to make it my desktop, but I can't get myself to like MacOS, I clearly prefer Windows. So I now have a Ryzen Mini PC as my main device. Instead of selling the M1 on the cheap I decided to turn it into a silent plex server. I know it's a bit wasted. Maybe with Apple intellingence I can get more use out of it...
I have multiple Apple devices - Apple watch (3), air pods, phone (2), iPad (2), TV, and a Macbook Pro, however, IMO the $600 base Mac Mini 4 does not deserve the hype. It only has 256GB of storage which is what you would find in a 2005 computer. You can easily buy a MiniPC from multiple manufacturers with a comparable Ryzen 9 8945HS CPU, 1TB of storage and 32GB of memory for $650. Many MiniPC's support Occulink, have a display port, a 2.5GB LAN, plus a few USB 3.2 ports.
Base Macbook Air still comes with 256GB storage as well, Apple has never been about value.
The M4 Mac mini is an excellent value if you want/need macOS…it’s horrible if you don’t. That’s why comparing the mini to anything else is waste of time.
Disagree with yalls comments. It is really hard to find anything in a box like this for $600 that competes. It does have the storage shortcoming, but it isn’t a laptop so adding extra storage to the Thunderbolt port is easy and cheap and most of us even have an extra stick or drive laying around already. The M4 isn’t beating the N100 as a Plex server, but it absolutely crushes the N100 in everything else. Heck it crushes most full desktop tower CPUs that are loud, pull massive watts, and need gigantic coolers. The GPU portion is equally powered to the GPU portion of AMDs 8700G desktop APU, which is the most powerful integrated graphics you can get on an x86 system. The memory is industry leading in speed. The CPU core performance is chart topping. Expect to pay $1000+ on an x86 mini PC that is loud, made of plastic, and probably still losses out in most performance tasks. The M4 Mini is essentially tower PC performance in a mini PC shell.
I like the in-depth reviews here but I still can’t fathom the usefulness of plex in today’s age. Most legal content has gone the streaming way. Illegal content has things like debrids. So what’s the use case of plex?
Some people still rip their own media and Plex gives high quality playback options. Not to mention the ability to stream to basically any device at various settings, customizable interfaces and access, plug-ins, etc. And the ability to stream OTA channels when using an HDHomerun. That's just a handful of reasons.
You can’t fathom the usefulness? You don’t have much of an imagination.
owning your own media isn't so bad in a world filled with subscriptions
Plex and similar software is about self hosting. This is good for people with existing large disc collections or a preference for physical media(without all the fiddling around with it). Some people don't like or want subscriptions and data collection. It may not happen too often, but if there's an internet outage, those that self host media servers can still access them. Last I heard, image quality on 4K blu rays was considerably better than 4K streaming, so for those that care about that sort of thing, a media server may also be preferable.
@@ravagingwolverine I guess it is similar to people buying books. First decide on the content, buy it, keep it and possibly rewatch it. Very different from today's consumption model where you discover new content from a variety of sources, sample them. continue watching if you like it, if not move on.
Mac Mini m4 with 256gb is a scam
More like, having to pay 200 USD for another 256gb of storage is a scam
Works for me, my storage is on a DAS
I outsmarted them i have 2TB External NVME SSD in a drive enclosure running as my internal ssd storing all my files and everything for a additional $300 CAD or around 215 USD.